Chapter 211: Think More

The proficiency of the Weird Wizard Chess and the Plan Map keeps increasing, but what increases faster is the [Squirrel Cookie].

Every time he stared at the rising proficiency of the [Squirrel Cookie], En would lapse into a faint daze.

But this daze passed quickly, for soon En’s attention would be drawn away by the flood of orders from Wei Wei Silai and Green Magic Tricks Shop.

Fortunately, he’d recently been practicing making Weird Wizard Chess; otherwise, Ge Te’s cat owl might have delivered howling letters daily demanding payment.

The popularity of Weird Wizard Chess extended beyond Hogwarts—wizards who couldn’t get Transfiguration Cookies simply took something else instead—like Weird Wizard Chess.

But no one expected they’d become obsessed with the game in just two minutes.

“The knight falling in love with the queen? That’s normal;

the bishop burning his own guards as heretics? That’s interesting;

the reckless castle soldier taking an extra step uncontrollably? That’s plausible;

but what do you mean—a knight, drunk, sneaked out at night and stabbed our own king while he was having an affair with the enemy queen?!”

Wizards are naturally curious about absurd objects—otherwise, the Stink Bomb wouldn’t have sold so well for so long… Its inventor, Aborek Granning, was even featured on Chocolate Frog Cards alongside figures like Master Nicolas Flamel.

When En crafted the Wizard Chess, he let his imagination run wild—the sheer oddness of Weird Wizard Chess far exceeded expectations.

This drastically increased the strategic depth of the game, and it retained the proficiency system of Wizard Chess—the more familiar a wizard was with a particular chess set, the better they could control it.

These Yangcheng elements, combined with strategy and absurd mechanics, propelled it to the top of British wizarding entertainment.

The Wei Wei Silai brothers’ unauthorized promise—that a new chess piece would be released every month—further extended the game’s lifespan.

If only they didn’t beg and cry, demanding En design a new piece every month, En might have found it more enjoyable.

Wei Wei Silai and Green Magic Tricks Shop had grown immensely wealthy; the Wei Wei Silai brothers used their earnings to buy new books and alchemical items, and sent plenty home.

Although Mo Li never spent a single Jin Jin Jialong, she was so delighted she insisted the twins bring En to the Burrow at all costs.

En had originally been curious about the flying car and was about to agree—but he stopped himself:

“I need to ask the professor.”

The twins didn’t understand why, but happily counted their Jin Jin Jialong and left.

Before departing, the twins spoke in hushed tones:

“Our business has made Wizard Chess sell zero copies this month—”

Fred tossed the original Wizard Chess box into the air.

“We paid the patent fee, but we never expected they’d still try to pull tricks—guess what happened—”

George took the Wizard Chess from Fred’s hand.

“They were mysteriously cursed—turned into a pile of elephants or something—and the Ministry still hasn’t found out who did it.”

They both stared at En:

“Great Green! Working with you was the best decision Wei Wei Silai ever made!”

They bowed dramatically, then vanished in a flash.

Only En, slightly bewildered, remained.

Another week passed.

En’s proficiency in Weird Wizard Chess had reached [Expert], and during this time, the most discussed topic in Hope Cottage was Professor Qiluo.

“We must stop him from stealing the Philosopher’s Stone. And we must understand why he wants it.”

Jia Jia Siting always spoke first.

“Transmuting lead to gold? But Professor Qiluo is already a Muggle Studies professor—he’s a Ravenclaw with wisdom; he shouldn’t be this short on Jin Jin Jialong.”

Hemin frowned.

“Oh, come on, Hemin—Jin Jin Jialong is never enough… Look at Fred and George—they spend every day training and scheming to make money; they say they’ve got a whole warehouse full of Jin Jin Jialong…”

Luoen mumbled, gazing at his old books and worn robes, feeling deeply sorry for himself.

“Or… immortality…”

Jia Jia Siting whispered.

To be honest, he hadn’t imagined the Wizarding World had such a magically potent artifact.

As the group pondered, En touched the [Squirrel Cookie] in his hand; the crackling of the fireplace pulled him back to the Headmaster’s office.

“H-he has talent, he deserves attention… he needs this scholarship, he needs to be seen—even just once—so I recommend he be awarded… the…”

Was the wizard Professor Qiluo mentioned really just one named Green?

The recommendation letter lay at the bottom of En’s cabinet; he always overthought it.

“En… why do you think Professor Qiluo wants to steal the Philosopher’s Stone?”

Jia Jia Siting turned to ask; when they faced trouble, seeking En was always a good choice.

But this time, En remained silent for a long while.

Jia Jia Siting saw he was deep in thought, and didn’t press further.

Instead, he turned to discuss Professor Qiluo’s past with Hemin and the others.

“He was once a gifted, learned Ravenclaw; as for why he became like this now, it’s said he encountered a vampire.”

Hemin had gathered much information and now held a notebook as she spoke.

“Yes—otherwise, how else to explain his stuttering and that awful garlic smell?”

Luoen said, still shaken.

So… what kind of person was Professor Qiluo really?

Headmaster Dumbledore’s exact words to Harry were:

“Qiluo is filled with hatred, greed, and ambition; he sold his soul to Voldemort. Touching someone marked with such a pure symbol causes him unbearable pain…”

But at the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Qiluo had shaken Harry’s hand—did that mean he hadn’t fully fallen?

One wrong choice leads to permanent tragedy.

En placed the [Squirrel Cookie] and the diary pendant together; his notebook fluttered open in the wind, the handwriting clearly visible:

【Quirinus Qiluo, in Rowling’s musings—

Quirinus is a little-known Roman deity, often associated with war—yet Qiluo is far from the gentle figure he appears to be. “Quirrell” is very close to “Squirrel”—small, cute, harmless—and also resembles “quiver” (to tremble), echoing the character’s innate nervousness】

Animal Transfiguration Cookies only allow the same body’s wizard to retain their will,

En didn’t know if he could accurately guess the professor’s body, but doing something was better than doing nothing.

Because of one recommendation letter, he kept overthinking—helpless Professor Qiluo—if given another chance, what would his outcome be?

En didn’t know. The only thing he understood was this: a tiny, insignificant [Squirrel Cookie] lasts only three minutes—useless except for making a squirrel run into the Headmaster’s office to confess everything and beg for help.