In the end, Glenn successfully caught up with Hermione and executed a flawless series of control spells, silencing the young girl.
This only reinforced Glenn's belief that the rules he had deduced about Hermione were indeed accurate.
Nodding to himself, Glenn thought, as expected, hypotheses and assumptions require repeated practice to validate; otherwise, they're nothing but empty conjecture.
Originally, he had hoped for Hermione's confirmation. However, after sharing his theories with her, the girl—whose emotions swiftly shifted from half-shy and half-angry to fully furious—scratched, bit, and pummeled him. But that's a story for another time.
Rubbing his waist, which had been fiercely pinched by the young girl, Glenn mused, "Did I guess wrong again? It seems I still haven't observed carefully enough. Hermione's thoughts are truly complex."
These were thoughts he dared not voice aloud; otherwise, he'd undoubtedly face another round of Hermione's wrath.
In the days that followed, Lin Yingqing was rarely seen. Left to their own devices, the two youngsters immersed themselves in the first- and second-year curriculum of the North China School of Sorcery. They frequently shuttled between the family courtyard and the school's Library of Sorcery. Their daily routine was simple: wake up, enjoy a breakfast lovingly prepared by their parents, head straight to the library, and stay there until dinner time. After dinner, the entire family would go for a leisurely stroll along forest paths or by the river, savoring a carefree and pleasant life.
During these outings, they often encountered Glenn's Dragonland cousin, Lin Yu, who wandered aimlessly like an old man, strolling leisurely along the paths.
Glenn's parents were well-acquainted with Lin Yu. After a few encounters, they began inviting him to join their walks. After all, the two families lived close to each other, and during his school breaks, Lin Yu stayed in the courtyard next door.
"My parents are on a business trip right now. Apparently, some foreign sorcerers are causing trouble near the border, and they've been sent by the old man to handle it. So I'm staying with the old man, though he's rarely home," Lin Yu explained when Alan Hawthorne asked about his parents.
Alan looked a bit disappointed. He had hoped to catch up with his cousin properly…
Well, truthfully, he wanted revenge. He couldn't believe his cousin was also a wizard and had kept it a secret from him all these years. While Alan understood it was to protect him as a Muggle, it still stung.
It was time to show off some military combat skills! Although, he wasn't entirely confident he could defeat a wizard who knew magic.
Alan rubbed his hands together in anticipation, while Gwen Hawthorne, standing beside him, immediately saw through her husband's little schemes and sighed, shaking her head.
In truth, she found it amusing. She was actually looking forward to seeing her husband suffer a little loss—so she could comfort him later.
Hmm, now that little Glenn had grown up, and Hermione was practically becoming his little girlfriend, spending most of their time outside, and since Glenn's personality didn't require much worry…
Could she and Alan consider giving Glenn a younger sibling?
Hehe~
Gwen and Alan were still young, and there were certain things they still wanted to do. However, with little eyes—or sometimes two pairs of little eyes—around the house most of the time, it was hard to get things done.
Now that the little ones were attending boarding school, perhaps they could finally enjoy themselves?
Glenn only noticed his mother glancing at him before turning to his father. Her gaze suddenly became fiery.
Shaking his head, Glenn thought he wouldn't meddle in his parents' affairs. After all, his father's strong military physique could handle whatever his mother threw at him.
Let them have their fun.
Hmm, hopefully, Dad will be okay.
During the walk, Glenn received a message from Hermione, saying she wanted to learn about the curriculum at the North China School of Sorcery from Lin Yu. Glenn nodded and asked his cousin.
Surprisingly, Lin Yu, who usually couldn't be bothered to move, responded seriously, which caught Hermione off guard.
"Curriculum, huh… Well, in our first year, we go through a series of tests to determine which courses we're more proficient in. However, this is only for reference when choosing courses later; ultimately, it's up to you to decide."
"The first-year courses are relatively few…" At this point, Lin Yu's eyes suddenly became vacant, and he began muttering strange phrases like "I shouldn't have…" and "Damn old man…" and "I just want to slack off…"
Glenn didn't rush him, waiting patiently with Hermione as Lin Yu mumbled his complaints.
It didn't take long for Lin Yu to snap out of it, apologize, and continue, "Sorry about that. Let's continue. The first-year courses are relatively few, including martial arts, physical training, basic sorcery, and foundational courses in alchemy, beast mastery, artificing, and herbalism. These are primarily designed to help sorcerers transitioning from materialist to idealist thinking adapt to the world of sorcery. The content isn't very advanced and can be easily completed."
"It sounds a lot like Hogwarts. The first-year curriculum is too simple," Hermione commented after Glenn relayed the message. She nodded in agreement, and Glenn felt the same.
If the first-year students of the North China School of Sorcery or Hogwarts heard this, they would probably erupt in protest.
You academic achievers, how could you possibly understand our struggles?!
Lin Yu continued, "Let me elaborate on the six main courses you can choose later. As for the other courses, honestly, they're not worth taking. I should've… Sorry, couldn't help it."
"First, there's Battle Arts and Spellcasting. Both are combat-oriented courses, but they differ slightly in approach. Battle Arts focuses on close combat, with sorcery types primarily being self-enhancement spells used to augment oneself and magical weapons in battle. Spellcasting, as the name suggests, involves long-range attack spells. These spells are usually functional, controlling, or destructive, and spellcasters typically operate on the edges of the battlefield, using various sorcery tools like the Hand of Sorcery or talismans to assist or perform area attacks."
"Each has its advantages and can complement the other. In fact, after choosing courses, many assessments require teamwork, with two-person collaborations being the most common. A pair with one close-combat and one long-range fighter is the most recommended combination. Of course, pairs with two Battle Arts users or two Spellcasters are also viable, as the flexibility of Battle Arts or the versatility of Spellcasting can compensate for each other's weaknesses."
The division of courses based on sorcery types for specialized education?
As Glenn relayed Lin Yu's words to Hermione, he pondered.
To Glenn, this seemed much better than Hogwarts' curriculum.
First, both courses were combat-oriented, which Glenn highly approved of.
Why did he learn magic? To enhance his combat abilities, of course.
While other aspects of magic were part of overall strength, they didn't carry as much weight as combat magic.
Second, the specialization of courses could prevent learning from being too broad and shallow, allowing for deeper understanding in specific areas.
From Glenn's perspective, the way Hogwarts' Charms textbook was organized wasn't very systematic. It seemed to be arranged based on overall difficulty rather than categorizing spell types. This resulted in first-year students' textbooks containing harmless general spells like the Levitation Charm, Fire-Making Charm, and Locking Charm, alongside combat-capable spells like Expelliarmus and even potentially dangerous ones like Diffindo, used for cutting.
It was chaotic and unstructured, though this didn't affect Glenn and Hermione much since they enjoyed researching in the library and had private guidance from Professor Snape.
"After discussing Battle Arts and Spellcasting, let's move on to the other four courses. First, there's Alchemy. Alchemists learn to craft elixirs, study medical techniques, and practice healing sorcery. They excel in creating potions, healing spells, and concocting dangerous poisons. Next is Beast Mastery, a course that combines combat and support. Students in this course study the characteristics and information of Dragonland's mystical creatures, focusing on breeding and taming them. The most appealing aspect of this course is that students can acquire a mystical beast companion unique to them. They also learn specific sorcery to create a portable space for their companion to reside in and can temporarily enhance themselves based on their companion's traits and abilities. However, students must venture into the wild to find and tame their companion, as the school doesn't provide mystical beasts. They only organize field research trips to areas where these creatures appear, and when students are about to be killed by the creatures, the teachers step in to save them. Due to the dangers, this field trip is only organized after the fifth year and is part of the Beast Mastery assessment."
After Glenn relayed this to Hermione, she whispered, "Hagrid would definitely love this course. I'd bet on it. Glenn, would you?"
"…No bet."
Glenn felt he had no choice.
"The remaining two courses are Artificing and Herbalism, which don't involve much combat but require the most brainpower," Lin Yu said, his tired eyes twitching slightly.
"Artificers study the creation and maintenance of sorcery tools, the setup of sorcery devices and arrays, and the development and improvement of casting tools. Essentially, anything related to sorcery objects is crafted by artificers. This includes close-combat weapons like swords and spears for Battle Arts users, tools like the Hand of Sorcery and talismans for Spellcasters, cauldrons for Alchemists, and puppets and hidden weapons for Mechanisms. Even large-scale projects like the national protective array across Dragonland are crafted by artificers. Actually, I shouldn't be telling this to foreigners like you, but I think it's fine. Artificers are considered the most valuable talent in Dragonland. For example, our great-aunt, the nation's chief artificer, is someone the country holds in the highest regard."
Glenn and Hermione weren't surprised. Talents who created magical tools were always in high demand.
However, Glenn was a bit puzzled about artificers. He had initially thought they were similar to alchemists like his master, Nicolas Flamel, but it seemed there were some differences.
"Finally, there's Herbalism, another crucial field in Dragonland. Herbalists are responsible for cultivating and optimizing various plants, whether they contain magical energy or not. They can combine magical and ordinary plants, diluting magical energy so that ordinary people can absorb it. For instance, our chief herbalist, Master Yuan, developed hybrid rice and designed medicinal diets suitable for all age groups, solving long-standing issues of famine and health in our country. He's considered a savior of Dragonland."
When Lin Yu mentioned Chief Herbalist Master Yuan, his previously lifeless eyes seemed to light up, and his voice became less lazy.
He, like all Dragonland citizens, held immense respect for Master Yuan.
(Master Yuan, may you rest in peace.)
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