Ding! Midnight refresh! Shop has new items!
Li Wade set down the spellbook disguised as Oliver Twist and summoned the system shop.
[Item 1: Stamina Potion (50ml, Unlocked) – 5 VP]
[Item 2: Supreme Memory Potion (Unlocked) – 100 VP]
[Refresh Countdown: 23h 59m 30s]
[Virtue Points: 165]
[Dark Lord Achievement: Not Attained]
At first glance, the items seemed unremarkable. Li Wade skimmed their descriptions.
[Stamina Potion: System-exclusive. 50ml provides 48 hours of peak mental alertness without fatigue. Use sparingly. Overuse causes severe drowsiness. If side effects occur, seek immediate treatment at St. Mungo's during brief lucid intervals.]
Essentially supercharged coffee... Li Wade felt a pang of nostalgia. He'd consumed oceans of the stuff in his past life.
His gaze shifted to the second item. Unlike the Stamina Potion, this one listed no dosage.
[Supreme Memory Potion: System-exclusive. Permanently and drastically enhances the drinker's memory.]
The description was blunt, but Li Wade's eyes lit up. Memory was the bedrock of learning. Perfect recall would accelerate his studies exponentially—and the effect was permanent.
Though "drastically" was vague, he bought it without hesitation for 100 VP.
As for the 165 VP… While it was unclear why crushing Tom yielded greater rewards, he silently thanked Mr. Riddle's involuntary contributions. Without them, this potion would've remained locked away.
Warmth spread through his palm as a small, transparent vial materialized. He uncorked it and sniffed. Odorless, tasteless—like distilled water.
He downed it in one gulp. True to form, it tasted like nothing.
The vial dissolved into motes of light, vanishing as if reclaimed by the system.
Li Wade waited, sensing no immediate change. Had it been water after all?
Skeptical, he reopened the spellbook to an unread page and scanned it rapidly.
The transformation hit him instantly.
After just one cursory glance, the text and diagrams etched themselves into his mind like photographs—as if he'd memorized them through relentless repetition.
The Supreme Memory Potion worked beyond expectation. His recall was now flawless. Eidetic memory.
The 100 VP were worth every point. He mentally thanked Tom again for his… contributions.
He purchased the Stamina Potion as well, then lifted a loose floorboard beneath the rug. Inside this makeshift cache lay his earlier purchase: Essence of Dittany. He added the new vial.
With only 60 VP left, he considered Tom. While a reliable VP source, the yield was slow. Tomorrow, he'd test other virtue-accumulating methods.
As for tonight…
He eyed the hard iron bed, then pulled the Stamina Potion back out.
Sleep is but a cousin of death. With perfect recall and "super coffee," wasting time sleeping felt like betraying Comrade Riddle's sacrifices.
---
Several days later
Knock, knock, knock...
The orphanage's heavy door rattled under the afternoon sun.
Amy set down her tray of iodine and hurried to answer.
A tall, weary man stood outside, dressed in flamboyant plum velvet robes that clashed oddly with his air of exhaustion. His hair and beard were auburn, his nose distinctly crooked.
Definitely a professor… or a barrister, Amy thought.
The man offered a kind smile. "Good afternoon. I have an appointment with Mrs. Cole. I believe she's the matron?"
"Oh… Just a moment." Amy turned and shouted, "Mrs. Cole!"
A distant reply echoed. "She's coming," Amy said, stepping aside. "Please, come in."
The man entered the black-and-white tiled hallway, his sharp blue eyes surveying the worn but immaculately clean surroundings—a testament to the matron's diligence.
Before the door fully closed, Mrs. Cole rushed over, fatigue lining her face. She spoke hurriedly to an aproned girl trailing her:
"...Take that iodine to Martha upstairs. Billy Stubbs is picking his scabs again. And Eric Whalley—his sheets are soaked through. But the chickenpox cases take priority..."
Spotting the stranger, her words faltered. His flamboyant attire startled her.
"Good afternoon." The man extended his hand. "Albus Dumbledore. I wrote requesting a meeting. You kindly invited me today."
Mrs. Cole blinked, recollection dawning. "Oh… Yes, of course. Right this way to my office."
Dumbledore followed politely, his smile unwavering.
At the stairwell's bend, Li Wade watched Dumbledore's retreating back, a smile touching his lips.
He's finally here.
Though younger, the crooked nose, auburn beard, and piercing blue eyes were unmistakable. At this time, in this place, no one else fit the description.
Beside him, Tom scrubbed the banister with a ragged cloth, resentment etched on his face. Dumbledore's eccentric appearance instantly drew his sneer.
"Who's that? Those robes are hideous… Did someone break his nose?"