stonecrandall Chapter 147, Section 146: A Mysterious Encounter! A Lingering Ghost!
Chapter 147, Section 146: A Mysterious Encounter! A Lingering Ghost!
Chapter 147, Section 146: A Mysterious Encounter! A Lingering Ghost!
In the vast and boundless desert.
The haze was like a never-fading curtain, firmly shrouding the sky. The clouds were thick and low, as if they would collapse at any moment and swallow the entire desert.
Unlike the typical desert with its endless yellow sand, this place is completely black, with the ground covered in bottomless black sand.
They presented a deep and oppressive black, the grains of sand shimmering with a dark luster under the faint moonlight, like stars in the night sky yet seemingly carrying an extremely ominous aura.
Above the sky, a blood-red moon hung high, its light not warm, but rather carrying an eerie chill, making the entire desert appear as gloomy as hell.
Even the black sand was tinged with a touch of crimson, making it look even more sinister.
"Where did I get dressed this time?"
Ian's expression wasn't overly surprised. He had actually experienced this several times before and knew that he had unintentionally unlocked a new map of the mystical realm.
"I don't have any particular direction in my heart, and I didn't get anything strange this time either. It can't be because of this useless resurrection stone ring again, can it?"
Ian took out the Deathly Hallows that he had kept sealed away for a long time. After pondering for a moment, he felt that the probability of him accidentally entering the new map of the Mystic Realm again because of the Resurrection Stone was not very high.
After all, he had been carrying this ring with him all this time, and had traveled back and forth to the Enchanted Realm several times, but he had never encountered the accident of accidentally entering the "Doomsday Volcano" again.
Ian even felt that his accidental entry into Mount Doom was more likely related to Helena Ravenclaw. The founder, Rowena Ravenclaw, couldn't very well blame her daughter, so she would only say that Ian and Helena Ravenclaw were at Mount Doom because the Resurrection Stone originated there.
"If it were me, I would also have to distance myself from this side." Ian fully demonstrated what it means to judge others by one's own standards, and he didn't even fully believe what Mrs. Rowena Ravenclaw said.
Even Morgan's words can be inaccurate at times. For example, even though he was really thinking about giving Morgan the mirror, his heart should have been set on Morgan's dark castle.
Who knows why we ended up in a completely baffling desert again.
"Could this place be related to the Mirror of Eris?"
Ian was clearly confused.
He was just about to reach for his purse when he was utterly astonished to discover an unexpected delight—the elder wand, which he had never been able to bring into the dreamlike realm, was still perfectly intact in the wand pouch beneath his robes. The quiet wand instantly filled Ian with a profound sense of security.
"It can cast spells! Then there's nothing to worry about!" Ian's already little anxiety immediately dissipated, and the wand, though perhaps a bit cold to the touch, warmed his heart.
"Perhaps it's related to my magic upgrade... or maybe it's because I've embarked on the so-called path to legend?" Ian actually suspected that unlocking the new map was also related to these two things.
of course.
Whether it was due to an upgrade in magic power or the path to legend is extremely difficult to discern and determine the truth, given that it had only been a few days since he went from reaching the limit of human magic power to embarking on the path to legend.
The pace was too fast.
The interval between them was too short.
"Perhaps this is the trouble of only those with superhuman empathy." Ian hesitated for a moment, then took out his money pouch and pulled out the Eris Mirror, which he had already put inside.
He compared the colors of the Mirror of Erised with those of the surrounding environment, but in terms of style alone, the Mirror of Erised was completely out of place with the pitch-black sand and dust.
"Perhaps the mirror-making process itself uses sand from here?"
Ian made his guesses thoughtfully.
He knew, of course, that sand could indeed be used to make glass, but he wasn't sure if that was the case, so he squatted down and filled his money bag with several tons of black sand.
Yes, several tons.
The more skilled an alchemist is, the more likely they are to suffer from a fear of insufficient experimental materials.
Ian was no exception.
"Even if it's not a material for making the Mirror of Eris, it's definitely an alchemical material with unique properties." Ian rubbed the black sand in the desert between his fingertips.
The texture of black sand is unique and unforgettable; it seems to be more than just ordinary sand grains, displaying a profound and cold beauty under dim light.
I kept rubbing the black sand with my hands.
Ian sensed an unusual texture.
Unlike ordinary grains of sand, they are not loose and fragile, but rather dense and solid. When he gently ran his finger along them, he could clearly feel a subtle attraction between the grains.
"Could it be that the entire desert is connected in some secret way by this gravity?" Ian looked up and saw an endless expanse of black desert.
They seem to be fragments of stars that fell from the depths of the sky, settling over hundreds of millions of years before coalescing into this mysterious black desert.
"No matter what, it's definitely a treasure." With that thought, Ian filled his money bag with more black sand. He only regretted not getting the bird snake skin so he could further expand his money bag.
The bird-snake is a winged, two-legged magical creature with a snake's body and feathers. It can grow up to fifteen feet long and is considered a highly prized magical creature in the wizarding world today.
The ability of the bird-snake to change size allows them to adapt to various environments, which is also why they are so precious; their skin is the best alchemical material for casting the Unseen Stretch spell.
"It's a pity that the bird-snake doesn't seem to come to the Dreamlike Realm after it dies, otherwise I wouldn't be worried about not having any bird-snake skin to use." Ian put away the heavy money bag and stood up. He didn't know where the end of this desert was, but since he had already come all this way, he definitely had to explore this area.
He might even be able to find out why he was led here.
"We shouldn't encounter any terrifying ghosts. This place looks like a place even ghosts wouldn't want to live in." Ian took out his wand and waved it lightly.
then.
Countless grains of sand on the ground began to churn and coalesce in front of him into the shape of an off-road vehicle, its outline gradually becoming a real off-road vehicle.
"Splash~"
However, it collapsed with a crash when it was finally taking shape, and even the color that had begun to change faded rapidly. All the black sand fell back to the ground and returned to its original state.
"Because of the connection between those pebbles... I knew this thing was interesting!" Ian was also caught off guard by his failed transformation.
However, he did realize why the transformation spell had failed. If his money pouch hadn't been completely full, Ian would have stuffed in a few more black pebbles.
"Luckily, I'm a hexagonal warrior, I know a little bit of everything." Ian was neither discouraged nor disappointed. After the transformation failed, he took out his magic cloak, which was already 99% complete.
"Phew~"
With a gentle drape over his back, Ian fastened the buttons on the front of his cloak, and the next moment, he shot straight up into the dark, gloomy sky as if leaping from the ground.
"Slow down! Slow down!"
"Fly lower! Fly forward!"
"Damn it! I didn't ask you to carry me horizontally! Do you know what it means to fly diagonally to look cool?! I didn't give you any cheap special effects footage of flying in a movie!"
"Damn it! Ugh! I just insulted you, and you're already throwing your nose into the sand?"
……
All I saw was...
Ian's body wobbled and swayed in mid-air, even getting headfirst into the sand several times, looking like he was flying around in a crooked and erratic manner.
of course.
He did indeed advance quite a distance, even slightly faster than some outdated flying brooms, but after all, it was only a magic cloak with a completion rate of 99%.
"I shouldn't have even thought about giving you independent thinking!"
The unfinished part, of course, is the training of the "Witchcraft Intelligence." Ian is now extremely regretful, but unfortunately, there's no going back. All he can do is try his best to appease the Flying Cloak, which doesn't have much intelligence.
"Could this be considered a magical version of calming the machine spirit?" Ian felt a surge of accomplishment after finally being able to fly normally again. The little wizard's emotions could change so quickly sometimes.
He looked down at the earth from the sky, where the vast expanse of black was deep and gloomy. He flew for a while but did not see any dead souls, plants, or animals.
Not even a single crumbling wall was found, as if no wandering spirit had ever set foot in this area. It was utterly pristine, untouched by any trace of other souls.
Well known.
When a lost soul chooses a place to settle down, its perception will change the place it chose. And the desert where Ian is now has really not changed at all.
It's always been like this.
It has been like this since the beginning of time.
"There can't be some kind of weird thing that likes this kind of monotonous living area... Even Death isn't that bored, right?" Ian wondered to himself why he had been led here.
Surely it's not like Death really lives here, and Death has already discovered him, the stowaway, right? But even so, Death should have already shown up and punished Ian.
"My illusion 'experience card' time is passing normally, and I can stay here for much longer than before." Ian's clear inner feeling didn't make him too worried.
only.
When they first met, Morgan had mentioned the changes that would occur when magic reached its limit, but it seems that these changes haven't happened to Ian.
"Could it be that Lady Ravenclaw is right on this point? She said that my magic needs to break through the signs of a human wizard before I can usher in that kind of change that I don't know what it is." Regarding the contradictions in the information given by Morgan Witch and Lady Ravenclaw, Ian could only make judgments based on his current feelings.
He had indeed reached the limit of human magic power, but even though he had embarked on the path of legend and his magic power could continue to increase, he also knew that he had not yet broken through the bottleneck that imprisoned his magic power.
"So, it seems that Ms. Morgan doesn't know everything... at least her judgment about my situation after reaching the limit of magic was probably wrong?"
Ian wasn't sure about that either.
after all.
Isn't his current location also a kind of change?
Even if you want to leave, you can't leave on your own initiative.
They could only continue to fly aimlessly through the black desert. Consider it practice to hone their cloak-flying skills; at least it wouldn't be considered idleness and aimlessness.
"If I secretly train for two and a half days, my handsome appearance will definitely shock the whole school."
Ian comforted himself with this thought.
The wind and sand blew by intermittently, stirring up clouds of black dust that swirled and intertwined in the air, forming eerie and illusory images. The darkness seemed to bind even the line of sight, making it difficult to see what was in the distance while simultaneously drawing the eye.
Every time the wind blows, it's like a phantom image appearing and disappearing. It's right in front of you, yet it's as far away as the horizon. Another gust of wind will bury and replace it.
The silence was deafening, the oppressive atmosphere so intense that even shouts seemed to be silenced. As they flew further and further away, and the things they saw became increasingly homogenous, Ian finally began to feel weary.
"The need for magic to support your flight is only a temporary compromise. I'm sure I can find a backup hidden energy source so that you can fly automatically even when my magic runs out."
Ian was always serious and meticulous when it came to inventions that could be used to escape. His desire to achieve long-distance flight and the cloak's autonomous warning system had at most a slight connection to this.
"It's awful! The current 'Mystic Realm Limited-Time Experience Card' is too powerful. If I do nothing, I could probably stay in the Mystic Realm for a whole day and night!"
"Can't a couple of ghosts just pop out and chat with me? An oddball would do! I crave aliens! I crave monsters! Or even Fury, I'd barely accept him..."
Ian rubbed his eyes, feeling a bit tired of the sight.
The sandstorms won't blind him.
However, the scenes will remain the same no matter how many times they change.
Adding to the swirling black dust that drifted like gauze in the wind and dust, Ian felt slightly depressed—well, it had little to do with the fact that it was midnight in the human world.
"Ugh! I don't understand! I don't understand why I was dragged to this area!"
Ian silently pulled out his wand again.
He felt he still needed to cast a few spells to speed up the consumption of the "Mystic Realm Limited-Time Experience Card," as he really didn't want to stay in this desert any longer.
We've been flying for several hours already.
The visible area was practically indistinguishable from "copy and paste." To put it simply, the more Ian flew through the black desert, the more he thought of a painful past experience. He felt as if he had been transported into the very game he had crowdfunded—the one truly awful game in history, *Illusion*.
It's nothing but desert.
In other words, the sand in the desert was changed to a different color.
"Protect the Gods!"
After weighing his options, Ian decided that rather than honing his other magic, he wanted to salvage his Mystic Night one more time. Perhaps he could use Ariana to notify Professor Morgan and have her cross over and pull him back to the area he was familiar with, just like what Rowena Ravenclaw had done when she went to pick up her daughter.
Ian believes.
His Morgan teacher must have had the same ability.
just.
Whether Morgan is willing to intervene is anyone's guess.
"No one can fathom the feelings of a legendary witch." As Ian cast the Patronus Charm, countless shimmering silver threads began to emerge from his raised wand. They drew elegant arcs in the night sky, as dazzling as stars, standing out starkly in the silent, oppressive desert.
It seemed to dispel much of the evil aura and also infected the crimson glow under the blood moon. Perhaps for the first time in many years, white light shone on this silent desert.
"What happened?"
Ian sensed something was wrong the moment his magic began. He couldn't sense the Guardian Ring that the Guardian Charm was supposed to connect to at all.
That's not all.
Even the magical nodes during the spell's execution had changed slightly—different from many previous instances. Ian could clearly sense that the magic had connected with something unknown.
"It's the...illusory realm beneath my feet." Ian was utterly astonished. Realizing that his magic was connected to the special gravitational pull between the sand beneath his feet, he immediately abandoned his attempt to undo the magic and wanted to see how this situation would ultimately unfold.
Curiosity may have killed the cat.
But it might not necessarily kill the ever-vigilant young wizard. More than taking a risk, Ian wanted to know if this was why he had been led here.
All I saw was...
As Ian's magic continued to flow in.
Streams of silver magic threads leaped lightly from the tip of the staff, spreading out in a surging motion.
These silver magic threads intertwine and swirl in the air, like a skillful weaver secretly weaving crisscrossing and interconnected lines in the darkness.
"I didn't guide them..." Ian realized that the silver light emanating from the Guardian Charm he had just cast was as if he was completing a pre-set task.
There is a certain framework.
It was constructed using the silvery light of the Guardian Angel's spell.
No.
Or rather, a re-enactment!
"Splash~"
The metallic black sand on the ground began to stir, with countless grains of sand seemingly being drawn upwards by a mysterious force.
It's like a swimming dragon.
It flowed like liquid, clinging to the lines outlined by the silver glow of Ian's Guardian Charm, its black color constantly changing under the silver light.
"My damn Merlin diapers..."
Even though he had prepared himself mentally, Ian was still shocked by what he saw, his eyes wide with disbelief.
It's not that he's making a fuss.
Instead, he was certain that whoever came would have the same expression as him!
This is truly breathtaking!
The silver glow of the Guardian Angel Spell and the black sand scattered across the ground created an incredibly magnificent scene before him in just a few dozen breaths!
"Where am I?!"
A gradually taking shape was reflected in Ian's eyes.
Yes, a city.
Amidst the flowing sand and soil.
They piled up along the lines of the city wall to form a sturdy fortress, and spread along the lines of the street to form a smooth road—at first, it seemed like a sand painting magnified countless times, but everything changed under the influence of the black sand's color and silvery glow, and instantly became lifelike and vivid.
The spires of the houses seemed to reach into the clouds, the high walls of the castle appeared majestic and solemn, and even the blood moon in the sky seemed to be covered by the misty black sand and turned into a scarlet sun in this scene.
"The power of time..."
Ian detected a familiar scent.
He looked around.
We were already in a place that seemed to have become vibrant and full of life.
As the city gradually took shape, the surrounding black desert seemed to be infected by this mysterious force, becoming less desolate and barren. Subtle changes began to occur quietly in this desert; some vegetation began to take root and sprout on the edge of the city, adding a touch of life and vitality to the city.
of course.
Ian knew it very well.
Whether it's the city that appears around us or the plants that grow, they are not real things, but merely echoes from the past.
The river's surface shimmered, and the surrounding streets were bustling with people; all of this was a scene created by the interplay of black sand and silver light.
It comes from the past.
It reflects the history of today's future.
"The land of death?"
Ian had experienced a similar immersive feeling in Albus Dumbledore's memories, but it was different; he was clearly not reading sealed memories at this moment.
Rather, it is some kind of force.
It opened a corner of time for him.
Therefore.
This allowed him to catch a glimpse of the past, which was countless years ago. The vibrant city left Ian somewhat unsure whether this was truly a kingdom that existed within the dreamlike illusion.
"Amazing magic!"
Ian still didn't understand why the Guardian Charm would react this way to the black desert in the illusionary realm; he just sensed that this scene might be quite important to him.
Look up.
The sky above remained dark and gloomy, but the blood moon had been replaced by a scarlet sun, which could not illuminate the pitch-black sky around them.
Black gashes, like scars, covered the sky, as if they had been torn apart by some kind of food. The blood-red sun tried its best to illuminate everything.
however.
Even as it recklessly squandered its remaining energy, casting its scorching sunlight upon every corner of the earth, the gloom and darkness in the sky remained undispelled. It was like a final flicker of life in the face of an apocalypse, evident in the terrified expressions of those who looked up at the sky from the streets.
The city is falling.
The scorching sun failed to illuminate the sky, but it did bake the earth, and the rivers steamed up plumes of water vapor, taking away countless lives in the process.
The tower in the center of the ancient city radiates a blue light, the power of magic that protected the city's inhabitants from the terrible catastrophe.
however.
Just like the sun in the sky, which seemed to be fighting to the death, the tower that protected the entire country could not hold on for long either. Ian felt that the flow of time around him seemed to have begun to accelerate.
"It's fading."
Ian could clearly see the light emanating from the tower diminishing and the magical fluctuations weakening, like an old man nearing the end of his days.
Numerous figures appeared atop the tower, as if trying to give it one last breath. However, the successive appearances of blurry figures could only allow the tower to briefly regain its light.
"They are legendary wizards..."
Ian's gaze seemed to meet that of the indistinct figures on the tower. He could sense a power that was all too familiar to him emanating from these wizards.
That was a power he had not yet grasped, a great force that could, to some extent, overturn and influence fate, yet it still could not reverse the disaster brought about by the mysterious catastrophe.
The sun eventually went out.
Along with the towers that sheltered the entire kingdom, and the legends who did their utmost... they were fighting against something far more terrible, countless meteorites falling from the sky with enormous flames.
The wind howled.
Yellow sand swirls.
The land was overturned.
Everything is burning.
Ian saw a meteorite pass through his body and crash into the ground beneath his feet. It was just an echo from the past, so it couldn't hurt him in the slightest.
only.
Those who lived through the same time as this disaster were not as fortunate as Ian; the earth collapsed, the world shook, and magnificent buildings continued to crumble.
The volcano also began to awaken, spewing out lava like an angry fire dragon, staining half the sky red and turning most of the ancient city into a fiery inferno.
The catastrophe is devouring all living beings and traces of civilization.
Ian heard countless cries for help, screams, and heart-wrenching cries all around him. Blood and fire pushed the entire nation into the abyss amidst the catastrophe.
"Help me! Help my mother!"
A girl with a small yellow dog was crying and shouting next to Ian.
Amidst the ups and downs of my emotions.
Ian instinctively reached out to help, but his hand passed through the already illusory image, grasping only a handful of black sand that had returned to silence.
"Damn illusion! What the hell is going on!" Ian stared at the fine sand slipping from his fingers and the little girl in front of him who was ultimately unable to change her fate and was swallowed by flames.
An inexplicable anger rose within him.
He watched as flames and meteorites engulfed the sunless land, and as torrential rains and floods washed away all traces of its existence in the aftermath of the disaster.
The waves were fierce and the towering waves came and went, leaving behind only a devastated and shattered land. The once bustling and prosperous city had become a desert. No one was spared, nothing survived—an entire nation fell from the face of the earth into an abyss from which it would never see the light again in the midst of the catastrophe.
Ian can see it.
Because he was following the city's perspective at that moment.
It continued to fall, and fall, until the entire kingdom plunged into a world of the dead. It was as if some indescribable force had banished it from the mortal realm to this place of darkness and despair.
A nation, along with all its inhabitants, has fallen into abyss. The wind is the only sound here. It howls and roars, whipping up clouds of black sand that obscure all hope.
The commotion was enormous.
It carries a sense of desolation and despair.
The people who were still wailing, the crying children, and the men and women screaming their lungs out made Ian feel uncomfortable and he covered his ears.
"Could I have seen some forbidden history that I shouldn't have seen...?" Ian saw the little girl with the yellow dog again, but she, like the ancient city, had become a member of the world of the dead.
Some knew what had happened, while others remained bewildered. In any case, their commotion and the collapse of the entire nation seemed to have disturbed some slumbering entity in this region.
The blood moon appeared silently, like a watchful eye. It looked somewhat drowsy, as if it were being awakened for the first time in countless years.
"Hehehehehe~"
suddenly.
Just as Ian was feeling something clearly for some reason, a sudden and abrupt sound rang out, and a black figure emerged from a crack in the air.
"Holy crap! You scared me!"
Ian grabbed the uninvited Black Phoenix, grabbed it by the neck and lifted his companion up. Finally, the somewhat eerie and piercing scream came to an abrupt end.
"You can actually cross the boundary between life and death at will, which does indeed fit the ability a true phoenix should have." Ian stuffed the black phoenix directly into his robe.
Just as he was about to continue observing the old echoes around him, everything began to gradually dim, perhaps due to the influence of the Black Phoenix's appearance.
The city, the dilapidated streets, the shouting people, the poor little girl and her little yellow dog—everything was frozen in time, then began to dissipate like a mirage after a gentle breeze.
Like a fragile dream, first the city's edges began to blur, and on the streets, the originally bleak scene vanished instantly, and everything returned to the black sand that made them up.
The lines drawn by Ian's Guardian Charm were also crumbling, turning into specks of light, which, like the black sand, were slowly blown away into the distance by the wind and dust.
It was as if it had never existed.
Everything fell silent.
However, as Ian tightly closed and pressed down on his robes, trying to prevent the Black Phoenix from showing its head and howling again, he was astonished to find a dilapidated tower not far away after the black sand dispersed.
"That's strange, it wasn't here before." Ian could vaguely make out the outline of the tower, which seemed to be the shelter tower that appeared in the illusionary echo before.
Many legendary figures have climbed it, presumably to prolong the time before the cataclysm arrives. In Ian's eyes, such a building must be the pinnacle of alchemical creation. After all, the ability to temporarily withstand a cataclysmic disaster beyond human capability was something Ian had never even heard of in the Hogwarts library.
Just as Ian was hesitating whether to go over and take a look, weighing whether it would just be another echo of the past.
"Hehehehehe~"
The black phoenix couldn't squeeze out from where Ian was covering it, but it found an opening and quickly crawled out from under Ian's feet by sliding down his robe.
This guy is incredibly fast.
So much so that by the time Ian realized what was happening, the Black Phoenix had already flapped its wings and flown away—it flew towards the mysterious tower, and Ian could only quickly follow by manipulating his flight cloak.
"It actually appeared out of nowhere!"
Ian quickly arrived in front of the tower. He stared at the slightly dilapidated building in front of him, somewhat surprised. He was quite puzzled by this thing that was beyond his understanding.
Is it something that was always here, but I just couldn't see it? Or is it some trace left behind by some old echo for some reason?
The black sand and the dappled light under the blood moon shrouded everything in a halo of light and shadow, and the dilapidated tower looked as if it had been corroded by sulfuric acid.
The tower's windows are broken, leaving only empty window frames, gazing at this desolate land. The cracks that cover the tower also look like dried-up blood vessels.
Those are the marks of time.
Even when trapped in a bewildering illusion, there seems to be no escape.
Perhaps it's related to the fact that this tower, along with its original kingdom, was forcibly exiled to the world of the dead? Ian could only guess; his knowledge was clearly insufficient.
"What's in here that excites you so much?" Ian saw his Black Phoenix standing at the top of the tower, as if waiting for him to follow in its footsteps.
"Hehehehehe~"
The black phoenix let out another eerie cry, then squeezed through the broken window—Ian couldn't fit through, as the window was far too small.
Perhaps if he were five or six years younger, he could squeeze in a little.
"I'm not a bird, I should go in through the front door." Ian, who had tried but failed, landed in front of the tower with a sense of indignation.
The tower's main entrance was nowhere to be found, and one could simply step inside. Ian walked along the broken stone slabs, and the first thing that caught his eye was a huge clock.
It looks relatively intact.
However, all the pointers that should have been there were nowhere to be found.
"This thing is an alchemical artifact..." Ian's sharp eyes clearly noticed something amiss with the giant clock; it was engraved with many seemingly damaged runes. They were clearly the work of a human wizard, and were significantly different from the legendary runes and death runes Ian had seen before.
However, these inscriptions do not belong to the category of runes, but are an ancient magical script that Ian does not understand. He thinks that perhaps Professor Morgan or Nick Flamel can see some clues.
"My knowledge is still too shallow; I need to work harder." Ian, adhering to the fine virtue of a thief who never leaves empty-handed—or rather, an excellent scavenger—said.
He pulled out a series of tools for committing the crime and pried a huge clock, which was much taller than him, off the wall and put it into his money bag.
In an instant.
Ian felt the purse had become much heavier—the physical objects preserved within the Unseen Stretch Charm did not reduce the weight; some magic capable of altering the weight of the items needed to be layered on top.
Rao is so.
It can only reduce the weight of some items; it cannot truly and completely ignore the weight of items. At least Ian's current magical skill is not yet at that level for making "space bags".
Of course, Ian has already done a great job to get to this point, after all, not everyone has the ability to carry half of Hogwarts with them.
"I just don't know if I can bring it out of the illusion." Ian was a little worried about what he had gained this time, since he had done similar experiments before in an attempt to bring out something from the illusion.
Aside from the fragments of the dress given to him by Professor Morgan, he only managed to take out the stones that existed in the dreamlike realm; he couldn't take anything like flowers and plants with him at all.
Morgan's golden plate, Pendro's sword, and Ariana's straw hat are all things that can be picked up but not taken out. Ian still hasn't figured out the specific rules behind this.
"This Big Ben is something from the human world, so it shouldn't have any ownership of the Mystic Realm, right?" Ian looked around as if he still wanted to pry something away.
If it weren't for the fact that his money pouch had a limit to its opening, he would have even wanted to take out some black sand to fill the entire tower, as the previous echoes from the past had already fully demonstrated the tower's extraordinary nature.
"A true wizard should live in a mage tower, that's what's impressive, not some ordinary little villa or castle." Ian admitted that he was now in a state of fickleness, having found a new love.
He searched through the things in the tower's main hall, but it seemed that apart from the Big Ben, which he had already looted, everything else had become rotten and decayed over time.
In the center of the hall stood a huge stone table, on which were scattered ancient scrolls and broken vessels. Ian merely touched these things with his fingertips, and they turned into ashes like powder, even emitting a slightly pungent smell as they drifted into the air.
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey~"
Ian felt like his face was covered in dust.
I'm currently reading the error-free version! This is the first time I've published this novel.
"Hehehehehe~"
Just as he began to use magic to summon water to wash his face, the strange cry of the black phoenix rang out again from above. It poked its head out from the top of the tower, calling out to its master.
"If there's nothing of value here, I'll kick your ass with my shoe!" Ian abandoned the things on the stone table and tried to fly up there using his magic cloak.
however.
"It's not moving anymore?"
"Stand up straight!"
Ian found that his magic cloak seemed to have stopped working—he was a little confused, so he quickly tried another spell, which was very successful. This was clearly not some kind of magic-free zone.
"Only other alchemical creations are prohibited?"
Ian took out a [Bone Crushing and Ashes Box] and placed it in front of the stone table. The next moment, the [Bone Crushing and Ashes Box] started working, stretching out its little legs and opening its little mouth to frantically gnaw on the stone table.
It's obvious that alchemical items aren't prohibited inside this tower. In fact, Ian's purse can prove this point; he just took out the [Bone Crushing and Ashes Box] as additional proof.
"The only thing prohibited from taking off... Perhaps this place is important and deserves some solemn respect?" Ian looked at the various intricate runes engraved on the tower and made a reasonable guess.
His legs didn't rest either; instead, they headed towards the stairs, climbing the winding staircase all the way up, getting closer and closer to the top floor where the Black Phoenix was.
en route.
The murals on the wall next to the stairs also caught Ian's attention.
The walls were adorned with exquisite murals depicting the city's former prosperity. The murals were faded and worn, but Ian still made an astonishing discovery upon closer inspection.
"Wild swans..."
"A tabby cat and a deer..."
"The Metamorphosis Bird..."
"Wow! I knew there must have been mermaids in the world!"
……
Even though it's in ruins, you can still see that the once incredibly beautiful murals now feature creatures that Ian never saw in "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them".
Each mural is like a microcosm of an ancient story, quietly recounting past glory and wonder. Even Ian, who cannot read the text, can understand what it is trying to express. They are still flowing... perhaps because the tower has not completely collapsed and some magical power remains.
Ian saw a group of elves dancing around a huge ancient tree. They had pointed ears, small bodies, wore clothes that shimmered with light, and their faces were filled with happy and joyful smiles.
On the murals depicting dwarves.
The dwarves were busily digging for treasure, surrounded by piles of glittering gems and gold coins, clearly the fruits of their hard work.
An elegant unicorn stood amidst a field of blooming flowers. Its horn was as white as jade, shimmering with a soft light, as if it could heal all the wounds of the world.
Fairies, dressed in light gauze dresses, danced gracefully in the clouds, while mermaids sat on the rocks, expressing their longing and pursuit of love with their beautiful and moving songs.
Many fantastical creatures, perhaps extinct, are depicted in the murals, and Ian glimpsed something unusual in the murals about dragons.
Each dragon described here possesses a unique form and power; they soar through the skies or coil in the sea, displaying boundless majesty and mysterious power.
"It's the kind of ancient dragon for which I've already signed a contract!" Ian stared at the murals depicting the dragon, realizing that the tower itself might be from an era even older than Morgan's.
to be frank.
This is not the most astonishing discovery.
If Ian hadn't clearly seen the era in which this tower existed and the function it served, he would have definitely suspected that these murals might just be the imagination of the ancients.
After all, besides the fantastical creatures whose existence is now uncertain, Ian also discovered some scenes in the murals near the top floor that truly shattered his worldview and understanding.
"A brave and resourceful little tailor defeated a powerful giant through his wisdom—a story that sounds familiar."
"Holy crap! A beautiful and kind princess, persecuted by her wicked stepmother, finally finds happiness with the help of the seven dwarfs and the prince... Isn't that Snow White?!"
"A brave and innocent girl who displayed intelligence and wit after encountering the wolf—a true Little Red Riding Hood!"
"And this one... a girl abused by her stepmother and stepsisters who found happiness through courage, kindness, and magic. If she's not Cinderella, I'll cook my phoenix right here and now!"
……
Looking at the mural in front of me.
Ian felt as if he were watching a series of fairy tales rather than reading through history, and this sense of astonishment and fantasy was truly difficult to describe in words.
Although he already knew many things that seemed like stories, which might actually be part of the history of the wizarding world, these murals still had a huge impact on Ian.
Isn't that what's being said?
Did those fairy tale kingdoms ever actually exist?
"If all of this really happened... wow, a major historical earthquake."
Ian pressed his hand tightly against the mural. Although he failed to infuse it with magic, he could still sense some lingering energy.
"The oldest magic."
Ian realized that the existence of these murals was clearly not to tell stories of the past to future generations, but rather that they contained one of the oldest forms of magic in human history.
It is similar to the magic that Harry Potter was protected by his mother.
"It's hope..."
Ian had a general understanding of one aspect of how the Tower worked.
It is impossible to know what terrible catastrophe this country was fighting against, but it is clear that the power of love and hope was an important element in the means used to combat that catastrophe.
The stories inscribed on the tower are the carriers of that ancient magic. However, unfortunately, this kind of power, which Lily Evans used to defeat Voldemort, is not invincible.
At least in the final moments of this kingdom that had fallen into darkness, love and hope failed to create miracles. It's unclear whether this was related to the collapse of the people's beliefs and inner selves.
"No matter what, even with so much hope and love gathered together, we still couldn't overcome this disaster... It's terrifying to think about." Ian recalled the fallen sun and the collapsed city.
Such a grand and tragic scene, once witnessed, is likely to remain vividly etched in one's memory for a lifetime. He speculated that the cause of the catastrophe might be related to illusory and elusive deities.
Just as there are more than just humans in the vast universe, since the Grim Reaper has been proven to be a real entity, it is only natural that other gods would exist.
Perhaps we could ask Professor Morgan; after all, he saw his senior sister in the mural.
"The god of death destroying the world? Or some other god I don't understand?" Ian continued walking up, and the content of the murals was different for each one. He also saw some different wizards in the murals.
These wizards wore black robes or long cloaks and carried magic wands or spellbooks.
Their magic is often associated with elements such as darkness, lightning, and storms, symbolizing their glorious and powerful magical abilities.
Perhaps these wizards once appeared in various fairy tales, but now, on the murals, Ian can only see the radiant evidence on their bodies that shows they have all become legends.
"If the characters in fairy tales have existed in the human world, then will they also appear in the dreamlike realm?" Ian slowly walked to the top floor with a complex mix of curiosity and unease.
It was dark here.
The red moonlight outside couldn't shine in at all.
"Fluorescent lights!"
Ian raised his wand and chanted a spell, and a ball of pure white light was frozen in mid-air, like a small sun, illuminating everything in the room on the top floor of the tower.
"Magic Stone!!"
Ian saw his Black Phoenix perched on a stone slab. Before he could ask what the Black Phoenix had brought him there for, his gaze was drawn to a pile of gems embedded in the slab.
Dozens of glittering magic stones lay quietly on it. These magic stones varied in size and shape, but without exception, they all possessed the same properties as the magic stones Ian knew.
It can turn any metal into pure gold and can also create an elixir of immortality, making those who drink it never die. This is something that only Nicolas Flamel has ever created in this century.
"Unfortunately, it's already lost its magic." Ian rushed forward and pried the magic stone off the stone slab, but his luck wasn't quite up to the heavens.
Although all the Philosopher's Stones still had their luster, they were only slightly better off than the one Voldemort had absorbed, as the magic they contained had been almost completely exhausted.
Many people are actually unaware of this.
While the Philosopher's Stone can indeed grant immortality, its magic is not eternal. The amount of magic it contains depends on the alchemist's skill and the crafting process.
"It must have been the magic that kept the tower running before, and then it was all drained away." Ian sighed heavily, a faint sense of disappointment at having been disappointed.
"One shouldn't be too greedy."
He comforted himself with that thought.
"Hehehehehe~"
As if in response, the black phoenix flapped its wings and flew towards the depths of the tower top—Ian followed and saw a tall platform appear in front of him.
It seemed to have grown naturally from the ancient stone wall, like a pair of giant hands holding a box, inside which lay a bright green seed, which had been opened by the black phoenix with its beak.
"What is this thing?"
Ian leaned closer and examined it closely. It looked ordinary, but in this dim and mysterious environment, it exuded a vibrant vitality.
It seems to contain some extraordinary power.
The black box containing the seed was also engraved with many runes, quite similar to those seen on the tower walls, except that these runes still seemed to possess magic and were flickering slightly.
"It's definitely going to be a good thing."
Ian carefully picked up the seed, feeling the warmth and life force emanating from its surface. Although it was just a tiny seed at the moment, Ian had a very strong premonition that, given the right soil, sunlight, and water, it would surely bloom with amazing brilliance.
"Click click click~"
Just as Ian was wondering if he could grow a World Tree from this seed, his act of taking the seed seemed to have triggered some mechanism in the tower.
"Taking one is taking one! Taking them all is taking one too!"
Seeing the ground shake and hearing a dull thud, Ian grabbed the small box that had contained the seeds and sprinted toward the window without a word.
He had already taken out his wand, intending to see if he could blast the window wider, but before he could even reach the window, the commotion from the tower abruptly stopped.
"Hehehehehe~"
The black phoenix, still standing in the same spot, seemed to be mocking Ian's cowardice with its cry.
"Once I learn Apparition, I'll definitely be braver than you." Ian turned around, unconvinced, to retort, only to find that the platform holding the seed box had vanished without a trace.
Instead, there was a long corridor... Blue candles lit up the walls of the corridor. Ian hesitated for a moment before stepping in with his wand in hand.
Keep walking forward.
The room grew increasingly dark.
Fortunately, Ian's Illumination Charm continued to provide vision.
After walking for several minutes, Ian finally reached the end of the passage, which was a room that resembled a bedroom, filled with all sorts of luxurious decorations.
In the very center of the room stood a huge four-poster bed, its posts carved with intricate vine patterns, entwined with golden threads, and topped with dazzling gemstones that shimmered with an alluring luster.
The walls of the room were also covered with exquisite tapestries, the edges of which were outlined with gold thread, complementing the gold decorations in the room and revealing endless luxury and nobility.
"The King's room?"
Ian touched them lightly and found that they were also rotten inside, which made him feel a little regretful. His gaze was eventually drawn to the spot where the black phoenix was.
That was a king's throne.
Above the throne hung a huge crystal chandelier, each crystal meticulously crafted, and the throne itself was made of pure gold and inlaid with countless gems and pearls.
"These things are meaningless now, they're all fragile and worthless. If you really like treasure hunting, let's go to the human world sometime, and I'll take you to find the Dragon King and the Golden Mountain!" Ian stepped forward and gently kicked the throne. Sure enough, this seemingly luxurious thing immediately began to decay.
In the blink of an eye.
It turned into dust all over the ground.
but.
What lay behind it was revealed to Ian—a hidden dark room, empty except for a black robe draped over the corner.
Countless shackles and chains were interwoven into the black robe.
"A female slave who was imprisoned?"
Ian curiously ventured into the secret chamber, and just as he was about to grab the pale skeleton exposed outside the black robe, the black robe, which had existed there for countless years, suddenly moved.
"There's no wind here..."
Ian was slightly taken aback.
Before he could reach out again...
next moment.
Beneath the black robe that appeared no different from the surrounding inanimate objects, the skeletal body began to tremble slightly. Just as Ian was startled and frantically took several steps back, pulling out his wand and the potion of equality for all beings...
The drooping black robe slowly raised its head.
Inside the pitch-black hood.
A pale skull stared at Ian—its bones had a jade-like luster, not the usual pale and fragile, but rather a strange translucent texture, as if it had remained unchanged despite the passage of time and the baptism of death, without a trace of decay clinging to it.
The skeleton exuded an aura as still as a pool of water, yet it seemed capable of unleashing a terrifying, towering wave at any moment! Ian had never truly felt such a clear sense of majesty emanating from any wizard.
"The deceased? Remnants of the past?"
Ian was unsure of the skeleton's attributes. The other dead he had encountered in the illusionary realm were mostly in a soul state with the bodies and appearances of living people.
This appearance, as if he had crawled out of a graveyard, was something he had never heard of in his dreamlike state, and it was probably related to the fact that the entire country where this solitary tower was located had fallen.
"Can we communicate?"
Ian's gaze was fixed on the black-robed skeleton. The mysterious and peculiar bones made his heart flutter, and a sense of tension rose inexplicably in his heart.
of course.
His greater concern about whether these bones could be used in medicine overshadowed the tension and unease that had risen within him. Ian swallowed hard as he looked at the black-robed skeleton.
"Has anyone lost this skeleton? If no one claims it, I'll take it!" Ian asked knowingly, making a few fake shouts in the empty space around him.
"Hehehehehe~"
Black Phoenix began to mock his self-deception again.
"Phew~"
Just at this time.
The skull, which had originally had empty, pitch-black eye sockets, suddenly had red soul flames ignited in them, as if flames had been lit within them. He first met Ian's gaze.
In an instant.
Ian felt a little dazed, as if the other person's gaze carried an extremely heavy force, so much so that his breathing became slightly rapid.
Fortunately, the black-robed skeleton didn't keep staring at Ian.
"Hehehehehe~"
The black phoenix's eerie cry attracted the attention of the black-robed skeleton.
It turned its stiff head and stared intently at Ian's black phoenix, its sudden, hurried, and cautious movements becoming unusually pronounced.
"Jie?"
Black Phoenix tilted its head in confusion.
Ian was surprised to find that he could sense the emotions of the black-robed skeleton.
From initial unease to gradual calm.
"It has no soul...it's just an empty shell."
A hoarse voice came again from the skeleton's throat, which had no vocal cords. It seemed to relax a little and straightened its posture.
Perhaps it was because of that state of alertness I was in just now.
Red lines spread out from its eyes.
The black-robed skeleton's body began to glow with dense red patterns, these patterns as fiery as burning flames, and as vivid as flowing blood.
A thin film, seemingly formed from condensed magical energy, covered the surface of the bones, shimmering with an eerie and dangerous light against the backdrop of red patterns.
Ian could sense a power within it that made his heart pound.
but.
It's not exactly dangerous.
This power felt far too weak to be perceived. It was as if it could vanish at any moment, with no possibility of ever erupting again.
To be fair, the fact that this skeleton can still move and communicate is already an incredible miracle. The feeling of being completely exhausted couldn't be more obvious in this skeleton.
"It's alive! No! It's come back to life!" Ian's voice was slightly disappointed, but he remained vigilant and asked in a slightly curious tone.
after all.
No one knew whether the skeleton's apparent exhaustion was a facade. The young wizard silently pulled out a few more bottles of [Anti-Magic Potion], wondering if they would even work on the ancients.
"I won't die..."
The black-robed skeleton struggled to its feet, its voice carrying an ancient and mysterious rhythm. It stood there silently, like an ancient and enigmatic sculpture.
The black robe tightly wrapped around its frame. Although the fabric was tattered, its former splendor and solemnity could still be vaguely seen. The robe was also engraved with many patterns that Ian could not understand.
"Are you one of the legends who once protected that city?" The young wizard saw the patterns on the black-robed skeleton, the patterns that covered every bone in its body.
to be frank.
It was very similar to the legendary runes that had previously lit up his body, except that the patterns on the black-robed skeleton were more complex, intertwined and occupying almost every area of the bones.
The red lines, like burning flames or flowing blood, meandered and coiled on the skull, forming a complex and exquisite pattern.
These patterns not only give the skull an awe-inspiring sense of power, but also make it look more vivid and realistic, as if it could unleash destructive power at any moment.
Ian felt a sense of familiarity with this eerie red—the sun hanging in the dark sky in the old echo composed of black sand seemed to have the same color.
"I can't remember..."
As the skeleton opened its now fleshless mouth, its jawbone moved in an incredible way, emitting a low, hoarse sound.
"So what do you remember?"
Ian swallowed hard and continued to press for answers.
"I can't remember."
The skeleton repeated its previous response and pointed to its empty head, as if to tell Ian that it had lost the brain that stores memories.
"..."
Ian was speechless for a moment.
He felt something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"You can talk even without vocal cords, so why would you care if you have a brain to recall the past?" After holding it in for a long time, the little wizard finally couldn't suppress the strange feeling in his heart.
"You need... brains."
The black-robed skeleton spoke again in a hoarse voice.
"Where am I supposed to find you a brain? How about a cow's brain? Just make do with that?" Ian pulled out the pig brains he had prepared for hot pot at the House of Requirement from his purse.
"I have a pig's brain too. I feel like a pig's brain will definitely make you smarter." Ian gestured with his eyes for Black Phoenix to take the two brains he was holding and let the black-robed skeleton choose.
Phoenix, who was in perfect harmony with him, naturally did as instructed immediately.
"..."
This action left the black-robed skeleton silent for a long time.
It is clear.
Its resurrection was absolutely a result of Ian's antics.
"Those who are loved will grow flesh and blood." The black-robed skeleton did not raise his hand to select the brains that Ian had offered, but continued to whisper to Ian in a hoarse voice.
"Tsk tsk, who fed you all this chicken soup?" Ian originally thought the black-robed skeleton was joking, but unexpectedly, the black-robed skeleton kept staring at him with eyes burning with deep red soul fire.
Silence remained.
Yet he appeared incredibly serious.
"You don't mean you want me to kiss you, do you?" The little wizard's eyes widened immediately, as he thought of scenes that seemed to have appeared in many fairy tales.
He had just reviewed these stories from the murals on the tower, such as the prince smelling the princess and the princess kissing the frog, and now they all rushed into his mind at once.
"Those who are loved will grow flesh and blood."
The black-robed skeleton was like a relentless repeater.
"??????"
Ian's expression changed drastically over time. As the Black Phoenix's eerie laughter rang out again, he swallowed hard and sized up the other's height, which was about 1.8 meters even with pure bone structure.
"Those who are loved will grow flesh and blood."
The black-robed skeleton repeated itself, even raising its hand towards Ian.
"Alright, alright, alright! A male corpse who's been slew of sex toys!"
Ian didn't say a word.
He immediately turned and ran.
Are you kidding me!
Tell him to kiss this freak in front of him?
This was his first real kiss!
Leaving aside any pretty young girl, even if it were given to something like a bronze eagle head, Ian wouldn't want to have a bone kiss with a guy who looks like a male skeleton!
"The traditional English horse race started way too early!" Ian ran out of the dark room. He suspected that the fallen kingdom had probably also developed on the cursed land of England.
This is not.
The strange thing that had been asleep for who knows how many years actually wanted to be loved the moment it woke up. Ian didn't believe that if he kissed the other person, flesh and blood would actually grow on its body!
"Even magic has principles!"
Ian didn't have any unusual fetishes, so it was impossible for him to fall in love with a male skeleton. He certainly couldn't exert any power of love, and he knew that he would only get his first kiss from the evil skeleton for nothing.
"I shouldn't have been curious in the first place. If I hadn't been curious, I wouldn't have entered this bedroom, and if I hadn't entered this bedroom, my ears wouldn't have been contaminated!"
Ian dashed straight outside the tower and ran wildly down the stairs, glancing back every now and then. Luckily, his Black Phoenix caught up with him.
The figure of the black-robed skeleton did not appear... Thinking of the shackles and chains on the skeleton, Ian felt much more at ease and slowed his fleeing pace.
"I don't think that guy will be able to leave that room." Ian caught the black phoenix flying towards him, patted its head, and murmured softly.
"Hehehehehe~"
No one could probably understand what the Black Phoenix was saying. Ian could only tell from the Black Phoenix's voice and emotions that it seemed to disagree with him.
"If it could get out, would it have been tied up there for so long?" Ian ran out of the tower, turned around, and found that the tower was slowly disappearing, just like the old echoes from before.
A breeze blew by.
That means nothing will be left.
Only the ever-dissipating black sand seemed to testify that it had once been revealed.
"I was only inside that tower for a short while, yet it accelerated the consumption of a lot of my limited-time experience time?" Ian only then noticed something strange.
According to Ms. Ravenclaw, the deeper he went into the Enchanted Realm, the shorter the time he could stay there, but he didn't feel particularly exhausted while he was in the desert.
Why is it that right after entering that tower, a full day and night has passed without us even realizing it? That's much faster than at Doomsday Volcano.
"It can't be that this tower is located even further away than Mount Doom, and then for some reason only briefly revealed itself to me, right?"
Filled with doubt and confusion, Ian's figure began to fade in the hazy illusion, and he returned to the Forbidden Forest of Hogwarts with a clear mind.
Normal moonlight shines through the dense canopy of trees, dappling the ground and forming patches of silver light. These patches of light sway with the gentle night breeze and the leaves.
Quiet.
Peaceful.
The breeze that usually felt eerie now seemed quite refreshing to Ian, and the occasional noises from the magical creatures felt more welcoming than ever before.
"I've been stuck in that desert for too long, I'm about to go crazy." Ian grabbed a Bowtruckle that had come out to be on guard after hearing the noise.
He was playing with this cute little gadget.
however.
The hunchback, however, showed a look of horror.
"I thought we were already pretty close!"
Ian had originally intended to teach the Bowtruckle a lesson, but instead, he saw a figure in the Bowtruckle's tiny pupils that sent chills down his spine and made his scalp tingle.
"Those who are loved will grow flesh and blood."
A hoarse voice.
The sound rang out behind the little wizard.
[P.S.: No, it won't go beyond the fantasy worldview that combines Harry Potter, fairy tales, and Merlin.]
(End of this chapter)