That wasn't all. The gifts he received last night included a completely new perspective on Contract Magic, sparking a massive wave of inspiration.
Rowena Ravenclaw didn't view a "contract" as just a binding magical agreement or a simple transaction. To her, it was a dynamic, organic "relational architecture" capable of growth and evolution.
It could bind and interact deeply with space, knowledge, and even spiritual entities.
This immediately reminded Viktor of a core aspect of his own Druid class: the Animal Companion Contract.
Traditionally, an animal companion contract forged a profound mental and magical link between a Druid and a specific animal. They shared senses, fought in sync, and grew together.
But what if he took the principles of this organic, life-to-life contract and applied them to a magical construct?
Could he create a "pseudo-lifeform" or a "contracted construct"?
It wouldn't be truly alive. But by mimicking the spiritual connection and magical resonance of an animal companion contract, he could grant it a degree of autonomous response and adaptability. It might even develop a partner-like synergy and growth potential with its user.
Taking it a step further, he could forge a contract with his own pocket dimension, eventually anchoring it directly to Hogwarts.
If he did that, couldn't he indirectly tap into the castle's ambient magic, just like Ravenclaw's imprint at the core of the Room of Requirement?
A flood of other ideas continued to bubble up.
Years of global travel combined with Ravenclaw's gift caused his inspiration to erupt like a geyser.
No time like the present.
Viktor's passion for research was fully ignited.
Leveraging the 1:10 time dilation provided by the diadem, he immediately launched into high-intensity simulation experiments within his mind palace.
He pulled up every scrap of knowledge he possessed regarding spatial magic, contract magic, alchemy, runic arrays, ancient runes, and Druidic nature contracts.
He smashed them together with the advanced concepts and design philosophies gifted by Ravenclaw, fusing and extrapolating the data.
In the center of his mind palace, silver runic light surged, combining and shifting rapidly.
They simulated various magical flow paths, spatial structural stresses, contract rune linkages, and alchemical matrix resonances.
Viktor acted as a hyper-focused conductor, guiding this mental rhapsody. He continuously built models, tested parameters, observed the simulations, eliminated dead ends, and optimized his designs.
Time flew by in this state of deep contemplation.
Within his mental space, Viktor felt like he had been running high-intensity deductions and simulations for at least forty hours straight, without a wink of sleep.
He experienced countless structural collapses, simulated magical backlashes, and contract conflict alarms.
But thanks to the diadem's massive boosts to cognitive speed and focus, along with its interference shielding, he maintained peak efficiency and a steady mindset.
Step by step, he pushed that initial, hazy concept into a fully formed alchemical design blueprint.
He temporarily named it: "The Soul-Contract Nexus for the Hogwarts Spatial Anchor."
The core of the design was a palm-sized, multi-layered mithril alloy base.
It would be engraved internally with an incredibly complex, composite magical array.
It featured spatial positioning and anchoring arrays, a dynamic contract rune core, a magical siphoning and conversion circuit, multi-layered defensive and warning wards, and expandable interfaces.
Several crucial magical gemstones would be embedded on top of the base to act as energy hubs and functional cores. It would also include a small, swappable "command core" slot.
This slot was designed to hold a magical crystal programmed with specific identification logic, access permissions, and emergency protocols.
The entire design prioritized stability, security, intelligence, and scalability.
It was only a preliminary blueprint. There were still massive amounts of details to iron out, materials to gather, and practical tests to run before he could actually build it.
But on a theoretical and structural level, it was highly feasible.
"Whew..."
A distinct wave of mental fatigue washed over him—the normal blowback from prolonged, intense work inside his mind palace.
Viktor knew he needed a break.
He took all the information in his head—the Nexus design concepts, key runic arrays, magical flow simulation data, and preliminary material lists.
He meticulously categorized and recorded it all within his mind palace. It formed a thick, silver-glowing virtual research journal.
Only after finishing this did he shift his will. Like a small boat docking at the shore, his consciousness slowly withdrew from that profound, starry mental expanse.
His vision snapped back to reality.
Outside his window, it was already high noon.
Brilliant sunlight poured into the room unhindered, painting everything in a warm, golden hue.
The magical fire in the hearth looked soft and muted in the bright daylight.
Viktor blinked a few times to adjust to the lighting change, then turned to look at Tom's luxurious cat bed.
It was completely empty.
Only a slightly rumpled, kicked-aside little blanket remained.
Clearly, a certain little guy had gotten his fill of sleep and had enthusiastically snuck out for his daily castle exploration. Or, more accurately, to patrol his territory while mooching free food and drinks.
"I knew you couldn't sit still," Viktor chuckled. He removed the diadem and carefully placed it back into a heavily warded box.
He stretched his stiff neck, feeling a sharp pang of hunger in his stomach.
After throwing on a clean set of black robes and tidying his appearance, he left his quarters and headed down to the Great Hall.
The Great Hall was predictably bustling during lunchtime.
Students packed the four long tables. The rich aroma of food, overlapping conversations, and bursts of laughter blended into a vibrant atmosphere.
Up at the High Table, the professors were busy with their own meals.
As Viktor made his way toward the faculty seating near the Ravenclaw table, he immediately spotted Professor Flitwick.
The Head of Ravenclaw House looked remarkably different today.
He was perched on his usual stack of elevated books, but he wasn't sitting still like he normally did.
Instead, he kept glancing around, his tiny frame leaning slightly forward. His large eyes practically sparkled with a mix of excitement, anticipation, and an overwhelming, irrepressible urge to share something huge.
Even his eating was a few beats faster than usual.
When Flitwick caught sight of Viktor approaching, his eyes lit up as if he'd just spotted the exact person he'd been dying to see.
He looked like he was about to literally bounce right off his stack of books, but he managed to restrain himself. He just waved his fork frantically in Viktor's direction.
"Viktor! Over here, hurry!" His voice was a pitch higher than normal from sheer excitement.
Smiling, Viktor walked over and took the empty seat next to him.
"Good afternoon, Professor Flitwick. You're looking exceptionally well today."
"Well? Oh, far more than just well!" Flitwick lowered his voice, though the absolute thrill in his tone was practically spilling over.