The person is at Hogwarts, but the system is in Middle-earth!

For the next whole week, Harry and Ron spent their time under Filch's supervision cleaning silverware in the trophy room. And they couldn't use magic; they could only use rags and pork jowl oil.

Rowe was punished by having to clean out bucket after bucket of moldy toad entrails for Snape.

"A half-orc's life is a life too!" Rowe frantically scrubbed the stench off his hands with soap. "That's how Saruman treated his slaves. Making us toil in filth, trying to break our will. But I didn't give in; I silently recited the genealogy of Gondor."

Anyway, the confinement is finally over. Life is gradually getting back on track, just like the moving staircases at Hogwarts—they might trap your feet occasionally, but they're always functioning.

That morning, they were going to their first herbal medicine class of the new semester.

The Hogwarts greenhouses shimmered in the morning sunlight, dew still clinging to their glass domes. Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students gathered at the entrance to the Third Greenhouse.

But in Rowe's eyes, this was not a good place to learn gardening.

[Entering Area: Isengard Breeding Grounds/Corruption Garden]

[Environmental Debuffs: Poisonous Gas (weak), Hallucinogenic Spores]

[Task: Deal with the mutated larvae]

Recommended equipment: gas mask, flamethrower

Professor Sprout approached. She was a short, stocky witch wearing a patched-up pointed hat and a grey robe stained with various colors of mud and plant sap.

"Today we're going to repot the mandrake."

"Now, can anyone tell me what the characteristics of mandrake are?"

Hermione's hand was raised high immediately, just like always.

"Mandragora, also known as mandrake root, is a powerful restorative agent..." she recited fluently from her textbook, like a human repeating machine, "It is mainly used to restore people who have been deformed or cursed to their original state. But its cry is deadly and can cause death."

“Absolutely correct, Miss Granger, ten points for Gryffindor.” Professor Sprout nodded in satisfaction. “However, the mandrakes here are still very young. Their cries, while not fatal, will keep you unconscious for several hours. I don’t want anyone to be carried into the school hospital on the first day, so everyone wear earmuffs.”

There was a pile of earmuffs in various colors on the bench. Lo Wei glanced at them critically and picked up a pair of pink plush earmuffs.

[Equipment Acquired: Anti-Psychic Helmet]

Quality: Inferior

[Defense: +10 (Sonic Resistance)]

[Enchantment: Looks Stupid (Charisma -5)]

He frowned, clearly dissatisfied with the appearance of the equipment. But he still put on the earmuffs and took out two cloth straps that he originally used to bind his legs from his pocket, and tied the earmuffs tightly to his head.

"This is a battlefield." He gestured his signature hand to Nave, who looked on in astonishment. "The defenses must be impenetrable."

"Alright, watch me." Professor Sprout rolled up his sleeves, grabbed a clump of leaves, and yanked it out.

Instead of white roots emerging from the soil, a hideously ugly little baby crawled out. Its skin was a sickly purplish-green, and it opened its mouth wide, revealing toothless gums, screaming desperately.

In Luo Wei's eyes, this was a nightmare come true.

[Encountering hostile creatures!]

【Name: Orc Lava/Mandragora】

[Status: Berserk/Scream]

[Skills: Mental Pierce (Sound Wave), Bite, Scratch]

Weaknesses: Physical heavy blows, head

The little monster, waving its fists and contorting its face, tried to attack Professor Sprout's fingers. The professor, unfazed, skillfully shoved it into a larger flowerpot, burying it in damp black soil until only its leaves remained above ground.

"Alright, four people per group, let's begin! That's the compost bin, and over there are the water buckets!"

Rowe, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were naturally grouped together.

Harry tried to pull one out. The thing wouldn't leave its burrow, and it took Harry a lot of effort to finally get it out. The piercing scream was so loud that even through his earmuffs, he could feel his eardrums vibrating, like someone drilling into his brain.

Neville, from the group next to him, had just pulled it out and hadn't even had a chance to see what it was when his face turned deathly pale, his eyes rolled back, and he fell straight backward.

"That's a psychological attack!" Rowe shouted in his mind. "Neville's will check failed!"

Fortunately, Professor Sprout arrived in time and confirmed that Neville had simply fainted.

It was Lo Wei's turn.

He took a deep breath and regulated his breathing. There could be no mercy in the face of such an evil creature.

He suddenly reached out, grabbed the tangled clump of leaves, and pulled it out forcefully.

"puff!"

Dirt flew everywhere. The little purplish-green monster was pulled out; it opened its mouth wide, took a breath, and was about to scream.

Lowe didn't give it a chance.

His other hand was already prepared, holding a garden shovel.

"Physical silence!"

"when!"

The back of the shovel smacked the little monster hard on the forehead.

The scream abruptly stopped, before it could even escape its lips, it was slapped back into the creature's belly. The "strong orc larva" rolled its eyes, kicked its legs, and let its arms hang limply.

Being young is great; you can fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow!

Luo Wei moved with extreme speed. Taking advantage of its unconscious state, he quickly stuffed it into a new flowerpot, filled it with soil, compacted it, and patted it twice, all in one go.

The whole process took less than five seconds.

Harry and Ron, standing nearby, were stunned, their shovels frozen in mid-air.

Professor Sprout walked over, looked at the quiet flowerpot, and then at Rowe, who was still holding a shovel.

"Uh... Mr. Baggins," the professor called out through his earmuffs, his expression complex. "While very efficient... please be a little gentler. They're still children."

Lowe removed one earmuff and said seriously, "We can't be lenient with the seeds of evil, Professor. If we don't suppress them early, they'll grow up and devour us. I'm giving it a 'deep sleep therapy,' which helps its root system develop."

Professor Sprout opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to object, but looking at the sleeping mandrake, he ultimately said nothing. After all, Rowe was the first in the class to complete the task.

[System notification: Herbalism proficiency +1]

[Title Acquired: Orc Slayer]

[Evaluation: Simple, direct, and effective.]

...

After class, they dragged their tired bodies out of the greenhouse. Ron's clothes were covered in mud, and Harry felt his ears still ringing.

Sunlight streamed through the arched doors of the corridor, illuminating the ancient stone path. Lovi stopped, his gaze sweeping across the courtyard to the distant castle tower.

Current location: Gondor Outpost/Last Sanctuary

[Status: Enveloped in shadow]

Faint whispers in the darkness detected.

"This fortress remains sturdy," Rowe suddenly said, "standing like Minas Tirith in the west, defying the shadows."

Harry and Ron stopped and looked at him, puzzled.

"What is it now?" Ron asked. "You mean Hogwarts? Of course it's sturdy; it's protected by magic for thousands of years."

"The walls may be impregnable, but the defenses of the human heart are often the first to crumble." Rowe shook his head, a hint of worry in his eyes. "The Regent of Gondor once thought he was in control, until despair consumed his sanity. Remember, friends, the enemy is not always an orc wielding a sword; sometimes, it disguises itself as a 'gift,' or a seemingly harmless smile."

He glanced meaningfully in the direction Ginny Weasley had just run, then looked at Harry.

"We must remain vigilant at all times. Even in this seemingly peaceful ivory tower, the fog of war has never lifted."

"I think you're overthinking it, Loewy." Hermione walked ahead, carrying several thick books. "As long as we follow the school rules and study hard, nothing will happen. Besides, Professor Dumbledore is here."

“Gandalf can’t watch every corner all the time, Hermione,” Rowe sighed, straightening his robes. “Especially when we also have to deal with internal ‘mental pollution’.”

"Mental pollution?" Harry asked.

"That's right." Luo Wei took out the timetable and glanced at it.

"The next lesson is Gilderoy Lockhart's Defense Against the Dark Arts class."

"I have a feeling that it will be a disaster."