great-warnovel Chapter 445 Lady Beetle
Chapter 445 Lady Beetle
Chapter 445 Lady Beetle
The new Paris has embarked on a major infrastructure project.
The meteorological circle created by the pyroxene core, along with the low-radiation living environment, allowed the city's population capacity to increase several times over.
However, the UMNO party didn't have the magic to create a city like Xiongcheng, nor did they have fairies to help with its construction. They had to build new houses little by little and expand the city's area.
This also involves moving the city walls outward and rearranging the magical barrier, which cannot be completed in a short time.
During the days that Grindelwald was out of the loop, Hermione was in charge of overseeing everything.
At her direction, the population of the surrounding areas began to gradually migrate to New Paris.
Muggles in the catacombs are allowed to stay on the surface for longer periods, although they can only work as laborers. But getting some sunshine and fresh air is better than being cooped up underground.
Some wizards felt that allowing Muggles to move around too much on the ground affected their transcendent status, but Hermione's reasoning was simple: it was a waste to have wizards doing work like building houses; magic should be used for more valuable purposes.
This kind of talk fits the tone of the city, and the dark wizards stopped causing trouble.
Grindelwald spent fifty years shaping these wizards' extreme witchcraft ideology. If Hermione wants to change them and incorporate the power of New Paris, she has to subtly and gradually get them used to living with Muggles. All of this has to start by breaking down the barriers.
Old Man Li Huo couldn't possibly be unaware of what she was doing, but perhaps he was too lazy to care, or perhaps he tacitly approved of it; in any case, he didn't interfere.
Hermione has basically recognized all the active saints, but apart from Regulus, she treats everyone else as machines. She doesn't know anyone she's met before, such as old Carol, young Clana, old Abernathy, and young Kraft. As for old Nigel, he has been sent back to the Valley settlement to rebuild everything there.
Although Hermione could understand his desire for revenge for his son and knew that he was simply carrying out Grindelwald's will, she still did not want to see him again.
Now, after finishing her official duties each day, she curls up in a warm iron chair, wrapped in a small blanket, and reads with the LCD screen she pulled out of Adam's belly.
The reason she didn't go to the library was because people would come up to report on their work from time to time, and if Grindelwald wasn't there, she would have to cover for him all day.
The doors slammed open, and someone else entered the palace. Hermione put down her tablet and saw a wizard, completely shrouded in a black robe, walk in.
"I am Rita Skeeter, the editor-in-chief of The Wizard's Will newspaper, and I have been sent here to conduct a series of interviews with you."
A deep, mature female voice came from under the cloak.
Hermione knew the Wizard's Will newspaper; it was considered the official mouthpiece of the Malay Party. These days, it had been busy subtly promoting the nobility of wizards and gradually replacing the terms "wizard" and "human" with "descendant of God."
"An exclusive interview?" Hermione was taken aback, and even Adam, who was standing to the side in a daze, turned his head.
"Is that what the old man means?" Although the Wish Cup incident has shifted the focus of the newspapers, it is still urgent to promote the successor and publicize the importance of the pyroxene core.
From this perspective, it was only natural that Grindelwald instructed his subordinates to conduct an exclusive interview.
She saw the witch remove her veil, revealing a head of snow-white, ear-length wavy hair.
His slightly weathered yet refined face, paired with silver-rimmed glasses, gave him a scholarly air.
But Hermione frowned: "This is an illusion. What are you trying to hide?"
Before Skeeter could offer any explanation, she flicked her finger, and the thin illusion vanished like melting ice.
The witch, caught in the illusion, stood up in terror and tried to cover her face with her hands.
"you!?"
Upon seeing the appearance in the illusion, Hermione was also shocked and stood up.
That wasn't a human body at all; it looked more like a beetle magnified many times over and transformed into a human form.
Her glossy, greenish arthropod arms couldn't hide her enormous head at all, and her reflective compound eyes revealed a flicker of fear.
"Is this Transfiguration? But it doesn't seem quite the same as what's recorded in the book." Adam's voice broke the silence.
He was neither surprised nor afraid; he simply asked the question calmly.
"Yes, it's a transformation, Animagus." Skeeter resignedly lowered his arm, revealing his full face.
Insects' mouthparts resemble clustered blades, giving them a somewhat menacing appearance.
She moved her mouth, making a clicking or rubbing sound as she spoke.
Concealed by the black cloak, his entire body was structured like an insect, and apart from his human form, he seemed to have little resemblance to a human.
"But that's wrong, my Animagus failed." Her voice was soft, but unchanged; it was still that calm and mature female voice.
Hermione suddenly remembered that Professor McGonagall had mentioned a senior student many years older than James who had recklessly attempted an imperfect human transformation, ultimately leading to irreversible and tragic consequences.
"You're from Hogwarts too?" she asked.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—" It's impolite to reopen old wounds like this, but she's used to being straightforward in the UMNO party.
Skeeter shook his head: "Professor McGonagall mentioned me to you, didn't she? Yes, you have unparalleled transformation forms. The professor must have explained it to you in detail. I am the case of the failed Animagus."
"But it's understandable. Lord Grindelwald had the same reaction when he first met me. Please allow me to disguise myself again." As she spoke, she took out her wand and tapped it on the hard carapace of her head. As if a layer of paint had been poured over it, she transformed back into that delicate, pale middle-aged woman.
"A good improvement to the Disillusionment Charm," Hermione praised.
"But you actually came to New Paris? And it looks like you arrived even earlier than Little Star, didn't you?"
The woman nodded: "Only Lord Grindelwald didn't care about my appearance. She taught me to improve the Disillusionment Charm and helped me rise from a frontline reporter to editor-in-chief at the Wizarding Will newspaper."
Hermione paused for a moment. Clearly, with her beetle-like appearance, she wouldn't survive in Malfoy Castle; those nobles were very good at looking down on people.
"Little Star brought a revamped and improved Animagus, aren't you going to give it a try?"
Because of the changes in the world, the ancient methods of human transformation could no longer be followed. In Skeeter's time, her reckless attempts naturally caused terrible consequences, but after the Marauders' generation made improvements, these problems would no longer exist.
The woman shook her head: "I've tried, but as you know, many changes in the Animagus are permanent and irreversible."
She transformed into an "insect-person," and although her appearance became ferocious and terrifying, she also gained the ability to fly autonomously and possessed tenacious vitality.
Hermione sighed; this was a tragedy of the times.
Skeeter, however, didn't seem to care. She composed herself, took out her notebook and shorthand quill from her bag, and let them fly around her.
"Enough about me. I'm here today for an exclusive interview with you. As per Lord Grindelwald's orders, this is just the first part; there's much more to come."