"Yes. After seeing your genuine emotions just now, Tom seemed to gain some new understanding. He came back to take the Resurrection Stone again and said he wanted to have a proper talk with his mother," Wade said with a smile.
"That's… that's wonderful!" Dumbledore said with delight. The sorrow stirred by seeing his departed loved ones had now faded a little more.
"By the way, I promised earlier that if you had any questions, you could ask me," Dumbledore said, setting down his cup with a smile.
"Well… I'd like to ask—just now, you personally used the Resurrection Stone. Do you think… the souls it summons are real?" Wade asked cautiously.
"I originally thought they would be illusions, just like the story said. But… they… when they appeared, they weren't as cold and emotionless as the tale described… So… I'm not sure anymore, Wade," Dumbledore said with emotion. "When it comes to family… I can't tell what's real and what's not."
"Was it like… dreaming?" Wade asked.
"A dream?" Dumbledore sighed. "That's a good metaphor, Wade. Yes, it felt like a dream… and even after waking, I was still lost in it…"
"Professor… if I may ask, in that dream, what did your loved ones say to you?" Wade asked.
"They… encouraged me to live well, and generously forgave my past mistakes… But… how could I be forgiven?" Dumbledore said bitterly. "How could they possibly forgive me? I made such grave errors… I… haha.. yes.. it must have been just a beautiful dream after all…"
Wade was silent for a moment before saying, "I don't think it was a dream… They're your family. You love each other deeply. What kind of mistake would be beyond their forgiveness? To put it bluntly, think about it from the other side—if you were the one who had passed, would you continue blaming your surviving loved ones? Would you keep condemning someone you once loved dearly, just because of a mistake—possibly even an accident?"
Dumbledore fell silent.
He stared quietly at the cup in his hands, and a trace of gentleness flickered in his eyes.
After a long pause, he finally smiled and said, "No… If it had been me and my sister in reversed roles… I wouldn't even have the thought of blaming her, let alone needing to forgive anything. Because… between family members, even if there are disagreements, love is always there…"
Wade, inwardly, wasn't entirely convinced by Dumbledore's words. There are always exceptions… there are plenty of families who betray one another.
But perhaps the Dumbledore family wasn't like that…
Still, even if that was what he thought, he wouldn't say it aloud.
After a moment of thought, he said, "So, if you can make that choice when imagining yourself in their place, why assume your departed loved ones would blame you?"
"As you just said, maybe they never blamed you in the first place, so there's no need to even talk about forgiveness. Professor, maybe what you saw just now wasn't a dream. Maybe all those years of guilt and self-reproach were the real dream—no, a nightmare. And now, perhaps, you've finally woken up from it."
Dumbledore fell silent again, and this time, the silence lasted far longer than before.
By the time Wade had drunk several cups of pumpkin juice and was starting to feel like even his pancreas was protesting, Dumbledore finally let out a long sigh.
"You're right, Wade. I used to think my loved ones could never forgive me… That was narrow-minded of me. They were right as well—one day, I'll embark on the same great journey they have. Sooner or later, we'll meet again… And if it's not a final farewell, what is there to grieve?"
As Dumbledore spoke, Wade suddenly felt a strange magical wave emanating from him.
It was very similar to what he had sensed when Anne absorbed that "residue" before!
"Professor… you seem to have become stronger?" Wade asked in shock.
"The power of love is the most powerful force in this world, Wade," Dumbledore said with a gentle smile. "It's not that I've become stronger, but that my understanding of love has deepened. And that's thanks to your reminder, Wade."
The fuck.. Wade was stunned.
Ayo! That's the shit that happens in those shitty cultivation novels! No, don't tell me… was enlightenment a thing among wizards too?
He didn't know exactly how much stronger Dumbledore had become now, but… without a doubt, the Dumbledore before him was indeed more powerful than he had been earlier.
It was something he could feel, instinctively.
Could it be that gaining a true understanding of certain emotions could actually make someone stronger?
Then what if Tom also came to understand the magic of love…
Wait a minute—a Voldemort who doesn't use Dark magic, but uses the magic of love to "redeem" others? Why does that sound so bizarre?
While Wade's thoughts were drifting off in every direction, the system notification sound he had previously muted unexpectedly rang in his ears again.
Ding!The host has significantly altered Dumbledore's fate!
Dumbledore's strength has greatly increased!
The future has undergone a massive shift—many tragedies have been avoided, and numerous lives have been saved! Therefore, the host is rewarded with 10,000 merit points!
What—! Ten fucking thousand!?
Wade couldn't help but gape in shock.
The previously stingy and miserly system was suddenly being this generous…
After he bought that complete potions compendium, his merit point balance had dropped to just 4,500.
Later, he had earned scattered merit points here and there by tricking Tom and other pure-blood wizards.
By saving and scraping—plus the system not offering anything new for a while—he had managed to bring the total back up to 8,000.
Now, with the 10,000 points from Dumbledore's event, his merit point balance had shot up to 18,000!
He was only 2,000 merit points away from the system upgrade.
At that moment, Wade made up his mind—even if the system store released new items, he would hold off and upgrade the system first before redeeming anything.
At most, he could just lock in the good items for later.
Once the system was upgraded, the quality of items available would improve too.
That would certainly be better than refreshing a bunch of materials and mostly worthless magical manuscripts every night...
After all, this damn system didn't even have a guaranteed drop.
"Wade, is something wrong?" Dumbledore asked, noticing Wade had drifted into a daze.
"Uh… nothing, really. I was just wondering… would a deeper understanding of an emotion help with one's personal strength growth?" Wade couldn't help asking the question.
"Wade, the key issue isn't how deeply you understand a particular emotion. The real question is—what are you fighting for?" Dumbledore smiled. "As long as you figure out the purpose behind why you wield your wand… you'll naturally become stronger."
Wade carefully pondered Dumbledore's words. In them, he seemed to grasp something… and yet, perhaps nothing at all…
It had to be said—Dumbledore's current level of insight was a bit too advanced…
Too philosophical…
Yes, the essence of magic really is rooted in the mind…
…
By dinner time, Tom finally came out of his room.
Wade glanced at him but didn't notice any signs of improvement like what he'd seen with Dumbledore.
Tom handed the Resurrection Stone back to Wade.
"This was yours to begin with. You keep it."
He didn't refuse, as he sensed that the magic within the Resurrection Stone had some similarities to nightmare magic.
He planned to ask his senior when she had time.
"Where's Professor Dumbledore?" Tom asked, looking at the table full of desserts in Wade's room.
"He just left not long ago… I have to say, he really has a sweet tooth. But now I know exactly what to get him for Christmas," Wade said with a smile.
"Christmas, huh…" Tom fell into thought for a moment, then asked, "Are you planning to go back and visit?"
"Back where?"
Tom opened his mouth but didn't say anything…
…
Three days later, in front of Wool's Orphanage.
A beautiful carriage came to a stop.
The old butler of the Riddle family stepped down and opened the carriage door.
Wade and Tom, both dressed in expensive new outfits, stepped out of the carriage.
"Tom… I really didn't expect that the place you wanted to go back and visit… was here," Wade said with emotion.
Tom smoothed out the soft fabric of his little suit, a satisfied smile appearing on his face. "I'm not like you. No matter what, I grew up here…"
"Tom! I almost didn't recognize you!"
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