"Indeed, it's quite a few," Newt nodded.
He didn't think much of it, assuming Victor was just asking casually.
"You truly are a kind man, Mr. Scamander," Victor said sincerely.
These elderly magical creatures would have a hard time surviving in the wild; what Newt was doing was essentially extending their lives, allowing them to spend their final days in peace.
"I'm just doing what I can," Newt looked back at the Graphorn. "Like Bob... in a Graphorn herd, might makes right. It is difficult for one bull to tolerate another male in the same herd. Elderly bulls are either abandoned by the herd or killed by younger bulls... Bob is too old. Even though he was once their king, that day eventually had to come..."
Victor gathered an important piece of information from Newt's words: Newt's retirement consisted of running a nursing home for magical creatures in his own backyard.
One had to admit, this was very 'Newt.'
"May I have a look?" Victor asked.
"Oh, certainly!" Newt happily agreed to Victor's request.
He truly did enjoy showing off his magical creatures to others.
Soon, Victor was led by Newt to a small wooden hut in the corner of the yard.
As Newt opened the door, Victor was immediately captivated by the massive space behind it.
Clearly, this hut had been heavily expanded with an Undetectable Extension Charm, and the environment inside had been meticulously decorated by Newt. He had recreated a suitable habitat for almost every type of magical creature.
Victor then followed Newt as they strolled through the interior.
After a full loop, Victor suspected that Newt had 'collected' every magical creature recorded in his book.
There was even a Nundu, whose breath alone could poison an entire village...
However, the leopard was so old it could barely move, and it obediently wore a custom muzzle designed to filter out the toxic fumes it exhaled.
"Mr. Scamander, can your royalties really support so many creatures?" Victor asked with wonder.
Newt blinked, slightly surprised. "Royalties? Er... I mainly rely on the income from my books. That's enough to provide for these old fellows."
Hearing this, Victor gave Newt a thumbs-up in admiration.
"Most people see these creatures and think of how to harvest their parts for profit. Only you treat them like old friends."
Newt flushed at the praise and said bashfully, "Actually, I'm not as noble as you say, Victor... Sometimes I do collect the hair or scales they shed to sell..."
The two continued to chat about magical creatures for quite a while.
Victor had done a significant amount of research before visiting. Before arriving, he had swept a vast amount of knowledge regarding magical creatures into his newly built 'database.'
One could say Victor had directly become a theoretician of Magizoology. Consequently, their conversation was very engaging.
Victor even offered some excellent suggestions for the creature sanctuary, which made Newt's eyes light up.
For instance, he could provide Newt with a safer management 'program'... a set of highly targeted spells designed to manage dangerous magical creatures more safely.
After a live demonstration, Newt was thoroughly satisfied.
Within the range of these specific spells, even the Nundu could take off its muzzle and breathe freely, as the toxic gas it exhaled would be automatically purified within the spell's coverage.
These were things he had prepared before coming, new spells rewritten using sequences of Ancient Runes.
He had originally intended to ask Newt about the habitats of powerful magical creatures so he could visit them himself; these targeted spells were meant for self-defense.
But since these creatures were all here, they happened to come in handy.
After a long conversation, the two finally left the hut.
However, as Victor walked out, the dusty, semi-finished Philosopher's Stone in his pocket had already disappeared...
Victor stayed at Newt's house for the entire afternoon before preparing to take his leave.
He never told Newt the true purpose of his visit.
There was no need. After all, nobody knew how Newt would react. Besides... the fewer people who knew about the fake Philosopher's Stone, the better!
He only needed to leave the modified prototype in the sanctuary and wait quietly for one or two of those creatures to die of old age. That would basically be enough.
When the fake stone was fully refined, the magic Victor had left on it would automatically notify him...
At that time, he would naturally have a way to retrieve it.
"You will certainly become a very competent professor, Victor," Newt smiled.
"I just hope I don't lead the students astray..." Victor said helplessly.
"Your visit today solved many problems for me, Victor. I must thank you... Are you sure you won't stay for dinner? Tina went to visit her sister, but she'll be back tonight..." Newt said expectantly.
It was clear he wanted to keep talking with Victor. After all, there were few people he could talk to about magical creatures.
Especially someone like Victor, who was exceptionally knowledgeable on the subject.
"It's a pity, but I have some very important tasks to attend to. Otherwise..." Victor said regretfully.
Newt paused. "Is it a mission from Albus?"
Victor sighed again.
"I see." Newt looked at Victor with a gaze full of pity.
He knew Dumbledore all too well; that old man really worked people to the bone! He had been ordered around quite a bit himself back in the day...
No wonder Victor kept saying he worked like a beast of burden...
Victor was just about to take his leave when a few barks echoed from the corner of the yard.
A large yellow dog broke free from the Crup's pestering and ran over, tail wagging happily, circling around Victor.
"Oh?" Victor's eyes brightened.
A yellow dog with a white face... wasn't this a Chinese Rural Dog? It was a fine specimen...
Victor hadn't expected to see a 'Big Yellow' from his homeland in England...
In an instant, memories from before his transmigration flooded back like a tide.
"I brought him back from China not too long ago," Newt smiled. "He's not a magical creature, but I felt a connection the moment I saw him, so I bought him."
"To be honest, seeing him reminds me of my hometown," Victor said with emotion.
This was the truth.
Having lived in this world for so many years, he had actually returned to China, but the home in this world was ultimately not the home from his original world.
The feeling of how everything remained while the people had changed was particularly striking...
"He seems to like you... Why don't you take him with you? Consider it a thank-you gift for those great suggestions," Newt suddenly suggested.
"That... wouldn't be right," Victor hesitated.
"Take him, Victor... I can feel it. You are very lonely..." Newt said softly.
Victor froze for a moment. He looked down at the dog, who was now sitting on the ground, head tilted, watching him.
For some reason, he suddenly thought of a poem—'A lonely stranger in a foreign land, missing home doubly on every festive day.'
Though he had no family left in his original world, as a transmigrator, even after struggling in this world for over a decade, he still felt a lingering attachment to his native soil.
Deep down, I am still an outsider...
"Alright..." Victor looked at the yellow dog and suddenly smiled. "From today on, your name is Lucky!"
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