System Upgrade
The crimson Hogwarts Express pulled up beside the platform, steam billowing from the engine and forming plumes of white mist in the air.
The young wizards boarded the train in twos and threes.
Lucien sat by the window, one arm draped over the windowsill, propping his head up as he looked at the bustling scene on the platform.
The young wizards all had smiles on their faces—finally, they could treat themselves to a good holiday.
Furthermore, Hogwarts doesn't have summer homework; the holidays are purely for having fun.
Some Half-blood or Muggle-born young wizards especially miss television and video game consoles, things they simply can't do at Hogwarts.
Magic is great, but you have to learn it, and it's exhausting!
Lucien watched the little wizards bouncing around on the platform, and a smile unconsciously crept onto his face.
Another holiday is coming.
The carriage gradually filled up with people. Ron and Harry squeezed in, followed by Hermione.
Ron slumped into his seat as soon as he walked in, letting out a long sigh, "Finally, the exams are over! This semester has been much longer than I imagined!"
Harry sat down and rubbed his shoulders. "You have the nerve to say that? You slept all day after the exam."
Ron chuckled, "That's to replenish energy."
Hermione sat opposite Lucien, opening a new book, but her eyes kept glancing out the window, as if she too was reflecting on the end of the semester.
The whistle sounded, and the wheels roared as they turned.
The castle's silhouette moved slowly past the window.
As the train started moving and left Hogwarts, a system notification sounded in Lucien's mind:
[Host, this system needs to undergo an upgrade and will be dormant for a period of time.]
[No new loans will be triggered during the upgrade period; the repayment progress of existing loans will continue to be recorded in real time.]
[PS: Give yourself a good vacation (๑¯ω¯๑)]
Upon reading the last sentence, Lucien gave a wry smile.
Is it a holiday?
The system is giving itself a break, isn't it?
Lucien still has a lot to do...
During this period of system dormancy, I can focus on doing some things without being distracted by the sudden loan tasks.
I don't know what changes will occur after the system upgrade, or what new features will be added.
Once the upgrade is complete, loan triggers should be more frequent.
The elemental magic rune loan had always been on Lucien's mind.
Putting aside the pursuit of higher-level runes, the key issue is that the Wind Element rune has yet to trigger.
I have fire, water, and earth—the basic elements—and I'm almost finished with the encyclopedia, but I'm still missing one to unlock.
This feeling is really frustrating.
There's also the "Plague Doctor Set," but so far I've only gotten one mask—that bird-beak mask is indeed useful, significantly improving my ability to perceive and analyze curses, but the mask is only part of the set.
The system has indicated that collecting the complete set will grant additional benefits.
Lucien shook his head, suppressing these thoughts for the time being. There was no rush; he'd wait until the system upgrade was complete.
So far, he only has two outstanding loans left to repay— the Apples of Youth and the Emerald Tablet Fragment."
The repayment deadline for the Emerald Tablet Fragment is approaching. This was triggered last summer, but it's almost paid off.
In a few days, Instant Whisper will be officially released, and we'll be able to catch up on the final progress.
Lucien originally intended to use Instant Whisper as the main force to repay the loan from the Emerald Tablet.
After all, Instant Whisper is a groundbreaking alchemical creation, and the concept alone is enough to cause a sensation.
The demonstration at the Beauxbatons Exchange Tournament had already shown alchemy masters from several countries the potential of Instant Whisper.
But some other alchemical tools and potions gave him quite a "surprise".
The main driver of sales revenue was the East Wind Broom.
The orders placed by professional Quidditch teams are staggering. These teams are willing to spend a fortune on the fastest broom in the Wizarding World because, in their view, victory or defeat often hinges on a single second.
Beauty-related potions and alchemical items also contributed far more to Lucien's sales figures than he had anticipated.
While the water from the Fountain of Fair Fortune itself wasn't selling well, the "Beauty Series" skincare products—facial cleanser, face mask, and shower gel—developed based on the principles of the Fountain of Fair Fortune, saw a surge in sales.
The Hogwarts students, in particular, saw visible results after using the Fountain of Fair Fortune, and so they wrote home to recommend it.
Upon further inquiry, the parents discovered that the product was developed by the genius boy who received the Order of Merlin, so they bought it with confidence, and some even stockpiled it.
Lucien recalled a joke Qiu had made, "You should consider opening a beauty salon; the business would definitely be better than selling brooms."
It has to be said, the female market is really huge.
As for Instant Whisper, after a period of optimization and improvement, it can now achieve zero-latency communication in countries the size of Britain and France, whether it is text, pictures or videos.
The latency issue in cross-border communications has also been greatly improved. Although it is not yet possible to achieve completely zero latency, it is perfectly acceptable for the average user.
As for lag-free cross-border communication and more features, those can be added in subsequent updates.
Smartphones and computers weren't something you could get all at once.
Haven't you noticed how many people rush to buy every new phone model that comes out?
The same principle applies to Instant Whisper.
When Instant Whisper II, Instant Whisper III... Instant Whisper X are released, users who are already accustomed to Instant Whisper will most likely be willing to spend money to upgrade to a better version.