What is the essence of games?
Seeking happiness, alternative social interaction, or a sense of belonging?
Lorne believes that from any perspective, Pokémon was the most successful game back then. Its logic was very simple: you are a child, and you travel, trade, share, and compete with your friends.
It has a unique worldview, a very low barrier to entry, and is very gentle. It has no cruel or dark settings and is an ideal world that people want to immerse themselves in once they experience it.
At the same time, the capture gameplay greatly enhances the player's experience. Imagine that you capture each pet yourself, and its name and intimacy level are closely related to you. It is not a gift from heaven obtained through gacha, nor a cold battle tool, but your unique partner.
Lorne thought the idea was very feasible.
" Sains, contact Firenze and have him abandon all his current drawings and create hundreds of Fantastic Beasts based on ' Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.' They don't need to be exquisitely detailed, but they must have distinctive features—cute, beautiful, handsome, or adorably ugly... Ideally, they should be able to relate to the differences between their infancy and adulthood."
After Firenze got his own Magic Mobile Phone, Lorne handed over all the editing and scheduling to Sains, while he was only responsible for collecting the manuscripts and distributing food.
Sains was also ignited by Lorne's sudden enthusiasm. "Don't worry, leave it to me!"
"I need to immerse myself in creating the storyline right now," Lorne said, feeling like he had an inexhaustible supply of ideas in his head, afraid he might forget them. "The minor update for The Wizard Legend will be released tomorrow, and after that I'll be thinking about creating the new game. Don't bother me unless it's something important; you and Quirrell can discuss and decide."
Sains nodded in agreement, Lorne tidied up the things on the table, wanting to return to his room to work in seclusion.
Harry suddenly appeared in the doorway. "Master, I'd like to ask for leave--"
"Okay, go ahead." Lorne agreed without even thinking.
He didn't actually intend for Harry to do any work; tutoring Dobby was just to give him something to do. He didn't know if the Ministry of Magic had any regulations, but he couldn't bring himself to hire child labor for the time being.
Lorne didn't set work hours for Harry, letting him sleep in every day and urging him to go to bed at night. Even Quirrell only treated him as a visiting student, at most asking him to help deliver messages.
Lorne took a couple of steps and then suddenly turned back. "Take Dobby with you, and be careful— Dobby, listen to Harry, and protect Harry."
Harry and Dobby nodded together. He turned and walked downstairs, Dobby following beside him like a piece of luggage that could move on its own.
The Wizard Legend updated on time the next day.
Neville was in the Janus Thickey Ward at St. Mungo's Hospital, nurses walking past him, the aromas of herbs and cooking filling his nostrils.
It smells like wormwood and Dittany.
Neville got another O in Herbology this semester. To Neville, the scent of herbs lingering around his nose is like a politely knocking elf, a guest he already knew from the hospital.
Augusta Longbottom, Neville's grandmother, sat Quiet in her chair with her eyes closed, seemingly at rest.
" Neville, let's play with your toy!" A childlike woman peeked out from the doorway. She sat on the hospital bed and patted the empty space next to her, gesturing for Neville to sit down.
"Okay, Mom." Neville pulled his Magic Mobile Phone from his pocket and quickly stepped forward.
This woman is Neville's mother, Alice Longbottom, who was tortured by the Death Eaters to the point that her soul was damaged and her mind regressed to a childlike state.
She didn't know Neville, but she felt an instinctive affinity for the boy. She always carried Drooble's Best Blowing Gum wrapper with her, and she would always give Neville one whenever he came to visit.
Neville's father, Frank Longbottom, was also tortured by the Death Eaters, and his condition was even worse. He sat blankly on his hospital bed, his body weak, his expression vacant, and his eyes empty.
Neville sat next to his mother, holding the Magic Mobile Phone between them.
"The game has been updated, Mom. Perfect timing, we can play through the story together."
A flash of white light, and Neville's little figure appeared in his carriage. His house was filled with potted plants, the room lush and green. Yaoyao emerged from a leaf. "Drop by drop, thought by thought, day after day, Yaoyao has finally waited for your appearance."
Neville raised his voice a few decibels to make sure his mother beside him could hear him.
It was nighttime in the game. Suddenly, an exclamation mark appeared on the little figure inside the carriage. Neville knew this meant the game's plot had been triggered, so he stretched his aching arm and casually reminded his mother, "Mom, look!"
On the screen, the carriage was blocked from moving forward by something. The little man got off the carriage and found that black vines were entangled on the wheels, which he and Yaoyao could not remove with their combined strength.
Just then, a beam of bright moonlight shone down, as if the little man and the carriage were exposed to a spotlight. The black vines on the wheels disappeared, and a figure in white slowly emerged from the depths of the forest.
She is the Witch of the Moon - Ozomuna.
Neville doesn't have this character, but that doesn't stop him from recognizing her. The Witch of the Moon was a popular character introduced during last year's anniversary celebration, and her popularity remains high thanks to her elegant appearance and impressive stats.
" The Moonlight Grass I planted seem to have mutated; they're getting tangled in the wheels of carriages and horses," a quest icon appeared above Ozomuna's head. "Dear little wizard, could you help me figure out what's wrong?"
Neville readily accepted the task, and his current mission immediately appeared in his task log. "Find a suspicious place in the forest."
Ozomuna also helped the little man, directing a beam of moonlight to shine around him so that he could see clearly in the dark.
Neville's mother said gently, "It's the moon."
The little boy searches everywhere in the forest, fighting against various monsters and corrupted Moonlight Grass along the way. The exciting battle music even makes Neville's father clap along.
Finally, the little man discovered that the problem was with the water source. Following the system's instructions, he released a wizard in his party who was proficient in water spells, and helped Ozomuna solve the problem.
Ozomuna then claimed that she had forgotten many things and hoped that the young wizard could help her find the parchment scrolls she had lost in the forest, perhaps in a tree hole or a bird's nest; those were the diaries that Ozomuna had once written.
Neville completed the task in one go, carefully reading each step and even thoughtfully explaining it to his mother.
He discovered that Ozomuna resembled his mother.
In the story, Ozomuna is an ancient Witch of the Moon who is skilled at Divination the moon phases. She often shines a beam of moonlight on people who are lost in the night. It is precisely because of this peculiar magic that she suffers the most persecution in the witch hunt.
Morgana's henchman Thom, taking advantage of Muggle persecution, used Morgana's Dark Magic to curse Ozomuna, causing her body to perish forever and her soul to lose its memory, trapped in this forest for eternity, only able to recall her past when the Moonlight Grass ripens each year.
Her parents wept bitterly after her death; her husband was ruthlessly murdered by Thom in an attempt to avenge her; her daughter often called out her name in her dreams.
At the end of the story, Ozomuna, having briefly regained her memories, looks up at the moon. "My memories are like the moon, sometimes full, sometimes waning; my love is like the moon, resting during the day and rising at night."
The last sentence slowly appeared in the little man's chat window.
"You can't see the moon during the day simply because it no longer reflects sunlight. The moon always exists, just as your love does."