Alex carefully explains to Hagrid that they obtained a bunch of [Thornback Eggs], then slowly takes out his [Royal Thornback Matriarch (Mutated) Egg], holding it softly and carefully, strangely possessive of it.


    Hagrid inspects the eggs, including those of Rishi and Tereza, nodding in approval. “Fine-looking Thornback eggs you’ve got. I like those good old Thornbacks quite a lot—misunderstood creatures, the lot! Surely you don’t need these eggs, right? I’ll offer you some contribution points for them. These 15 eggs are all good quality; I’ll give you 400 contribution points for each.”


    Rishi looks at Alex and Tereza, who just shrugs before saying, “Sure, take them and give the points to Tereza.”


    A notification pops up, Tereza has earned 6,000 contribution points, which is quite the fortune.


    “Ah, and yer got one more egg,” Hagrid says, eyeing the one in Alex’s hands. “I’m taking that one as well, of course.”


    “Sorry, Hagrid, you can inspect it, but I’m not handing it over.” Alex tightens his grip slightly. “The Matriarch of the Thornbacks willingly gave me this egg. It’s clearly special, and that’s what I wanted to talk to you about—I want to raise it.”


    “No way, lad! Yer got a Royal egg? That’s a future Matriarch, and you want to raise it?” Hagrid whistles. “That’s quite a dangerous beast… Although, when I was young, I raised an Acromantula, so I guess at your age, with your skills, you should be fine!”


    “Yeah, I’ll take care of it. Do you have any tips for me?” Alex asks with interest.


    Hagrid leads them into his hut and pulls out a few ancient-looking books and begins to search for the information Alex requested.


    “Looks like normal Thornback eggs actually need warmth, the same should apply for yours as well. You have to keep them inside, though I’m not sure if that applies to yer special egg. But normal ones should be similar,” Hagrid says, flipping through the pages.


    He also talks about humidity, even recommending that Alex stroke the egg, sleep with it, kiss it, lick it, and talk to it.


    “Yer looking at me like I’m crazy, lad.” Hagrid chuckles. “These lil’ buggers need to recognize you as their kin! Trust me, this ain’t just a game. Do it if you want to raise ‘em properly—so they won’t betray you. They’ll recognize you the moment they hatch. Hell, they start recognizing you even inside the egg. Maybe even consider applying your own blood on top of the egg, it''ll help”


    The group continues chatting about raising beasts, and Alex learns quite a lot—Hagrid, unsurprisingly, knows a ton about raising spiders, likely thanks to his own experience.


    Before leaving, they decide to sell the remaining wolf corpses to Hagrid, earning Tereza another 1,000 contribution points.


    “What? Only 1,000 for this many corpses?” Tereza complains.


    “To tell ya the truth, I don’t even need ‘em,” Hagrid admits. “I woulda paid ya even less, but I’m giving you as much as I can justify. These corrupted corpses can’t be used for anything—they’re actually dangerous. I’ll just dump ‘em after taking ‘em off yer hands.”


    Since they don’t plan to keep any corpses for Menchi, the group hands them all to Tereza, who accepts Hagrid’s offer.


    “There is one more thing… the spider corpses. Some are damaged, but we got a few dozen, along with some extra parts,” Alex says.


    “Yer picked up that many? I need quite a lot of ‘em. Their poison’s valuable, and so are their fangs, and some of their other parts too. I reckon Professor Snape’ll be quite happy. Show me what yer got,” Hagrid says, his face lighting up slightly.


    The group takes out everything they collected, and Alex, curious, asks, “Can you even use them, despite the corruption? We couldn’t use the wolf meat, after all.”


    “Eatin’ the meat of corrupted wolves and usin’ specific parts is different,” Hagrid explains. “Corruption can be cleansed—it’s expensive, but worth it for valuable stuff. ‘Course, not for that simple wolf meat ya got! Nobody’s really eatin’ that anyway. Yer a bit weird, my friend.”


    Alex nods, feeling a little ashamed. The explanation sounds obvious enough now that he hears it.


    Hagrid looks like a kid who just found a new toy as he carefully inspects all the spiders. But there’s also a hint of sadness in his expression; he’s clearly not too happy about their deaths.


    “I reckon I could give yer about 3,000 for the lot,” he says.


    Rishi grins, and Alex gives him a weird look.


    What follows can only be described as a mix between a mafia-style interrogation and an outright scam.


    Rishi, backed by Alex and Tereza, somehow manages to haggle Hagrid into offering a stunning 5,000 points. Just enough for Tereza to afford the [Spell Mastery Skillbook].


    Tereza immediately exchanges all her contribution points for the [Spell Mastery Skillbook], making even Hagrid look at her with a mix of respect and confusion.


    As they leave the hut, Alex looks at Rishi and Tereza. “Are we actually… incredibly powerful?”


    “Pffft! Hahaha, Alex, you’re funny.” Tereza laughs. “Of course we are! I wasn’t, at least not until recently… but thanks to you? Yeah, every single one of us is crazy strong. I haven’t exactly earned it yet, but I’ll use this power to get even stronger. I’ll turn this temporary power into permanent strength!”


    “It’s true, Alex. Tereza’s saying it like it’s obvious, but we really have come a long way,” Rishi says. “We dominated our Tutorial Realms and slowly turned into elite players. With those two pests gone, things are finally looking bright. But we’re aiming to survive permanently. I think the level of success we’re having right now is the bare minimum we need. We can’t relax!


    “We’re not just trying to make it through each world; we need to squeeze out the maximum amount of rewards. Only by constantly risking our lives and taking everything each world has to offer can we make it all the way to the end. Getting too comfortable is a trap!”


    Alex nods. “I think you’re right. Still, it’s kinda crazy… 15,000 points in a single day. And me and you, Rishi, still have 3,000 left. Might as well buy a few Green and Light Blue items to sell, right? But we don’t need to do that today.”


    “It’s fine if you take it a bit slow, Alex.” Tereza pats his head. “I’ll take care of you, even if you fall behind.”


    “…I’m not your pet,” Alex mutters, too tired for her games.


    “But I’m yours,” she whispers in his ear. “So you better take care of me, feed me, gift me toys, and play with me! Come to think of it, that’s what you’ve been doing anyway. Just keep up the good work.”


    She laughs and grabs Alex’s arm as the group heads back to their house. Rishi, obviously exhausted, doesn’t even try to hide how tired he is.


    “I need to rest for today. Good job. Let’s talk more tomorrow,” he says.


    Alex groans. “I’m still gonna shop for a few more minutes. Since we looted thousands of Galleons, money’s no longer an issue. I’ll spend a few hundred Galleons on books, supplies, and herbs for Menchi. Feel free to go home without me.”


    Rishi smirks. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but my legs are killing me. I’m using 80% of my willpower just to keep walking and make a normal face.”


    “Yeah, even I’m feeling tired as hell… good job making it this far,” Alex says. Sёarch* The n?vel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    “Let’s go on another date, then! The last one ended awkwardly because of those players,” Tereza says, still full of energy despite the long day.


    Alex nods, and with her still clinging to his arm, they enter the various shops of Hogsmeade.


    They stop by Honeydukes and buy a huge amount of sweets, most of which aren’t recognized by the system or are classified as unranked.


    Tereza spends 200 Galleons on Blood-Flavored Lollipops and Bat’s Blood Soup—actually emptying their entire supply, which normally lasts over half a year.


    Still not satisfied, she forces Ambrosius Flume, the shop owner, to order 1,000 Galleons worth more, even paying upfront. She clearly plans to take these interesting but otherwise useless sweets back to the Realm and even urges him to find more.


    Alex avoids classics like Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans since they can contain every single flavor, including disgusting ones, despite his high LUK. Instead, he buys various other sweets like Pink Coconut Ice, Glacial Snow Flakes, Shock-o-Choc, and Pumpkin Pasties, things that aren’t too weird and look tasty enough.


    They also pick up more herbs, books, supplies, and various random items that catch Alex’s (and mostly Tereza’s) interest.


    By the end, Alex has spent around 600 Galleons, leaving him with about 4,500, more than enough for anything he might need.


    On the way back, Tereza sucks on a Blood-Flavored Lollipop while Alex stuffs a bunch of Pink Coconut Ice into his mouth.


    They sit on a bench at the outskirts of the village, looking out at the peaceful streets of Hogsmeade.


    After about 30 minutes, Tereza suddenly kisses Alex on the mouth and says, “Let’s go home. That was fun and relaxing—I needed that.”


    Finally, Alex and Tereza return to their little house, only for Alex to be immediately surprised as soon as he steps inside.