Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 262 Wolfsbane Potion 2.0

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: ??????????.?????? (choose one)]

Secondly, because magic is involved, the werewolf virus's shedding process is also magical.

That's right, a full moon is the only way to trigger this "protective lock"!

The full moon ritual is both the key to the shedding of the capsid and the energy source for all its subsequent activities. Once the full moon ritual is over, the capsid will re-encapsulate the virus and crystallize into dormancy.

The two approaches working together create a vicious cycle: to inhibit viral replication, the virus's outer shell must be opened, but once the shell is opened, no further interference can be applied. Otherwise, it will result in significant self-inflicted damage while harming the enemy—uncertain!

"Too cunning—"

As he flipped through the parchment recording the various difficulties encountered in developing the wolfsbane medicine over the past few months, and considering that this was a problem likely left behind by "ancient people" from a thousand years ago, Vaughn sighed with emotion.

Nearby, Hermione, who was also hunched over the table, checking Vaughn's notes and processing the herbs, looked up in confusion upon hearing the sound: "Who's up to no good?"

"The wizard who developed the werewolf virus."

Upon hearing this, Hermione understood.

Contrary to Ron's previous malicious speculation, Hermione and Vaughn did not see each other often after the start of the school year, but their communication continued, and she often helped Vaughn with some tasks.

For example, organizing research notes.

Therefore, she had read about all the difficulties Vaughn encountered in developing the wolfsbane drug, as long as they were in writing—even though she couldn't understand many of the issues at all.

As Vaughn is currently browsing.

Her knowledge of Muggle biology was only at a high school level; she didn't know anything about unwinding, transcription, early synthesis, or late synthesis.

She was completely baffled; she recognized each word individually, but the combination of them felt utterly foreign.

But even if she couldn't understand Vaughn's research for the time being, she would still write it down with great interest, preparing to delve into it later.

Although Hermione has a fervent pursuit of knowledge, she never acts rashly because she knows that people's energy and the threshold for absorbing knowledge are limited, and most people can only focus on one subject.

Therefore, she greatly admired Vaughn's erudition, which not only made his magic flourish but also allowed him to effortlessly master Muggle science.

As for the difficulties Vaughn is currently facing, she seems more relaxed than Vaughn: "Don't worry, I believe you will overcome them completely one day."

This wasn't a consolation, but rather the truth as seen by Hermione.

Hearing the girl's confident words, Vaughn smiled and teased her, "What if we can't overcome it? As you've seen, I had to abandon my original plan for Wolfsbane Potion 2.0, reducing its infectivity to what is now just a patchwork."

Hermione wasn't fooled and said seriously, "Lowering requirements due to temporary limitations is a perfectly normal choice. How many things in this world can be perfected in one step? Besides, how can the new Wolfsbane Potion 2.0 be considered patching things up? You've solved the problem of werewolves being forced to transform on full moons!"

Yes, finding himself temporarily unable to contain the replication of the werewolf virus, Vaughn designed a new direction for Wolfsbane Agent 2.0, which was to eliminate the deformation problem.

Academically speaking, this can be considered a "cowardly" compromise, representing Vaughn's temporary powerlessness in the face of the evil creation of that powerful wizard from a thousand years ago.

But putting academic considerations aside, from a practical standpoint, the current version of the Wolfsbane Potion 2.0 is the most suitable for both Hermione and the werewolves that the potion will help in the future.

Humans are sensory beings, so the fact that this technology can help werewolves avoid losing their "human" form at certain times is already a huge surprise.

Of course, it is actually very difficult to achieve this.

The more Vaughn studied the werewolf virus, the more he marveled at the talent of the wizard from a thousand years ago. Not only was the wizard's biological knowledge profound and unique, but his magical abilities were also unbelievably strong.

While he was deep in thought, Hermione had obediently continued to compare the medicinal herbs, and he had turned to the last page of the parchment record in his hand.

The new Wolfsbane Potion 2.0 design no longer pursues molecular-level interference, which has reduced the difficulty considerably. The reason it has only been pushed to the final stage now is because Vaughn has been searching for medicinal properties that match his design.

This part of the work was only completed yesterday.

That's the part of the medicinal materials that Hermione was comparing.

Let's put this behind us for now!

As soon as Vaughn thought about it, the system panel unfolded before his eyes.

[Host: Vaughn Weasley]

[Magic Scale: 716 (500 for a typical adult wizard)]

【天赋：魔咒学8、黑魔法6、变形术8、魔药学10、草药学6、鍊金术6、占卜学2（满值为10）】

【魔咒：大脑封闭术LV5（MX）、铁甲咒LV5（MX）、缴械咒LV5（MX）、飞走咒LV5（MX）、萤光咒LV5（MX）————幻影移（显）形LV4（6/48）、摄神取念LV4（1/64）、幻身咒LV4（2/32）、神锋无影LV3（22/24）————多频谱视界咒LV2（10/16）、次声咒LV1（5/6）、精粹咒（未完成）】

【诅咒：岁月咒LV2（16/24）、复生咒LV1（3/4）、枯萎咒LV1（3/4）————觉醒咒LV0

(2/3)————】

[Ancient Magic: Soul Stealing Charm LV0 (1/4), Vorn's Living Disintegration Ritual]

Alchemy LVO (6/20)

[Spell Development Module]

[Potions: "Vorn Beauty" series, "Vorn Hair Care" series, Wolfsbane Potion, etc.]

[Reputation Points: 15] (25 points are awarded monthly)

After completing the "Essence Charm" on the first day of school, I still had 15 reputation points left, which should be enough according to Vaughn's estimate.

With his gaze withdrawing from the panel, Vaughn's consciousness sank into the depths of his mind.

The familiar feeling of falling into boundless darkness.

Soon, Vaughn's main consciousness fell into the memory archive.

A place even deeper than the depths of memory, protected by Vaughn's memory magic, a gray-white hall, shimmering with magical light from near and far, and white mist of unknown origin, permeating the hall and the countless enormous bookshelves that stand there.

The mist outlined numerous human figures that drifted and moved among the bookshelves, helping to organize the "files" that appeared out of thin air as Vaughn's thoughts took hold.

After passing through countless personas, Vaughn arrived at the depths of the Memory Archives, where rows of bookshelves stretched into the sky, extending into the deep, endless dome.

In the center of this hall, surrounded by bookshelves, sits a hypercube that is constantly changing dimensions.

Spell Development Module!

Vaughn walked up to the module, stretched out his hand, and without him even having to think about it, files floated to his side.

Gently open the "file," and you'll find countless words, sounds, images, and many abstract, shapeless, strange lines and color blocks that represent thought.

These files contain all his research and thoughts on werewolf transformation from the past to the present.

A lot of information flowed through my mind. Looking at the files that were passed down, they still seemed fresh, actually born from my own thoughts at different times.

Vaughn sighed.

"But cracking the genetic code of the werewolf virus is a long and arduous task—at present, I can only make minor adjustments at a macro level; the skill gap is still significant!"

This is not self-deprecation.

The wizard who developed the werewolf virus not only modified the virus's genetic information, but also added a few spells to the already limited information capacity of the long-chain molecules.

So far, at least three spells have been identified by Vaughn as having been integrated into the werewolf virus's genetic information by that wizard in a blueprint-like form.

One is a curse that has a berserk effect but is essentially similar to the plague; another is a magical protective lock that uses the full moon as a key; and the third is a transformation spell (or transformation magic ritual) that determines the werewolf's form.

These three are not even considered single forms of magic; each possesses multiple functions, like a complex spell.

For example, the Blood Plague Curse is a very vicious spell that enhances the ability of the werewolf virus to spread through blood and saliva.

But it doesn't stop there.

Just like its name suggests, it affects the bloodline!

The Blood Plague Curse is insidious, and the other two magical blueprints are no better.

As mentioned before, the protective lock needs no further explanation; the act of enhancing the virus's survival ability is inherently malicious.

The same applies to that transformation spell.

Possibly due to insufficient storage space for information in long-chain molecules, Vaughn discovered in his research that the blueprint for transformation magic was broken down into several small "modules" by the virus creator. These small modules are closely related to mutations in human organs guided by the genetic information written within the long-chain molecules.

The original purpose of organ modification was to store and cultivate viruses, but the creator cleverly combined the two, ultimately achieving shapeshifting capabilities through the modified magical organs.

For example, the lymphatic system and vascular tissue.

These two are the two main channels for transmitting endocrine glands, which regulate hormones in the human body. Their primary function, after being modified, is clearly to transport viruses.

However, only tubular structures are needed to transport viruses. As for the growth trend of lymph and blood vessels, there are no strict requirements (there are almost no two individuals with exactly the same blood vessels and lymphatic vessels; they all grow rather "wildly" with a very high mutation rate).

The sorcerer then “made use of the waste” by guiding the lymph and blood vessels to grow into specific “patterns”.

As mentioned earlier, ancient magic required rituals in addition to celestial phenomena, and modern spell systems also require waving wands at specific frequencies and with specific movements to successfully cast spells.

These are all rituals.

The "patterns" formed by lymph and blood vessels are also rituals!

As I pondered, a series of werewolf dissections flashed before my eyes. Under the influence of magic, the "cross-sections" were peeled away layer by layer without damaging any tissue, clearly showing the distribution structure of the werewolves' lymphatic and vascular tissues, which possessed an eerie and neat aesthetic.

"—How vicious, yet ingenious!"

Even though he had watched it many times before, Vaughn still exclaimed in amazement when he revisited it now.

That wizard from a thousand years ago, while realizing his own ideas under limited conditions, also dug a pit—the known ritual to perform the transformation. So, according to the theory of magic, is it possible to stop the transformation by simply breaking the ritual?

In reality, it's simply impossible!

First and foremost, these two systems are responsible for maintaining the body's immunity and blood supply. Any rash alterations could very likely cause extremely serious and irreversible consequences.

On the other hand, even if a solution is found, destroying the ritual pattern is useless if the werewolf's life and health are not maintained.

This involves the coordinated operation of the human body's systems, and it was a brilliant idea conceived by that wizard using his profound knowledge in the field of biology.

Compensation cycle!

A well-developed lymphatic and vascular system has established a stable circulatory mechanism. When external forces disturb it, potentially causing "deformity," these two systems will automatically activate compensatory functions, that is, extend collateral vessels from around the "patient."

The compensation was initiated, and the ritual remained intact.

This is a function of the human body itself and cannot be avoided!

"I really want to know who the wizard who created the werewolf virus was, but unfortunately I have searched through hundreds of ancient notebooks and found no clues."

As he pondered this, all the contents of the file flooded Vaughn's mind.

He saw the solution he had devised to solve this problem.

Due to the trap set by its predecessors, the second version of the wolfsbane potion could no longer achieve the same level of conceptual suppression of the werewolf virus as the first version, which attributed the properties of wolfsbane-like herbs to the legend of "wolfsbane".

The berserk state from the blood plague can be affected so easily because berserk state itself does not involve changes to the body; it is a byproduct of the curse, not something that possesses its own mystique.

Transformation, on the other hand, involves real rituals, which give rise to mystical phenomena; it is itself a part of the mystery.

Therefore, it is impossible to use the properties of medicinal herbs to interfere with mystical practices, as was the case with the first version of the wolfsbane medicine.

Ultimately, we must return to the fundamental issue.

That is, to break the ritual!

Looking at his proposal, Vaughn smiled slightly: "While the predecessor is certainly admirable, he was ultimately human. The secrets he discovered and the knowledge he utilized, I, as his successor, can also discover and utilize!"

"Who says destruction is always destruction? Sometimes, miracles of life can have destructive effects, just as normal cells can become cancerous if they go out of control. And who says cancer cells aren't life?"

In a flash, Vaughn tossed the file that had appeared in his hand toward the amorphous hypercube in front of him.

"First, the mystical definition—the ritual and celestial phenomena constitute the ceremony. Part of the ceremony involves communicating with the full moon, one of the two largest stars in the sky (the other being the sun). The full moon usually appears as the sun's dark side, so celestial phenomena have a relationship of opposition and restraint. The newly determined main ingredient of the potion will provide the meaning of opposing celestial phenomena: the gerbera, also known as the sunflower, is said to possess a fiery intensity."

"Secondly, there are the rituals, the lymphatic rituals and the vascular rituals. Based on the observation of the normal variation rate of human organs, our predecessors designed a set of variables with minimal information that can be recorded and deduced. These have evolved into more than 300 ritual blueprints with some changes in details, but the overall structure remains unchanged. This is the framework library that the second edition of the drug mainly targets."

"The purpose of targeting the framework is for the transformation itself. I will incorporate a transformation spell into the potion ritual that can precisely destroy the werewolf virus's transformation framework—simple destruction is obviously not enough, so what I want to trigger is the body's own mutation, just like the scars that form when skin is damaged and heals, or the nodules that form when blood vessels or lymph nodes rupture and heal. These are all spontaneous traces of mutation in the human body—"

"When both of us mobilize the body's mechanisms, that unknown predecessor, with our respective methods, who will ultimately prevail?"

With a curious and intrigued look on Vaughn's face, the files beside him were completely immersed in the hypercube.

This creation, whose origins are unknown, is changing at an increasingly rapid pace.

At the same time, Vaughn noticed that the reputation points on the system panel were decreasing at a visible rate.

However, the decline was within the expected range—

Because the "food" he provided to the module was detailed enough, in fact, if he hadn't been so busy lately, he could have completed the research by himself in just a little more time.

The development module simply saved him some time in terms of ritual design, mystical interference, and transfiguration spell research!

When Lupin woke up, it was almost noon.

The brilliant sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains, and dust motes rose and fell in the intense light.

He sat on the bed for a while, his mind still foggy from just waking up, unsure whether it was because of the nightmare he had forgotten after waking up, or because of reality.

It's the weekend, and the workers in Muggle society don't have to go to work. The area outside the window is bustling and lively.

The sounds of chatting, laughing, and children running and playing drifted in from near and far, creating a dull echo in the empty room.

This is just the clamor of ordinary life.

But Lupin wasn't sure how long this could last.

He got up, went to the window and pulled back the curtains. The window opened a crack, and amidst the sudden increase in noise, the floorboards thumped and groaned as several mischievous wolf cubs ran over.

Lupin watched them leave with gentle eyes, but when the relatively deserted building silhouettes came into view on the other side of the corridor, the light in his eyes dimmed.

That's where the North American werewolves are assigned to live.

But they're not here now.

Some were in Diagon Alley, some in Godric's Hollow, some in Bath in Somerset, southern England, and some in Upper Frigley, Yorkshire, in the north.

They formed several teams and were distributed in various wizarding communities, whether it was a pure wizarding village like Hogsmeade or a city where wizards and Muggles lived together.

Half a month has passed, and the North American werewolf parade is still in full swing, showing no signs of abating, but rather showing signs of intensifying.

The reasons for this situation are complex.

No matter how many times he looks back, Lupin still can't understand why the situation has turned out this way, leaving him in such a predicament.

In his view, the root of the problem was simply that one day at the end of last month, two North American werewolves who were working away from home were suddenly murdered, and witnesses claimed that the killer was a wizard.

Then, the group of North American werewolves erupted with anger and unity that astonished Lupin.

They abandoned their jobs, organized themselves, formed protest groups, and occupied all the places where wizards were known to roam, creating a huge wave of public opinion overnight.

Initially, Lupin didn't pay much attention to it.

After all, some of those North American werewolves had actually died, and they had just arrived in England, so it was normal for them to overreact.

Moreover, the march was nothing serious; he, along with many other English werewolves, had done the same thing last year under Vaughn's direction.

Even with last year's experience, when the North American werewolf parade first started, although Lupin was worried about it getting out of hand and felt uneasy, he wasn't too alarmed. Instead, he felt that given the wizarding community's instinct to smooth things over, the overwhelming public opinion might be more conducive to catching the murderer.

But to Lupin's surprise, this time was completely different from last year.

The Ministry of Magic did not compromise, and unlike last year's protests where the condemnation was hastily dismissed and then shifted, more and more voices emerged in sharp opposition.

In particular, yesterday's newspaper had an editorial that sharply criticized:

Is the werewolf's display of force a purposeful test of obedience?

The title is sensational, and the content is sharp and scathing.

The author's thinking is clear and his words are very shrewd. Even a novice like Lu Ping, who has little political experience, can tell from the words that the author is highly skilled.

The author also had a great understanding of Muggles, and he used a concept from Muggle marketing in the article to explain to readers what compliance testing is.

He gave the example of Muggle society: in the summer, a Muggle is preparing to buy an electric fan to cool off, and the fan seller is happy to make the sale. The two are supply and demand behaviors driven by natural demand. The causal relationship is that the buyer has demand, and the seller facilitates and satisfies the demand.

However, Muggle marketing has a completely opposite theory, which studies how to sell fans when the buyer doesn't need them.

For example, in winter!

This might sound silly at first, but the article outlines detailed steps to gradually exceed the buyer's expectations through a series of tests, ultimately leading the buyer to willingly buy a fan even when it's not needed.

Muggles call it creating demand.

The operation is not complicated. It involves bombarding the buyer with a seemingly outrageous and absurd approach.

Once the buyer gets used to this practice and thinks that buying a fan in winter isn't strange at all, it means that their mindset has been challenged and their bottom line has been lowered.

Thus, the first step of desensitization is complete.

The author believed that the North American werewolf parade was a form of desensitization.

Lu Ping closed the window, picked up the newspaper he had left on the bedside table the night before, and unfolded it. The newspaper was folded over the part he had been pondering over the night before:

—Compliance tests and so-called demand creation are essentially the same thing; they both shape authority and the right to interpret through a series of behaviors.—A day ago, I took my son into a Muggle convenience store and told him, "You can tell me what you want to eat."

He was very happy and talked a lot, but when it came to actually buying things, I didn't buy any of the food he pointed to that he wanted. Instead, I specifically picked out the things next to those foods that he didn't want to eat. The first time he was unhappy and depressed, the second time he started to get angry, and the third time—

My actions repeatedly challenged his needs and his beliefs. When he realized that he couldn't defy my will or change my mind when he was unhappy or angry, he involuntarily began to compromise, became desensitized, and gradually crossed my bottom line under my domineering influence.