Swift Success

"We should hurry up and renovate the factory now."

"Now?"

Eli was a little surprised, but he could guess why Dumbledore cared so much about the potion factory.

With Dumbledore's insight, he could clearly see what a successful potion factory would bring.

With Voldemort about to return and the Death Eaters stirring, he hoped to complete this project—one capable of affecting more than half the Wizarding World—as soon as possible.

That way, resisting Voldemort would be much easier when the time came.

He trusted Eli enough because of his background, because he was Nicolas Flamel's successor, and because he could tell that Eli would not choose to harm the world as Voldemort had.

Because Eli had family and friends. In his own words, Eli understood love and possessed it.

Voldemort had been born from Amortentia, so he was incapable of sensing love by nature.

Dumbledore's current plan was to help Eli complete the potion factory's setup as quickly as possible.

"If you have no other urgent matters."

Dumbledore's meaning was obvious: the sooner, the better.

Eli nodded. That suited him perfectly.

Dumbledore held out his arm, and Eli stepped forward and placed his hand on it.

"Fawkes, I'll trouble you."

Dumbledore's bird flew above their heads, then suddenly turned into flames that enveloped them.

Then came the familiar sensation of traveling through space. After a while, the world had changed completely.

"This is...?"

The surroundings looked like a Muggle neighborhood that had been around for quite some time. The streetlamps nearby glowed dimly.

"In fact, first-time travelers usually feel some discomfort. Don't you?"

Eli looked at Dumbledore. "No."

"Young people these days really are getting more and more impressive."

Dumbledore sighed, then took out a small object.

He activated it, and the light from the surrounding streetlamps actually left the lamps themselves and flew into the little object in Dumbledore's hand.

The area was plunged into darkness at once.

Feeling the sudden darkness, Eli was a little uncomfortable. "Why are you turning off the lights, old man? Why do you keep turning off the lights?"

Dumbledore shot Eli a glance, and Eli, who had still been babbling away, immediately shut his mouth.

He awkwardly looked away.

Could this old man have caught onto something? No, that couldn't be right. How could a foreigner understand that?

"This is Godric's Hollow, where Muggles and Wizards live together. It would be best not to draw anyone's attention."

"Godric's Hollow?" Eli was very familiar with that name.

As though he had seen Eli's thoughts, Dumbledore added, "This was also your home back then."

Eli immediately understood. The tragedy caused by Voldemort all those years ago had happened in Godric's Hollow.

"Would you like to take a look?"

Eli paused, then shook his head. "No. We still have things to do. There's no need to visit old places and dwell on the past so soon."

Dumbledore's expression changed at Eli's answer. Then, as if relieved, he nodded.

"Yes, there's no need to visit old places and dwell on the past so soon. Let's go." Dumbledore held out his arm again.

Eli gave Dumbledore a strange look. So you brought me here specifically to let me see where my parents died? That's pretty damned heartless.

Dumbledore seemed to sense Eli's questioning gaze and coughed awkwardly. Only then did Eli place his hand on his arm.

This time, the two of them appeared directly in an open clearing, with no houses around.

Dumbledore waved his hand, and it was as though a curtain had fallen around them, revealing a fairly large factory within.

It looked rather old.

"Let's go in."

When they opened the door, a strong smell of mildew and other pungent odors rushed at them.

The inside was extremely rundown. There were barely any things left that could function properly.

Dumbledore cast some light with his wand, illuminating the entire factory floor. "See if there's anything here that can still be used."

Eli walked around for a few laps, then spread his hands. "Not a single thing."

Dumbledore slowly swept his wand in every direction, and a storm seemed to rise around them.

Everything in the factory was swept together, then gradually vanished.

"Nice work!"

Eli could not help praising him. That move from old Dumbledore had been seriously impressive.

"Thank you for the compliment." Dumbledore accepted it gladly.

Eli cast several Lumos spells, making them float in different places as light sources. In an instant, the entire factory was as bright as day.

Then he took out his Fourth-Dimensional Pocket and tapped it with his wand. A massive pile of things immediately poured out.

Those things expanded in the wind, instantly returning to their original size.

Under Eli's control, the work units he had brought out lined up in order, eventually forming a fully automated assembly line.

It sounded a little out of place, but it was full of technological flair.

"Nice work."

Dumbledore praised him again, and Eli politely returned the courtesy. "Thank you for the compliment."

He stepped forward and fed batches of potion ingredients into the intake ports. With a tap of his wand, the entire assembly line immediately began operating.

Eli had unprecedentedly introduced the concept of catalysts into potion-making. This greatly shortened his potion production cycle.

Before long, some potions had already come out from the end of the assembly line.

Dumbledore stepped forward, separated out some with his wand, and examined them. Then a sharp gleam flashed in his eyes.

"Exceptionally fine restorative potions!"

An uncontrollable smile appeared on Eli's lips. He had tested the quality himself. They were far better than anything on the market!

Dumbledore slowly inspected the miraculous assembly line, his eyes full of disbelief.

"Magic truly is incredible! How was this done?"

Eli put on a profound expression. "Trade secret."

Dumbledore looked at the little brat, then patted his head with a pleased expression.

Ah, don't touch my head. Patting my head will keep me from growing taller!

Thinking of his brother Harry Potter's future height, Eli firmly rejected that idea!

Dumbledore did not press further. He had no desire to pry into Eli's secrets.

For Eli, this truly was the weapon that would guarantee his victory. To control the potion market, enormous output and exceptional quality were both indispensable.

The means of achieving all this was precisely the Precision Potion-Making Method Eli had researched back then.

He had developed precise formulas for certain potions, then input them into these alchemical devices.

Machines could always achieve precision with ease. Therefore, his assembly line could continuously produce potions of extremely high and stable quality.

Dumbledore waved his wand again, continuously chanting strange, tongue-twisting syllables.

Eli could vaguely make out some of them. They were Runes!

He could now clearly feel terrifying waves of magical power rippling through the space. If that magic had held even the slightest hostility toward him, he would already have been dead.

Eli did not even dare imagine the power of a spell that required a legendary Wizard like Dumbledore to use his wand and chant for so long.

It was not difficult to guess that they were some kind of protective spells.

The spellcasting lasted for more than ten minutes. Only then did Eli feel the magic gradually stabilize, as though the surroundings had gained an extra layer of restraint.

He dared guarantee that even Voldemort would not be able to enter with spells of this level unless he went all out.

A sheet of parchment slowly condensed out of thin air.

Dumbledore handed it to Eli and said solemnly, "Only people whose names you personally write on it will be able to enter this place."

Eli rubbed the parchment and found that it was no different from ordinary parchment.

He took out a pen. "Professor, what's your full name?"

Dumbledore should naturally be allowed to enter this place. Eli trusted Dumbledore completely.

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."

"..."

A hint of slyness flashed through Dumbledore's eyes.

Eli held out the pen. "How about you write it yourself?"