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After successfully confirming the Shrinking Potion's effectiveness, Kael returned indoors and bottled the entire batch. The Shrinking Potion was incredibly versatile; it could render large, dangerous creatures harmless by shrinking them, or allow the user to shrink themselves for stealth or concealment.

With this success under his belt, Kael continued his efforts, attempting to brew other potions in the following days. He successfully created Forgetfulness Potions, Soothing Draughts, and Draughts of Living Death. At the same time, he used his two pots of mature Dittany to brew more Essence of Dittany. Kael never felt he could have enough of this miraculous healing potion.

However, compared to the rapidly maturing Dittany, the other two pots of deadly nightshade showed little change. Even though Kael diligently watered them with magic every day, and they absorbed it all without resistance, there was no sign of them transforming into Mandrakes. Kael began to have his doubts about whether they would ever transform, but with the mindset of seeing things through to the end, he continued to water them with magic every day, curious to see what they would eventually become.

In the blink of an eye, the time came for early spring in the Shire. It had been almost a year since Kael arrived in Middle-earth.

One day, as Kael was studying the contents of Curses and Counter-Curses, he was disturbed by a commotion outside. Bilbo knocked on Kael's door, standing at the entrance with a hesitant, worried expression. Kael shifted his gaze from the grimoire, turning his head to look at the door. "Bilbo, what's wrong?"

After a moment of hesitation, Bilbo said hesitantly, "Kael, I suspect Bag End is haunted!"

"Haunted?" Kael was surprised to hear this, trying to find any trace of a joke on Bilbo's face.

Bilbo's expression became more certain, and he nodded. "Yes, it's haunted. These past few days, when I was tending the garden, I always vaguely heard a crying sound. It sounded like a baby's cry, very strange and frightening!"

"A baby's cry?" Kael was puzzled for a moment, but then suddenly seemed to think of something. He quickly walked out of the room to the front yard, Bilbo following closely behind, curious.

Kael came to the two pots of deadly nightshade in the yard and examined them carefully. During these past days, besides watering them with magic, he hadn't paid them much attention. Now, upon closer inspection, aside from the branches and leaves growing a bit taller, he found nothing unusual. But Kael did not give up. He gently pushed aside the soil with his wand, revealing the roots buried within. He saw that the roots had a human-like structure, resembling an ugly-faced baby, complete with limbs and facial features.

Seeing the human-like roots of the deadly nightshade, Kael was instantly delighted. His Mandrake cultivation had actually succeeded!

Mandrake possessed powerful medicinal value. It was a potent restorative, capable of returning those who had been transfigured or cursed to their original state, and it was also an essential ingredient in many advanced potions. Even in the wizarding world, it was a precious and rare Herbology plant, requiring specific magical environments and care to thrive. Seeing that the deadly nightshade had not changed for so long, he had lost some confidence. He never expected such a delightful surprise now.

Just as Kael was reveling in his success, the Mandrake, pulled from the soil, became very unhappy. Restless and agitated, it twisted its body, opened its mouth, and let out a sharp, piercing cry.

Kael felt as if his head had been struck hard by an iron hammer. He instantly had a splitting headache, and the world spun around him. He felt as if he would faint at any moment. Oh no, he thought, I forgot about the Mandrake's cry!

Overjoyed, then immediately saddened, he suppressed the urge to faint and quickly cast a spell on the Mandrake. "Petrificus Totalus!" The Mandrake's cry stopped instantly.

"Phew!" Kael had just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard a thud behind him. Turning around, he saw Bilbo's eyes rolled back, unconscious on the ground. Kael quickly re-covered the Mandrake roots with soil, then rushed to the unconscious Bilbo. Fortunately, the Mandrake was still immature, only in its infancy, so its cry was not fatal; at most, it would cause someone to faint for a while. Kael, having a higher tolerance, had not fainted immediately. But poor Bilbo had been affected and suffered for it. Kael carried the unconscious Bilbo to his room and waited for him to wake up.

Two hours later, Bilbo finally came to. He clutched his head, looking a bit dazed. "Hiss, what happened to me?"

"Drink this potion first. It will alleviate your discomfort," Kael said, offering him a cup of Soothing Draught. Bilbo, knowing the miraculous effects of Kael's potions, didn't refuse and gulped it down. He immediately frowned, showing a pained expression. "Ugh, a strange taste!"

But the effect was also obvious. Bilbo quickly recovered and recalled the memory of his unconsciousness. He immediately looked fearful and amazed. "Kael, what was that exactly? Why do the roots of the deadly nightshade look like a person, and why do they emit a cry that makes people faint?"

"I'm so sorry that you had to suffer. That is a magical plant I cultivated—a Mandrake," Kael explained apologetically. "I originally thought the cultivation had failed and didn't pay too much attention, but I didn't expect it had already transformed in the soil. The crying sounds these past few days were from it."

At Kael's apology, the kind Hobbit felt a bit embarrassed and quickly waved his hand. "This isn't your fault. Besides, I'm fine now, aren't I!" However, Bilbo still felt some lingering fear about the Mandrake's cry and quickly asked, "Kael, will the Mandrake still make that kind of cry?"

Kael shook his head and reassured him with a smile. "Don't worry. Before they mature, Mandrakes generally like to sleep in the soil. Unless you pull them out, they won't make a cry that causes people to faint."

"As for the commotion these past few days," Kael speculated, recalling his Herbology textbook, "it should be because they need to be repotted. Once the soil is changed, they will become quiet again." Mandrakes needed to be repotted regularly. After Kael transplanted them previously, besides watering them with magic, he had forgotten to change their soil. Now that they had successfully transformed, they needed to be nourished with fertile soil to thrive.

In the wizarding world, Herbology experts typically used dragon dung compost to cultivate Mandrakes. But here in Middle-earth, while there was a giant dragon in the Lonely Mountain, acquiring its dung was not a realistic option. So Kael could only choose animal manure compost. For this, Kael endured the stench, first casting Petrificus Totalus on the two Mandrakes, then carefully re-potting and changing their soil. After finishing, Kael felt that he smelled terrible all over. What was even more despairing was that such tasks would have to be done many more times in the future. The only consolation was that once the Mandrakes fully matured, he could make powerful restoratives, and the Voodoo Dolls he had been yearning for.

Just as Kael was waiting day by day for the Mandrakes to mature, another Wizard arrived in the Shire.

(End of Chapter)

***

(End of Chapter)

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