N-A-A Chapter 89 People Who Do Not Exist in This World
Chapter 89 People Who Do Not Exist in This World
Chapter 89 People Who Do Not Exist in This World
The group walked out of the gate and down the lawn. They could clearly see the surface of Black Lake, where countless mermaids were floating on the water, calling out Lucas's name—even though he still couldn't understand a single word.
"Pomona, Lucas," Dumbledore said suddenly, "you two wait here for a moment."
"Just in case, Minerva, let's go and negotiate with the mermaid first."
Professor McGonagall nodded and followed Dumbledore closely.
As they approached the lake, Professor McGonagall couldn't help but say, "Albus..."
But Dumbledore had already anticipated what she was going to say and waved his hand.
"Don't worry, Minerva."
"Some of the things I said to Lucas just now were deliberately exaggerated."
"He's a good kid, but he lacks a proper understanding of the world and enough respect for it. Of course, that's not his fault."
"In short, we must guide and educate him properly to ensure he is on the right path, to ensure he..."
Don't waste your talent.
Dumbledore winked merrily.
Lucas and Professor Sprout stood on the lawn, looking at Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall.
Dumbledore's every move seemed to have magic. With his silver beard flowing, he strolled towards the lake as if taking a walk after dinner, and all the mermaids immediately stopped their shrieking and solemnly lined up in neat rows.
"Although Professor Dumbledore humbly says that he has no right to give orders to the mermaids, the mermaids, the centaurs, and all the creatures of the Black Lake and the Forbidden Forest all have great respect for our headmaster," Professor Sprout said admiringly. "So Lucas, you don't need to worry too much; Professor Dumbledore will definitely help you get a good result."
Lucas looked up and saw Dumbledore standing by the Black Lake. He seemed to take a deep breath and then speak.
A sharp, piercing voice rang out, its long and short notes carried on the wind. So Dumbledore could speak mermaid language!
The water began to boil, and a huge whirlpool swirled across the lake. Amidst the spray, Merkus, the mermaid leader, rose to the surface. She swam to the shore and performed a mermaid salute to Dumbledore, who returned the gesture.
The two began talking on the shore, occasionally gesturing to Lucas. The mermaid language was so sharp and piercing, it sounded like they were having a heated argument, and Lucas couldn't help but feel a little worried.
"It's alright, look at their expressions, they're not arguing." Professor Sprout patted Lucas on the shoulder. "Mermaid language is a very interesting language. On land, it sounds like stones rubbing together or a ghostly shriek, but underwater, it becomes a beautiful, song-like language. And even if you haven't learned mermaid language, you can understand most things underwater."
"Professor, do you speak mermaid language?" Lucas asked.
Professor Sprout laughed: "I don't, so I can't understand what they're saying either. I dare say that apart from our headmaster, there are very few people in the entire British magical world who know Mermaid Language. Especially since Mermaids have voluntarily categorized themselves as beasts," and have had almost no communication with the human magical community, even fewer people bother to learn Mermaid Language."
After reading "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" and related extracurricular books, Lucas already knew that among the "beasts," there were actually many intelligent races, such as centaurs, mermaids, giant spiders, sphinxes, and dragon-tailed lions... Of course, the reasons they were classified as "beasts" were not all the same.
Although there were plans to research which magical creatures could be used in cooking, these intelligent races were certainly not on the ingredient list. Lucas was about to ask Professor Sprout for more information on this topic when he suddenly saw Dumbledore raise his wand.
A huge silver light shone forth, and it was a phoenix composed of brilliant silver-white light!
It shot out from the tip of Dumbledore's wand, light and swift, heading towards the dark Forbidden Forest. But after flapping its wings only twice, it suddenly vanished in mid-air.
"That's a guardian spirit's voice transmission," Professor Sprout said. "It's a very advanced magic, with the guardian spirit acting as the messenger. It can overcome spatial barriers and appear near the target almost instantly, then disappear immediately after transmitting the message."
"Judging by the direction, it's the Forbidden Forest. To whom will Professor Dumbledore send a message?"
Before they could even guess, Dumbledore had already beckoned to them.
"Alright, come here, Lucas, Pomona."
His tone put Lucas at ease, and he strode forward to the edge of the Black Lake, where he saw the mermaid leader Mercus and hundreds of mermaids watching him.
Lucas mimicked Dumbledore's gesture and bowed. To his further relief, Merkus gently returned the bow.
"Lucas, Ms. Mercus has agreed to amend and refine the agreement," Dumbledore said with a smile. "We have now reached a preliminary agreement, but of course, all of this is subject to your personal consent."
"Ms. Mercus agrees with my point of view. Your cooking work should not interfere with your studies and life. Therefore, while you are in school, you will serve as a cook for the Serchi tribe twice a month, with each shift not exceeding six hours."
"The specific work dates for each month will be designated by the Serchi tribe once, and you will be notified at least one week in advance."
The other time, you can choose a suitable time to work.
"Throughout the year, you have five months off: the two months around Christmas and Easter, the summer holidays in July and August, and the final exam month in June. That means you work a total of seven months a year and provide cooking services to the Serchi tribe a total of fourteen times."
"As for compensation, you will receive a monthly salary during working months, but no salary during rest months."
16
"Your monthly salary is—" Dumbledore smiled, "one Grindylow."
Lucas was stunned; he couldn't even close his mouth.
"Then, this agreement will be temporarily signed for one year. When you are in your second year, both parties will meet again to decide whether to renew, amend, or cancel the agreement."
"So? Do you have any objections to this agreement?"
Lucas struggled for a long time before finally closing his mouth.
"Thank you so much, Professor Dumbledore! Respectfully yours, Ms. Merkus!" Lucas felt his heart pounding with joy, and he barely managed to hold back from giving Dumbledore and Merkus a hug each.
"I have no objection."
They not only had no complaints, they were extremely satisfied!
I thought I had made a huge mess and the sky was about to fall, but unexpectedly, Professor Dumbledore stepped in and not only patched up the sky, but also built a magnificent and beautiful dome.
This is amazing! Five months of super long vacation, only seven months of work a year, twice a month, less than six hours each time!
Get a Greendylo every month!
In this way, I can get seven Grindylos in a year!
"There's no need to thank me in any special way," Dumbledore said in a light tone. "The reason this agreement was reached is mainly because Lucas, your cooking skills are so superb that the merfolk are willing to accept the terms."
"That sashimi must have been incredibly delicious, something the mermaids would never forget. Judging from Merkus's description, I thought she was feasting on the gods."
He winked. "When you have the chance, let me try it too. Come to think of it, I haven't tasted your amazing cooking yet."
Lucas bowed gratefully. "Professor, you are too modest. If it weren't for you—in any case, I would always have time to cook for you."
Dumbledore laughed and continued, "As for Grindylow, I think it's a very good reward. These tamed little water sprites can not only protect you underwater, but also search for all sorts of underwater magical materials for you."
"If you really don't like it, you can sell it directly. But that would be a real shame, because it's difficult for us to measure the value of a Grindylo in Galleons. Only mermaids can tame a Grindylo, and it's not something ordinary people can obtain from mermaid tribes."
Dumbledore smiled and said, "Perhaps in the future our Potions Professor, Professor Snape, will also buy aquatic potion ingredients from you."
"Thank you so much, Professor!" Lucas gripped the stone whistle tightly, realizing just how useful Grindelwald could be as part of the team.
Professor McGonagall suddenly said seriously, "Mr. McGonagall, I must remind you that Grindylows are very dangerous and aggressive magical creatures. You must keep the tools for controlling them with you at all times. If you discover that the tools are missing, you must stop contacting them and immediately report it to the professor."
"Secondly, you must promise that you will never use Grindylow to toy with or even attack anyone." She paused, looking at Dumbledore. "Professor Dumbledore, I still believe that Mr. McGregor, being so young, should not be allowed to control Grindylow himself. Perhaps we should keep him safe for a few years, at least until he is in his fourth year..."
'
"No way..." Lucas blinked.
"Oh no, Minerva," Professor Sprout quickly interjected. "Lucas is a very sensible and mature young man, not at all like an eleven-year-old. The kind of thing you're worried about won't happen."
"Very measured, mature and composed?" Professor McGonagall stared at Lucas, her tone aggressive. "If that were the case, we wouldn't be standing by the lake right now. So much has happened since summer vacation, and every single time—"
She suddenly stopped, her lips pressed tightly together.
"Alright, Minerva." Professor Dumbledore shifted his foot slightly, blocking her view. "We can trust Lucas; he will use this power wisely. And once he fully understands the magical world and knows how to handle these things, I believe such accidents will become less and less frequent."
Just then, Lucas heard a sound like drumbeats coming from the Forbidden Forest in the distance.
Everyone looked up and saw, under the moonlight, a tall centaur galloping out of the pitch-black Forbidden Forest.
Lucas's eyes widened in surprise.
Under the moonlight, the silvery-white fur shone with a brilliant light; that was Ferencze!
So, was the message from Dumbledore's Patronus just now meant for the centaurs?
"For this supplementary agreement, this formal treaty, the Merfolk tribe proposed that, following ancient custom, a third party be invited to act as a witness. I think there is no one more suitable than another native of this land. Ms. Mercus also readily agreed to this view," Dumbledore explained, but he frowned.
"I had originally invited Magri, the centaur leader, but he didn't show up. Instead, Ferenze has come..."
He stepped forward and said, "How are you, Ferencze? It's nice to meet you."
Ferrenze stopped and exchanged greetings with Dumbledore.
Lucas quickly walked up to her: "Good evening, Ferencze."
"Hello, it's nice to meet you again, Lucas McGregor." Ferenczek gave a slight bow.
Lucas wanted to ask about Thea, but Dumbledore had already asked, "Frenzer, what happened? I was going to invite Magrey."
Ferenze sighed, raised his head, and gazed at the sky with his deep blue eyes, as if all the stars were contained within them.
"Dumbledore, I bring you a message from Magee. I'm sorry, but he has declined your invitation to be a witness for Lucas McGregor."
Lucas, Professor Sprout, and Professor McGonagall were all taken aback, but Dumbledore remained calm.
"Can I know why?"
"The stars are in motion, destiny has already been written, everything is predetermined," Ferenc said to himself. He suddenly looked at Lucas. "But this child is different."
"He..." Ferenczek seemed to be thinking of the right way to express it, "Lucas has no star of his own."
"What does that mean?" Dumbledore was clearly taken aback.
"He has no star of his own, no star trails to indicate his fate. All we can see about Lucas McGregor is a blank slate." Ferenczer's speech quickened.
"Lucas McGregor, he has no destiny, he's like someone who doesn't exist in this world."
'
Lucas's pupils dilated, he was startled, and his hands clenched tightly.
I...me? I don't exist?
In that instant, he felt a chill run through his body, and a flood of suspicions and worries welled up in his mind.
But suddenly someone placed their hand on his trembling shoulder.
That was Professor McGonagall, stern and serious, who always seemed to have a problem with herself.
The warmth spread from my shoulders all the way to my heart.
"I have no intention of questioning the centaurs' technology for observing stars and destiny," Professor McGonagall said firmly. "But I know that Lucas is standing right here. He is now, and he will always be."
Professor Sprout also came up and took Lucas's arm.
"Lucas McGregor has become a student of Hogwarts, a Hufflepuff student. I will look after him and teach him until he grows up to be a good wizard, just like his predecessors."
Luca's body stopped trembling, and the suspicions, worries, and fears in his heart suddenly turned into a silent roar and a fearless howl.
Without hesitation, he met Frenzer's gaze and then looked at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore was staring at him, his gaze seemingly trying to see right through him.
He asked slowly and softly, "Lucas, what are your own thoughts?"
Lucas took a deep breath.
"If I can't see my fate, then it means..."
'
The moonlight was so bright that it gilded Lucas's fiery red hair with a radiant glow.
"My destiny is in my own hands!"
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