Chapter 357: Well, are Gryffindors such good students?
"Are there any native cold-water Merperson in the Black Lake? If so, it would be interesting to see them! There must be Merperson in there!"
Dylan blinked.
Of course, he knew about the secrets of the Black Lake.
The golden egg's lyrics, "purest thing" and "dangerous darkness," combined with the Merperson clues, had given him a clearer guess about the location and content of the second task.
"Actually, there's another piece of information I can add—a colony of Merperson has indeed been living at the bottom of Hogwarts' Black Lake for a long time."
Dylan looked at everyone's curious eyes and slowly began, "However, the Black Lake is a cold-water lake, with consistently low temperatures, so the Merperson here look a bit different from warm-water Merperson. They generally appear uglier, with darker scales and a more robust physique."
"Ugly Merperson…" Fred couldn't help but sigh when he heard this, his anticipation instantly fading a few points. "I was hoping to see the graceful Merperson of legend, but now it seems I'll only see something as sturdy as a boulder. It's a bit of a shame."
"Don't just discuss Merperson." George suddenly changed the subject, raising an eyebrow, his tone full of leading questions. "Why don't we talk about the lyrics from the golden egg's song—'First and foremost, you will lose the treasure you rely on to live.' What exactly does 'treasure' refer to here? It can't just be any random thing, can it?"
"I think the answer is actually very simple: it should be air!" Hermione raised her hand, her tone certain. "Didn't Dylan just say that there are Merperson at the bottom of the Black Lake? So the location for the second task is basically the bottom of the Black Lake. When a person goes to the bottom of the lake, the most direct thing they lose is air, since we can't breathe underwater. Isn't that 'the treasure you rely on to live'?"
"Air? That seems to make some sense." Another student continued the conversation. "We need to breathe air every moment; we can't live without air. Saying it's 'the treasure you rely on to live' is indeed correct."
But no sooner had he finished speaking than someone retorted, "If you only look at the first half of the lyrics, that thought is reasonable, but don't forget, the Merperson also sang, 'We have taken your treasure, where neither air nor light can dwell.' If the treasure is air, then 'hidden in the purest thing' – does that mean we need to retrieve air? That makes no sense at all!"
Another student added, "Moreover, the Black Lake is so deep. As Wizards, if we were to dive to the bottom, we would definitely solve the breathing problem with magic beforehand, such as casting a 'Bubble-Head Charm' or carrying a magical breathing apparatus. Since we can solve the air problem, the phrase 'lose air' in the lyrics doesn't hold up. Therefore, 'treasure' definitely isn't air."
All of a sudden, the common room became lively, with students chattering and expressing their opinions.
Some believed the treasure was a wand, others thought it was a magical potion, and some even guessed it was an ability related to their own magic.
Many people stuck to their ideas, even arguing until their faces were red to convince others, their voices growing louder and louder. The originally relaxed atmosphere instantly became tense.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, a crisp popping sound came from the center of the common room.
Harry waved his wand, causing a colorful magical balloon to burst in mid-air, successfully interrupting everyone's argument.
"Everyone! Everyone! Please be quiet for a moment!" Harry stood on the table and said loudly, "You seem to have forgotten an important thing—Dylan clearly said just now that even if we know what the so-called clue is, we must keep it to ourselves and not tell him! This is a rule of the Triwizard Tournament, requiring champions to complete the task independently. As Gryffindor students, we cannot lead the disruption!"
Dylan glanced at him.
Hmm, are Gryffindor students really that well-behaved?
"Right! That's correct!" A student immediately echoed, with a hint of caution in his tone. "Lest people from other schools see it and use it as leverage, saying we helped Dylan cheat. Then the trouble would be huge. Everyone hasn't forgotten what happened during the goblet of fire selection, have they?"
"Those people aren't above deliberately causing trouble!" Another student said indignantly. "It clearly wasn't Dylan's fault during the last goblet of fire selection, yet he ended up facing two Dragon alone and enduring extra pressure. It's so unfair!"
"And that Karkaroff!" When the biased judge was mentioned, a student grew even angrier, his voice rising a few octaves. "How many points did he give Harry and the others? When it came to Dylan's excellent performance, he was still reluctant to give him full marks! It's clearly targeting Hogwarts, it's too much!"
Seeing that the students were about to argue again over the previous unfair incidents, Harry quickly spoke up again, trying to guide the atmosphere: "Alright, alright, let's not bring up past matters again, lest it spoil today's good mood. Let's continue celebrating!"
He paused, his voice full of pride: "We should not only celebrate Dylan successfully completing the first task and getting the highest score of the entire competition! We should also celebrate him being the first to crack the secret of the golden egg—I guarantee, Dylan is definitely the fastest among all the champions to solve the golden egg clue! Draco probably hasn't even figured it out yet! Let's not talk about these unhappy topics tonight, everyone celebrate to your heart's content, eat and drink well!"
"I have something to add!" Ron raised his hand. "Regarding the lyrics inside the golden egg, it's best not to reveal the content of our discussion today to anyone, whether it's students from other Houses or champions from other schools. We must keep it a secret. This will ensure the fairness of the competition to the greatest extent and avoid bringing unnecessary trouble to Dylan."
The students nodded in agreement with Ron's suggestion.
After the intense debate, everyone did feel a bit hungry.
Someone voluntarily stepped forward to push the food table, which had been moved to the corner, back to the center. Others picked up their plates, re-selected their favorite delicacies, and chatted and laughed, sharing the interesting anecdotes from their discussion. The atmosphere in the common room once again became relaxed and pleasant, with only the aroma of food and the students' joyful laughter remaining.
As the first task concluded, the Ministry of Magic's Department of International Magical Cooperation and Department of Magical Games and Sports, responsible for organizing the event, immediately entered a dual-track busy state.
On one hand, they had to deal with the aftermath of the first task, including organizing scoring records, comforting injured champions, and providing feedback on the competition to each school.
On the other hand, they had to tirelessly prepare for the second task, from venue setup to clue confirmation, every step requiring repeated verification.
In the office of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, Ludo Bagman stood before Old Barty Crouch's desk, unconsciously rubbing his hands, his tone tinged with hesitation: "Old Barty, I'm wondering, isn't the clue for the second task set up too complex? The champions have just finished their confrontation with the Dragon; if the clue is too difficult, won't it dampen their enthusiasm?"
Old Barty Crouch didn't even look up, his gaze still fixed on the event report in his hand. He merely asked casually, "What aspect do you find complex? Is it the way the clue is presented, or the difficulty of the task itself?"
"Of course, it's the clue design!" Ludo Bagman immediately said, his tone reflecting a fondness for the old plan. "Wasn't our previously finalized 'finding the most beloved treasure' plan good enough? Simple and direct, champions would definitely go all out if they knew the target was something they cherished, and their enthusiasm would absolutely not be an issue."
"Is that so?" Old Barty finally put down the report, looking up at Ludo with a hint of scrutiny in his eyes. "Mr. Bagman, do you still remember the final number of champions confirmed for this Triwizard Tournament?"
"Uh…" Ludo Bagman paused, subconsciously starting to count on his fingers, "Let me think… Uh, so you think the number of champions is too many."
"Of course!" Old Barty's finger lightly tapped the desk, his tone becoming serious. "The original plan was designed according to the original number of champions, but now there are extra people. What seems like just a change in number will actually cause a series of chain problems!"
He picked up the report again, pointing to the annotations on several pages, and analyzed in detail for Ludo: "For example, the division of task areas at the bottom of the Black Lake. The original number of people could be evenly distributed, but one extra person will lead to some areas overlapping. Also, the cooperation of the Merperson—we agreed with the Black Lake Merperson to assist only that many champions. The extra person could very likely cause resistance from the Merperson, leading to accidents! Not to mention safety measures; each additional champion requires two extra diving Wizards and a set of emergency equipment, none of which were considered before."
At this point, Old Barty paused, his gaze falling on Ludo's already sweating forehead, his tone flat but carrying undeniable pressure: "Of course, if you think all these accidents are within controllable limits and are willing to bear all subsequent consequences, I can immediately present your suggestion to the Principals of the three schools and revert to the previous plan."
"What do you think, Mr. Bagman?"
"Uh… no need, no need!" Ludo quickly raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, his tone instantly changing. "Actually, the plan we are using now is also very good—after all, this was proposed by Headmaster Dumbledore. He even specifically analyzed the pros and cons for us at the time, considering the situation of changes in the number of champions. It's much more comprehensive than the previous plan! I fully support the current plan; I was just speaking casually, don't take it seriously."
Old Barty looked at his visibly relaxed demeanor, said no more, and simply lowered his head again, continuing to flip through the report in his hand. Only the faint rustling of paper remained in the office.
Meanwhile, in a dark, damp Chamber of Secrets, Lord Voldemort stood before a dilapidated stone coffin.
A disheveled owl circled above his head, letting out a few hoarse cries before releasing a package wrapped in black silk from its talons, then flapping its wings and flying towards the sole window.
Lord Voldemort's eyes instantly turned cold. He abruptly raised the hawthorn wood wand in his hand, the tip pointing straight at the owl still struggling in mid-air.
A faint trickle of blood suddenly seeped from the owl's body, extending rapidly as if alive, precisely connecting to the tip of the wand.
As soon as the owl flew out the window, its body disintegrated and dissipated at a visible speed, like a stone eroded by a strong wind, finally turning into a wisp of smoke and vanishing into the night.
And that trickle of blood, after absorbing the owl's life force, rapidly grew, becoming a thumb-sized blood bead that slowly flowed along the wand's shaft, eventually merging into Lord Voldemort's gaunt arm.
Lord Voldemort closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and a look of satisfaction appeared on his withered face, as if he was savoring the feeling of life force surging into his body.
A few seconds later, he slowly opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the black package on the ground.
He bent down to pick up the package, and with a gentle flick of his fingertip, the silk automatically unwrapped.
Inside, besides a letter written on parchment, there was an exquisite silver gift box.
Opening the gift box, a transparent crystal potion bottle lay quietly on the velvet lining. The bottle was filled with a dark red liquid, faintly visible slowly swirling, emitting a dangerous aura.
Lord Voldemort picked up the potion bottle, gently shook it, his gaze fixed on the liquid inside.
He slowly unscrewed the stopper, extended his pinky finger, and carefully probed into the bottle. As soon as his fingertip touched the liquid, his fingernail corroded at a visible speed, turning into black powder and falling off.
Seeing this, Lord Voldemort not only didn't get angry but instead tightened the stopper again, a twisted smile appearing on his face, his eyes glinting with murderous intent.
He carefully put the potion bottle away, placing it in the inner pocket of his robe, then picked up the parchment letter, unfolded it, and began to read it word by word. Only his low breathing and the faint rustling of the letter paper intertwined in the Chamber of Secrets, making it exceptionally eerie.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
A muffled knocking broke the silence of the Chamber of Secrets. Barty Crouch Jr.'s deliberately lowered voice came from outside the door, filled with obvious reverence: "Master? Are you in there? I have something to report to you."
Lord Voldemort's gaze remained on the parchment letter, his fingertip gently tracing the writing, his tone flat and without a ripple: "Come in."
Barty Crouch Jr. pushed the door open, his black robes sweeping over the scattered rubble on the floor, making a faint rustling sound.
As soon as he entered the room, he noticed the open letter in Lord Voldemort's hand, as well as the scattered black silk on the corner of the table—the remnants of the package.
Combining this with previous arrangements, he immediately had a guess in his mind, but he dared not directly confirm it, so he tentatively asked: "Master, this letter… is it the latest news about the Triwizard Tournament?"
"Yes."
Lord Voldemort's reply was extremely concise, without any superfluous explanation, his gaze still fixed on the letter, as if its content was more important than Barty's report.
Barty stood still, his fingers clutching the hem of his robe. He hesitated for a few seconds, then braced himself and continued to ask: "Master, regarding Karkaroff… his behavior on the judging panel has become increasingly outrageous recently, constantly suppressing the Hogwarts champions, and even giving Durmstrang full marks regardless of fairness. Should we… do something to restrain him? What if his reckless actions disrupt our plans…"
"No need." Lord Voldemort finally looked up, a cold glint flashing in his scarlet eyes, and a mocking curve formed on his lips. "We did nothing, yet he actively jumped out to expose his own foolishness—a Principal who cannot even maintain basic fairness is not fit to lead Durmstrang."
He slowly folded the letter and placed it on the edge of the stone coffin, his voice filled with calculation: "Is there anything more effortless than this? Let him continue to make a fuss, thoroughly exposing his bias and incompetence. Additionally, you go and arrange to quietly spread his actions on the judging panel to the Durmstrang students—let them see with their own eyes how their Principal abuses his power, how he favors his own champions, and suppresses others."
Lord Voldemort took two steps forward, his gaunt finger lightly tapping the stone coffin, his tone carrying an undeniable command: "Only by making them completely disappointed in Karkaroff and dissatisfied with the existing order will they understand what they need, and only then will they yearn for our intervention. At that time, Durmstrang will naturally become our aid. Now, go and do as I said."
"Yes, Master! I will arrange it immediately!" Barty Crouch Jr. quickly bowed in assent, an excited expression on his face, as if executing such a task was a great honor.
He respectfully retreated to the door, gently closed it, and turned to disappear into the darkness.
Meanwhile, in a corner of the Hogwarts Gryffindor common room, Dylan sat in an armchair by the window, holding the golden egg, his fingers gently caressing the cracks on its shell.
After the discussion, he had a deeper understanding of the golden egg's riddle-song.
This riddle not only contained clues for the second task but was also full of interesting Alchemydesigns.
Chapter 358: New Progress in Soul Research
As a Wizard with some knowledge of Alchemy, Dylan quickly discovered that every line of the riddle was closely related to the core concepts of Alchemy.
He speculated that the reason the judges added the hint "Magnum Opus" at the end of the riddle was most likely to prevent some champions from being unfamiliar with Alchemy and unable to decipher its deeper meaning.
After all, not all schools value Alchemy teaching as much as Beauxbatons.
"Magnum Opus" is a core term in the field of Alchemy, representing "the process of making the Philosopher's Stone."
This process can be further divided into three key stages:
Nigredo, Albedo, and Rubedo.
Dylan matched these three stages with the content of the singing riddle, and his thoughts instantly became clear:
"You will be in dangerous darkness" corresponds exactly to the Nigredo stage.
This is the initial stage of Alchemy, symbolizing chaos, much like raw materials undergoing decomposition and reorganization in darkness, awaiting a new form.
The "pure thing" in "we hid your treasure in a pure thing" points to the goal of the Albedo stage.
Alchemy believes that after Nigredo, raw materials need to be purified in a clean environment to remove impurities, preparing for the final Rubedo.
And the riddle's final mention of "try your best to complete the Magnum Opus" is the true core of the second task.
The champions need to pass the test, complete the transformation from Albedo to Rubedo, and finally achieve the goal of the Magnum Opus, which is to complete the simulated process of making the Philosopher's Stone.
Having clarified the logic of Alchemy, Dylan also had the answer to the treasure he relied on for survival.
That should be a Wizard's wand.
For most Wizards, the wand is the core tool for casting magic; without its assistance, even experienced Wizards would find it difficult to move, let alone complete a test in the dangerous Black Lake.
This conclusion can also be corroborated by a Wizard's growth experience.
For example, Muggle-born Wizards often fall into chaos due to their inability to control their magicbefore entering Hogwarts, which corresponds to the chaos of the Nigredo stage.
When they enter school, get their own wands, and begin to systematically learn magic and hone their abilities, they are undergoing the purification and accumulation of the Albedo stage.
And as their magical proficiency improves, gradually mastering complex Charmss and being able to independently deal with dangers, it is equivalent to completing the Rubedo stage, achieving their own magical Magnum Opus.
Combining these analyses, Dylan also had a rough guess about the process of the second task.
At the start of the test, champions should first hand over their wands.
This corresponds to losing the treasure they rely on for survival; then they will be sent to the bottom of the Black Lake, to search for their hidden wands in the dark water environment, as well as a key item for Rubedo.
This item is likely a substitute simulating the Philosopher's Stone; after finding both, the test officially begins, and the champion needs to use the item to complete the Rubedo process, finally returning to the surface with the wand and the completed Magnum Opus, which is what the riddle means by "returning with the Magnum Opus, laden with treasure."
After figuring this out, Dylan gently placed the golden egg on his lap and looked up at the Black Lakeoutside the window.
The lake surface in the night glowed with a cold light, as if hiding countless secrets.
He knew that the difficulty of the second task was far more challenging than the first task of fighting a Dragon; it required not only magical ability but also an understanding and application of Alchemy, and the Merperson at the bottom of the Black Lake might become the most crucial variable in the test.
After pondering for a moment longer, and having clarified the Alchemy clues in the golden egg's singing riddle, Dylan shifted his attention to the golden egg itself.
He was very curious how this seemingly ordinary golden egg-shaped item managed to display the correct hint only in specific environments.
In the magical world, methods to achieve such functions are not uncommon.
For example, by using a "Revealing Charm" as the core, combined with auxiliary Charmss like "Light-Sensitive Charm" and "Color-Changing Charm," and infusing these magical energies into the item, it could cause the item to emit blurry light spots in dark environments and display clear colorful patterns in bright environments.
But after carefully observing the golden egg, Dylan found that the method it used was far simpler than imagined, and could even be summarized in one sentence:
Directly sealing the Merperson's song within it. This discovery made Dylan's eyes light up.
This meant that the golden egg not only contained the sealing magic cast by Wizards but also retained the Merperson's own magical energy.
The intertwining of the two types of magic made the golden egg a special medium connecting the Wizarding World with the Black Lake Merperson community.
Dylan took a deep breath, concentrating as he cast "Magical Eye" – a high-level Charms that allows one to see the flow of magical energy.
As the Charms took effect, his pupils glowed with a faint blue light, and the magical energy, previously invisible to the naked eye, instantly became clear. From a crack in the golden egg, a thread-like, faint green energy slowly flowed, extending outwards as if alive.
Dylan tracked along the energy trail and found that this thread eventually passed through the common room wall, extended all the way to the Black Lake outside Hogwarts, and finally merged into the depths of the lake bottom.
Clearly, this energy came from the Merperson community in the Black Lake.
"So that's it," Dylan murmured to himself, instantly understanding the source of the golden egg's song.
The Merperson community first sang and recorded the melody, then used special magic to transform the song into an energy thread, which was sealed inside the golden egg.
The chorus he heard earlier was the release of this energy thread under specific conditions.
To further explore the secrets of the energy thread, Dylan remained silent for a moment, then opened his eyes.
A Soul magic quietly emerged.
Subsequently, a black magical energy with an ancient aura flowed through his veins, gathering in his hand.
No wand was needed, no Charms was recited.
Dylan reached out and gently touched the crack in the golden egg, making contact with the faint green energy thread.
The next moment, a black halo emanated from his hand, carefully peeling off an extremely thin branch from the thick energy thread.
He was stripping away an imprint originating from the soul.
In the theoretical system of ancient magic, all things leave imprints.
Emotions, memories, and will belong to fine imprints, while the biological individual itself can be regarded as a rough soul imprint.
What Dylan was stripping away at this moment was a branch of the Merperson community's energy thread, containing a rough soul imprint.
A subtle tremor came from his fingertips, and Dylan could clearly sense the characteristics of this soul imprint.
It was like a closed lock; only by finding the correct "key" to unlock it could the secrets hidden within be released.
He immediately mobilized his magic, sending more magical energy, attempting to unlock the clasp. The faint black energy enveloped the faint green soul imprint, slowly penetrating and probing.
However, this process was much slower than anticipated.
The surface of the faint green imprint seemed to be covered with a hard barrier; every inch of magical energy advancement required a great deal of effort.
Dylan gazed at the slowly changing energy before him, unable to judge how long it would take to completely unlock this soul lock.
"Heh, interesting," Dylan raised an eyebrow.
He didn't rush to continue trying, but first dispelled his magic.
The most important thing now was to find a way to acquire ancient magical power that had been brewing over time.
This, perhaps, would be the key to unlocking the golden egg's ultimate secret.
Once the direction was determined, Dylan did not hesitate.
He concentrated and mobilized his magic.
He guided this silver-black energy to the tip of his wand, gently touching the faint green Merpersonsoul imprint he had previously peeled off.
Almost the instant the two made contact, a wondrous change occurred.
The previously static faint green imprint suddenly became active, as if it had found its home, actively wrapping around the wand's shaft, forming a dense energy ring.
This process progressed at a visible speed.
Within a few breaths, Dylan felt the scene before his eyes begin to distort.
The familiar common room gradually blurred, replaced by a deep darkness, as if he were in an endless abyss.
He knew clearly that this was not truly entering the bottom of the Black Lake; that sense of nihility, detached from reality, was a special space between reality and the soul world.
Just as Dylan was about to survey the situation, a curious third-person perspective quietly emerged.
In the darkness, a faint green light-shadow slowly condensed, its outline blurred but with clear signs of life.
Upon closer inspection, this light-shadow appeared to be both the form of a single Merperson, with slender tail fins and a streamlined body, and also the superposition of the energy of countless Merperson, forming a vast communal aggregate.
This contradictory feeling was both clear and vague.
Combining his own research on souls, Dylan instantly had a hypothesis.
This light-shadow might possess dual attributes, representing either any individual within the Black Lake Merperson community or serving as an energy symbol for the entire community, a fusion of individual and collective soul imprints.
At the same time, he noticed that the faint green thread-like energy he had previously peeled from the golden egg was firmly connected to this light-shadow, like a slender bond, closely linking his consciousness to the light-shadow.
Dylan tried to manipulate this thread with his consciousness; when he formed the thought of retreating in his mind, his body seemed to truly cling to the thread and slowly move backward, while the faint green light-shadow in front of him gradually receded, and the sense of space in the darkness became increasingly clear.
He did not rush to take further action, but remained in place, carefully sensing the energy fluctuations here.
Subtle energy pulses continuously emanated from the faint green light-shadow, as if transmitting some information, but these pulses were too scattered to be interpreted for now.
Dylan understood that to gain more clues about the Black Lake Merperson and the second task, he had to further explore the secrets of this light-shadow.
Perhaps, within this light-shadow, lay the ultimate answer to the golden egg.
Dylan tried to increase the intensity of his conscious control; the 'perceptive body' clinging to the faint green thread began to accelerate its retreat. At first, it moved slowly, but as his concentration increased, the speed of retreat became faster and faster, as if riding the wind through the dark space.
The faint green light-shadow, symbolizing the Merperson, rapidly shrank, eventually turning into a blurry speck of light, while the surrounding darkness surged in like a tide, enveloping his consciousness.
Suddenly, a strong pulling sensation came, and the darkness before his eyes was instantly replaced by a bright light.
Dylan snapped back to reality, this strange perspective completely vanished, and the familiar common room reappeared before his eyes.
The golden egg still lay securely on the silk-lined tray, its surface glowing with a soft luster.
He let out a soft breath.
It turned out that his previous speculation was entirely correct.
In-depth study of the golden egg's magical structure itself, and the soul imprint hidden behind the song, was far more valuable for exploration than simply deciphering the riddle, and more likely to touch upon the core clues of the second task.
After confirming that his consciousness could safely return to his body without any after-effects, Dylan decided to move to a place more suitable for in-depth research.
The common room was bustling with people; although classmates wouldn't casually disturb him, the casting of ancient magic involved unpredictability. Should energy fluctuations affect others, or trigger an abnormal reaction from the golden egg, it could lead to unnecessary trouble.
"A good Chamber of Secrets should be the best choice," Dylan mused.
Dylan arrived at the Room of Requirement.
He didn't immediately cast a Charms, but first took out his notebook and quill from his backpack, sat at the stone table, and meticulously organized his research plan.
The pen scratched on the parchment as he listed the hypotheses he needed to verify one by one.
First, confirm whether the soul space is consistent with known soul domains and whether he can move freely within it and observe details.
Second, attempt to cast basic detection Charmss on the Merperson light-shadow to see if it can trigger a special reaction from the light-shadow and obtain more energy information.
Finally, combining his research on Soul magic, he would try to leave a subtle soul imprint on the light-shadow, observing whether the imprint could merge with the light-shadow or trigger new clues.
With the plan complete, Dylan closed his notebook, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
He took a deep breath, placed the golden egg in the center of the stone table, raised his wand, and his magic once again began to flow.
Unlike last time, this Charms-casting process was exceptionally smooth, encountering no obstacles.
The faint green soul imprint was instantly peeled away, as if pulled by an invisible force, condensing into a thread-like form above the stone table.
As the energy fluctuations intensified, Dylan's consciousness was once again drawn into that familiar dark space, and the strange perspective reopened.
Not far away, the faint green light-shadow symbolizing the Merperson community gently floated, awaiting further exploration.
As his consciousness re-entered the dark space, Dylan immediately felt a change in the surrounding environment.
It was no longer pure void, but filled with a damp, cold sensation similar to the bottom of the Black Lake, as if water currents slowly flowed around him, yet he couldn't touch any tangible water.
He skillfully manipulated the "perceptive body" formed by his consciousness and began to explore the area around the Merperson light-shadow.
Soon, several light-shadows of various forms entered his "field of vision."
Not far to the left, two grey-black light-shadows were slowly moving, their outlines clearly showing slender limbs and sharp claws. Based on his knowledge of magical creature guides, Dylan immediately recognized them as Grindylow light-shadows. Next to them was a brownish light-shadow, its body segmented like an enlarged earthworm, which was a Lobalug, living in the mud at the bottom of the lake.
Chapter 359 New Research on the Guardian Angel Spell
What concerned him more was that the light and shadow of these Grindylows and Lobbogs each extended a thin, thread-like energy, which all precisely connected to the Merperson's light and shadow.
From the direction of energy flow, the Merperson's light and shadow seemed to be the "core" of these light and shadows; those threads were like invisible ropes, firmly "binding" the Grindylows and Lobbogs' light and shadows, giving an intuitive sense of being tamed and led, much like humans in reality using ropes to lead livestock, full of clear dominance and subordinate relationships.
Besides the light and shadow of these magical creatures, Dillon also discovered more fragmented light and shadows around. There were a few small light and shadows with colorful spots, their bodies streamlined, wiggling transparent tail fins, clearly the colorful ball fish from the Black Lake. There were also numerous tiny silver-white light and shadows, swimming in schools, which were the most common ordinary fish at the bottom of the lake.
These fish light and shadows occasionally also extended thread-like energy, but unlike the Grindylows and Lobbogs, their threads did not connect to the Merperson's light and shadow. Instead, they extended straight upwards, passing through the top of the dark space, finally disappearing into an unknown area, as if connecting to a higher-level existence.
Dillon tried to expand his exploration range, but found his perception body was restricted by an invisible force.
No matter how hard he tried, he could not escape the specific area around the Merperson's light and shadow, with an exploration radius of less than ten meters.
This sense of confinement was more like being fixed to an anchor point, only able to observe a limited space.
Just as he was studying the threads of the fish light and shadows, a surge of energy fluctuation suddenly came from the darkness above.
Dillon immediately shifted his gaze upwards, only to see a huge gray light and shadow rapidly passing by. This light and shadow was more than ten meters in diameter, extending dozens of thick tentacles, each emitting a strong energy aura.
As it moved, one tentacle suddenly lashed at the water flow below. The huge impact caused a slight tremor in the surrounding space, and then, like an arrow shot from a bow, it quickly darted into the distant darkness and disappeared.
"It's the Giant Squid!" Dillon immediately had the answer in his mind. A giant squid lived at the bottom of the Black Lake; this was a secret known to many Hogwarts students, but few had ever seen its full appearance.
The form and energy intensity of that light and shadow just now perfectly matched the characteristics of the giant squid.
Although the exploration range was limited, by combining the various light and shadows observed, Dillon could already draw a preliminary conclusion.
Although this space was not the bottom of the Black Lake in reality, it had an inseparable connection with the Black Lake. It could be called the "Shadow Space of the Black Lake."
It was both a reflection of the real Black Lake and dependent on the existence of the real Black Lake to be maintained. Creatures and environments in the real Black Lake would form corresponding light and shadows in this shadow space, and the stability of the shadow space, in turn, confirmed the reality of the real Black Lake.
Of course, this was only his temporary conclusion based on existing knowledge.
Just as when studying the soul, one often needs to construct an understandable logical framework based on existing theories, this conclusion about the "shadow space" was also the most fitting explanation he could currently find for the observed results.
According to this logic, the characteristics of those creature light and shadows could also be reasonably explained: the light and shadows of Merpeople, Grindylows, and Lobbogs were essentially shadow reflections of the corresponding creatures at the bottom of the real lake. They seemingly represented the entire group because these light and shadows condensed the common characteristics of the same type of creatures.
And the connection of the Grindylow and Lobbug light and shadows to the Merperson light and shadow was precisely a reflection of the relationship where Merpeople tame the creatures at the bottom of the lake in reality.
At the same time, these light and shadows could also make people feel the characteristics of independent individuals, because the group itself is composed of countless individuals. While the light and shadows condensed group characteristics, they also retained the possibility of individual existence, just like looking at a flame from a distance, one can see the overall firelight, and also distinguish the flickering sparks.
This contradictory feeling of being both whole and individual was a unique manifestation of the shadow space's connection to the real world.
Although this place limited the exploration range, it did not restrict Dillon's spell-casting ability.
He tried to mobilize the ancient magic energy within him, pointing his wand at the connecting thread between the Grindylow light and shadow and the Merperson light and shadow—that energy bond symbolizing the "taming relationship."
As the incantation sounded in his consciousness, the tip of his wand glowed with a faint black halo, like a precise pair of scissors, gently cutting the connecting thread while completely extracting the "taming magic imprint" contained within it.
This faint gray imprint floated in front of his "perception body," emitting a faint energy fluctuation.
Dillon could clearly perceive that the imprint contained the core magic logic of Merpeople taming Grindylows and Lobbogs—as long as he brought this imprint back to the real world and integrated it into his magic system, he would be able to tame these two dangerous underwater magical creatures in the real Black Lake in the same way.
This unexpected discovery filled him with joy. Originally, he was only exploring clues for the second project, but he had gained an additional magic skill, which was undoubtedly a huge surprise.
The wonder of the shadow space intensified Dillon's thirst for knowledge.
He decided to try more magic to see how different types of spells would react in this space.
The first thing that came to mind was the Patronus Charm, which is closely related to soul energy. This type of magic relies on a Wizard's positive emotions and soul power, and might exhibit a special form in the shadow space.
"Expecto Patronum!"
As the clear summons echoed in his consciousness, a warm golden energy erupted from his perception body, condensing into a "Pixiu" in the air. This was Dillon's Patronus.
Poro!
Unlike in reality, a thin thread extended from Poro's bottom, like the fish light and shadow threads observed earlier, extending straight upwards, passing through the top of the shadow space, and disappearing into the depths of the darkness.
Combining his previous explorations and understanding of the soul, Dillon immediately made a deduction.
If his judgment was correct, this thread would eventually connect to a place where Poro existed, possibly the Gryffindor common room at Hogwarts, because he always summoned his Patronus there.
Only by successfully connecting with a previously experienced event can the Patronus Charm stably maintain its form; otherwise, what is summoned will only be a fuzzy energy body, not a specific biological form.
This deduction was inseparable from his deep understanding of Transfiguration Magic and the concept of imprints.
In magic theory, the core of Transfiguration Magic is to capture the target's imprint. A Wizard mobilizes magic power through incantations to capture the imprint of a certain creature or object, only then can they transform themselves or other things into the corresponding form.
But for a long time, a question has always remained.
Where exactly does magic capture these imprints? Even Ravenclaw cannot be called omniscient and omnipotent in this regard.
The shadow space he was currently in happened to provide an answer to this question.
Dillon realized that this place was very likely the source from which magic captured imprints. Whether it was the biological imprints required for Transfiguration Magic or the soul form imprints required for the Patronus Charm, they all came from this shadow space corresponding to the real world.
And those extended thread-like energies were both circuits for magic flow and direct proof of magicsuccessfully capturing imprints. They acted like bridges, connecting the Wizard's magic energy with the target imprints in the shadow space, ensuring that magic could precisely acquire the required form and abilities.
Of course, this was still only a preliminary inference based on short-term exploration.
Dillon was well aware that more experiments were needed to verify the accuracy of this conjecture.
For example, trying to summon other forms of Patronus to observe the connection direction of the threads, or casting Transfiguration Magic to see if new imprints could be directly captured in the shadow space.
In the perception of most Wizards, the Patronus Charm has a very clear label.
Firstly, it is a highly renowned advanced spell, and also one of the strongest defensive spells against specific Dark creatures.
Its core power is manifested in dealing with special "non-existent" creatures like Dementors.
When the cold despairing aura descends, the silver creature summoned by the Patronus Charm can emit warm energy, like a barrier, completely driving away the Dementors, an effect that other defensive spells struggle to achieve.
But only those who have truly delved into soul magic can appreciate the deeper wonders of this spell.
Just like now, the Poro summoned by Dillon here was interacting with the surrounding environment in an unexpected way.
The silver light emanating from its body spread outwards like gentle ripples, attracting various nearby creature light and shadows to slowly approach.
The first to react were the swimming creature light and shadows.
The gray-black light and shadow of the Grindylow stopped its original restless swaying and slowly floated towards Poro. The brownish light and shadow of the Lobbug, as if attracted by a magnet, slowly wriggled along the trajectory of the energy fluctuation.
Even more surprisingly, even the aquatic plant light and shadows, which were originally still, changed. The slender leaf-shaped light and shadows, which had only swayed slowly with the water flow, noticeably increased their swaying rhythm and amplitude after the silver light spread, as if responding to some positive call.
Dillon knew very well that a corporeal Patronus itself contained the purest positive emotions of a Wizard. These emotions would transform into an invisible positive guiding force.
For most living beings, this guiding force has a natural attraction, making them involuntarily approach. However, Dark Arts creatures like Dementors, which rely on negative emotions to survive, will instinctively repel this positive energy, which is also the key reason why the Patronus Charm can restrain them.
At this moment, the creature light and shadows here gathered one after another, clearly influenced by this positive guiding force.
To further observe the reaction, Dillon mobilized the magic power within him and slowly injected it into the Poro Patronus.
Instantly, the silver light around the Patronus became even more intense, yet it still maintained a soft texture, without any dazzling sensation.
This enhanced energy fluctuation indeed attracted more underwater creature light and shadows. Groups of silver-white fish light and shadows in the distance began to gather towards this area, and even the colorful ball fish light and shadow that had flashed by in the darkness earlier approached, wiggling its colorful tail fins.
Even the massive giant squid light and shadow paused for a moment in the darkness above the PoroPatronus. It stretched out dozens of thick tentacles, seemingly sensing the energy in the silver light, before slowly moving its tentacles a few seconds later and re-submerging into the distant darkness, disappearing.
Watching the reactions of these creature light and shadows, a thought suddenly popped into Dillon's mind: "What different changes would occur if Dark magic power were injected into the Patronus?"
He immediately acted, drawing out a silver-black energy and carefully integrating it into the PoroPatronus.
This time, the silver light of the Patronus became even brighter, yet it still maintained its gentle quality.
The surrounding creature light and shadows indeed showed new changes.
Firstly, the aquatic plant light and shadows. Tiny green threads suddenly emerged from the surface of the leaf-shaped light and shadows, slowly extending like vines, and finally precisely connecting to the silver light of the Poro Patronus, forming subtle energy bonds.
Next, the gathered fish light and shadows also moved. Silver threads extended from both sides of their bodies, also connecting with the Patronus, as if undergoing some kind of energy exchange.
As for the closest Merperson, Grindylow, and Lobbug light and shadows, they also each emitted threads. Unlike the "taming threads" that connected the Grindylow and Lobbug light and shadows to the Merperson light and shadow, these newly emerged threads only slowly extended, stopping not far from the Patronus, without immediately connecting, as if hesitating, or perhaps adapting to a new energy frequency.
Besides the changes in the creature light and shadows, Dillon also felt his magic power continuously injecting into the Poro Patronus through some invisible channel, making the Patronus's light increasingly stable.
After a moment of thought, Dillon cut off the magic power supply.
As the energy connection was interrupted, the corporeal form of the Poro Patronus gradually dissipated, and the silver light slowly weakened, eventually leaving only a translucent Poro phantom, suspended in place.
Dillon manipulated his consciousness to approach the phantom. Upon careful observation, he found that this was not residual energy after the Patronus dissipated, but a completely new energy form. Threads also emerged from the surface of the Poro phantom, and these threads extended out, surprisingly connecting with the light and shadows of the Merperson, Grindylow, and Lobbug.
However, this connection appeared exceptionally illusory, and the color of the threads was much lighter than the threads with which the Merperson light and shadow tamed other creatures, giving an unreal feeling that they could break at any moment.
Dillon tried to touch these threads with his consciousness, and he could feel faint energy flowing, but it was far less stable than the taming threads.
"All of this is truly wondrous." Dillon gazed at the suspended Poro phantom, his consciousness rapidly sorting through his recent discoveries. "The core reason why the Patronus Charm can generate a positive guiding force should be that it is essentially a materialized manifestation of the soul."
He further analyzed: "When cast, it requires beautiful memories as a guide to stimulate one's pure positive emotions—memories and emotions, these two elements crucial for the 'soul,' together support the form of the Patronus, making it an external manifestation of soul energy."
"Originally, this process involved complex soul energy transformation, but here, the Poro Patronus's influence on the surrounding light and shadows appears exceptionally pure, without the interference of magical energy from the real world."
Dillon's consciousness lingered on the Poro phantom, sinking into deeper thought: "When maintaining the Patronus with Dark magic power, the effect on this place was also very direct—this residual Porophantom is essentially the form after energy returns to purity. And this purity seems to have directly acted on the 'memory' level of the Merperson light and shadow, causing them to have the previous connection reaction."
A new hypothesis suddenly emerged.
Chapter 360 This is all truly amazing
In the perception of most Wizards, the Patronus Charm has a very clear label.
It's a highly renowned high-level Charms, and also one of the strongest defensive Charmss against specific Dark creatures.
Its core power is manifested in dealing with special "non-existent" creatures like Dementors.
When the cold despairing aura descends, the silver entity summoned by the Patronus Charm emits warm energy, completely repelling Dementors like a barrier—an effect other defensive Charmss can hardly achieve.
But only those who have truly delved into soul magic can appreciate the deeper wonders of this Charms.
Just like now, the Poro summoned by Dylan here is interacting with its surroundings in an unexpected way.
The silver light emanating from its body spreads outwards like gentle ripples, attracting various creature light-shadows nearby to slowly approach.
The first to react were the swimming creature light-shadows.
The grey-black light-shadows of the Grindylow stopped their restless swaying and slowly floated towards the Poro, while the brownish light-shadows of the Lobbug, as if attracted by a magnet, slowly wriggled along the trajectory of the energy fluctuations.
Even more surprisingly, even the previously static aquatic plant light-shadows changed; the slender leaf-shaped light-shadows, which had only swayed slowly with the current, began to swing noticeably faster and with greater amplitude after the silver light spread, as if responding to some positive summons.
Dylan knew clearly that the corporeal Patronus itself contained the purest positive emotions of the Wizard, and these emotions would transform into an invisible positive guiding force.
For most living beings, this guiding force has a natural attraction, making them involuntarily approach, while Dark Arts creatures like Dementors, which rely on negative emotions for survival, will instinctively reject this positive energy, which is the key reason why the Patronus Charm can restrain them.
At this moment, the creature light-shadows here were gathering, clearly influenced by this positive guiding force.
To further observe the reaction, Dylan mobilized the magic within his body and slowly injected it into the Poro Patronus.
Instantly, the silver light around the Patronus became more intense, yet it maintained a soft texture, without any dazzling sensation.
This enhanced energy fluctuation indeed attracted more underwater creature light-shadows; groups of silvery-white fish light-shadows from afar began to converge, and even the colorful ball-fish light-shadows that had flashed by in the darkness earlier approached, swaying their colorful tail fins.
Even the huge giant squid light-shadow paused for a moment in the darkness above the Poro Patronus; it stretched out dozens of thick tentacles, seemingly sensing the energy in the silver light, before slowly moving its tentacles and submerging back into the distant darkness, disappearing from sight.
Watching the reactions of these creature light-shadows, a thought suddenly popped into Dylan's mind: "What different changes would occur if I injected Dark magic into the Patronus?"
He immediately acted, drawing out a silver-black energy and carefully integrating it into the PoroPatronus.
This time, the silver light of the Patronus became even brighter, yet it still maintained its gentle quality.
New changes indeed appeared in the surrounding creature light-shadows.
First, the aquatic plant light-shadows; tiny green threads suddenly emerged from the surface of the leaf-shaped light-shadows, slowly extending like vines, eventually precisely connecting to the PoroPatronus's silver light, forming subtle energy bonds.
Next, the gathered fish light-shadows also moved; silver threads extended from both sides of their bodies, also connecting with the Patronus, as if undergoing some energy exchange.
As for the closest Merperson, Grindylow, and Lobbug light-shadows, threads also emerged from each of them; unlike the "taming threads" connecting the Merperson light-shadow to the Grindylow and Lobbug light-shadows, these newly emerged threads only slowly extended, stopping not far from the Patronus, not connecting immediately, as if hesitating, or adapting to some new energy frequency.
Besides the changes in the creature light-shadows, Dylan also felt his magic continuously flowing into the Poro Patronus through some invisible channel, making the Patronus's light increasingly stable.
After a moment of thought, Dylan cut off the flow of magic.
As the energy connection was severed, the corporeal form of the Poro Patronus gradually dissipated, and the silver light slowly weakened, eventually leaving only a translucent Poro phantom, hovering in place.
Dylan controlled his consciousness to approach the phantom, and upon careful observation, he found that this was not residual energy after the Patronus's dissipation, but a completely new energy form; threads also emerged from the surface of the Poro phantom, and these threads extended out, connecting with the light-shadows of the Merperson, Grindylow, and Lobbug.
However, this connection appeared particularly ethereal, and the color of the threads was much lighter than the threads with which the Merperson light-shadow tamed other creatures, giving an unreal feeling that they could break at any moment.
Dylan tried to touch these threads with his consciousness, and he could feel a faint energy flow, but it was far less stable than the taming threads.
"All of this is truly wondrous," Dylan murmured, gazing at the hovering Poro phantom, his mind quickly sorting through his recent discoveries. "The core reason why the Patronus Charm can generate a positive guiding force should be that it is essentially a materialized manifestation of the soul."
He further analyzed: "When cast, it requires beautiful memories as a guide to stimulate one's pure positive emotions—memories and emotions, these two elements crucial to the 'soul,' together support the form of the Patronus, making it an external manifestation of soul energy."
"Originally, this process involves complex soul energy transformation, but here, the Poro Patronus's influence on the surrounding light-shadows appears exceptionally pure, without the interference of magical energy from the real world."
Dylan's consciousness lingered on the Poro phantom, falling into deeper thought: "When maintaining the Patronus with Dark magic, the impact here is also very direct—this residual Poro phantom is essentially the form after energy returns to purity. And this purity seems to directly act on the 'memory' level of the Merperson light-shadows, causing their previous connection reactions."
A new hypothesis suddenly emerged.
"What if other magic that affects the soul were used? And it would have to be magic different from the Patronus Charm, without a corporeal form. Would there be new discoveries?"
He first thought of the Killing Curse, a Dark Arts Charms with a destructive effect on the soul, but when he tried to mobilize magical energy, he found no response in his consciousness.
Clearly, here, such extreme Dark Arts cannot be cast.
However, Dylan did not get discouraged and quickly thought of another option.
The Cheering Charm.
This was a high-level Charms taught by Professor Flitwick in Charms class last year, an advanced version of the Tickling Charm, more difficult, but similar in principle to the Patronus Charm, also requiring the mobilization of one's own happy emotions; casting it makes the target feel intense pleasure, thereby influencing their behavior.
In Dylan's view, the Cheering Charm had already touched the realm of soul influence.
Similar to this was the Summoning Charm, though the Summoning Charm focused more on the guidance of will rather than the transmission of emotion; and Transfiguration Magic, which had to be learned since enrollment, was actually related to memories in the soul, as a Wizard needed to clearly remember the details of the target form to transform it through magic.
"In fact, from the moment they entered Hogwarts, all little wizards have unknowingly been exposed to knowledge related to the soul. It's just that the threshold for soul research is too high, and it's full of unknown risks. Most students, even if they master Transfiguration Magic, the Summoning Charm, and the Cheering Charm, will only stay at the 'usage' level, unable to delve deeper into the underlying soul logic, let alone make further breakthroughs."
However, for someone like Dylan, who had experienced countless actual experiments, this was not difficult to understand.
After clarifying his thoughts, Dylan decided to experiment immediately.
He focused his consciousness on the Merperson light-shadow and chanted the incantation for the Cheering Charm: "Pleased as Punch!"
The moment the Charms took effect, a pale pink energy fluctuation enveloped the Merperson light-shadow.
The previously still pale green light-shadow suddenly became active, dancing irregularly in place, while blurred syllables emanated from the light-shadow—the Merperson singing a song.
Because this light-shadow represented the entire Merperson community of the Black Lake, the voices of different individuals intertwined, making it somewhat chaotic, only barely allowing one to discern the melody's similarity to the golden egg's song from before.
To compare with the previous Patronus Charm experiment, Dylan successively mobilized two magical forces to augment the Cheering Charm.
First was regular magical power; after the pale black energy merged into the pink fluctuation, the Merperson light-shadows' dancing became more intense, even starting to swim rapidly in the Black Lake, leaving trails of pale green, and the sense of pleasure was clearly transmitted through the energy fluctuation.
Next, he tried to inject Dark magic; as the silver-black energy touched the Merperson light-shadow, the light-shadow began to tremble violently, and fine energy ripples appeared on its surface, followed by a wisp of pale green thread-like energy slowly emerging and hovering beside the light-shadow.
In fact, what was called Dark magic was merely an evolved version of ordinary magic; Dylan had stumbled upon this magic by chance.
It could carry power with deeper meaning, such as time.
Of course, it didn't mean that using this magic would allow one to control time, but it indeed contained such characteristics.
During the experiment, Dylan found that, unlike before, there was no continuous energy output this time; instead, the Dark magic was consumed all at once, entirely injected into the Merperson light-shadow. This meant that, in the shadow world, the demand patterns of different magic for ancient magical power might have fundamental differences.
Just as Dylan was distracted by the energy changes, an unexpected event suddenly occurred: the pale green thread that had emerged from the Merperson light-shadow earlier seemed to have gained a will of its own, suddenly flying towards his sensory body.
Dylan reacted quickly, but he did not stop it; a second later, the pale green thread had already tightly wrapped around the edge of his consciousness, forming a stable connection.
The moment the connection formed, an inexplicable yet incredibly familiar pushing force came from the thread; this force was gentle yet irresistible, like invisible hands, gently detaching his consciousness from this world.
The next second, the surrounding darkness was quickly replaced by another, purer void; Dylan immediately realized that he was being pushed into a special space.
This special space was very similar to when he received system-imparted magical knowledge or when he gave new characteristics to magic.
When his consciousness stabilized, he had already appeared before a nebula emitting a pale pink glow, which symbolized the Cheering Charm.
Unlike before, this time the nebula's replenishment speed was unusually rapid; pale pink light continuously drew energy from Dylan's consciousness, and the nebula's volume visibly swelled, while its previously faint glow became increasingly intense.
He had originally wanted to take this opportunity to explore the conditions of other nebulae, but after only a few seconds, the Cheering Charm nebula's replenishment was complete, and a gentle pulling force came, drawing his consciousness back to reality.
Upon returning to reality, a new piece of knowledge immediately appeared in Dylan's mind, concerning a brand new characteristic of the Cheering Charm: now, the Merperson community in the Black Lakewould react exceptionally strongly to the Cheering Charm.
This Charms could not only effectively soothe the Merperson's emotions, but even if the community fell into a state of anger or vigilance, as long as the Cheering Charm was cast, it could quickly quell their anger and significantly reduce their wariness towards the caster.
"So it just added a targeted characteristic," Dylan understood.
The scope of this characteristic's effect was quite narrow, only effective for the Merperson community at the bottom of the Black Lake, just as the Patronus Charm specifically countered Dementors; it was an enhanced effect of magic on a specific target.
He began to review the previous accident; he was pushed into that world because he had augmented the Cheering Charm with Dark magic, which had a special impact on the Merperson light-shadows of this world.
Combining his previous explorations, a key inference gradually became clear.
Just like the experiment just now, by applying the Cheering Charm with time-attributed magic to the Merperson light-shadows, an indelible mark was left on the light-shadows. The influence of this mark spread along the connection between that world and reality, ultimately leading to the Merpersoncommunity in the Black Lake in reality also showing a more sensitive reaction to the Cheering Charm.
From this perspective, it was as if Dylan had indirectly perfected the effect of the Cheering Charm. It was precisely because the magic itself felt this new, unprecedented effect that it transmitted this characteristic to the nebula symbolizing the Cheering Charm through that vague guidance, similar to the system teaching magic its own magic, completing the update of the magical information.
Dylan further considered the effect of this special power; according to his research, its core characteristic was not simply energy intensity, but time itself.
The Cheering Charm, augmented with this power, was able to have a profound impact on the Merperson light-shadows not only due to the special nature of Dark magic itself, but also because the characteristic of time clearly played a crucial mediating role.