Spell Inspiration Upgrade

George and Fred were highly efficient.

Silan had barely finished dinner when they returned from Hogsmeade.

"Here's the parchment you wanted. Oh, and we bought a bottle of lilac ink too." Fred handed the parchment and ink to Silan.

"Lilac ink?"

Silan picked up the bottle of lilac-colored ink and examined it. He found that it held less than ordinary ink and cost several times more.

"Yeah, ink invented by Lockhart." George shrugged. "Only Slytherin types would like this kind of useless ink that's pretty and nothing else."

"We figured if you used this ink to make the maps, they might sell better."

As expected of the future owners of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Their business sense was sharp; they had immediately identified the users' core demand.

Other than its attractive color, this lilac ink had no special function at all.

But since it was the same kind used by Gilderoy Lockhart, the bestselling author famous throughout the wizarding world, and was even more expensive, quite a few Slytherin students used it.

Maps made with this ink would indeed sell better in Slytherin.

"On the way back, we already discussed what prank props to make."

"We'll probably finish them in two days. The night after tomorrow."

"We're planning to go to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom first and set up the props. Want to come with us?"

George and Fred spoke one after the other.

By the end, though they were asking, both of them were looking at Silan eagerly, clearly full of anticipation.

Obviously, they were looking forward to finding a friend who would pull pranks with them.

And if that friend happened to be their cousin, even better.

"Sure. I'll go with you then," Silan agreed.

"Hurrah!"

George and Fred cheered.

The three agreed to meet outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom on the night after tomorrow.

After they left, Silan took the parchment and lilac ink back to the Room of Requirement and continued making maps.

Of Hogwarts' four Houses, Hufflepuff had the most students, while Slytherin had the fewest.

So, to meet market demand, Silan deliberately adjusted the quantities while making the maps and produced several more Hufflepuff maps.

There was nothing much to say about the maps for the other three Houses. Their main appeal was that they were cheap and durable.

But the Slytherin Map required much more care. It used only the finest parchment with gilded patterns.

This parchment was smooth and delicate, with intricate gilded designs. Just looking at it gave it an air of luxury.

Its spell-retaining effect was also better than that of ordinary parchment.

High-end ingredients often needed only simple preparation.

With materials this fine, Silan did not need to add any decoration.

The best parchment paired with flamboyant lilac ink gave the finished maps a truly extravagant scent of money.

Although these maps were no different from ordinary maps in practicality.

In terms of appearance, though, they left ordinary maps far behind.

Compared to other young wizards, what the wizards from these pure-blood families truly needed was not a map, but "specialness."

To them, these things needed to offer more than practical use.

They also had to display their status.

After all, once people became wealthy, their standards for every aspect of life rose.

That was true for nouveaux riches, and even more so for pure-blood wizarding families that had accumulated wealth for centuries.

Their pursuit of high-quality goods had long been carved into their bones.

After making the map samples, Silan laid out the blank parchment one sheet after another and began copying them.

[Spell Inspiration: Proficiency +2]

[Spell Inspiration: Proficiency +1]

[Spell Inspiration: Proficiency +1]

Because the Slytherin Map used the finest parchment, its spell-retaining effect was excellent, so it lasted a long time.

It could basically remain active for around eight months.

"That works too. This limited-edition map only needs to be sold once a year."

"Once there are too many of them, they won't be worth much."

Luxury goods had two defining traits: one was that they were expensive, and the other was scarcity.

Silan checked Spell Inspiration's proficiency in his mind.

[Spell Inspiration: Level 1 (76/100)]

Ever since entering school, he had constantly been reading spellbooks and practicing spells.

As a result, his proficiency had risen rapidly. The Spell Inspiration trait was also about to break through to Level 2.

Once a trait broke through, it could be upgraded once.

Silan put away the finished maps and leaned back against the chair to rest for a while.

Through the glass dome of the Room of Requirement, he could see that it seemed to be the middle of the night outside.

It's already too late to go back to the dormitory. I might as well rest here tonight. I can keep grinding proficiency too, and see whether I can raise Spell Inspiration to Level 2...

Having made up his mind, Silan got up and continued practicing spells.

In his view, compared to subjects like Potions and Transfiguration, spells were a wizard's foundation and source of power.

They possessed the most direct power and were also the simplest and most straightforward.

Silan often wondered whether a wizard who researched spells to their highest realm, who could casually invent new spells, might be able to make anything happen just by wishing for it.

Of course, that step was still rather far away for him.

For now, he had to learn the spells invented by those who came before him.

[Spell Inspiration: Proficiency +2]

[Spell Inspiration: Proficiency +2]

Over the past two days, aside from eating, attending class, and sleeping, Silan had been practicing spells at high intensity.

The immense mental exhaustion left him feeling completely dazed.

Fortunately, Slytherin had not shared any classes with Gryffindor these past two days.

Otherwise, if Hermione had seen him looking like this, she probably would have been worried sick.

After nearly two days of high-intensity spell practice, the virtual screen he had been longing for finally popped up before him.

[Spell Inspiration has broken through to Level 2]

[Please select an upgrade direction for Spell Inspiration]

[Burst: Spell power and effects increased by 15%]

[Speed: Spell casting speed increased by 15%]

The two upgrade directions were easy enough to understand. One increased ordinary attack power, while the other increased spell casting speed. Both were good choices.

That left Silan somewhat torn.

Choose [Burst], and overwhelming strength could work miracles.

Choose [Speed], and in all martial arts under heaven, speed alone was undefeated.

Silan waved his wand and conjured a bed, then lay down on it weakly.

The intense mental exhaustion made him feel uncomfortable, like he had just finished a one-thousand-meter fitness test.

After weighing it in his mind for a while, Silan ultimately decided to choose [Speed].

His wand core was Dragon heartstring. This kind of core could produce the most powerful wands and cast the strongest magic.

Since its power was already considerable, increasing its casting speed would make it even more perfect.

With A-rank strength and speed, wouldn't that be unbeatable?

Once Silan made up his mind, the screen before him changed instantly.

[Spell Inspiration: Level 2 (1/200)]

[Description: Spells are spells, and singing is singing. Do not chant spells while singing, and do not sing while chanting spells.]

[Effect 1: Inspiration is more likely to strike while learning spells.]

[Effect 2: Spell casting speed increased by 15%]

After upgrading Spell Inspiration, Silan fell asleep at once.

That evening was the time he had arranged with the Weasley twins. He needed to rest up first.