NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 157: Pocket Puppet Pet
Chapter 157: Pocket Puppet Pet
Wade smiled but said nothing. Then, a voice suddenly came from beside him:
"The farthest distance in the world isn't between life and death; it's when I'm right in front of you, yet you don't see me, meow."
Marchioni looked over in surprise, only to see a small cat with white fur, blue eyes, and a slender tail emerge from behind Wade. It sat on his shoulder and licked its paws.
This cat was only slightly larger than an egg. Its slightly curled white fur fell in gentle waves around its head, and its eyes were like sapphires, making it incredibly adorable.
Marchioni looked at Wade, then at the cat, and asked, "Is this it?"
"How rude! It's me speaking to you, meow!" the cat said, clearly displeased.
"As you can see, I am Wade's new creation, named Alice, meow. A Pocket Puppet Pet, the future trend of the entire world, meow."
The cat jumped from Wade's shoulder, walked around the table, and said, "I don't need baths, I don't need feeding, I'm always clean and pretty, and I can provide attentive companionship. Isn't that great, meow?"
"Of course… uh…"
Marchioni's gaze flickered between the man and the cat for a moment before he decided to address Alice: "Why are you introducing yourself to me?"
"Wade is practicing Animagus, meow!" Alice patted Wade's arm with her paw and said, "He can't speak right now, so I can speak for him, meow."
Alice punctuated every sentence with a "meow" and, while speaking, tugged at Marchioni's sleeve, pulling at a loose thread with her paw.
Marchioni asked, "So, what you're saying now, did Wade tell you to say it, or did you want to say it yourself?"
"My master can manipulate me to a certain extent, meow~" Alice said, "But the initial characteristics instilled will affect expression and behavior, meow~"
"What else can you do?" Marchioni asked with interest.
"Oh, there's so much I can tell you, meow! I can explain it to you slowly, meow…"
Wade pressed a finger on the small cat's head, and its smug demeanor immediately vanished. It sat steadily on the table, only its tail still gently swaying.
Wade pulled out his Wand, and a string of words formed in the air.
I don't know why, but I didn't program it with a talkative personality when I made it, yet it talks so much.
This guy is too noisy; I'll just explain it myself.
A Pocket Puppet Pet can be understood as an upgraded version of Wizard's Chess. Its main purpose is companionship. It can converse with its owner and even check for typos in documents. I referenced the automatic correction feature of the Quill here.
My ideal puppet should be able to provide its owner with weather updates, directions, schedule reminders, time alerts, help send and receive messages from the Book of Friends, play music, and so on.
This is currently an unfinished version, primarily for chatting. I hope they can provide emotional value to their owners, like family or friends. However, due to the subtle nature of magic, each puppet has a completely different personality.
"Though I've said it many times, Wade, I must say it again!" Marchioni exclaimed excitedly, "Your envisioned creations are always so marvelous! They're bound to bring us unimaginable wealth!"
Wade: I need to remind you of one thing: these puppets are expensive to make, and their production is very difficult.
"As long as buyers love them, those aren't issues," Marchioni said with a smile. "Someone will always pay for our costs… Have you made other puppets?"
Wade: Yes.
"Alice is a proud and well-behaved little princess, so what are the personalities of the other puppets?" Marchioni asked curiously.
Wade took out a Dragonhide Pouch from his backpack. Marchioni saw the bag constantly wriggling, as if something was moving inside.
Wade opened the bag and took out the puppets one by one.
A fiery red fox proudly held its head high: "How can a filthy bag be worthy of my noble status?"
Its fluffy tail fanned out behind it, and its narrow, enchanting eyes were filled with disdain.
A silver-gray hamster silently shuffled to the edge of the table and began gnawing on a biscuit.
But it didn't actually have a feeding function; biscuit crumbs scattered all over the table.
Then came a golden lion.
It stretched its graceful body and said to Marchioni, "Do you have anything sad to tell me? Share it and make me happy!"
Marchioni: "…"
Finally, a handsome black panther, holding a vibrant red rose in its mouth, cat-walked and placed it in front of Marchioni.
"Before I met you, my life was like a black and white movie. Then you appeared and added color to my world. I want to protect you, care for you, make you happy. I'll only do what you want me to do."
Marchioni was stunned for a long moment before he asked Wade, "Is it… a Casanova?"
Wade's face was filled with an unreadable expression, and text appeared: Go ahead and laugh if you want; these few are all oddballs.
"No, it's not funny at all, Wade." Marchioni's eyes gleamed with that familiar, money-hungry light. "Precisely because their personalities vary, the puppet pets have an even greater market!"
Marchioni looked intently at the black panther at the end and asked, "What influences their personalities?"
Wade thought for a moment before replying: I don't know… Perhaps it's a subconscious thought when infusing them with sentience, or the idea during their creation, or even the materials and appearance might influence them…
Without extensive experimentation and comparison, it would be impossible to confirm.
Marchioni nodded: "It's certainly a shame that we can't mass-produce the same type of puppet, but unpredictability can also be a new selling point… Every puppet pet is unique; that's an excellent marketing hook…"
He pondered how to make more money from the puppets, while conjuring paper and a Quill, quickly writing down his ideas.
"People who own pets, even if they don't need feeding, wouldn't just own one pet."
"If they love their puppet pets, they'll surely want to prepare a home for them… No, it should be a luxury villa, and we can also sell matching furniture and gardens…"
"If that's the case, we could also make clothes and accessories... and the puppets could make friends with each other, or even have their owners hold weddings for them and form families..."
"There should be special outfits for holidays... and it's only right to give pets miniature flying carpets or toy Flying Broomsticks... We could also make mini Hogwarts Expresses... Muggle cars and planes would be good too..."
"Um... if they were human-shaped, would anyone want to date a puppet? A lover who would never betray you..."
Wade watched Marchioni's parchment grow longer and longer, filled with more and more words...
Someone once told him that the cheapest part of owning a pet was the pet itself.
He could almost see the day approaching when Marchioni would empty the pockets of every Wizard in the world.
Wade hadn't brought out the puppets with integrated spells, but perhaps... when the technology matured, he could prepare a few obedient and clever little ones for his parents?
...
Wade left the instructions for making the Pocket Puppet Pets with Marchioni. Subsequent details regarding contracts and production processes would naturally be handled by Lupin, who would liaise with Aslan's Magic Workshop.
Wade spent more of his time on his studies.
Currently, his focus was on using Alchemy to improve the puppets, practicing Transfiguration for his Animagus, and learning Fiendfyre.
Although Lupin had agreed to teach him Fiendfyre, he remained very cautious in his instruction. Wade had learned a great deal of theory and written three essays, but he hadn't yet begun practical training.
Wade wasn't in a hurry regarding this; he had plenty of time and patience.
Every now and then, Wade would use a Disillusionment Charm to wander through the Restricted Section. He had almost read through every book that mentioned Fiendfyre.
After Charms Class, Wade also consulted Professor Flitwick about the incantations and control methods for different Fire Charms.
Although Professor Flitwick didn't have the experience of "burning half a city," his understanding and expansion of spells were completely incomparable to ordinary people.
After several consultations, Wade could now make flames dance on his fingertips without burning himself at all.
Having kept Mandrake leaves in his mouth for a long time, Wade gradually learned how to speak and eat normally.
In his previous life, he had heard of people who could eat and talk as usual with sharp blades in their mouths.
While Wade couldn't quite achieve that level, he had picked up a few tricks to avoid damaging the delicate leaves during his daily activities.
When he slept at night, he used a spell to stick his teeth together. As long as he didn't chew, given the size of the leaves, he wouldn't accidentally swallow them.
On the night of the full moon, Wade made all his preparations. Professor Sprout cut the leaves he had chosen, watching as Wade put them into his mouth.
The bitter sap of the plant spread in his mouth. Professor Sprout said, "I've asked the kitchen to prepare some liquid food for you. You'll have to bear with it for a while; try not to eat anything that requires chewing, and it's best to drink less water too."
"Although you can try repeatedly, for the first time, you must have the belief that you will succeed, and pay attention at all times. This process is torturous, and most people, after failing the first time, are unwilling to try a second time."
"While I have great faith in your willpower, I still hope everything goes smoothly for you and it's not too difficult."
Wade's eyes crinkled in a smile, and he said softly, "Thank you, Professor."
"You're welcome," Professor Sprout said, patting his shoulder. "Also, this month, try not to speak when you don't have to."
...
In the blink of an eye, it was Friday again.
Wade woke up in the morning and, as usual, first checked the Mandrake leaf.
There was no bitter taste in his mouth, which meant the leaf was still intact.
He got up to wash with peace of mind. When he emerged from the bathroom, a bowl of fragrant minced meat porridge and a glass of rather strangely colored vegetable and fruit juice were already on the table.
Wade closed his eyes and finished them in a few gulps, then mounted his broomstick and headed to the Room of Requirement. Fred and George were already busy in the Alchemy lab.
Ever since Wade borrowed the Marauder's Map from them, the three of them had started studying Alchemy together.
Michael and others had also wanted to join, but unfortunately, he gave up after studying Runes for a few days and unhesitatingly crossed Ancient Runes off his elective list.
"Thanks for the heads-up, Wade," Michael said very seriously. "I am absolutely not taking that next year!"
Harry, Neville, Theo, and the others all nodded in agreement.
Only Hermione rolled her eyes at them, then continued to painstakingly memorize her Runic Dictionary.
The Weasley Twins' Ancient Runes weren't exactly up to par either, but they were full of enthusiasm for Alchemy and had unique tricks to bypass difficulties, substituting more basic spells and more complex processes to achieve their goals. Sometimes, Wade even got some inspiration from them.
A few days ago, Wade had returned the Marauder's Map to the twins, but they said the map shouldn't belong only to them, so they left it in the Umbrella Room.
Fred even told everyone, "Anyone who wants to sneak out at night or go on an adventure, feel free to use it! But remember our principle—"
"—I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!" the twins said in unison.
Harry and Michael applauded enthusiastically.
Hermione glared at them angrily. "If a professor catches you, it'll cost your house points! I hope you remember that!"
The twins secretly started calling Hermione "Little McGonagall."
They didn't tell anyone, but somehow, the nickname still got out.
Hermione heard about it too. But she wasn't angry at all; she even considered it a compliment.
...
Wade and the Weasley Twins had temporarily put aside their research into the Marauder's Map because it contained not only many profound spells but was also intimately connected with Hogwarts, a condition that couldn't be replicated elsewhere.
Wade also suspected that the original four creators had used very precious materials for the map, and the ink was extraordinary. However, without destructive analysis, it was impossible to deconstruct its detailed composition.
Even Lupin wasn't entirely clear on it, as most of the materials came from James Potter and Sirius Black.
Those two had access to the secret hoards of two ancient Pure-blood families, and Lupin had little idea what ancient and valuable things they had used on the Marauder's Map.
What he could offer was help with spells, such as the Hiding Charm.
Wade, however, currently had no need to learn that.
Therefore, their recent research focused on repairing the Two-Way Mirror.
After more than two hours of research, Wade checked the time, said goodbye to the Weasley Twins, and headed to Professor McGonagall's deputy headmistress office.
Lupin and Harry were already waiting there.
Both of them were typically quite disheveled, but at that moment, they were impeccably dressed.
Hats, ties, cufflinks—every detail was meticulous, and their Wizard Robes were free of even a speck of dust.
For this day was the day of Sirius's trial. They were about to depart for the Ministry of Magic.
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// randomtranslator.com/
Read ***+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский
Or Translate for free at : https:// randomtranslator.com/translate
Join our Discord: https:// discord.com/invite/XXUR9nkjwa
-----------