Chapter 1157 Professor (Twenty-nine) (Patreon)

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Schiller lowered his eyelids and waved to Harley, and Harley, as if enchanted, stared at him and slowly walked over to Schiller.

Schiller squatted down and used his hand to wipe the dust off Harley's face. Harley looked a bit dazed, and since her father's death, no one had touched her face like this.

"Professor?" Harley repeated.

"Correct, I am the Professor you were looking for," Schiller nodded slightly. His movements were always cautious and restrained. After he withdrew his hand, he looked down at the ground and then looked up at Harley and said:

"You are very smart, you cracked the code in the newspaper and saw the scenery of another world. In that world, everyone has a code name, which is the thing they are most proud of. Have you thought of your own code name?"

Hearing this question, Harley began to get a little excited. She nodded vigorously and said, "If one day I can publish an article, maybe I'll call myself Lucky Girl or Genius Boy, I don't think anyone has used those code names yet."

Schiller smiled and did not comment on the two code names Harley had chosen. He then asked, "Do you know why my code name is Professor?"

Harley stared at Schiller intently. After a long pause, she said, "Is it because you are a Professor at Gotham University?"

Schiller first nodded, but then shook his head. He looked into Harley's blue-green eyes, which were like precious gems, and said, "I am indeed a Professor at Gotham University, but I am also a Professor at Hogwarts. Do you know where Hogwarts is?"

Harley's eyes widened, and she was attracted by Schiller's storytelling tone. She seemed to know what Schiller was going to say next, and asked excitedly, "Where is it?"

"It is a magic school, ancient, mysterious, and powerful. The sorcerers you see today are clumsy compared to the students who graduated from this school. Even the so-called magical families may not fully understand this school, because Hogwarts only accepts the most talented children."

Schiller emphasized the words "most talented" a bit. He continued:

"Every year when it's time to enroll, the Owls will leave the admission letters on the children's desks. They must first go to Diagon Alley, where there is a bookstore called Flower and Blotts Bookstore, as well as Ollivander's Wand Shop that sells magic wands, a Robes Shop that sells wizard robes, and a Grocery store that sells all kinds of strange and interesting little trinkets..."

Harley's eyes grew brighter and brighter. She could feel that a door to a new world was opening in front of her.

She was almost eager to ask Schiller a question, but Schiller quickened his pace and didn't give her a chance to interrupt:

"After buying all the school supplies in Diagon Alley, all the children will sail in small boats to the magnificent castle of Hogwarts, which stands on a remote island..."

"Then I... then I..." Harley was almost about to jump up. She didn't question the authenticity of what Schiller was saying, after all, she had just seen magic with her own eyes.

In the ordinary society, if there were no schools, no Professors of magic, how could there be sorcerers? If there were no shops selling robes, wands, and various magical items, where would these sorcerers get these things?

Harley's rich imagination immediately conjured up a lively, mysterious and fantastical scene - the bustling streets with strange-shaped buildings, the shop windows displaying all kinds of interesting magical items, the sorcerers wearing wizard robes and wielding magic wands, living happily in a completely different world from the ordinary people.

No child could resist such a beautiful imagination, and Harley was no exception.

Or rather, she was even more eager for such a life than others. Her extraordinary talent and her soul hovering on the edge of madness made her already tired of the dull daily life of ordinary society. She craved excitement, thrills, and legendary adventures.

But Schiller squatted in front of her, looking directly into her eyes, and asked curiously, "Have you never seen Owls before?"

Harley thought for a moment and slowly shook her head. Schiller sighed as if unconcerned and said, "It seems you are a child without magical talent. The magical realm calls such people Muggles."

Harley's eyes slowly widened, and she said incredulously, "What did you say?!"

Schiller looked down at Harley again, but did not show any anger at her questioning, as if he had seen this situation countless times before. He said:

"Whether a person has magical talent is innate, miss. I'm sorry, but you don't have that kind of luck. If you were a talented child, you should have received the Owls and admission letter at the enrollment age."

"How old are you now? 12? 13? Generally, the children of Hogwarts magic college enroll between the ages of 9 and 11, and no later than 12, because if it's too late, their magical power will constantly accumulate in their bodies, causing disasters, and no one wants to see that happen."

Harley stood there dumbfounded, but Schiller suddenly seemed to remember something else and said, "Oh, you're an American, right? The U.S. actually has its own native magic school, what's it called? ... Ilvermorny? I think it's in Massachusetts, they should accept children from the U.S..."

Harley's eyes lit up again, but Schiller's tone suddenly changed and he said, "Although they don't use Owls to send letters, the enrollment age is the same as other magic colleges. Little sorcerers must receive appropriate education to better control their power. If they miss this age, they may not have the opportunity to enroll."

Harley's eyes gradually turned red, and she stared at Schiller in disbelief, saying, "Impossible!! How can this be?!!"

Schiller stared coldly into her eyes and said, "Not everyone is so fortunate to have the magical talent. Those without talent will never be part of this circle, and naturally, they will never have a chance to attend a magic school."

"Impossible," Harley screamed. She took two steps back and stared fixedly at Schiller's face, saying, "What are you talking about?! How can I not have any talent?!! And how can I not be lucky enough?!!!"

She waved her arms, showing Schiller, "Can you see? All these houses were obtained through my talent and luck!!!"

"My talent has allowed me to protect the inheritance, and luck has multiplied their value dozens of times. I am the luckiest and most talented person in the world. How can I not have magical talent!!!"

"I'm sorry, miss, but this is innate," Schiller said, looking at Harley and giving a cold smile, "Even if you have all the luck and talent in the world, you will always lack something, and there's no way to make up for it."

Harley let out a shrill scream and started rambling, even wanting to run out of the house, but at this time, Schiller grabbed her.

Schiller then squatted down and hugged Harley to his chest, like a father comforting his daughter, repeatedly patting her back and soothing her, "Okay, Miss Harley, that was just a terrible joke. I lied to you, and I hope you don't mind."

Schiller repeatedly apologized to Harley and acknowledged his mistake, saying he shouldn't have made such a terrible joke.

With tears all over her face, Harley stared at Schiller and said, "I knew you were lying to me. How could I possibly not have magical talent?"

Schiller wiped the tears from her face, somewhat surprised, and said, "What? What magical talent? ... Oh, I'm sorry, you might have misunderstood. I said I told a lie, and what I meant was that there is no such thing as a magic school in this world. Everything I said before was made up."

Harley's expression cracked again, and she covered her ears tightly with both hands, shaking her head and stepping back, shouting loudly, "You Demon!! Get away! You're not going to trick me anymore!!!"

"I'm telling the truth. If you don't believe me, you can ask that sorceress lady... There is no Hogwarts, no Ilvermorny, no owls, no magic wands. The bookstore you're in, which has already been razed to the ground, is the only Flower and Blotts Bookstore."

"No!!!" Harley cried out in a broken voice. She was completely distraught and rambled, "Impossible!!! I could have escaped this ordinary life!!!"

Harley ran out of the bookstore in a frenzy, capturing the sorceress Zatanna who was interrogating the attack on the bookstore. When Zatanna turned around, she saw Harley, whose face was crying like a little kitten.

Zatanna liked children, so she squatted down and helped Harley wipe her tears, then said, "What's wrong? Did Schiller scold you?"

Zatanna peeked into the bookstore and shook her head helplessly, saying, "Don't mind him. By the way, I was wondering, what's your relationship with him? You're not his daughter, are you?"

Harley didn't pay attention to her question at all, but stared at Zatanna and asked, "What is the magical realm like? Is there a magic school that selects the luckiest and most talented children to teach them magic?"

Zatanna was taken aback by Harley's question, and she showed a surprised expression, then said, "Who told you that?"

"The magical realm is not a good place," Zatanna stated a well-known conclusion: "All sorcerers are cursed. Using magical power will come at a heavy price, and no one can escape the debt."

Harley asked anxiously, "Then how... how do you learn to use magic?"

"Magic doesn't need to be learned," Zatanna answered honestly, although she didn't quite understand what Harley was asking. "It's possible that you were walking on the street, provoked a spirit, and made a deal with it. Then you can use magic, as long as you pay the price on time."

Harley was stunned again. She took two steps back, saying quickly and disbelievingly, "How is that possible? Can ordinary people use magic at will? Don't you need to learn how to use spells?"

Zatanna gently shook her head and said, "Ordinary people can use magic, but after paying a price, their souls may collapse. The so-called sorcerers are people whose souls are more resilient than ordinary people."

"But this resilience is not an advantage, as it may attract many demons to target you. Constantine is an example - he has paid countless prices and suffers greatly, but he can still use magic."

"As for how to learn to use spells..." Zatanna recalled, "You don't actually need to learn. The demon that lends you power will directly impart all the techniques into your mind when you cast a spell. You will act instinctively, and as long as your power is sufficient, you won't fail."

"So, magic is essentially borrowing?" Harley asked, extremely disappointed.

Zatanna looked around and lowered her voice, looking at Harley very sincerely, "My dear, at your age, I also had unrealistic fantasies about magic."

"But if you see enough sorcerers, you'll understand that this is not a blessing, but a curse. In addition to sacrificing your own organs or soul to the demons, magic will gradually devour all your luck!"

Zatanna had a sad expression as she said, "We are all puppets controlled by magical power, endless borrowing and endless repayment. More and more power will bring more and more conflict, and the hatred brought by more and more conflict will make us want even more power. This is an endless vortex that no one can escape."

Harley still had a glimmer of hope left. She looked at Zatanna and said, "But the sorcerer just said you don't need to pay a price!"

"Yes, I don't have to cut my soul or offer my organs like them." Zatanna gritted her teeth and said, "But that doesn't mean I don't have to pay a price at all. The separation from my father is one manifestation of the curse of power. We will always lose something and can never rebel against it."

Tears flowed abundantly from Harley's eyes, and Zatanna didn't understand what she was crying about, but still hugged her. She heard Harley whisper, "I'm already fed up with this place, fed up with everything here."

"I want to completely leave this dirty and ugly world of ordinary people, away from their stupidity, greed, and arrogance...

"Their tragic deaths are what they deserve, because even if we have the closest relationship, they only treat my words as the ramblings of a madman."

Harley gradually lost all expression, only continuously crying, "When I show wisdom far superior to theirs, even family ties cannot cover up their hatred and fear of me... I never belonged here."

"When I stood on the balcony and saw the police car that brought the news of my parents' death, I only saw a flock of crows and a group of bats. If there was really an owl that could bring a letter from afar, no matter what was written in it, I would set out without hesitation."

Zatanna slowly released Harley as she saw Schiller approaching. The magician lady took the female sorcerer away, leaving only Schiller and Harley in front of the bookstore.

"Are you satisfied?" Harley wiped her red eyes with her sleeve and said, "Now I know why that guy said I wouldn't want to see you."

"You are the most malicious adult in this world, personally shattering the beautiful dream you wove and hurting a child's heart."

When Schiller turned his head to look at Harley, Harley also stared at him. Harley saw Schiller suddenly reveal a smile, still with a touch of neurosis and coldness, and she heard him say, "Do you know why I did this? Why did I strike at your weakness? Why did I hurt you so much?"

"Why?" Harley asked him.

"Because you barged into my office..." Schiller tilted his head, and Harley glared at him angrily, but the next moment, Schiller continued, "But since we have no relationship and you're still young, I forgive you."

Harley was bewildered by his about-face, but the next moment, Schiller looked at her fiercely and said, "But you put a dagger you touched in the right drawer of the second layer of my desk, where my seal should have been!"

Harley felt like she had been defeated in the field of mental illness for the first time. She first covered her forehead and rolled her eyes, then deeply sighed and relaxed her shoulders, her intense emotional fluctuations making her a bit tired.

Seeing Harley's expression, Schiller revealed another malicious smile. He patted Harley's head and said, "You know, some of what I just said was actually true..."

"What was it?"

"The Owls did exist in the past."

Harley widened her eyes again, and then she heard Schiller say, "Perhaps it's not that you don't have talent or luck, but that the Owls were too unprofessional and lost your letter."

"They actually lost the letter??"

"Of course, especially when their master is an evil dragon."

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

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