Once there was a clue, the research process became much faster. But even so, the work of restoring the ancient magical script still severely tested the depth of Marcel's understanding of magical theory.
Although he already had the 22 pseudo-Phoenician characters as a reference, it still required a great deal of time to deduce and test them bit by bit.
After nearly two weeks, Marcel finally put down his quill and let out a long sigh of relief.
During this period, food and water would occasionally appear out of thin air on the floor. It seemed that, no matter what era the elves were from, trying to avoid appearing before people as much as possible was always one of their habits.
Of course, one had to exclude the chaotic scene at the beginning. After all, for these little ones who had lived on this island from the very beginning, a creature like a "human" was practically an ancient legend that only appeared in bedtime stories...
"These characters indeed show traces of rules. It seems that the ones who summarized and created the Phoenician characters were by no means merchants, but ancient wizards!"
Marcel held the notebook in front of his eyes. Looking at the 22 characters that faintly emitted a vague message, he couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder.
"Although the information transmitted by these runes is clearer and easier to understand than the rule-runes on the Scroll of Truth, the completeness of the rules they contain is far from that of the true rule-runes. However, they can be used for reference and research."
He looked up and found that the surrounding symbols were fading away in large patches, dissipating one by one into the air. But the 22 Phoenician characters did not disappear—they changed!
Under the reflection of the Phoenician magic runes in Marcel's notebook, the 22 surrounding Phoenician characters also gradually transformed into true magic runes and continuously changed their arrangement, faintly emitting a wave of rules.
"What's happening?" Marcel looked down at his hands, a sense of excitement rising in his heart.
Ever since that Christmas day, when he had felt something in his heart while looking at Luna's retreating back, Marcel had discovered that he could cast the silvery-white mist of the Patronus Charm without a wand.
And from that moment on, Marcel could occasionally feel the aura of his own magical power, though it was not obvious at the time.
This situation continued until he began to study the Scroll of Truth.
It was only when those rule-runes transmitted the unknown aura of rules to Marcel that he had a very vague understanding of the concept of "magical power."
But now, Marcel found that he could truly feel the magical power within his own body!
No, it wasn't just in his own body, but even in the surrounding air... he could even feel the magical power in Vylie's body! It was just much vaguer in comparison.
"This... is really magical power!" Marcel couldn't help but close his eyes, focusing all his attention.
"How wonderful! This is simply a different world!"
After savoring this novel sensation, Marcel quickly fell into deep thought. After many long periods of research, this kind of thinking had almost become his instinct.
"Being able to feel magical power is clearly because of the rearrangement of the Phoenician magic runes... What does this mean?" he thought for a moment and immediately had a new idea. "No, before that..."
He opened his eyes, reached forward, and gently drew a line in the air. A faint ribbon of magical power was left where his fingertip had passed.
But this trace of magical power was extremely unstable. Like a drop of paint in a river, it quickly dispersed and soon merged with the magical power in the air, no longer under Marcel's sensory control.
Seeing this, Marcel couldn't help but frown.
After thinking for a while longer, he, as if in a sudden realization, drew the wand from his sleeve and once again made a slight stroke in front of him.
This was the first time Marcel had the most direct feeling of a wizard's wand.
He saw the magical power flow through his arm and into the body of the wand, quietly gathering at the tip, and with Marcel's will, it left a more solid trace of magical power in the air!
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Marcel waved his wand and cast a Levitation Charm on the suitcase on the floor.
The suitcase slowly rose under Marcel's control, but most of his attention was focused on the tip of his wand. This time, he saw the clear magical trajectory left by the tip of the wand during the swing.
Those trajectories changed slightly with the incantation. Under the push of Marcel's will to "make the suitcase rise," several incomplete rule-runes composed of magical flow flashed by.
"Matter drives phenomena; mind enacts the laws..." Marcel couldn't help but recite this sentence again. "To think that the answer I guessed blindly to answer a question was hidden in every spell cast!"
"If that's the case, then why not just try it directly—"
As Marcel spoke, he waved his wand again. But this time, the movement was extremely slow, as if he were trying to draw a picture in the air with the flow of magic, with great precision.
He was going to write a rule-rune directly with magical power!
But even with the wand helping to solidify the flow of magic, if he didn't complete the rule-rune quickly, it would eventually dissipate over time. Marcel's attempt was not successful.
The precision and concentration of will required to draw a rule-rune were simply too high. Even writing it correctly on paper took a considerable amount of time. Drawing it in the air with a wand was clearly even more difficult.
"Still no good."
After several attempts, Marcel had to stop. He found that the group of Phoenician magic runes was about to dissipate.
After hastily jotting down the combination in his notebook, the magic runes soon disappeared. The room returned to its original state, as if quietly awaiting the arrival of the next destined person.
"I'll just have to continue my research when I have the chance..."
Marcel closed his eyes and sensed the magical power in his body again. Although it was clearer than before, it was still not as clear and distinct as it had been just now.
"Are we leaving?" Vylie asked softly, standing up.
"Hmm? Oh, yes," Marcel came back to his senses and nodded. "Let's go now, directly to Albania. It's about the same distance as coming to this island. We can rest when we get there."
Vylie immediately picked up her luggage, turned around, and walked out the door without another word.
"..." Marcel was stunned for a moment, then gave a wry smile. "Well, it's good that she's obedient..."
On their way back, Marcel and the others did not encounter the somewhat peculiar elves again. Perhaps they had hidden somewhere, or perhaps they had other things to do.
Marcel had no intention of deliberately looking for them.
As for the "free" elves here, he felt that the most appropriate thing to do was not to disturb their lives. The outside world was not suitable for their survival. It was best to let them continue to live safely and happily on this island.
As he flew away from the island with Vylie, he inadvertently glanced back and faintly saw a group of small figures on the beach, pushing and shoving each other playfully. After a slight surprise, he felt an inexplicable sense of relief.
…
After all, they were two countries separated by the sea. The scenery of Albania had a similar charm to Italy. It was just that for various historical reasons, the level of development in Albania was far lower than in Italy.
This was a vast and somewhat barren country, with patches of farmland everywhere. Although not as splendid and colorful as Italy, it had its own unique natural charm.
Marcel found a homestay to rest for a night. The next morning, he set off with Vylie, flying inland.
The terrain of Albania was mostly mountainous and hilly. From a high altitude, one could see ravines everywhere, and occasionally, small and medium-sized lakes were embedded in the interconnected mountain valleys.
And the destination this time was hidden beneath one of these small lakes.
Although the terrain here had changed somewhat, it was, after all, an undeveloped area deep in the mountains. Marcel soon found the small lake called "Rëku."
"Miss Blois, I'll go down first to see if it's dangerous. You wait here on the shore."
Marcel cast a Bubble-Head Charm on himself, and then a Water-Repelling Charm, before walking into the water.
"When I get better at the Undetectable Extension Charm, I can consider making a smaller bag. At least to put all the potion vials in..." he muttered to himself as he plunged forward, diving into the water.
Perhaps because of the constant flow of water year-round, the water quality of Lake Rëku was very clear. The bottom of the lake could be seen clearly from underwater. Marcel swam around for a bit and soon found a deep cave hidden behind a rock at the bottom of the lake.
He subconsciously glanced back, then decided to go in and have a look first.
The cave was not large, but it was enough to accommodate three people side by side.
After diving a little further, the water suddenly disappeared ahead. Caught off guard, Marcel stumbled and fell on the rocks. Fortunately, his reflexes were quick enough, and he managed to protect his face, avoiding a direct disfigurement.
As he rubbed his arm and looked up, he found that he had arrived in an underground world separated from the lake water by magic.
He was now standing on a flat rock. A few more steps forward, and he could see a staircase leading further down. It was pitch black below, and almost nothing could be seen. Only the faint sound of trickling water could be heard from below.
"Lumos—" Marcel flicked his wand, then waved it again. "Maxima!"
The light at the tip of his wand suddenly flared up. With a swing from Marcel, it detached from the wand, flew forward in a parabola for a distance, and then fell far below.
With the help of the light, Marcel could roughly see the situation below. When he saw a large door embedded in the rock wall from a distance, he was certain that he had not found the wrong place.
Marcel thought for a moment, then muttered to himself, "I should probably bring Vylie down first. It might not be safe for her to stay on the shore alone..."
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