An Abstract Thunderbird, Thunder Pattern Amplification (4,000 Words)

The Box World.

Lucien arrived at the space where the Thunderbird Aether resided.

At this moment, Aether was soaring through the clouds, practicing difficult spins and vertical sprints.

The electric sparks around it, some as thick as thunder dragons and others as thin as silver snakes, pierced through the clouds and gave rise to torrential rain.

Lucien wore Water-Repelling Bracelet and wasn't worried about the rain getting his clothes wet.

Looking up at Aether, who appeared and disappeared intermittently, he realized that his little brother was actually practicing the Thunderbird's courtship rituals. According to this "precocious" Thunderbird, the early bird catches the worm.

When Lucien first heard Aether say this, he even doubted whether the Unicorn Blessing was translated incorrectly. Only after consulting with Little Qilin did he confirm that this was indeed the case.

Lucien also asked Aether why she was so persistent in finding a partner.

Aether's answer was:

"Boss, ever since I became conscious, I've felt that I was destined to become the king of the Thunderbird, to find many mates, lay many eggs, and expand the colony as much as possible. Unfortunately, the year before last, I courted an older female, but she ignored me. Later, her mate even beat me up..."

Lucien's feelings at that moment were incredibly complicated. It turned out that it wasn't just humans; even the Thunderbird had people who did abstract things.

It's fair to say that Aether following him might be a good thing; otherwise, she would have been killed by the other Thunderbird sooner or later.

Looking up at the clouds swirling with thunder and rain, Lucien raised his wand.

The arc of electricity leaping at the tip of the wand gradually turned from blue-white to tinged with a pale purple.

Lucien felt the slightly warm silver lightning pattern on the pad of his thumb— the Elemental Thunder Pattern was drawing in the lightning element in the environment, naturally channeling it into the spell he had carefully constructed.

He first tried the most basic "Arc Blast".

In the past, it was just a loud spark of electricity; now, the wand unleashed a thumb-thick, twisting, and crackling purple arc of electricity that lashed out like a whip at a distant tree, leaving a scorched mark.

Next is the "Static Barrier".

From a layer of hazy radiance, it condensed into a crackling, solid shield woven from fine electric snakes.

A leaf blown by the wind struck it and instantly turned into a small pile of ashes.

After several attempts, Lucien raised his wand high, unleashing a torrent of magic. The lightning patterns on his fingertips instantly became scorching hot, emitting a bright light!

"Thunder Cage Electric Lock."

Several chains made of pure lightning roared from the tip of the wand, solidifying like long snakes forged by lightning, instantly binding and sealing the boulder as its target.

After experimenting with several spells, Lucien confirmed that the power of lightning magic had indeed increased, by about one-tenth, which matched the loan description.

The basic spells with average power were insignificant, but the power of high-level spells like Thunder Cage Electric Lock, amplified by the Elemental Thunder Pattern, did give Lucien a pleasant surprise.

A sharp cry fell from the sky, and Lucien recognized it as Aether greeting him.

As soon as Lucien looked up, he saw several thick bolts of lightning descend from the sky, seemingly drawn by an invisible force, and crashing into the lightning chains wrapped around the surface of the boulder!

"Boom!!!"

The chains suddenly changed shape; they were no longer chains, but instantly transformed into a cage made of lightning. The blinding flashes of electricity made Lucien squint.

The imprisoned boulder cracked inch by inch with a teeth-grinding "crack," and finally turned into dust in a dazzling burst of light!

The lightning cage slowly dissipated, leaving only scorched earth on the ground.

A whistling wind followed, and Aether flapped her three pairs of wings, landing in front of Lucien.

"Boss, you smell so good!"

Aether hopped over to him, muttering something about how delicious it smelled, and Lucien's first reaction was to ask a question mark.

But he quickly figured it out. When Aether approached, Lucien extended his right hand, which was holding the wand, and stopped in front of Aether. At the same time, he mobilized his magic power, making the Elemental Thunder Pattern on his thumb brighten.

"Aether, is this the 'smells good' you mentioned?"

Upon seeing the silver-white lightning bolt pattern on Lucien's fingers, Aether nodded hurriedly, appearing quite human.

"Yes, boss, it wasn't like that before."

As expected, it was the effect of the Elemental Thunder Pattern. Thunderbird are creatures that are very sensitive to the element of lightning, and the Elemental Thunder Pattern increased their affinity for the element of lightning.

Based on the experiment just now, when casting lightning magic, the Thunder Pattern will automatically attract the surrounding lightning elements and integrate them into the magic, thereby enhancing the magic's power.

Well, speaking of which, the final Thunder Cage Electric Lock spell attracted lightning from the sky, further amplifying the spell's power.

"Aether, did you command the lightning that just descended from the clouds?"

Aether rubbed her beak against Lucien's palm, or rather, the Thunder Pattern on his fingertips, and inhaled Aether swirling purple arcs of electricity from them.

"Hmm, yes and no. It seems like when you were casting your spell, the lightning in the clouds had a tendency to fall, but it was very weak. It wasn't until the last spell that the lightning became noticeably more agitated, but it still didn't completely break through the clouds. Then I just gave them a push, letting them follow your magic and blast them onto that rock."

Thunderbird have a keen sense of lightning, so when they used lightning magic to trigger Elemental Thunder Pattern, the lightning in the sky reacted.

Furthermore, the more complex the magic cast, the more lightning elements are gathered, and the more pronounced the attraction of lightning becomes.

But with Aether's help in the end, the lightning finally struck and merged into the Thunder Cage Electric Lock spell.

Lucien glanced at the lightning-shaped silver pattern on the pad of his thumb.

This is just a basic Elemental Thunder Pattern; it might not be attractive enough to those who use lightning.

If the level of the Thunder Pattern continues to increase, in addition to gathering more lightning elements to enhance the power of magic, it might even be able to directly attract lightning to enhance the magic.

Therefore, it seems that elemental runes can play a stronger role in suitable environments, such as earth element for the land, and water element for lakes and oceans...

"Boss, can I try your lightning magic?"

Aether chirped a few times, then stared longingly at Lucien.

Try lightning magic?

Lucien thought that since Thunderbird could indeed swallow lightning, they probably wouldn't get sick from eating it.

He channeled magic into his wand, releasing Electric Arc Spell at will; arcs of electricity, tinged with a faint purple glow, shot out from the tip of the wand.

Aether downed the drink in one gulp, then smacked her lips as if savoring the taste.

"A rich and lingering flavor, a rare find~~"

Uh, where did this bird learn such slang?

Was it self-taught, or is the Unicorn's blessing actually a translation based on its own language understanding?

Did you translate the joke along with the text?

Lucien couldn't help but rub his forehead and ask:

"So, is this filling?"

"I think it's still..."

Before she could finish speaking, Aether instantly became alert.

"Boss, you're not planning to feed me with this from now on, are you?"

"Actually, I think this kind of lightning magic tastes pretty good, but it's not as filling as grilled whole lamb, clear broth beef, or spicy stir-fried chicken... After all, we Thunderbird still need to hunt, and eating only lightning will make us sick!"

Lucien was often speechless about this little brother; the other's gluttonous nature was definitely the strongest among all the Magical Creatures he had raised!

"Alright, alright, your sister said she's going to cut back on your food."

Ravenclaw Common Room.

"Senior Marietta, could you please call Senior Qiu for me? I have something to tell her about Quidditch."

As Qiu's roommate and friend, Marietta was taken aback when she heard Lucien's request. Her expression quickly changed from the smugness of someone watching a drama unfold to a slight disappointment, but she quickly recovered, gave an OK sign, and ran towards the girls' dormitory while turning back to say to Lucien:

"No problem, no problem, don't rush."

Lucien casually found a sofa to sit on. At Hogwarts, girls can enter and leave the boys' dormitories, but the reverse is not allowed.

For example, in Ravenclaw, there are two silver armored figures standing at the staircase leading to the girls' dormitory. If a boy tries to force his way in, he'll have to test the sharpness of the axe in the armored figures' hands first.

In Gryffindor, for example, the stairs are enchanted; if a boy tries to enter, the stairs will turn into a long, slippery slide.

Lucien had read in a book about the history of Hogwarts that it was designed by Rowena Ravenclaw, the Founders of the house, because she believed that boys were not as reliable as girls.

Not long after, Qiu arrived at the common room. Her nose was slightly red, and as she walked up to Lucien, she couldn't help but turn her head and sneeze softly.

Qiu's voice had a distinct nasal tone, and she said somewhat shyly,

"Sorry, Lucien, I was just about to go to the Seventh Workshop to buy some cold medicine. The medicine you invented works really well, and the taste isn't strange either. Most importantly,"

She paused, her tone tinged with relief.

"It won't produce steam in your ears like Madam Pomfrey's Pepperup Potion."

Tomorrow is the Ravenclaw vs. Hufflepuff Quidditch Match, and Cho doesn't want to add any fuss or mystery to his game.

Lucien stood up, his wand already slid into his palm, and softly chanted a spell. A pure, soft white halo flowed from the tip of the wand, enveloping Qiu.

Qiu felt the lingering drowsiness and nasal congestion disappear instantly, and she felt refreshed.

"Thank you, Lucien, your healing magic worked so quickly!"

Lucien figured this was also due to the Unicorn's blessing; whether he cast healing spells or received healing from them, the effects would be better.

"Marietta said you wanted to see me about Quidditch. Lucien, have you decided to join our house team?"

A look of anticipation and joy appeared in Qiu's eyes; Ravenclaw's Quidditch skills were the weakest among the four houses.

After all, Ravenclaw has a small number of members and is often dominated by women; it's already quite impressive that they can even muster seven people to play Quidditch.

If Lucien were to join...

"Ahem, senior, since the match against Hufflepuff is the day after tomorrow, I'd like to ask you to show off your real ' East Wind ' broom on the field."

As he spoke, Lucien pulled the final version of the East Wind Broom from his pocket.

Hearing that Lucien still had no intention of joining the academy team, Qiu couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, but she quickly adjusted her mindset. After all, Lucien had his own things to do. Qiu's attention quickly turned to the broom.

"Is this the same broom that the Seeker Gryffindor and Slytherin used before? Hmm, it doesn't feel exactly the same; this one seems more understated?"

As for seeing Lucien pull such a long Flying Broomstick out of his pocket, Qiu felt quite used to it; after all, Lucien had invented so many amazing gadgets since the beginning of the semester.

Lucien nodded and handed the East Wind Broom to Qiu.

"Yes, this is the final version I completed; its stability has been improved in all aspects."

Qiu's eyes lit up slightly, filled with eager excitement, as if she wanted to try it out immediately.

"Lucien, speaking of which, how did you come up with the idea of inventing so many magical items? And I heard that Alchemy Class aren't offered until sixth grade. Did you teach yourself all of this?"

Because I need to pay off my loan...

Lucien muttered something to himself.

"Self-study is an exaggeration. I met a wonderful teacher during the summer vacation who imparted a wealth of valuable knowledge to me."

"Besides, I invented these gadgets also to make money."

Upon hearing this, Qiu looked at Lucien with suspicion. Making money?

This junior doesn't seem to be short of money.

When Qiu voiced her doubts, Lucien looked up at the ceiling at a 45-degree angle and sighed deeply.

"I just enjoy the feeling of making money, and I also want to help improve the students' learning experience."

Seeing Lucien's serious expression, Qiu suddenly chuckled.

"Hehe, so after you graduate, do you want to be a businessman or a teacher?"

"Actually, I'd rather be a headmaster or Minister for Magic, so I can push for educational reform in the Wizarding World. Right now..."

Lucien's gaze made Qiu realize that this junior wasn't joking, so she put away her smile and said gently:

"Okay, I'll definitely vote for you from now on!"

"By the way, Lucien, before the official competition with the new East Wind Broom, could you... could you practice with me a bit? I want to familiarize myself with its performance beforehand."

Without much hesitation, Lucien agreed.

"Sure, senior, can you get up at four o'clock?"

Lucien's question left Qiu momentarily bewildered.

What time? Four in the morning?

"Yes, Hogwarts at four in the morning is so peaceful and serene."

After a long silence, Qiu finally spoke softly:

"Lucien, are you really not going to consider joining Quidditch team? With your hard work and self-discipline, you're sure to become a famous star!"

Lucien Mosso stroked his chin.

"Let's forget about it for now, I don't want the plane to crash."

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