I'm at Hogwarts, what the heck is this Primordial System?

Chapter 45 The gatekeeper, his figure like a crane, exhaling and inhaling vital energy.

After the initial surprise and jealousy, Filch was left with only anger.

A young wizard not only broke school rules by going out at night, but also dared to tamper with his cat.

He strode toward Rhine, shouting angrily.

"Let go of my cat!"

"If you dare do anything to it, I will never let you get away with it!"

Just as Filch strode over, a hint of impatience flashed across Rhine's eyes.

He wasn't one of those pampered freshmen at Hogwarts who would only run away from Filch. He had plenty of power and means to make Filch forget what he had seen and heard that night.

However, just as Rhine was about to make a move, a line of information appeared on the system screen in front of him.

As you were touring the Jade Void Palace and teasing the spirit beasts within, the palace gatekeeper's eyes flashed with displeasure. It turned out that these spirit beasts were his beloved pets, and he certainly wouldn't allow you to tease them.

Although the gatekeeper of Jade Void Palace has no cultivation and is an insignificant figure, spending a long time in Jade Void Palace and befriending him can bring some minor benefits.

[A casual acquaintance with the gatekeeper will grant you the talent—keen eyesight and hearing. As a gatekeeper patrolling the area around Jade Void Palace, without good eyesight and hearing, countless mistakes would have been made. This talent will enhance your vision and hearing.]

[By forging a close friendship with the gatekeeper, you can acquire the talent—the Crane-like Form. The Jade Void Palace is a place where the essence of heaven and earth is captured, its Daoist principles naturally formed. Spending time here allows even a gatekeeper without cultivation talent to develop a crane-like form. This talent grants you a light and agile physique, reduces impurities, and makes it easier to absorb spiritual energy compared to ordinary people.]

[By forging a life-or-death bond with the gatekeeper, you can gain the talent—Energy Absorption. Although the gatekeeper lacks the aptitude for cultivation, he has never slacked off in his practice, and his breathing techniques are already highly proficient. With this talent, you can increase the efficiency of your spiritual energy absorption during cultivation.]

Rhine, who was about to make his move, suddenly paused, a look of surprise in his eyes.

Having read the original story, he knew that Filch was a Squib and unable to use magic.

I thought the system wouldn't react, but I didn't expect to actually get a reward for befriending him.

Even though these rewards aren't exactly high-end, they're quite practical.

In particular, the two talents of "closest friendship" and "friendship through life and death" can help increase the efficiency of spiritual energy absorption.

For Rhine today, it is more practical than those mystical cultivation methods.

With the improved talent of "Eating Wind and Drinking Dew", combined with the simplified cultivation method in the Flying Tiger Strategy, and if the talent of "Cranial Figure and Breathing Qi" is added on top of it, the speed at which spiritual energy is acquired should undergo a qualitative change compared to before!

However, befriending Filch is not an easy task.

Filch, unable to use magic himself, had to watch the young wizards play pranks with magic every day from inside the castle. One can only imagine what that must have felt like.

Despite practicing day and night and devoting all my spare time, I still proved that I didn't have the talent and was a dud.

But those talented young wizards didn't cherish this precious time for learning at all.

Filch's attitude towards the young wizards was naturally distorted as a result, making him someone hated by all the young wizards throughout the generations.

Befriend Filch?

If other young wizards heard this, they would probably think it was a huge joke.

But a moment later, an idea came to Rhein's mind.

No matter how difficult a person is, they still have things they care about most.

Filch is a lonely oddball who can only keep his cat company. Apart from his yearning for magic, Mrs. Lorris is everything to him.

The easiest way to build a relationship with Filch is to start with Mrs. Lorris.

At this moment, Filch had already walked aggressively towards Rhine.

He stared intently at Rhine.

"Is it you?"

"Ah, I remember you, I remember the face of every little wizard, even if you've only been here for a day."

"Gryffindor, you're a Gryffindor! Daring to go out at night on your first day? I'm going to tell Professor McGonagall and get your Gryffindor house penalized!"

"Now, give me back my cat!"

Filch tried to take Mrs. Lorris back from Rhine's arms.

But Mrs. Lorris took a half step back, dodging Filch's hand, and instead rubbed against Rhine's hand a few more times.

Filch's eyes were practically bulging out.

Rhine gently patted Mrs. Loris's head a few times, then looked at Filch with a serious and angry expression.

"Are you the owner of this cat?"

How do you raise your cat?

"How did you raise this cat like this?"

Filch was a little confused at this point.

In the past, when I came in with such a fierce aura, the young wizards would have fled at the mere sight of me, or prepared to fight to the bitter end.

The little wizard in front of me is talking to me about raising a cat?

This really puzzled him.

But since it concerned Mrs. Lorris, Filch still spoke up.

"What's wrong with Mrs. Lorice?"

Rhein said irritably.

"They've all gotten so thin, you can't even tell?"

"Severe malnutrition!"

What he said was no exaggeration; Mrs. Lorris was in extremely poor condition, and no one knew how Filch had managed to take care of her.

But considering how stubborn Filch is, it's probably unrealistic to expect him to learn anything about cat care; he'll likely just raise them haphazardly.

Filch panicked at this point.

"Malnutrition?"

"You, you're talking nonsense, it's just old..."

But after a moment, Filch's voice trailed off, his eyes revealing concern and struggle.

"What should we do then?"

Rhine's eyes flickered slightly before he spoke.

"Remember, cats are obligate carnivores. Although they may occasionally eat some vegetables and like bread crumbs, the former is to help with bowel movements, and the latter is just because they are greedy and actually difficult to digest."

"So don't feed it bread and leftovers all day long. You need to give it meat, and the meat source should not be the same. There should be a variety of meats and offal."

"I just sensed its condition. I'll give you a recipe ratio. Feed it according to this ratio, and after a while it will reach its proper weight, and its fur will become much shinier."

"Oh right, the most important thing is this..."

Rhine carefully took out a small ball, about the size of a fingernail, which seemed to be made from a mixture of various herbs.

When Mrs. Lorris saw the dumpling, her eyes lit up, and she became completely fascinated.

The latest novel is first published here!

That was the taste just now, the one that made Mrs. Lorris completely infatuated.

Rhine handed the meatball to Filch.

"Scrape a little powder and mix it into each meal; it will be very beneficial for it, making it more cheerful and even extending its lifespan."

"If you keep feeding it, it should be able to stay with you for a few more years."

"Since you remember me, come back to me when you're done using it, and I'll try to make you some more."

When Filch heard that this dumpling would allow Mrs. Lorris to stay with him for a few more years, his eyes lit up, and he carefully put the dumpling away as if it were a precious treasure.

However, he looked at Rhine with a puzzled expression.

He harbored malice towards the little wizard, and the little wizard had never been kind to him either. He couldn't understand why Rhine would treat his cat this way.

Why?

Rhine smiled slightly, teased Mrs. Loris a little, and said to Filch.

"No reason needed, the cat is innocent. As long as you like cats, then we are friends."

"If there's anything you don't understand, you can come and ask me anytime after class."

"Alright, Lady Loris, go back to your master."

Mrs. Lorris rubbed her cheek against Rhine reluctantly before jumping into Filch's arms.

Filch looked at Rhine, his expression softening considerably, the previous ferocity gone.

"You've only just arrived at Hogwarts, you must have gotten lost. It doesn't count as wandering around at night, so I won't tell Professor McGonagall."

"Also, you're a good boy, unlike those mischievous Gryffindors, especially the Weasley brothers who love playing with dung bombs. Don't get too close to them; those two red-haired bastards are no good!"

"If you're looking for anything or any room in the castle, you can come to the caretaker's office to find me..."

He paused, then said in a low voice.

"Don't let the other junior wizards see this, or they'll ostracize you."

Immediately, Filch carried Mrs. Lorris and quickly left.

He couldn't wait to try the recipe Rhine had given him and give Mrs. Loris a good boost.

On the light screen in front of Rhine, an unexpected message appeared.

You and the gatekeeper of Jade Void Palace have become close friends.

[You have received the reward—the gift of keen hearing and sharp eyesight.]

[You have received the reward—the talent of "Crane-like Figure".]

A hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.

I thought I'd only ever be casual acquaintances with Filch, but it turns out we've become close friends.

Why is it so easy to advance the relationship with the fierce-looking Filch?

After a moment, Rhein understood.

Perhaps he was an outcast his whole life and was too lonely.

After all, Filch is just a lonely old man.

Looking at the new reward on the screen, Rhine's eyes shone with anticipation.

"I already have night vision, and now I have the talent of sharp hearing and eyesight. If I collect a few more similar talents, is it possible to forge something like a third eye, fiery eyes, or clairvoyant hearing?"

But what Rhine was most looking forward to was tomorrow's Transfiguration class.

He pulled out another dumpling from his pocket, with the exact same ingredients as the one that had captivated Mrs. Loris earlier.

It just changed from the size of a fingernail to the size of a longan.

A slight smile appeared on Rhein's lips.

"Professor McGonagall's cat is no ordinary cat."

"As a sign of respect, this amount should be enough, right?"

(End of this chapter)