Chapter 327: Revelation Part 2 (III) (CH - 346)

All hail Maverick Caesar, first of his name, Emperor of Mars, Terraformer of planets, slayer of the Dark Lord, pioneer of the magical world...

Uh, yeah... that was definitely not happening.

Not because it was impossible if he insisted on it, but simply because the idea of sitting on a fancy throne, waving at people all day, and then dealing with governance and everyone’s problems sounded more and more tiring the longer he thought about it.

Maverick gave his sister’s forehead another poke with his finger and rolled his eyes at her. "Really... you need to stop reading weird stories..."

"What weird stories... uh..." Sarah rubbed her forehead and puffed her cheeks, shooting him an aggrieved look. "I don’t read weird stories..."

Meanwhile, on the other side, Mother and Father Caesar also, upon hearing their daughter’s sudden remark, had their expressions change into thoughtful ones and gave their son a meaningful look.

"Hmm..." Michael hummed, rubbing his chin as a smile crept onto his face. "She is not entirely wrong, you know..."

"Oh, for Merlin’s sake..." Maverick rolled his eyes for what felt like the hundredth time at them.

Ariel chimed in as well. "Come on, son, no, Your Majesty..." she chuckled, covering her mouth.

Again, Maverick really could not tell whether they were just messing with him or simply just being sarcastic or not.

His mother went on, "Think about it... you are the one making the planet habitable... so it is only right, right? Hmm," she hummed, turning to her husband. "So what will I be then... do I automatically become the former queen, and you the former king, honey?"

Honestly, Maverick was now regretting ever bringing up the Mars project, his face looking exhausted.

And seeing his reaction, Ariel and Michael suddenly burst into laughter, with Sarah joining in as well. Although a bit confused as to why they had started laughing, she, on the other hand, had been completely serious about her remark earlier.

"Can we move on?" Maverick asked, looking deadpan. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"Wait, brother..." Sarah interrupted, "you still haven’t answered my question."

"What quest—" Maverick glanced at her and saw her face looked nothing like she was joking. Sigh... "Okay, fine. I will tell you what... when, and if, eventually, I make the planet habitable, I will build you the biggest castle you have ever seen and give it to you as a gift. Does that sound okay?"

"Ah, really?" Her eyes brightened immediately, and she nodded eagerly with a wide grin.

It seemed, perhaps... she just wanted a castle, Maverick thought, sighing again.

"Hey, hey, did you forget us?"

Well, since he had made a promise for one, he might as well make a few more.

"Fine, make that two." He turned to his parents and extended the same deal to them as well.

And it was no joke. Although he did not want to be some king, he really did not mind humoring his family’s wishes and giving them a few castles. Besides, compared to terraforming an entire planet, building a few castles was nothing.

Moving on, pretty much everything he needed to talk about with his family had been said at this point, and what followed was just some back-and-forth questions and answers.

"...If you want, I can take you to Mars to have a look, you know... up close at what I am doing..." he leaned back and offered, smiling at the three of them. It wasn’t a whim, he had come intending to take them for a tour after the talks were finished.

"Are you serious?" His mother leaned forward. "When? Do you have a rocket ready to go any time soon?"

She fired the questions almost all at once, clearly excited, while Michael and Sarah looked much the same. Honestly, it was exactly the reaction Maverick had expected.

However— "A rocket?" He tilted his head slightly. "Why would I, a wizard, need a rocket?"

"Oh... so then it is just magic?" Ariel replied, her tone dropping, which made the corner of Maverick’s mouth twitch slightly.

Just... magic? Was she already so used to it that it had somehow become less interesting than a mere rocket?

"I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that..." Maverick gave his mother a deadpan glance. "And to answer your question, yes, it is magic, not a rocket. And we do not need to wait. If you want, we can go right now, in fact. It will be just like opening a door and stepping into another room."

At those words, all three of their eyes brightened, even Ariel’s. It seems her brief thoughts of becoming an astronaut were already forgotten. After all, being suddenly given the chance to visit an entirely different planet, who would not be excited?

They, of course, did not think Maverick was making a whimsical joke. Knowing what he was capable of, even if most of it had only been him narrating this and that to them, they still trusted him completely.

"Wait... I’ll go and change first... come on, honey," Ariel sprang to her feet and dragged Sarah along before Maverick could say anything more, rushing upstairs.

Maverick then turned to his father, smiling as he raised a brow at his old man. "What? Do you want to go and put on makeup too?"

Cough.

Michael cleared his throat and got up as well. "Of course not. I mean, it is not like there are going to be important people there, right? I will just go change into something more presentable."

He was currently in a simple casual outfit, just a plain shirt and pants. It was home, after all.

"Oh, there are definitely a lot of people there. But they are all scientists, researchers, and engineers..." he hummed, rubbing his chin. "Of course, about a quarter of them are ladies—"

"Stop... I am not changing into something formal to impress any ladies. And please do not say something like that in front of your mother." Michael cut in quickly, looking slightly alarmed, then briefly glanced toward the stairs and let out a breath when no one was there.

Maverick chuckled aloud at his father’s reaction. "I am just joking, Dad."

"Your jokes are very dangerous, son." Father Caesar gave him an unimpressed look and soon went to his room to change as well.

Five minutes later, he returned wearing a suit over a simple shirt, no tie, just a neat formal-casual look. His mother and sister, however, took over half an hour to get ready, and honestly, Maverick could not really tell much difference apart from the dresses they had changed into.

Still, he offered the expected compliments, and with that, he opened a portal directly from their living room, connecting all the way to Mars. Only then did they understand what he meant earlier, just like opening a door and stepping into another room.

The settlement on the red planet had grown far beyond a simple outpost by now, becoming a fully functioning base, multiple building complexes all enclosed within a massive transparent dome.

The air inside was carefully regulated, pressure stabilized, oxygen levels balanced, and temperature held steady, all maintained by a network of life-support systems built through a blend of advanced technology and magical alchemy, everything running in quiet, perfect synchronization.

The portal Maverick opened from his home on Earth connected directly to a personal quarters built just for him. It was a spacious room, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows offering a clear view of the countless construction projects unfolding outside.

First came the tour of the base. People moved about everywhere. Scientists, engineers, and workers walked through reinforced corridors, some checking floating holographic displays. The technology alone looked straight out of a science fiction movie, far more advanced than the crude tech still available to the public back on Earth.

After studying Kree technology, even if it was only scratching the surface, Maverick now had access to technological advancements that were decades ahead of the current time.

Even the ground beneath their feet stood out. Smooth, pristine white, layered composite flooring, insulated and reinforced to handle pressure differences and extreme temperatures. Without the view through the windows, one could easily forget they were standing on another planet. It felt, for all intents and purposes, like a research facility on Earth, only ten times more advanced.

Maverick led them through it all at an easy pace, pointing things out along the way. He did not overwhelm them with technical details, explaining just enough for them to follow, giving them a clear sense of how everything fit together.

Then, at last, he brought them to the outer section. Beyond the structure they stood in, more complexes stretched out in every direction, all housed beneath the same vast dome. Its transparent surface arched high above, giving the impression of an entire city sealed under glass.

The environment outside was less controlled than inside, at least the color to the naked eye was closer to what one would expect under Martian conditions. Even so, the air was still regulated and stable enough, and the dome itself provided protection from harmful radiation, allowing them to walk freely without protective gear and really, feel the Martian soil.

And from there, looking beyond the glass dome, they could finally see and truly grasp the scale of what was happening, and for a long while, they were unable to even put into words the racing thoughts in their minds.

Construction stretched as far as they could see. Massive machinery moved equipment in endless numbers, while structures rose like a city still taking shape. Air vehicles, part helicopter, part jet, both small and massive, carried loads across the red landscape. Again, it looked like something straight out of a science fiction movie, and they found it hard to believe it was real.

Only, it was the sky, the dusty air, and the endless red sand stretching to the horizon that reminded them, they were no longer on Earth, but actually standing millions of miles away on an entirely different planet. If anything, what they had seen today would be an unforgettable memory, one they could tell their grandchildren about in the years to come.

Can’t blame them, really, and Maverick did not rush them either. He let his family explore to their hearts’ content and only brought them back once they looked like they could barely keep their eyes open.

By the time they returned to Earth, the sun was already up over the skies of London.

Maverick, however, did not return to Hogwarts just yet. He stayed home for another day, knowing his family’s minds would still be scrambled and full of questions, and it was always better to address them first than leave them in suspense.

And sure enough, after they woke up with clearer heads, it was back to the dining table again, the unofficial conference room of their home. Maverick spent the time clearing the rest of their questions, doubts, and worries, explaining both the immediate situation and the long-term plans he was setting in motion.

Funnily enough, his mother and sister seemed to care very little about the wizarding world going public and were far more interested in the Mars project.

At the same time, before leaving, he reinforced the many safety measures around the house, along with the individual items each of them carried at all times. With the chaos that was about to unfold, there was always the chance they could be targeted to get to him. It was always better to be prepared than caught off guard, right?

---

The two-day absence from school was simply explained to the students as their professor having an important task outside the school. It was only two days, so it was not a big deal.

Meanwhile, it was now the first week of June, just three weeks away from the final task of the Triwizard Tournament. After returning to Hogwarts, his usual routine resumed.

The usual routine, of course, was only on the surface. In reality, he was far busier than it appeared. The day of the Third Task was drawing closer, after all, and to ensure everything unfolded according to plan, he was constantly moving from one place to another, meeting one person or group after another, checking things off his list in order.

Likewise, at Hogwarts itself, many things had to be monitored. Most importantly, the Boy Who Lived and his role in the operation. By now, it was safe to say Harry was as ready as he could be for a kid, and so was his godfather, Sirius Black. The two would play the biggest roles in the opening act, after all.

Then there was Lucius Malfoy, who also had a part to play, and just like with Harry’s arrangements, those who needed to know about Malfoy Senior were by now already aware of his role as well.

In other words, every meticulous arrangement was falling into place.

Maverick, meanwhile, even made several visits to Riddle’s location personally as well, just to make sure nothing unexpected was happening behind the scenes. Fortunately, he was worrying over nothing.

That said, Riddle was not simply just waiting in that rundown mansion of his. He had been pretty busy as well, preparing for the ritual, and somehow, even with the limited fools under his command, he had still managed to gather everything needed for his resurrection.

Thumbs up for old Voldy for not slacking off, even after suffering so many setbacks.

Maverick had to give a silent nod of approval at the Dark Lord’s efficiency. After all, it would be rather awkward if Riddle failed to show up simply because he could not complete his preparations.

As for how Maverick was able to come and go as he pleased... well, he was now a mage of warlock rank, with master-level control over his magic. And combined with the True Concealment extraordinary characteristic, unless someone at the Supreme level was actively searching for him, no one would be able to detect his whereabouts now unless he allowed it.

Time moved on just like that. On the surface, the world remained unaware that it was nearing a tipping point. At Hogwarts, excitement for the final task continued to build as the day drew closer, even lifting the usual gloomy atmosphere that came with this time of year, when final exams would normally dominate everyone’s thoughts.

And speaking of that, the exams were scheduled for a week after the Third Task, which was set to take place on June 24. But with the series of world-shaking events Maverick had set in motion, events that would unfold immediately after, it raised the question of whether those exams would even happen.

Well, only time would tell.

The weather over Scotland in late June was mild and clear, with a cool breeze and long daylight stretching well into the evening.

At last, in the blink of an eye, it was Friday, the 24th of June.

That morning, the sky was especially clear as the sun rose over the horizon, as if welcoming a new day, one that looked, at first glance, like nothing could possibly go wrong.

—————————

Author’s Note:

🔥 Drop those Power Stones! 🔥

If you’re enjoying the story and wish to support me, you can visit my P@tr3on, where you can read 25+ extra Chapters ahead!

You can find this story on Webnovel, Fanfiction, and ScribbleHub, all under the same author name: RyanFic. Updates drop first on Webnovel!

PAT r30n [.] com / RyanFic

Thank you so much for your support. It means the world! 💙😊