Chapter 7: Dumbledore

"Ding! Hourly chime: midnight. New items have appeared in the store!"

Li Weide set aside the spellbook he had disguised as *Oliver Twist* and immediately summoned the system store.

[Item 1: Energy Potion 50ml (Unlocked) 5 Merit Points]
[Item 2: Premium Memory Potion (Unlocked) 100 Merit Points]
[Refresh Timer: 23 hours 59 minutes 30 seconds]
[Merit Points: 165]
[Dark Lord Achievement: Not achieved]

At first glance, these two items seemed rather unremarkable. Li Weide casually browsed the system descriptions.

[Energy Potion: An energy potion produced by the system. Just 50ml is enough to keep a person full of spirit and devoid of fatigue for forty-eight hours. It is recommended to consume with discretion and in moderation. Excessive consumption will cause drowsiness. If side effects occur, please proceed immediately to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries during your brief moments of clarity.]

"This is just a supercharged coffee, isn't it..." Looking at the potion in the store interface, Li Weide felt a sense of familiarity. He had certainly consumed his fair share of coffee back in the day for work.

He then shifted his focus to the second item. He keenly noted that while the name contained the word "potion," it lacked the dosage specifications of the energy potion.

[Premium Memory Potion: An exclusive item produced by the system. Upon consumption, it drastically increases the user's memory. The effect is permanent.]

The description was simple and blunt, but Li Weide’s eyes lit up. A person’s memory is one of the most important foundations for learning new knowledge; having a good memory provides a massive advantage in both study and research! What’s more, the effect was permanent!

Although he didn't know exactly how much "drastically" meant, Li Weide did not hesitate to spend one hundred merit points to purchase it.

Speaking of those 165 merit points... although he didn't know why hitting Tom harder resulted in more points, he was nonetheless grateful for Mr. Riddle's selfless contribution. Otherwise, he would have had to keep this memory potion locked away.

Li Weide felt a familiar warmth in his palm, and a small, transparent glass vial appeared. He pulled out the stopper and sniffed it; it was colorless, odorless, and as plain as ordinary water. Without further delay, he tilted his head back and downed the entire contents. He smacked his lips—well, it tasted like distilled water, completely flavorless.

Just then, the small glass vial in his hand vanished into specks of light, as if reclaimed by the system. Li Weide carefully sensed his body but felt nothing unusual, as if he had truly just drunk plain water. Feeling somewhat skeptical, he waited a moment before grabbing his spellbook and flipping to a page he hadn't read before, browsing through it quickly.

After scanning it like one might glimpse at flowers from horseback, Li Weide finally sensed the change. Having only given it a rough read, without even attempting to understand the content, the words and diagrams were already etched into his mind as clearly as a photograph! It was as if he had read and recited the material countless times.

The Premium Memory Potion’s effect exceeded his expectations; after the massive boost to his memory, he seemed to possess the ability to remember everything he saw at a glance!

Li Weide was in high spirits; those one hundred merit points were well spent! He thanked Tom in his heart once more for his outstanding contributions. Afterward, he purchased the energy potion, lifted a floor tile under his rug, and tucked it away. In this makeshift storage compartment also sat the dittany he had purchased earlier.

After hiding the potion, he glanced at his remaining balance of 60 merit points. While Tom was an excellent "tool" for farming merit points, relying solely on him was a bit slow. Li Weide decided to try other methods tomorrow.

As for tonight... after one look at that cold, hard iron bed, Li Weide decisively lifted the rug and pried up the floor tile again to retrieve the energy potion.

*Why sleep long while alive, when we shall sleep long enough once dead...*

With the power of a photographic memory and the backing of this "super coffee," how could he justify not studying hard, especially after such a selfless contribution from Comrade Riddle?

...

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

That afternoon, a knock sounded at the orphanage’s heavy front door. Ellie quickly set down her tray of iodine and hurried to open it. Standing outside was a tall, thin man who looked slightly weary. He wore a flamboyant, dark purple velvet suit that looked quite peculiar.

His hair and beard were auburn. Despite his odd attire, he possessed a refined temperament. "He must be a lawyer or a professor of some sort..." Ellie thought.

The tall man gave a kind smile. "Good afternoon. I have an appointment with Mrs. Cole; I believe she is the matron here."

"Oh... please wait a moment." Ellie turned and shouted toward the distance, "Mrs. Cole!"

A loud response came from afar. Ellie turned back to the man. "Come in, she's coming right over."

The man stepped into the hallway, which was paved with black and white tiles, and silently looked around. The place was generally dilapidated, showing that the orphanage was not in great shape. Yet, this run-down environment was kept spotless, indicating that the person in charge was indeed very diligent.

Before the door behind him had fully closed, Mrs. Cole walked over briskly, looking exhausted. As she approached, she spoke anxiously to another girl wearing an apron.

"...and then take this bottle of iodine to Martha upstairs. Billy Stubbs is picking at his scabs, and Eric Whalley—his sheets are covered in sweat, but dealing with the chickenpox is the top priority..."

Before Mrs. Cole could finish, she spotted the tall man. To be honest, his eccentric outfit took her by surprise.

"Good afternoon," the tall man said, extending a hand. "My name is Albus Dumbledore. I wrote to you requesting an appointment, and you kindly invited me here today."

Mrs. Cole looked dazed for a moment before replying, "Oh... yes, that appointment. Well, come into my office and we can talk."

Dumbledore smiled politely and followed behind her.

At the corner of the stairs, Li Weide watched Dumbledore's retreating back with a smile. Dumbledore had finally arrived! Even though this Dumbledore was still young, his unique look and aura made it easy for Li Weide to recognize him. After all, at this time and place, there was no one else who could be a tall, thin man with a crooked nose and blue eyes coming to visit Mrs. Cole.

Beside Li Weide, Tom was wiping the stair railing with a ragged cloth, looking thoroughly reluctant. Dumbledore's peculiar appearance naturally caught his attention immediately.

"Who is that? The color of those clothes is disgusting... was his nose broken by someone?"