Chapter 589: Legendary Gacha, Hera’s Bathwater
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Inside the pocket world, Tom had no idea his little witch had just pulled off something big again.
Even if he did, he’d probably just laugh it off, half amused and half impressed by Daphne’s wild imagination. Stopping her wouldn’t even cross his mind.
That was simply how Daphne operated.
Her background, her status—none of that was what truly mattered. Not even her personal abilities were the deciding factor. What really defined her, and every Greengrass before her, was a talent for picking the right people and knowing exactly where to spend money for the best return.
Work within what you can afford, find the right person, and get the job done.
Master that, and even without him, the Greengrass family would never fall into decline.
At the moment, Tom was busy tinkering with his system.
Thanks to the influence and buzz generated by the wizard ranking exams, his mission progress had been climbing at an impressive pace, breaking past twenty percent in no time.
[Mission Objective: Establish a Wizard Guild across every corner of the world. Expand its influence step by step, surpass the Ministry of Magic, become the dominant force in each region, and seize control of the narrative.]
[Mission Progress: 25%. (Distributing milestone rewards...)]
[Congratulations, Host: You have received 1,000 Achievement Points and one Legendary Gacha.]
[Gacha Tiers: Basic – Intermediate – High – Legendary – Mythical]
This was easily the hardest mission he had on hand—and also the one with the richest rewards.
Even though the Astra Abyssum Guild had already opened more than thirty branches, progress had barely moved before. It had been crawling along at a painfully slow pace.
This mission was different from the others.
Most tasks focused on influence or reputation. This one, however, was about raw, undisguised power.
Twenty-five percent might not sound like much, but translated into reality, it meant he already controlled a quarter of the entire magical world’s authority.
Before the ranking exams were introduced, progress had only reached 13%.
That was the truly terrifying part of controlling the path of advancement.
No matter the era, controlling the pipeline of talent had always been the most effective way to hold power.
"Should I take over the goblins’ right to mint currency too?"
The thought suddenly popped into Tom’s mind—something bold enough to keep the Gringotts goblins awake at night.
But after a moment, he shook his head.
Too much expansion wasn’t a good thing.
For one, he didn’t have enough reliable subordinates to manage it all.
For another, the wizarding world didn’t exactly produce financial experts. And really—if someone like Fudge could become Minister for Magic, what kind of talent pool was he supposed to expect?
The current system might be imperfect, but the goblins had embedded it deeply into everyday life. Wizards were already used to how things worked.
Better to wait for the right opportunity and just swallow Gringotts whole. No need to tear everything down and rebuild from scratch.
With that settled, he turned his attention back to the reward.
Legendary draws had never disappointed him before. Sometimes, they even served as prerequisites for something on a god-tier level.
With a thought, the gacha ticket in the system space shattered piece by piece, bursting into the same old bland golden light.
Tom had complained about the system’s draw interface more than once. Couldn’t it at least try to look impressive? These bargain-bin effects weren’t even as flashy as what he could whip up with a simple spell.
Sure, the contents mattered but so did the sense of ceremony.
Who says men can’t have a bit of a princess complex?
While he was busy roasting the system, the result of the draw was already appearing.
The flat ground in front of him suddenly caved in, forming a small pool—no more than forty or fifty square meters. Fresh water bubbled up from a spring at its center, flowing endlessly as mist quickly began to rise.
Tom froze.
This time... he’d pulled a hot spring?
[Kanathos Sacred Spring: The Fountain of Chastity and Youth. Born from the divine power of Hebe, goddess of youth. Those who bathe in it can maintain a flawless, ever-pure body and cleanse impurities from within.]
[Note: Divine power is vast and imposing. Bathing in the sacred spring requires a certain level of physical constitution. Use with caution.]
Kanathos Spring...
The boy’s expression turned... complicated.
Tom wasn’t just well-versed in magic. He’d devoured all kinds of books, from obscure trivia to strange myths and legends.
And this spring?
It had another name.
The "Make-Zeus-Behave Spring."
Or, more bluntly...
Hera’s bathwater.
Yes. That Hera. Queen of the gods.
Legend had it that Hera bathed in the Kanathos Spring every year to restore her chastity and youth. The waters washed away fatigue and age, symbolizing eternal renewal and purity.
Regaining her youth wasn’t just for herself.
It was to keep a certain ever-restless, zero-standards, anything-that-moves god-king Zeus on a leash.
Every time Hera emerged from the spring, radiant and pure as in her prime, Zeus would behave himself for a while and stick close to her side.
Tom’s face twisted with mixed emotions.
So... was this bathwater the "original flavor"...?
Wait, no, what was he even thinking? He wasn’t some weirdo.
What he meant was—why on earth would the system give him something like this? If it had to be Hera-related, couldn’t it at least be something like her divine milk? Hercules became the greatest demigod thanks to that, and eventually ascended as a god of strength.
Still...
Had this spring been used already, or was it unused?
That was... a question worth pondering.
The mist thickened around him. Tom gave up on overthinking it.
At the end of the day, it was just a bath.
Perfect timing too. He could soak a bit and wash off the grime.
Decision made, he stripped and jumped straight into the spring.
The system warning said only those with sufficient physical strength could withstand the sacred waters, but this was just a legendary-tier item. There was no way his body couldn’t handle it.
"...This feels amazing."
The moment he touched the water, his eyes slid shut in pure bliss. His body went limp, like all his bones had melted away, and he sank deeper into the pool.
The water felt strangely dense, yet a gentle force flowed within it, prying open his pores. Impurities and filth that had built up over time seeped out, rising to the surface as a layer of black sludge.
Then, in the blink of an eye, the water cleared again, pristine as ever.
Tom felt pleased.
As expected of a spring of eternal purity. It didn’t let any filth linger.
"This is seriously comfortable..." he sighed, stretching lazily as he sensed the changes in his body.
He had already eaten a golden apple and absorbed all sorts of divine powers. He’d thought his body was already pure and flawless.
Clearly, he’d been wrong.
He’d have to soak more often in the future. No way he was wasting something this good.
As he lounged in the water, he also started thinking about how to make use of it.
The energy density and pressure within the spring were incredibly high. Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to handle it. Maybe it could be turned into a private bath just for Usaki.
"Or... water the tree?"
A thought struck him.
The golden apple tree in the plantation.
Using divine water on it sounded a bit reckless. If he wasn’t careful, he might cook the tree alive. But the golden apple tree itself was divine in nature. It should be able to handle it.
The Inferi Lake was close to drying up, and he hadn’t found a suitable nutrient source for it yet.
Maybe Kanathos Spring would do wonders.
He really wanted to test it out immediately.
But the water was just too comfortable.
He tried getting out several times and failed every single time. It wasn’t until evening, when his stomach started growling nonstop and he was starving, that he finally dragged himself out, still reluctant to leave.
After changing into a brand-new set of wizard robes, Tom stood in front of a mirror and looked himself over.
The boy in the reflection looked refreshed and radiant, a faint glow surrounding him. There was even an almost transcendent air about him.
He was like a young god brimming with divine presence.
"Guess Daphne and the others are getting lucky," he muttered, stroking his chin with a self-satisfied grin.
He collected some of the spring water, then Apparated to Dorset.
When he entered the plantation’s pocket world, Newt happened to be there.
The old man had just come out of the forest, carrying the scent of soil and herbs. There were leaves stuck to his pants. Clearly, he’d just finished tending to some magical creatures.
Seeing Tom suddenly appear, Newt paused in surprise before walking over.
"What brings you back all of a sudden?"
Then he noticed something different about Tom.
His nose twitched, and before he could stop himself, he blurted out. "Tom... you smell amazing."
Tom immediately took two steps back, horrified.
"Mr. Newt, I know you’ve lived in the United States for so many years, but you’re still British. Shouldn’t you have dropped that habit by now?"
"And I’m still a child... wait, oh no. I heard they snatch up kids everywhere and drag them off to some mysterious island."
Tom took two more steps back, looking genuinely terrified this time.
Newt: "..."
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