This mutated Venomous Geranium seed was really expensive.

But even so, it was the first time Wade had ever seen a mutated version of the seed.

He decided to read the description, then buy one to try it out.

As for the other items...

Wade wasn't interested in the Polyjuice Potion or the Fire Dragon Egg.

He could brew Polyjuice Potion himself and didn't need to waste Merit Points on it.

As for the Fire Dragon Egg... Wade figured he wasn't capable of handling such a creature just yet.

Even someone as skilled as Hagrid, a magical creature expert, had caused plenty of trouble when hatching a Norwegian Ridgeback.

Wade had enough self-awareness to know that if he ever wanted to play around with a dragon, it'd have to wait until later—after he'd learned more about magical creatures from Newt and gained more experience.

Besides, Fire Dragon Eggs weren't all that difficult to obtain. It wasn't worth spending several hundred Merit Points on one.

As for the third item, the Whomping Willow seed... Wade didn't hesitate to buy it.

Whomping Willow was an extremely rare magical plant, now scarcely seen. Even if he didn't plant it himself, it might have other uses in the future.

Besides, 700 Merit Points wasn't too expensive.

Next, Wade focused his attention on the fourth item.

[Mutated Venomous Geranium: Though its properties and mutation direction are unknown, it represents another potential path for the evolution of magical flora and fauna...]

"Another potential path for the development of magical creatures... So genetically modified magical plants might not be a dead end after all..." Wade muttered to himself.

As everyone knew, magical plants—if used properly—could have certain combat functions, like the Mimbulus Mimbletonia and Mandrakes.

So... was it possible to cultivate magical plants specifically designed to aid in combat?

However, magical plants were fundamentally different from ordinary plants, so Wade's previous knowledge might not be very useful when it came to altering magical ones.

"If this seed can give me even a hint of insight... then it's definitely worth 2,000 Merit Points!"

A sample! A mutated sample!

Wade had previously attempted a bit of magical plant mutation experimentation himself.

After all, the Mimbulus Mimbletonia he had grown was larger than usual, so it probably counted as a mutated variant.

However, since the mutation was minimal, Wade hadn't been able to discover any meaningful differences.

But now, a living mutated seed was right in front of him...

"Buying it, for sure!"

…

London.

In a quiet manor.

Grindelwald was sitting in a pavilion, reading a book.

Today, he hadn't gone to the Ministry of Magic but had instead given himself a small vacation.

He decided he would spend the day at home carefully planning out his book.

The manor he was in was his new home in London.

Of course, this time he had bought it directly from a wealthy Muggle businessman—rather than killing the owner and taking it.

His career had only just started to show promise, and he didn't want to get caught so easily.

"Sir," Abernathy walked over from a distance, "the Ministry of Magic has agreed to your proposal."

"Oh? That fast?" Grindelwald was a little surprised.

According to his expectations, the Ministry would at least spend a few days deliberating over the suggestion.

He had planned to use those few days to handle other matters—and let public opinion ferment a little.

He hadn't expected the Ministry to reach a decision in just one day.

"Fawley consulted Dumbledore for his opinion, and Dumbledore agreed right away," Abernathy said.

Upon hearing that, Grindelwald narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Dumbledore… looks like you're ready to play."

"Fawley wants you to provide a reform plan, since the proposal came from you," Abernathy said.

Grindelwald smiled. "My job is only to make suggestions, not to do the rest… As for the reform plan, that's for them to handle. After all, I'm merely an advisor. Pass that message along to Fawley. He'll understand what I mean."

…

Minister Fawley was currently pulling his hair out.

Grindelwald had just moved his lips and tossed out the suggestion like it was nothing.

But this kind of major reform—starting from planning to actual changes—required consideration on all fronts!

And the public was eager to see the Ministry implement it right away.

If it went well, that was fine. But if anything went wrong, someone would have to take the fall…

Originally, the ideal person to carry out the reform should have been Grindelwald himself.

After all, it was his proposal.

But what Minister Fawley hadn't expected was that Grindelwald had chosen this moment to wash his hands of it!

Of course, Minister Fawley understood exactly why Grindelwald was stepping back.

He was angling for a real position of power!

Clearly, Grindelwald was not satisfied with being just an advisor!

But positions within the Ministry of Magic had always been strictly one-for-one.

To make room for Grindelwald, someone else would have to be removed…

The key issue wasn't just about removing someone—it was that Grindelwald was seeking power!

And since Grindelwald was vying for power… then what about his own position as Minister…

Minister Fawley was in full-blown panic now.

He was certain that if Grindelwald truly set his sights on the Minister's seat, there was a very real chance he could succeed…

Left with no choice, Minister Fawley had to take full responsibility for the matter himself.

He would rather be overwhelmed and stressed than agree to Grindelwald's power grab!

Because once that door was opened, there'd be no closing it!

What gave him a bit of comfort was that Grindelwald didn't seem to have any objections to his decision.

It was completely different from what he had imagined—Grindelwald showing up at his door to pressure or threaten him.

In fact, over the next few days, whenever Grindelwald encountered him at the Ministry, he would greet him warmly, as if nothing had happened at all.

However… since Minister Fawley had rejected Grindelwald's request, the man naturally stopped involving himself in anything related to the reform.

As if he really had just offered a suggestion and left it at that.

Fortunately, Minister Fawley, having served as Minister for quite a few years, wasn't entirely useless—he still had a number of talented people around him.

With Dumbledore's support as well, and after more than a week of hard work under immense pressure, they finally managed to put together a comprehensive reform plan.

However, although the plan was thorough, when it came time to implement it, he ran into obstacles…

To his surprise, Fawley found that many people in the Ministry no longer seemed to respond to his commands!

Of course, he knew exactly who was behind this!

Was this a warning? That as long as he refused to give Grindelwald a position of real authority, he would continue to be sabotaged?

Minister Fawley felt utterly stifled.

If he had known it would come to this, he might as well have followed Dumbledore's advice from the beginning—stood tall and directly refused Grindelwald!

At least then, he wouldn't be caught in this current mess, being obstructed by Grindelwald at every turn…

And so, the Ministry's reform proceeded with difficulty and setbacks.

But due to interference from all sides, even though Fawley's plan was well-designed, it failed to deliver good results.

In fact, because of the lack of cooperation across departments, by the time they began trial assessments for new recruits, they couldn't even gather a full panel of examiners!

They didn't even have the exam questions prepared on the day of the test!

The Ministry's inefficiency stirred widespread public outrage...

If things didn't improve soon, Minister Fawley might lose his position before Grindelwald even had a chance to take it.

____

Recent chapters are transitional and may feel a bit bland, but the exciting parts are coming very soon!

o(*￣▽￣*)ブRead two weeks ahead:

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