Newt Receives a Letter, the Qilin Grows Up

Midnight, Dorset.

On an unremarkable little hillside stood an utterly ordinary wooden cabin.

Inside, a trapdoor in the floor was pushed open.

An old man with curly hair climbed out from beneath it.

"Once you've seen the moon, it's time for bed."

The old man gently stroked the baby Niffler in his arms, soothing the little creature as if he were joking with it.

Whoosh—

A ball of blazing, brilliant fire abruptly appeared inside the cabin.

Before the flames had even faded, a magnificent, bright-red great bird flew out from within them.

"Fawkes!"

The old man cried out in surprise, his face filled with joy. It had been a long time since he had seen this rare phoenix.

While comforting the frightened baby Niffler in his arms, he took the envelope Fawkes handed him.

"Dear Newt Scamander:

How have you been lately..."

Yes, this old man with curly hair and a Niffler in his arms was the author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the most famous expert on magical creatures of his time, Newt Scamander.

"Newt, it's so late. Who's writing to you?"

Hearing that, Newt hurriedly put away the unfinished letter, turned around, and hid it behind his back.

"Ah, ah, Tina, why are you still awake so late?"

"It's, it's just from a friend."

Tina glanced at the phoenix perched by the window, her tone calm.

"It's Fawkes."

Newt nodded instinctively, then immediately realized what he was doing and quickly shook his head.

Her husband had failed to learn how to lie after all these decades, and Tina found it both funny and exasperating. She sighed helplessly.

"Newt, if Dumbledore is simply writing to catch up with you, I'd be very happy too, but..."

Tina's tone suddenly sharpened, and she said unhappily, "But when has he ever not asked you to do something dangerous? Back then, with Grindelwald..."

Newt did not dare argue. He could only mutter softly, "I was actually willing..."

That only made Tina even angrier.

"Willing? Yes, you were always willing, but every step you took, even every decision you made, was inside Dumbledore's plan!"

"And Dumbledore even said something like, 'Newt, do you know why I admire you most? Because you don't care about fame, you only do what you believe is right.' Please. He was just sweet-talking you into working for him for free!"

"How about this? I'll read the letter for you first. If it's just friendly greetings, I'll read it aloud to you. But if it gets into anything dangerous again, I'll pretend I never saw it."

Seeing that Newt still seemed reluctant, Tina could only persuade him.

"Newt, you're already very old. Our grandson will be going to Hogwarts in a few years. Don't get involved in dangerous things anymore, all right?"

Newt hesitated for a while, but in the end, he nodded and handed the letter to Tina.

Tina opened the letter and read it, but the more she read, the stranger her expression became.

She seemed unable to believe this was a letter Dumbledore had written to Newt, but that phoenix, which belonged only to Dumbledore, was unquestionably real.

"Er, you'd better read it yourself."

Tina returned the letter to Newt, who read it carefully from beginning to end.

He discovered that aside from the usual pleasantries and greetings, Dumbledore was merely helping a student ask about matters related to using the Undetectable Extension Charm to contain living creatures.

"Researching the Undetectable Extension Charm, is it? It seems to be an upper-year student preparing for the N.E.W.T.s."

"I wonder which house they're in, and what their name is. Dumbledore actually didn't even mention that. But they must be a very talented child."

Newt knew very well how difficult it was to master the Undetectable Extension Charm, let alone study the direction of containing living creatures.

"As long as it doesn't involve the parts passed down through my family, I'd be very willing to help Dumbledore and that young schoolmate."

Newt looked up at Fawkes.

Fawkes was still there, elegantly preening his feathers, as if waiting for Newt's reply.

At the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

Compared with the place where he had previously tested the Transfiguration Pocket Watch, Lucien had come a little deeper into the Forbidden Forest this time.

After asking Hagrid, Lucien knew this area was relatively quiet, with very few magical creatures appearing here.

"System, how much longer until the little Qilin wakes up?"

[One minute]

Lucien began pacing while pulling a large amount of vegetables, fruit, and herbs from his bag.

These had all been prepared for Liuguang. Qilin fed on the plant and wood energy contained within them.

Lucien then took a large jar of water from the bottom of the bag. It was pure dew he had collected every morning and night.

Daiying was a place of many clouds and mist, with heavy moisture in the air, which made it convenient for him to collect so much dew.

Whew, this minute sure felt slow.

[Ding. The Pet Growth Loan has taken full effect. The Qilin Liuguang has preliminarily entered its growth stage.]

Hearing the system's reminder, Lucien impatiently released the little Qilin.

"Boom—"

Red-gold flames shot into the sky.

In an instant, they filled the entire clearing, illuminating the surroundings in dazzling brilliance.

Lucien discovered that the flames automatically avoided him, and all they transmitted to his body was warmth.

But when he turned to look around, the soil, sand, and stones were rapidly melting and cracking apart, while the trees were directly burned to ash.

Lucien realized just how terrifying the temperature of those red-gold flames was.

A long, clear, ethereal cry came from within the flames.

Immediately after, the sea of fire parted, and a divine, handsome spiritual creature wreathed in Auspicious Cloud stepped out.

Its body was tall and upright, its head resembling a dragon's, with a pair of short horns on its forehead as warm and lustrous as jade.

Fine, exquisite scales covered its entire body, shimmering with a faint golden sheen.

Red-gold mane hair drifted over its neck, back, and shoulders, shaped like flowing clouds.

Its eyes were bright and full of spirit, like the purest glass.

"Liuguang?"

Lucien asked tentatively.

"Master! I missed you so much!"

The Qilin, which had been dignified and sacred just a second ago, sprang up and, just like when it was little, charged straight into Lucien's arms.

Seeing this, Lucien went deathly pale with fright.

You unfilial brat!

Lucien hurriedly dodged aside, avoiding the little Qilin's attempt to throw itself into his arms.

Uh, it was no longer little now. It was already a big Qilin.

Liuguang's body was larger than a deer's and smaller than a horse's.

But this was definitely not a size that could be held in someone's arms!

Then he looked again at the twin horns on Liuguang's forehead. Although they were rounded and had no sharp edges, he still did not want to be rammed by those things.

"Master, do you not want me anymore?"

Liuguang looked at Lucien with its watery eyes, and the voice that surfaced directly in his mind was still soft and babyish.

Hearing this, Lucien's heart softened, and he sighed helplessly.

He stepped forward and gently hugged Liuguang's neck, then stroked its forehead just like when it was little.

Liuguang also rubbed against Lucien in great enjoyment.

The mane around its shoulders and neck was extremely soft and warm, making Lucien feel very comfortable as well.

He let go of Liuguang's neck, but Lucien's hand still rested on its forehead.

"Liuguang, you've grown up."