Chapter 165: Man-made Magical Creatures
These terrifying creatures, which sat at the apex of the food chain on Earth before the complete rise of wizards, have always been the ultimate villains, the fiercest final bosses in all wizard and Muggle legends!
Moreover, the six Fire Dragons initially sent by the wizarding families this time are, even among Fire Dragons, a species renowned for its ferocity and brutality.
As Vaughn descended the ladder by the oak tree, he heard several Werewolves wailing—
A Hungarian Tree-type Dragon, originally restrained by a massive chain, had somehow managed to break free from the chain on one of its front claws and the muzzle.
Its entire body of spikes bristled, and the freed front claw swiped and battered the nearby Werewolf cage.
Vaughn clearly saw that one of the iron cages nearby had been completely flattened by the immense force provided by the Fire Dragon’s massive size, and sticky flesh and blood “squeezed” out from the deformed bars.
The Werewolf inside had clearly perished.
Several nearby Werewolves cried and screamed in fear, but what could they do against a Fire Dragon at least 15 feet tall at the shoulder?
Let alone having their wands confiscated, even with wands, they might not have been a match for a Fire Dragon!
Therefore, when they saw Vaughn walking towards them from a distance.
These individuals who, just two days prior, had been extremely afraid of Vaughn, cursing him in secret and wishing him dead, now shouted desperately as if they had seen a savior:
“Help! Mr. Weasley, please save us!”
“Merlin, this is wonderful! Mr. Weasley is back, we are saved!”
Several Werewolves were weeping with joy, and some even shouted:
“Kill it! Kill this damned lizard, it murdered your White Mice!”
Then, they were silenced by Vaughn…
Noisy!
The abnormal behavior of the Werewolves and the fluctuations in magic alerted the Hungarian Tree-type Dragon that had broken free from its restraints. The dense spikes on its head, neck, and tail vibrated at a high frequency.
It slowly turned.
Its ferocious, vertically slitted pupils narrowed into slits the moment it saw Vaughn.
Then, this beast, which had been violently attacking the Werewolves just a second ago, cowered and retreated a few steps, letting out a low growl as it slowly crouched down.
It was afraid, it was submitting…
Fire Dragons are not mere fools who only know destruction and slaughter; they are actually very intelligent and social Magical Creatures. Within their own kind, they obey the more powerful individuals.
This socialized behavioral habit also extends to interactions outside their own kind.
As long as they can be made to feel fear!
The fear of this Hungarian Tree-type Dragon was clearly evident in the corpses of three dead Fire Dragons not far away—
These were three species of dragons that, in terms of ferocity, were almost on par with the Hungarian Tree-type Dragon within the dragon species.
One was closest to the Tree-type Dragon; it was a Fire Dragon that looked quite ferocious, larger than the Tree-type Dragon, at least 30 feet long, with enormous, golden horns on its head.
A Romanian Longhorn Dragon.
A unique Fire Dragon that, rather than breathing fire, habitually impaled its enemies or prey with its horns.
Next to it lay another, comparatively “dainty” dragon corpse. Its mouth, neck, and chest cavity had been completely dissoved, with various organs fully exposed, and some indescribable fluids were leaking from its internal organs.
Wherever it passed, the grass withered.
It was a Peruvian Vipertooth Dragon, and it was this type of dragon that transmitted Dragon Pox to a wizard, or rather, a strange wizard who did strange, intimate things with it, leading to an outbreak of Dragon Pox.
Further to the side lay the last dragon corpse, even more thoroughly dissoved, its shape indistinguishable. A faint blue fire hovered above the pool of rotten flesh, emitting intense light and scorching heat.
A Swedish Short-Snout!
The three dragon corpses were the best deterrents!
Vaughn glanced at the Tree-type Dragon, which had retreated and become quiet again, even burying its head in its wings. He ignored it and called out to the system.
【 Host: Vaughn Weasley】
【 Magic Power Scale: 594 (Normal Adult Wizard is 500)】
【 Talents: Charms Mastery 8, Dark Arts 6, Transfiguration 8, Potions Mastery 10, Herbology Mastery 6, Alchemy 6, Divination Mastery 2 (Max is 10)】
【 Spells: Legilimency LV5(MAX), Full Body-Bind Curse LV5(MAX), Disarming Charm LV5(MAX), Evanesco LV5（MAX）……Protego Horribilis LV3(21/32), Disillusionment Charm LV3（11/16）, Sectumsempra LV3（6/24）, Apparition LV3（9/24）……】
【 Curses: Resurrection Curse LV1（1/4）, Witherling Curse LV1（0/4）……Awakening Spell LV0（1/3）, Time Curse LV2（7/24）……】
【 Ancient Magic: Soul Steal LV0（1/4）】
【 Alchemy LV0（5/20）】
【 Potions: “Vaughn’s Beauty” series, “Vaughn’s Hair Care” series, Wolfsbane Potion, etc…】
【 Reputation Points: 20 points】
【 Side Quest ③: Research the magic of all Fire Dragons, understand their basic principles（In Progress）】
【 Progress: 3/10】
【 Reward: 100 Magic Power Scale, Spell Development Module】
“The progress is a bit slow…”
Looking at the last task information on the panel, Vaughn frowned slightly.
*Snap!*
Vaughn snapped his fingers, and the three dragon corpses of various forms in the distance floated over leisurely.
Next to the experiment bench behind him, a stack of parchment automatically flew to Vaughn’s front, unfolding before his eyes, pages rustling.
They recorded the data analyzed from the three dragons.
The reason Vaughn felt it was slow was not that his own progress was slow—the experimental method he designed when researching Werewolves previously, while demanding and requiring advanced magical skills and extensive Muggle equipment, had the advantage of being repeatable.
That is to say, after analyzing one or two, or three, materials, a relatively universal solution could be formulated and applied to other materials.
Moreover, Vaughn had further broken down the entire experimental process.
The error rate for completely replicating an entire lifeform was higher, as even within the same species, bodies have differences, such as the direction of blood vessels and organ mutations.
However, Vaughn innovatively adopted a modular approach, breaking down the body into different “systems.” For parts with less variation between individuals, approximate values could be used to train a general solution, automatically processing them.
For example, skin, loose connective tissues, bones, and some internal organs. For more variable parts like blood vessels and lymph, manual correction would be applied.
This meant Vaughn’s experimental progress was not slow at all. Apart from the first Fire Dragon, which was dissected piece by piece as a reference material, a large part of the remaining two was processed automatically through modular handling.
Fire Dragons are interesting.
It was only when he truly began his research that Vaughn observed that while there were significant similarities among different Fire Dragons, and despite belonging to different species, all Fire Dragons seemed to have a very strong convergence in their bodily tissue structure.
The composition and structure of the scales and skin of the six Fire Dragons he currently had were quite similar.
Common variations like organ displacement in humans seemed rare in Fire Dragons. Even between different species of Fire Dragons, the organs only differed in size, with very few changes in shape.
Despite such convergence, the reason Vaughn felt it was slow was that the aspects influenced by magic varied greatly among Fire Dragons!
The rustling parchment suddenly stopped, and several decomposition diagrams recorded by an automatic quill appeared before Vaughn.
Romanian Longhorn Dragon, Swedish Short-Snout, Peruvian Vipertooth Dragon…
While these three dragons had extremely high convergence in other areas, their specialized parts had developed completely different characteristics, to the point where they could be named after them individually.
The horns of the Longhorn Dragon.
The venom of the Vipertooth Dragon.
And the unique flames of the Short-Snout and its method of breathing fire through its nose.
Such specialization could no longer be considered mutation; it was more like these dragons were purposefully evolving in different directions under some peculiar guidance.
“Biological mutation should not have a purpose; it is even meaningless. What gives mutation a sense of purpose and meaning is natural selection…”
Vaughn murmured softly.
This was a fundamental concept of modern Muggle evolutionary theory. Mutation accompanies every life form in its development; it is inherently random, perhaps existing only in an individual, until “natural selection” allows it to survive and reproduce.
If conditions allowed for a differentiation study of Fire Dragons, it could be almost certain that the ten extant branches of Fire Dragons must have originated from one or more mutations a long time ago.
So the question arises…
Why has this mutation been passed down and developed into branches?
According to Muggle evolutionary theory, what kind of natural selection did Fire Dragons, Vipertooth Dragons, Longhorn Dragons, and other dragons face to differentiate into so many specialized directions?
More simply put, according to evolutionary theory, there is the concept of convergent evolution among organisms, meaning prey and predators evolve together, progressing “together”—
What could possibly force Fire Dragons to progress together?
First, the role of Fire Dragons as “predators” can be ruled out. From the current natural world, Fire Dragons themselves are the most powerful predators, with a varied diet encompassing almost all living beings. They have no specific prey that would force them into convergent evolution.
Therefore, only one possibility remains.
During the evolutionary process of modern Fire Dragons, there was a very long period when they were in a “prey” status, and there was one or more creature that was their natural enemy!
The dragons with horns, unique flames, or potent venom that exist today all differentiated to counter this natural enemy.
True, this is a world with magic, and simply applying Muggle theories might not be appropriate. But then again, since magic is an objective phenomenon, it must also abide by objective laws.
Just like biological evolution, any development of magic in nature cannot appear out of thin air.
So Vaughn was very curious: what else could have acted as a natural enemy to Fire Dragons?
In the current natural world, powerful Magical Creatures like Phoenixes are basically impossible, as their habitats are not strongly correlated, and Fire Dragons have no basis for convergent evolution with them.
Wizards are also unlikely. The timescale is too short. The wizarding world has clear historical records indicating that wizards only rose to the top of the food chain over 2000 years ago; 2000 years is clearly insufficient to support biological evolution.
Unless…
Vaughn looked at the Tree-type Dragon not far away, which had quieted down, secretly watching him like a kitten, snorting contentedly.
“…Unless you are not creatures of this world at all, but species that ‘migrated’ from other worlds?”
A thought surfaced in Vaughn’s mind.
This was not him grasping at straws.
It was a question he had considered early in the year after entering “Aether” with Dumbledore and learning about Aether.
Aether is another form of the universe, distinct from the clear boundaries of reality, where concepts of time and space do not exist.
Theoretically, the past, present, future, Earth, Mars, and even more distant outer space can be encountered in Aether.
Therefore, it is not impossible that some Fire Dragons migrated to Earth through Aether in ancient times.
Even this scope could be further expanded.
How did magic originate on Earth? Is it also related to Aether?
Did it… also come from other worlds?
“Thinking a bit too far!”
Vaughn shook his head, retracting his scattered thoughts.
Seemingly sensing his attention was back, the Tree-type Dragon wagged its tail and gently nudged its large head closer, a rumbling purr emanating from its thick neck.
Vaughn remembered Guo Guo Cha.
He reached out and stroked the hard spikes on the Tree-type Dragon’s head. It narrowed its vertical pupils, and its 5-6 ton body flopped onto its back, exposing its belly.
Vaughn chuckled:
“You sly fellow!”
…
“The heart is the most convergent part of Fire Dragons. Unlike humans, where the storage and circulation of magic are difficult to observe, a large amount of magic in Fire Dragons exists in their blood. Their powerful hearts pump large volumes of blood to transport nutrients, supplying their bodies, which are at least 25 feet long, while also being responsible for inducing and transporting magic.”
“Through dissection and in-vivo testing, the hearts of the four types of Fire Dragons currently studied, compared to other creatures (primarily humans), possess a special structure. When the cardiac muscle contracts and stretches, it secretes a substance containing a cloud-like electron-dense mass. In current observations, this substance can cause a large amount of magic to be produced in Fire Dragon blood…”
“Due to limitations in experimental tools, the detailed mechanism of magic production in Fire Dragons is currently unclear…”
“Similar to magic production, the application of magic in Fire Dragons is also biological. Taking the Swedish Short-Snout as an example, it has evolved a complete set of magical organs from the lungs to the trachea and nasal cavity. The blood vessels around the organs are concentrated, and a large amount of magic-rich blood gathers and circulates within the organs… Blood circulation is the fundamental basis for Fire Dragons to achieve magic!”
“At the same time, it also possesses a certain ritualistic function. The magical organs of the Swedish Short-Snout exhibit astonishingly complex structures. According to in-vivo magic detection, the trajectory of blood circulation within the organs shows a ritualistic similarity to wizards waving wands…”
The recording stopped here, and Vaughn looked at the magical organ he had “disassembled” from the Swedish Short-Snout on the experiment bench—a structure that looked like a nerve cluster.
…
When Lupin descended the ladder by the oak tree, he saw a ferocious Fire Dragon lying on the ground like a puppy, exposing its belly and fawning over Vaughn.
His mouth twitched a few times. He looked at the Tree-type Dragon, then at the dissected Longhorn Dragon, Swedish Short-Snout, and Vipertooth Dragon not far away, as well as a Ukrainian Ironbelly that looked very fresh, seemingly having died not long ago.
He suddenly understood why the Tree-type Dragon was so obsequious.
“Remus, is there something?”
Vaughn, while stroking the Tree-type Dragon’s belly, greeted him.
Lupin shook off the shock of the absurd scene before him and replied, “Mr. President, the Royal Mary has arrived in Boston.”
“After disembarking, there are two matters that require your attention. First, in the evening, Mr. Ajinbad is preparing to hold a press conference at the hotel where he is staying. The Federation delegation informed me that you agreed to attend…”
In the suite corridor, Lupin, carrying his suitcase, walked close beside Vaughn, reporting in his ear.
Vaughn nodded, “Yes, I did promise dear Babajide. By the way, you will accompany me.”
“Yes,”
Lupin responded, accompanying the President was his duty.
However, this brought up a problem.
Hesitating for a moment, Lupin cautiously asked, “What about Dolores Umbridge? According to regulations, she should also be by your side representing the Ministry of Magic.”
“Ah…”
To be honest, Vaughn was momentarily bewildered, and only then did he recall who Lupin was referring to: “How many days has it been since she turned into a toad?”
“Seven days, Mr. President!”
Lupin replied. He turned to look behind them. Among the many wealthy Muggles in extravagant attire, being escorted by their entourages and preparing to disembark, were two people dressed conspicuously oddly.
It was Kingsley and Nymphadora.
Lupin encountered the two when he was heading to Vaughn’s suite. They were ambushing outside the suite, seemingly intending to “coincidentally” meet Vaughn upon disembarking.
They simply couldn’t wait any longer!
Especially Kingsley.
Seven days is not a long time, but during these seven days, Kingsley had been under immense pressure. The source of the pressure was none other than the respected, fragile, and sensitive Mr. Fudge!
In fact, Kingsley had intended to keep Umbridge’s transformation into a toad a secret. He had even specifically instructed others in the Auror Squad, fearing that if the news reached the Minister, he would fly into a rage and cause trouble.
But he overestimated his own authority.
John Delacy, this seemingly brainless fellow who only threw tantrums, secretly relayed the news back to England that very day.
No one knew when Mr. Delacy had defected to Cornelius Fudge; perhaps it was through this opportunity of secretly passing on information?
Regardless, the day after the incident, the Auror Squad on the Royal Mary received a letter of reprimand personally written by Fudge.
In the letter, Fudge berated every Auror severely, except Delacy!
Of course, the matter would not end there.
Kingsley had also overestimated Fudge’s character (though he had already underestimated him as much as possible)!
Who turned Umbridge into a toad?
Vaughn Weasley!
So, did the respected Mr. Fudge have the ability to trouble Vaughn Weasley?
Anyone working in the Ministry of Magic knew that the Minister did not have that capability… including Fudge himself!
The question arises: would Fudge, unable to confront the culprit, let this insult slide?
How could he!
The Minister of the Ministry of Magic, unable to deal with Vaughn Weasley, could he not deal with an Auror?
Therefore, he chose to displace his anger!
For these seven days, the Shackles’ family businesses had suffered greatly. Several potion shops located in Knockturn Alley and other wizarding settlements were investigated by the Improper Use of Magic Office.
Properties located in Muggle communities were even sealed off by the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad because a few wizards happened to cause trouble.
Related reports even made it onto the Daily Prophet, and naturally, no one mentioned why only the Shackle family’s businesses were experiencing such misfortune.
Just two days ago, at a press conference announcing the Ministry’s decree to 《Purge Dark Magic Items》, Fudge, when asked about this matter by reporters, solemnly stated that in the context of the decree’s introduction, it was necessary to investigate whether the involved shops had committed any illegal acts, and there would be no leniency!
That day, reading the newspaper, Kingsley felt powerless for the first time.
It must be stated that not all Sacred Twenty-Eight families possess sufficient political and economic power to protect themselves.
The Gaunt Family, who did not even have money to repair their ancestral home 40 years ago, is the most obvious example.
Similarly, although the Shackle Family is also one of the Twenty-Eight, their power is extremely weak. In fact, as an old Pure-blood family, their connections within the wizarding world are quite average.
If something like this had happened to the Malfoy family, no matter how disappointing Lucius Malfoy was, he could have rallied a host of families to support him based on his ancestors’ connections.
The Shackle Family could not do such a thing.
Among the crowd, Kingsley Shackle tiptoed, anxiously observing Lupin and Vaughn’s every move.
This was almost his last hope. He had originally intended to find Vaughn directly and, based on the relationship accumulated over time, try to persuade him to voluntarily reverse Umbridge’s transformation—magic expiring and being reversed, and Vaughn voluntarily reversing it after persuasion had entirely different meanings.
The latter would prove his efforts and thus quell the Minister’s anger!
The former would only further enrage Fudge!
However, Lupin stopped him. Compared to Kingsley, Lupin, who had known Vaughn for a long time, understood his President’s temper better.
Although Vaughn seemed indifferent at times, in reality, he rarely took punitive action against others.
Once Vaughn personally took action, it usually meant he had lost patience with someone or some people.
A Vaughn who had lost patience was terrifying.
About a month ago, the dark wizards in St Ives who were hiding in a small building and “aged” to death under the Time Curse were the most typical example!
Besides this, the few other times Vaughn had acted, his targets were generally Fudge and Umbridge.
It could be imagined how much he disliked these two, to the point where even though Fudge was the Minister of Magic, he was still thrown out of the Wizengamot Chamber by Vaughn, and Umbridge, a high-ranking official of the Ministry of Magic, was turned into a toad by Vaughn’s wand before she could finish speaking.
Lupin believed this was Vaughn restraining himself. If it weren’t for their Ministry of Magic identities, Fudge and Umbridge might have “disappeared” long ago!
Under these circumstances, for Kingsley to seek Vaughn to lift the Transfiguration Curse… it wasn’t that Lupin looked down on him, but he genuinely felt Kingsley likely didn’t have that much clout.
He had some acquaintance with Kingsley during the wizarding war over ten years ago (this was Kingsley’s survival strategy in the wizarding world, broad social connections), and feeling reluctant to see Kingsley attract Vaughn’s ire by association, he decided to help probe.
Lupin noticed Kingsley’s expectant expression in the crowd.
Vaughn also noticed.
He patted Lupin’s arm with a half-smile, “Remus, when did you become a lobbyist?”
Although revealed, Lupin felt relieved—at least Vaughn hadn’t explicitly refused.
“Did Kingsley ask you to probe my attitude?”
“No, Mr. President, he wanted to speak with you in person. I stopped him, but I also promised to help inquire about your attitude.”
“Because of your past acquaintance?”
“Yes!”
“I don’t believe you.”
Vaughn looked at Kingsley’s direction, then at Lupin, with a smiling expression that made Lupin’s scalp tingle.
He had a feeling that Vaughn was not looking at Kingsley, but at Nymphadora Tonks next to Kingsley, who was idly chewing gum and constantly changing her hair color!
The name that accurately surfaced in his mind made Lupin’s face tighten and his ears heat up. He tried to maintain a stern expression and said, “Believe it or not, that’s the fact… What is your answer?”
As they spoke, they, along with the crowd, had exited the upper structure and reached the deck.
A humid sea breeze blew against them. But unlike the past few days, today’s sea breeze carried a hint of fresh earth, a scent like a lawn after a heavy rain. After being away from land for seven days, it was now distinctly captured by their sense of smell.
Emerging from the relatively dim upper structure, the bright morning sun seemed a little dazzling. Vaughn squinted, adjusting slightly.
As his vision recovered, a city with a distinctly English flavor came into view.
The brick-built docks and rows of Victorian buildings, also made of brick, with a deep red color like blood, made Vaughn almost think he had arrived at a coastal city in England at first glance.
Clearly, he was not the only one with this impression.
“It looks a lot like England, doesn’t it? When I first saw it, I thought the ship had circled the British Isles for a few days and brought us back to the North Sea!”
A deep voice, and Vaughn knew who it was without turning around.
Ajinbad!
The old wizard walked up to Vaughn, stretched lazily towards the city bathed in sunlight in the distance, and smiled, “I can’t wait to set foot on land. After seven days away, I’ve almost forgotten what it feels like to step on soil… Child, would you walk with me?”
As if worried Vaughn might make excuses, he paused and added, “There are some things I need to discuss with you. Rest assured, the promise we made last time will not change. Your people can go meet the Federation delegation now.”
Vaughn thought for a moment and agreed, then turned to instruct Lupin, “Remus, gather everyone to go with the Federation delegation… Bring those Aurors along, and tell Kingsley I will meet him after dinner. I’ll give him a chance to persuade me.”
“Understood, Mr. President.”
Lupin’s tone lightened, and he hurried away, heading in the direction of Kingsley.
Watching his retreating back, Ajinbad casually asked, “Is it because of that witch you turned into a toad? Honestly, in my long political career, such fools are extremely rare—trying to humiliate her country’s delegation by adjusting accommodation? Does she think politics is about children squabbling?”
Vaughn shrugged. How could normal people understand the thought process of abstract beings?
He didn’t want to dwell on these unpleasant things: “What do you want to discuss?”
Ajinbad readily complied, “Many things. Firstly, I need to inform you that I’ve decided to start from Boston and conduct an investigation throughout the entire New England District (the northeastern region of America, named after being within England’s sphere of influence during the colonial era). We will arrive in New York in ten days, meaning my promise to protect you is limited to these ten days.”
This was natural.
The Federation could not continuously stand in front of the WAC delegation. They still needed to normalize relations with the North American local powers.
Compared to the promised protection period, Vaughn was more interested in Ajinbad’s investigation direction: “The Federation has decided to investigate the Purifiers first?”
Vaughn said this because the early European settlers in the New England region were Puritans who had fled England.
These Puritans belonged to the extreme conservative faction. The emergence of the Purifiers was closely related to the strict religious laws they enacted and the series of witch hunts they launched.
The infamous Salem witch trials took place in Salem, Massachusetts, in the New England region!
That was also the birthplace of the First Salem.
Hearing Vaughn’s keen grasp of the key point, a smile appeared on Ajinbad’s dark face, then he became serious again.
He nodded, “Yes, this is also one of the things I wanted to discuss with you… Mr. Weasley, what is your opinion on those Purifiers?”
Vaughn did not answer, knowing that Ajinbad was not truly asking him.
As expected, Ajinbad continued, “That night, when we read the memories together, I believe you understood my meaning: those Purifiers are not wizards!”
“These past few days, I sent the memories back to the Federation headquarters. The headquarters convened a large number of Memory Wizards and Muggle study scholars to analyze the scenes, characters, clothing, etc. The conclusion reached is that those Purifiers are very likely related to the North American Muggle government!”
As he spoke, Ajinbad observed Vaughn’s expression.
When his words fell, seeing that he did not show any surprise, a hint of understanding flashed in Ajinbad’s eyes, “It seems you knew this long ago.”
Vaughn smiled and admitted, “That’s right, they are indeed related to Muggles. I confirmed this speculation late that night.”
“So, you must also be aware of Muggle biotechnology? Genetic engineering?”
Vaughn nodded and smiled, “The Muggle scholars you found are quite reliable. Most wizards, let alone thinking of this area, have probably never even heard these phrases.”
“…”
Hearing Vaughn’s approval, Ajinbad’s lips trembled, and his already serious face became even more dreadful.
He remained silent for a while, and only after the two walked down the gangplank did he say with a somewhat dry voice:
“So, my feeling that day was not wrong, they are like Goblins, House-elves, and even Fire Dragons and Unicorns… creatures? Artificial Magical Creatures?”
