"...A deal?" Aragog said irritably, "No matter what the deal is, you put that thing away first!"
Maka nodded, corked the bottle in her hand again, and put it back into the inner pocket of her coat.
"Aragog. Actually, you don't have to be so nervous—"
"How can I not be nervous! How can I not be nervous! That is the ancient creature that we spiders are most afraid of! How can I not be nervous!" Aragog said irritably, making a clicking sound.
"Obviously, that thing is not here," Maka said calmly, "What is in that small bottle is its scales - I got them off with my own hands."
"So what!" Aragog said, "Even if you can handle it... that thing-"
"Basilisk," Maka added.
"Oh, damn! Can't say! We can't say its name!"
Hearing the word "basilisk", the Acromantula group became restless. Obviously, this was just like Voldemort among wizards, which represented terror and death.
"I just want you to get used to it," Maka said. "This deal is obviously good for you and all your people."
"What deal?"
"I have carefully verified that whether it is a basilisk -" Maka said in a drawl, regardless of the commotion caused by the big spiders again, "whether it is a basilisk or you Acromantula, they were all cultivated by wizards. magical creatures."
"Maybe you're right, what next?"
"In other words, you should not have natural enemies at all." Maka said matter-of-factly, "The reason why the basilisk will become the natural enemy of your Acromantula clan is simply because you have escaped the cultivation of wizards."
"You mean-" Aragog said hesitantly, "we still have a chance to become stronger?"
"That's why I said that the wisdom of your Acromantulas is just covered up by your ferocity." Maka looked directly at Aragog with bright eyes and said, "If I say, I can use the Basilisk How about further strengthening your Acromantula with its bloodline?"
"Do you like having your body played with by others?" Aragog shouted angrily.
But Maka suddenly changed the subject.
"Aragog, why do you think I chose to make a deal with you?"
"What?"
Aragog didn't react for a moment, and paused before taking up Maka's new topic.
"Hmm... is it because we are all Hagrid's friends?"
"To be precise, it's because of 'wisdom'." Maka said, "If I remember correctly, your Acromantula's favorite food is human flesh, right?"
“Yes, this is the most delicious food!”
"But you've never eaten it." Maka continued.
"No," Aragog clicked his feet, "I have this instinct, but out of respect for Hagrid, I have never hurt anyone."
"Then have you ever thought about why this is?"
"Didn't I say it? Because of Hagrid! Hagrid was just a child at that time, but he took care of me, hid me in a cupboard in the castle, and fed me bread crumbs left on the table - Hagrid He was a good friend of mine and he was a good man! He protected me when people found me and held me responsible for the death of a girl."
Aragog paused, then continued: "Since then, I have been living in this forest, and Hagrid often visits me. He even found me a wife, Mosag. You see How prosperous our family is is all thanks to Hagrid..."
"Listen, Aragog." Maka raised her head slightly, "Everything you said is correct. And this is precisely because of wisdom!"
"You have enough brains, reason and emotions. If you want, you can suppress your instincts and control your behavior." Maka struck while the iron was hot, "This is something the basilisk can never have. They They only know how to obey orders and kill.”
"so… "
"So, I chose to make this deal with you instead of trying to control the basilisk." Maka said calmly, "... Believe me, there is always a way, but I don't want to do that."
"What I want is friends." He said softly, "This is a deal between friends. If you feel there is anything inappropriate, you can abandon the deal at any time."
"A transaction between friends..." Aragog chewed on this sentence, and after a while he continued, "I can understand the meaning, but my children will not understand."
"Of course I understand that." Maka said calmly, "Then, can I talk to you about this deal between friends?"
"Of course." Aragog said, "But, I just want to live quietly in the deep forest. This is the absolute premise."
Aragog's implication is clear that it does not want to participate in any form of dispute.
"Yes, that's right. My request is very simple - after your bloodline transformation is successful, can I adopt some of the first children?"
"Mosag will not agree!" Aragog said decisively, "Although I don't care too much, my wife regards every child as her baby! This is the nature of spiders!"
"It's also the nature of every living thing. I understand this... I will take good care of your children, just like Hagrid." Maka forced a sincere expression, but Aragog obviously couldn't understand it.
To a spider, humans are all alike. Even Hagrid is, at best, a little stronger than the average person, and in that regard, he's just wasting his efforts.
"I can only ask for you."
Aragog ended the "Man and Spider" trade talks with these words.
Different from when she came, when she returned, Maka enjoyed an Acromantula mount, which was a luxurious courtesy that even Hagrid had never experienced.
The benefits of eight legs are reflected here, the shock absorption effect is simply superb!
Aragog's children sent Maka to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. After Maka slipped off his back, he spread his eight legs and left in a hurry.
On the way back to the castle, Maka thought carefully about what to do next as she walked.
To put it bluntly, if it weren't for the fact that this test was really difficult, he would have wanted to do this.
When a series of changes last semester became a foregone conclusion, Maka had already decided not to act passively. Although he just wants to be a research wizard quietly, many things cannot be achieved by just thinking, and it is definitely not a bad thing to plan ahead.
Acromantulas grow very quickly, and their reproductive capabilities are even more powerful. If they are properly cultivated, their cost-effectiveness is infinitely higher than that of basilisks.
It's just that bloodline transformation is simple to say but very complicated to do. Fortunately, there is Merlin's "Book of Jazz" in the library for reference, which contains quite in-depth research on bloodlines; and Maka herself had selected a lot of experimental data from Rowena's secret room. .
"Again, time is really not enough..." Maka shook her head and walked quickly to the dormitory.
…
In the days that followed, trivial matters came one after another.
First of all, the exam date was coming soon, and amidst the sighs and sighs of the students, what was supposed to come came as promised.
Then there are the mandrakes, which are almost ready. This means that all the students who were petrified can be saved.
Then, it's the matter between Maca and Ron.
Occasionally, Maka would go to the hospital to see Hermione, but if she met Ron, it would always turn into a scene where Ron stared at him angrily.
Even though Maka didn't care at all, Harry would become very embarrassed.
One day, Harry and Ron bumped into Maka again in the ward.
While Ron was glaring at Maka, Harry noticed that Hermione seemed to be holding something in her hand. He stepped forward to take a closer look, and then took the thing out of Hermione's hand while Madam Pomfrey was standing between Maka and Ron with a headache.
Maka naturally noticed it, because the reason why he came so often was just to witness this event.
Now that Harry had taken out the note, he could leave.
Maka glanced at Ron expressionlessly, then decisively turned around and walked out the door, quickly disappearing from Ron's angry sight.
After a while, Harry dragged Ron out of the ward.
"Look at this!" Harry whispered, "I found it in Hermione's hand."
This is a page torn from an old library book.
Harry couldn't wait to unfold it, and Ron joined him, and they read together:
There are many terrible beasts and monsters roaming around our country, the most bizarre and lethal of which is the Basilisk, also known as the Snake King.
This snake, which can grow to very large sizes and often live for hundreds of years, is hatched from a toad from a rooster's egg.
The way it kills is very shocking. In addition to its deadly fangs, the basilisk's glare can also kill people. Anyone caught in its gaze will die immediately.
Spiders will run away when they see a basilisk, because the basilisk is the deadly enemy of spiders, and the basilisk will only run for its life when it hears the crowing of a rooster, because the crowing of a rooster is also fatal to it.
Under this passage, there are two words written: Guanzi.
"This is Hermione's handwriting," Harry said excitedly, "I think I understand!"
This crumpled page became a bright light in Harry's mind, guiding all lost ships to find the correct route.
Obviously, Maka's remedial action was undoubtedly successful, and this ending was exactly what he wanted.
"Ron," he said, almost breathless with excitement, "that's it. Here's the answer. The monster in the Chamber of Secrets is the Basilisk—a giant snake! No wonder I hear that voice everywhere I go, but no one else does. Missing. Because I can understand Parseltongue..."
"Oh, yes." Ron turned around and looked at Hermione who was stiff in the ward, "She left the most important information to us..."
"...not the Maka she has always trusted." Ron added secretly.
For some reason, Ron felt a hint of joy in his heart.