Forging the Dao Heart

Tom thought for a moment and said, "Then I'd appreciate it if you could also look for traces of those poachers. Their target is the same as mine—dragons."

If you can't find the dragon, take care of your rivals first—that's standard Slytherin wisdom.

The next morning, Tom was awakened by a commotion. He opened the window and saw a group of Veela gathered in the open space.

Polana stood at the front, holding a map and talking to them. Phoebe stood beside her, her long silver hair gleaming in the morning light.

Tom got dressed and went out of the cabin.

"Mr. Tom." Polana nodded when she saw him. "We've already started making arrangements. Starting today, we'll be the first to know about any trace of the fire dragon within a 50-kilometer radius."

Tom glanced at the map, which marked the terrain of the Vosges Mountains, with rivers, peaks, and forests densely packed together.

Tom settled down in the Veela Tribe, and during the day Phoebe took him to wander around the Vosges Mountains in search of dragons.

At night, he returned to the cabin to learn Dark Magic from Gellert Grindelwald, and occasionally Andros would pull him aside to review the day's search route.

Starting from the second day, half of the Veela were out every day to help him find the dragon and the poacher team.

The Veela hated poachers with a passion, and on the first day, they found a gang of more than ten people.

Tom Apparition to the vicinity, intending to use the Disillusionment Charm to stealthily approach, but he didn't expect that the poachers had set up warning magic around the camp, and he was discovered as soon as he got close.

Left with no other choice, Tom resorted to stealth and unleashed his full power, forcing him into a direct counterattack.

Seeing that things were Apparition to escape, but Tom relentlessly pursued and killed them.

Aside from top-tier wizards, it's extremely difficult to Apparition in battle. The farther the teleportation distance, the longer it takes to concentrate. Not everyone can use this technique to escape.

Tom found over two thousand Galleon, along with some Potions and materials, on more than a dozen poachers, which could be sold for a good price.

As the old saying goes, "A man cannot get rich without unexpected wealth, and a horse cannot get fat without night grazing."

When Tom returned to the Veela Tribe with a dozen or so wands as spoils of war, he instantly became the most popular person in the entire tribe.

One by one, charming Veela older sisters surrounded him, showering him with care and attention, and even performing captivating dances for him.

Tom also took this opportunity to challenge his weaknesses and hone his resolve with the help of the older sisters.

If the enemy tries to seduce him with beauty in the future, they are truly blind.

Tom even has his own troupe of dancers accompanying him during meals, and he kindly lets Gellert Grindelwald and Andros enjoy the show too.

Gellert Grindelwald didn't react much; those who know, know.

Andros, however, was heartbroken:

"Tom, you're destined to become the greatest wizard! How can you be indulging in a life of pleasure? Why didn't I think of getting a bunch of Veela to dance for me back then? Damn it!"

Gellert Grindelwald and Tom both twitched at the corners of their mouths.

The last sentence is probably the most important one.

Polana mobilized the entire tribe to help gather information, and every day Veela returned from different directions, bringing clues that were either true or false.

"There are large animal footprints in the southern valley, but it's not a fire dragon."

"There are charred trees in the forest to the east, probably left by a fire dragon's breath."

"There's nothing to the west, only a group of angry Centaur."

Polana traced her finger across the map, tapping several locations.

"Here, here, and here, there are signs of wizard activity. They could be poachers, or they could be looking for the fire dragon."

Tom memorized the locations and drew a map. Phoebe sat opposite him, holding a quill pen, marking the locations reported by the Veela on the map.

Her handwriting was small and neat, and she noted the time and source of information next to each location.

Phoebe quietly moved closer to Tom, her warm breath tickling his ear as she spoke.

"Riddle, why are you so determined to find a dragon? If you need materials from a dragon, I can ask my father for help; he has some connections in the Wizarding World."

Phoebe knew Tom was very powerful; his fire magic still shocked her to this day.

But the fire dragon was too powerful in her mind; she didn't believe any wizard could defeat one single-handedly.

"I do need the materials, but challenging the fire dragon is also my goal; I can't give up either."

Tom had actually considered taking a shortcut and exploiting a bug.

Next semester, in order to get past Hagrid's Three-headed Dog challenge, Quirrell will bribe Hagrid with a dragon egg, which will hatch into a Norwegian Ridgeback named Norbert.

A young dragon is still a dragon, and might even meet the requirements of the Twelve Trials.

Putting aside the fact that killing the dragon would offend Harry and Hagrid, he didn't care at all.

The key issue is that this matter will definitely get out, and then it won't just be the school that will be in trouble, but also the Ministry of Magic for accountability.

Moreover, the trial required bathing in dragon's blood. Harry's Invisibility Cloak could cover Norbert, so even if the blood of such a small dragon were drained, it probably wouldn't be enough for him to soak in.

So it's better to confront it head-on and take advantage of this golden opportunity to kill a fully grown fire dragon. It's not like he doesn't have the strength.

The power of Dark Magic lies in this: it doesn't require the user to be stronger overall; it only needs to be able to kill you.

Seeing his resolute attitude, Phoebe offered another suggestion. "How about we find a few more people to go together?"

"That won't work either." Tom shook his head slightly.

Are you alone?

"One person is enough; this is a trial given to me by my elders."

The Blood Tracking Curse was basically ineffective; there were too many wild beasts in this forest. Once the spell was cast, the area within five kilometers was covered in red dots. Tom even got a good scolding from Gellert Grindelwald.

He wanted Gellert Grindelwald to use his Prophecy abilities to help him find the dragon's whereabouts, but Gellert Grindelwald told him that he was too weak to survive.

Forget about predicting the future; even a simple Transfiguration Spell is difficult in reality.

That's why Tom has entered a semi-retired state, hoping that the Veela can step up their game.

On the morning of the fourth day, Polana brought definite news.

"We were all fooled by that cunning wood wasp. It only showed itself briefly in the Vosges Mountains; it's long since disappeared into the Black Forest across the Rhine River."

"Starting from the tribe, head northeast and cross the river directly. After crossing the river, continue east for two hundred kilometers. The fire dragon is in the valley between the two highest mountains."

"Those two mountains are covered with fir trees, making them easy to spot. The Goblin found them on the way to Germany for a trade."

Tom stood up, folded the map, and put it in his pocket. "I'll go now."

"Now?" Phoebe stood up as well. "It's not even dawn yet."

"Get there before dawn, and make your move while it's sleeping."

Phoebe opened her mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back. She walked up to Tom and reached out to straighten the collar of his robe.

Her finger paused briefly beside his neck, then withdrew.

"Careful."