Days wandering around Hogwarts

Chapter 723 Supporting Systems
Nina and Dobrev's concerns served as a reminder to Charles that while he could be reckless in his pursuit of the nature of magic, he could not expect others to take the same risks.

Moreover, according to the plan, there will be many more similar experiments to come.

An absolutely safe, private, and undisturbed working environment has become an urgent need.

Fortunately, Charles was not unprepared for this; like a rabbit with multiple burrows, he had been planning this for a long time.

Last year he made a promise to Harry and Hermione—if they could get straight A's in their regular wizarding exams, he would give each of them a castle.

It sounded like a fantasy at the time, but everyone thought it wasn't entirely unattainable for him.

In fact, he was no longer satisfied with Farbatton Castle, and the plan to establish a branch base had been brewing in his mind for a long time. Several disaster preparedness centers were built as practice.

In addition, he also has a precision manufacturing plant maintained by magical dolls that is already operating normally under the Antarctic ice sheet, and the doll bodies he sells are all produced there.

He had two more ambitious and even more audacious ideas in mind.

Firstly, inside the lava channels of a dormant volcano on the moon, shielded from dangerous cosmic rays, an experimental base could be established, far removed from the disturbances of Earth, relying on magical barriers and an internal ecological cycle system.

In theory, with existing magic, this is not impossible.

However, in practice, a series of complex issues, such as ultra-long-distance teleportation, resource replenishment, and how to maintain the stability of complex magic arrays in near-vacuum and extreme temperatures, have kept this plan at the theoretical and dream stage for now.

Secondly, there is the ocean. In the vast and boundless South Pacific Ocean, in that deep darkness beyond the reach of human technology, a city of R'lyeh will be built.

Compared to the distant moon, the seabed project is more feasible in both theory and technology.

For Charles, building a castle underwater was not difficult, but the powerful water pressure protection magic and the oxygen for breathing required many experiments to determine, which would take a lot of time.

“I can provide a safe place,” Charles said helplessly. “It’s just that there are some issues I haven’t resolved yet, and that will take time.”

"I'm afraid this experiment won't be able to be conducted until next year."

Harry, far away at Hogwarts, suddenly felt a relief on his shoulders, and felt an indescribable sense of joy. Even Voldemort's mood improved.

"Ah..." Voldemort suddenly thought of something, and the Death Eaters around him immediately tensed up, "We should bring her back."

“Severus, I need you to conduct a full reconnaissance of the Pighead Bar and locate Nagini.”

He knew Nagini's true identity, but the other Death Eaters did not, so they all fell silent when they heard the Dark Lord refer to her as "she".

Snape immediately replied, "Yes, my master."

His voice at that moment was as clear and melodious as that of a young girl in her prime.

The Death Eaters' lips twitched.

Voldemort felt he had let Snape down. He heard that Charles had a tower at Hogwarts where he was conducting some kind of experiment, so he sent Snape to investigate. However, the protective spells there were too insidious. Snape's voice was altered without his knowledge, and neither he nor Dumbledore could break them.

When Snape returned to Hogwarts and reported the matter to Dumbledore, the headmaster simply said, "Let him take Nagini if ​​he wants to."

In Dumbledore's view, Nagini was not an important character.

Professor Sprout arrived as Snape got up to leave.

The two exchanged a casual greeting, and Snape realized why she had come.

Today, newspapers such as the Daily Prophet published a front-page announcement that was enough to shake the entire wizarding world:

"Global Magic Ecosystem Building Challenge"

Organizer: Charles Smith
Theme: Constructing a sustainable and efficient life support and ecological cycle system within a limited space.

Objective: To ensure the long-term healthy life of humans and magical creatures within it. System stability, supported population size, and resource recycling efficiency are the core evaluation criteria.

First Prize: 500,000 Galleons
There are also several second-prize, third-prize, and merit awards, with a total prize money exceeding one million Galleons.

expiration date:……

The announcement was concise, yet it was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up towering waves.

Five hundred thousand Galleons—this is enough to move an ancient pure-blood family, to instantly grant an ordinary wizarding family financial freedom, and even a number that Dumbledore must take seriously.

Not to mention, the honor it represents and the challenge it poses to the boundaries of magical application have attracted the attention of countless people.

Dumbledore summoned Professor Sprout primarily for this matter. "Pomona," he said, pointing to the newspaper, "if you have the time, you might want to give it a try."

“I think this is very much in line with your field of expertise.”

Professor Sprout had already seen the news and thought about it, but he was still very excited when the principal assigned him to be in charge.

Her attention was fixed on the string of zeros in the prize money, and she couldn't help but exclaim, "Five hundred thousand Galleons! Charles... what big move is he up to now?"

“A competition about ‘ecological cycles,’ Pomona,” Dumbledore said earnestly. “The subject matter seems simple: ensuring the normal lives of people and animals within a confined, enclosed space. The more people involved, the higher the score.”

"If you win the prize, 20 percent of the prize money will be used for herbalism."

Professor Sprout immediately perked up.

She picked up the newspaper and read it carefully, her brows gradually furrowing. As a seasoned herbalist, she immediately sensed the extremely complex technical requirements behind this simple description.

“Supporting life within a certain space sounds like building a super-large, highly self-sufficient magical greenhouse,” she mused. “But judging from the amount of this prize money, Albus, it’s much more than just ensuring that two or three people can breathe in a small greenhouse.”

"This ambition, I estimate, is designed to support at least fifty people in the long term."

"Air, water, food, waste disposal—every link requires extremely precise magic and natural cycles to support it."

Dumbledore nodded approvingly and said, "Your judgment is accurate, Pomona."

"Fifty people, that's likely a basic threshold."

"But I suspect that, given Charles's usual style and the price he's willing to pay, his goals are probably far more than that."

He leaned back slightly in his chair, his fingertips touching, and continued, "Think about it, other magic schools, established wizards like Newt Scamander who are masters at building ecospheres, and even the Ministry of Magic's research institutions, they won't let this opportunity pass them by."

"This is not only about a huge prize, but also an invisible contest of magical application skills."

He paused, then said decisively, "So, if Hogwarts is going to get involved, we should set our sights higher."

“I think we should design and prepare our program to support at least two hundred people.”

"Two hundred people?!" Professor Sprout gasped. This was practically a small wizarding community!
Maintaining such a large population in a confined space for a long period of time is exponentially more complex.

“That’s right, two hundred people,” Dumbledore said. “I’m reminded of something. Charles mentioned modularity before. We could use two hundred people as a module. When there are many people, we can just stack the modules.”

Professor Sprout's face immediately fell; the difficulty had increased.

But seeing Dumbledore's calm yet resolute gaze, she quickly regained her composure, her mind racing as she considered which magical plants in the greenhouse could provide highly efficient photosynthesis, and how to construct a multi-layered water circulation and purification system...

“This is a huge challenge, but not impossible.” She finally nodded slowly, her eyes beginning to sparkle with excitement. “We need an interdisciplinary team, the help of other professors in magic, and perhaps Professor Snape’s advice on potion-aiding nutrient supply.”

"You're in charge of assembling the team, Pomona. You can suggest whoever you need," Dumbledore readily authorized. "As for the testing grounds..."

A sly glint flashed in his eyes as he said, "I remember, Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets is currently empty; it's spacious enough and secluded enough."

"I'll modify the entrance slightly later to make it easier for us to enter and exit, so as not to disturb Myrtle anymore."

“Conducting the simulation there will not disturb other students and will also help maintain confidentiality.”

He stood up, walked to the perch of the phoenix Fox, gently stroked its magnificent tail feathers, and his gaze returned to Charles's name on the newspaper.

“After all,” Dumbledore’s voice was gentle, yet carried an undeniable pride that belonged to the headmaster of Hogwarts, “Charles is a student of our Hogwarts. If this unprecedented prize money were to end up in the hands of Durmstrang or Beauxbatons, it would be a disgrace to us, wouldn’t it?”

Upon hearing this, Professor Sprout also gave a determined smile.

“I understand, Albus.”

"For the honor of Hogwarts, we will definitely come up with a plan that is worthy of this prize money and even more worthy of the name of Hogwarts!"

A silent battle for the 500,000 Galleon prize and for the honor of the school has begun.

Meanwhile, in other corners of the world, countless wizards, lured by the promise of 500,000 Galleons and the allure of the challenge, are gearing up to showcase their skills in this globally watched magical competition.

The pebble that Charles threw is creating ripples that are growing ever larger on the surface of the magical lake.

(End of this chapter)