"Secret Realm!?"
Devereux stared at the notification in a daze.
Yet before he even had a chance to explore this new function,
he heard a remark that chilled him to the bone.
"Can you still remember *Magical Drafts and Potions* that I made you read previously? Or has your incompetence wiped it entirely from your memory?"
At this moment, the two of them were walking into Diagon Alley.
While Devereux was still looking around in wonder,
typically speaking,
whenever Snape asked a question like this,
it meant he was about to subject Devereux to another oral quiz.
Under normal circumstances,
if Devereux admitted he didn't remember
(after all, who could possibly memorize a book of hundreds of pages? Not everyone was Hermione!),
then Snape would use his signature tone
to subject Devereux to merciless sarcasm.
If Devereux answered that he did remember,
then Snape would throw out a series of extremely tricky questions
that would leave Devereux completely speechless,
followed by an even more scathing round of mockery.
To be honest,
he had originally thought Snape was only an absolute bastard when dealing with Gryffindor,
never imagining that he was simply an absolute bastard through and through!
Yet this time, he wouldn't give him the chance to be sarcastic.
"I remember it, sir,"
Devereux replied with absolute confidence.
Now that he had the Potion Genius affix,
any potion books he had read in the past could be recalled instantly!
Beneath his dark hair, Snape raised an eyebrow,
seemingly somewhat surprised that this usually timid kid
was acting so confident today.
Then he immediately sneered.
Although this little brat had a bit of talent, he was well aware of his actual standard at present.
A single casual question, and he was bound to expose himself.
"Tell me, Mr. Alexander, what is the primary distinction between aconite and wolfsbane?"
"Aconite and wolfsbane are actually different names for the exact same plant. They both refer to plants of the genus *Aconitum*, specifically wolfsbane, or *Aconitum napellus*. In potion-making, this plant is commonly used to brew potions that combat werewolf transformations."
The very instant Devereux heard the question,
he blurted out the standard answer.
Snape narrowed his eyes.
Although this wasn't an exceptionally difficult or obscure question,
the fact that the boy could answer with such confidence and fluency
truly caught Snape off guard.
Yet he was Snape, after all; how could a grilling end after just a single question?
"A lucky guess on one question proves nothing. Now tell me, if you were to brew a Draught of Peace, which ingredient would you add first, and why?"
"During the preparation of a Draught of Peace, the very first ingredient that must be added is valerian roots. This is because valerian roots serve as one of the base components, helping to calm the emotions and laying the groundwork for the effects of subsequent ingredients."
"Continue. Explain the importance of stirring seven times clockwise when preparing a basic healing potion."
"Stirring seven times clockwise ensures..."
"..."
Following seven or eight basic potion questions in a row,
Devereux answered every single one with absolute ease.
Snape's expression gradually shifted from initial impatience to a trace of astonishment.
His lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to ask another question,
but in the end, he closed his mouth
and continued leading Devereux deeper into Diagon Alley.
As they walked, he spoke.
"It seems you have mastered this textbook. I suppose we should move on to the next one, or perhaps you feel this is already quite enough?"
Another signature piece of sarcasm from Snape.
Having endured it for a full year, Devereux was completely immune.
"Of course not, sir. It would be wonderful if we could purchase a new textbook at Flourish and Blotts shortly."
Devereux was currently feeling extremely elated.
On one hand, getting to watch Snape's perpetually stuck-up face
assume an expression as though he had just swallowed a fly was immensely satisfying.
On the other hand, he was genuinely eager to buy new books.
This Potion Genius affix was simply too useful!!
Some of the potion knowledge he had studied previously had almost slipped his mind,
yet at this moment, it suddenly resurfaced in his head, crystal clear.
Was this what true potion genius felt like?
He couldn't wait to dive into new potion knowledge.
For the rest of the journey, Snape didn't subject him to any more tests,
instead leading Devereux grimly through all the shops in Diagon Alley that first-year students had to visit
to purchase their required school supplies.
Yet Devereux lacked the mood to keep teasing Snape with his new affix at the moment.
Taking advantage of the lull, Devereux finally opened the system interface
to check what this so-called Secret Realm exploration function actually did.
Unable to make head or tail of it on his own,
he simply asked the system to explain.
[Ding!]
[When the host enters a special location with a long history, the Secret Realm exploration function will be triggered.]
[This function provides rewards based on the host's exploration progress of the location.]
[Upon reaching 30% exploration, the host will obtain a Spell Mastery Card X1.]
[Upon reaching 60% exploration, the host will obtain an Affix Upgrade Card X1.]
[Upon reaching 100% exploration, the host will obtain the Wisdom of the Sages.]
[Spell Mastery Card: Upon use, significantly enhances the host's proficiency with a specific spell!]
[Affix Upgrade Card: Can elevate any affix—except for unique and red-tier affixes—by one rank!]
[Wisdom of the Sages: An extremely mysterious power; unless you obtain it, you will never truly know what it is!]
Whoa!
The system had already brought him quite a few surprises,
so he had actually built up a bit of resistance.
Items like the [Spell Mastery Card] were pretty much expected;
any ordinary system was bound to have something like that,
so it was nothing to marvel at.
Yet he truly never imagined there would be a god-tier item capable of upgrading any affix!
His heart could barely take it.
Just think—
the current Potion Genius affix was already this powerful,
capable of helping Devereux instantly absorb all previously studied potion knowledge.
If it went up another level,
wouldn't that mean he wouldn't even need to study at all??
Of course, he knew logically that he would still need to study,
but it would undoubtedly happen at an astronomical speed!
As for the [Wisdom of the Sages], Devereux looked at its description
and his mouth twitched.
Wasn't this just a mystery box?
It was probably some sort of Slytherin Parseltongue or ancient magic.
Thinking about it that way, it was pretty powerful too.
However, the uncertainty was far too high, so Devereux ultimately decided that in every future Secret Realm,
he would guarantee at least 60% exploration first to secure the [Spell Mastery Card] and [Affix Upgrade Card]!