Luke’s Garfield comic strip had been serialized in the newspaper for over a month.
It featured three panels on weekdays and seven panels on weekends, and it quickly became a favorite among readers.
Even so, the system still hadn’t notified him that the mission was complete.
Meanwhile, Grandpa Chang received a reply from one of his friends at Hogwarts, confirming that Luke’s name was indeed recorded in the Book of Admission.
Satisfied, he returned to America, promising to introduce Luke to some members of the Chang family before he enrolled at Hogwarts.
One weekend evening, the Kirk family was relaxing in the living room, watching television.
Suddenly, the long-awaited notification echoed in Luke’s mind.
[“Become Famous Early” Series Mission (I): Completed.]
[First Completion Reward: Two Lottery Draws.]
[Would you like to begin the lottery?]
Luke’s body trembled with excitement.
Without saying a word, he hurried back to his bedroom.
“System, start the lottery.”
[Lottery in progress…]
[Congratulations! You have obtained the Divine Artifact: Shennong Cauldron.]
[Congratulations! You have obtained the Green Satchel Book of Alchemy.]
[Spirit Herb Space unlocked.]
[New Mission Triggered: “Become Famous Early” Series Mission (II).]
Luke’s eyes lit up.
The Shennong Cauldron!
And the Spirit Herb Space!
He immediately opened the item descriptions.
[Shennong Cauldron]
An ancient divine artifact once used by Shennong to refine countless medicinal herbs.
Over thousands of years, it absorbed the essence of innumerable spiritual plants.
Effects:
Contains its own spiritual flame.
Greatly increases the success rate and quality of alchemy.
Its appearance can be freely altered.
Other functions remain locked for the host to discover.
[Note: Due to the host’s low cultivation realm, the artifact’s full power cannot be utilized. Its abilities will unlock gradually as the host’s cultivation improves.]
[Green Satchel Book of Alchemy]
A complete collection of alchemical knowledge capable of recording pill formulas.
Current Recipes:
Snow Skin Pill: Maintains fair, smooth skin for up to one year.
The formula can be adjusted to achieve different skin tones.
Detoxification Pill: Neutralizes ordinary poisons.
Ineffective against high-level toxins.
Excessive potency may cause diarrhea.
Dream Pill: Grants vivid dreams based on the user’s wishes.
Marrow Cleansing Pill: Cleanses the body, improves physical constitution, and washes the marrow.
Effective limit: 1.
Blood Stasis Pill: Accelerates the healing of external injuries.
Vitality Pill: Improves physical fitness, enhances vitality, and extends lifespan by 5 years.
Effective limit: 5.
Rejuvenation Pill: Restores a youthful appearance, making the user look 5 years younger.
Effective limit: 5.
[Spirit Herb Space]
Stores a large variety of spiritual herbs for alchemy.
[Note: Spiritual herbs cannot be consumed directly.]
Luke was thrilled.
A divine cauldron.
A book of pill recipes.
An entire space filled with spiritual herbs.
He had everything needed to become an alchemist.
Then he frowned.
“Wait…”
“These pills would probably sell for a fortune, but none of them directly increase combat strength.”
“The Marrow Cleansing Pill should be useful, though.”
“There are also limits on how many Marrow Cleansing Pills, Vitality Pills, and Rejuvenation Pills a person can take.”
Luke looked back at the Shennong Cauldron’s description.
“And what’s with the ability to change its appearance?”
“Is it just to stop people from mistaking it for an antique?”
“Or does it have other hidden functions?”
“…Can it even be used to cook soup?”
Luke found himself speechless.
Just then—
“Luke! Luke! Tell me a bedtime story!”
Anna’s cheerful voice came from outside.
Wearing bunny pajamas and fluffy slippers, she happily ran into the room.
Luke glanced at the cartoon-shaped clock on the wall.
It was already past nine o’clock.
He followed Anna back to her room, where she immediately climbed into bed.
“What story do you want to hear tonight?”
“I want a story about a bunny!”
Luke thought for a moment.
A bunny?
I’ve already told her The Tortoise and the Hare, The Little White Rabbit and the Big Bad Wolf, and Waiting for a Rabbit by a Tree Stump…
Then inspiration struck.
“I’ve got it.”
“Tonight I’ll tell you the story of a rabbit named Judy.”
“I’ll go get my drawing board.”
“Yay!”
“Luke’s drawing me a brand-new story!”
Anna bounced excitedly on her bed.
Luke smiled helplessly.
“Lie down.”
“If you keep jumping around, I won’t draw anymore.”
Although he often told Anna bedtime stories, the only illustrated story he had ever completed was The Lion King.
Most stories didn’t really need pictures, so he’d gotten a little lazy.
He returned with his drawing board and began sketching as he narrated.
“In a modern city where every kind of animal lives together…”
“There are desert districts, frozen tundras, rainforests, and bustling downtown neighborhoods.”
“No matter whether you’re an elephant or a tiny mouse, anyone can achieve their dreams through hard work.”
“A little rabbit named Judy has dreamed of becoming a police officer ever since she was young…”
Luke stopped drawing and gently tucked the blanket around Anna.
“All right.”
“Time to sleep.”
“I’ll tell you the rest tomorrow.”
“Just one more chapter…”
Anna pleaded pitifully.
Luke shook his head.
“If you don’t sleep now, I won’t finish drawing it.”
“I’ll finish the picture book first and let you read it before anyone else.”
Anna thought for a moment before nodding.
“Garfield keeps his promises.”
“People who break promises are Garfield.”
Garfield: “Meow?”
After finally getting Anna to sleep, Luke quietly returned to his bedroom.
He had plenty of experience putting his little sister to bed.
If he gave in even once, she’d happily listen to stories until midnight.
Opening the system again, Luke checked the newly triggered mission.
It was still part of the “Become Famous Early” series.
“I really am walking further and further down the path of plagiarism.”
Then another thought crossed his mind.
“I wonder if my Natural Affinity has any special interaction with the Spirit Herb Space.”
One of the biggest surprises after the system completed its analysis was his newly awakened Natural Affinity.
He first discovered it during class at school.
While the teacher was lecturing, Luke kept hearing voices coming from the trees outside the classroom.
At first, he assumed the groundskeeper was talking to someone.
But after class, when he went to investigate, he was stunned to discover that the voices belonged to two birds chatting in the branches.
Luke soon discovered another effect of his Natural Affinity.
The flowers, plants, and trees around his home grew noticeably faster than normal.
Curious, he visited Will’s farm to see whether he could communicate with animals.
After an entire day of testing, he discovered that only animals with relatively high intelligence could communicate with him in a simple manner.
Most other animals could merely sense his goodwill and respond to his emotions but were unable to hold any real conversation.
That discovery made Luke suspicious of Garfield once again.
Garfield often displayed behavior that seemed almost human, yet Luke had never been able to communicate with him.
Fortunately, Garfield had always been well-behaved and was very attached to the Kirk family.
Even when Hermione visited, he willingly let her hold him.
Eventually, Luke stopped dwelling on it.
For the next several months, aside from attending school, Luke spent nearly all of his time at home practicing alchemy and magic.
To ensure his safety, James cleared out the attic and converted it into Luke’s private workshop, reinforcing the floor, improving the fireproofing, and making several other modifications.
Time passed quickly.
Shortly after the beginning of 2003, Luke felt that he was finally on the verge of breaking through to the next realm.
This year, Luke turned nine years old.
Over the past year, The Lion King animated film, based on Luke’s work, premiered on Children’s Day, June 1st, and became a worldwide box-office success.
That same month, Zootopia was published, once again taking the children’s book market by storm.
Wards Entertainment also officially announced that it had signed an agreement with Luke to produce an animated adaptation of Zootopia.
Many media outlets hailed Luke as “the greatest young animation and music prodigy of the century.”
The success of Zootopia also allowed Luke to complete the second mission in the “Become Famous Early” series.
His lottery reward was a new pill recipe.
[Qi Gathering Pill]
A spiritual pill suitable for cultivators in the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment realms.
It was thanks to the Qi Gathering Pill that Luke’s cultivation speed increased dramatically.
At the same time, his alchemy skills improved by leaps and bounds.
Whether it was because he possessed genuine talent or because of the Shennong Cauldron’s extraordinary abilities, failed batches had become increasingly rare.
During this period, Luke also took his first Marrow Cleansing Pill.
The moment he consumed it, his body expelled a large amount of impurities.
His physique underwent a complete transformation.
His cultivation speed increased once again.
His skin became healthier.
His body grew stronger.
His strength, endurance, agility, and reaction speed all improved significantly.
Even his magical affinity and Natural Affinity became noticeably stronger.
Most importantly, the effects of the Marrow Cleansing Pill would continue to develop as the body matured.
Luke believed that, given enough time, its effects could even surpass those of the Super Soldier Serum.
After seeing the results, he immediately refined several more pills.
Although his success rate was now very high, each batch still required a considerable amount of time, so he could only refine them during school holidays.
The first people to receive the pills were his parents.
Luke gave James and Helen each a Marrow Cleansing Pill as birthday presents.
The results were astonishing.
Helen experienced the greatest improvement.
Later, Luke also gave one to Anna.
Perhaps because she was still so young, the effects were less obvious, although she did seem to grow a little taller afterward.
On Hermione’s birthday, Luke gave her a Marrow Cleansing Pill as well.
After taking it, she experienced changes very similar to his own.
Before Christmas, Luke also gave one pill each to Mr.
and Mrs.
Granger.
Although they accepted them with some skepticism, the results completely shocked them.
Mr.
Granger repeatedly declared that it was “completely unscientific.”
On Christmas Day, he even made a special trip to the Kirk residence to personally thank Luke.
Since meeting each other, Luke and Hermione had kept in frequent contact.
Like most wizarding families, they often exchanged handwritten letters.
Luke suspected that writing letters instead of using more modern methods of communication was simply another example of Britain’s determination to preserve tradition.
Through her diligent training, Hermione’s mental control had improved considerably.
However, perhaps because she had been practicing for only a relatively short time, she still had not achieved the breakthrough Luke was waiting for.