Lenore Tepesh, Caelan's only daughter and a pureblood vampire, observed Tom and his group with undisguised curiosity as they arrived. Tom and his companions, in turn, stared back at the vampire girl. Jim, especially, was utterly captivated. As a vampire noblewoman, Lenore's beauty was undeniable. Though she appeared barely twenty and possessed a somewhat pale complexion, Jim was undeniably smitten. He had his eye on her.
Like Jim, Lenore had spent the majority of her existence within the castle walls, surrounded by strange and unusual creatures, with scarce few living beings to interact with. Thus, encountering a strikingly handsome man of her age, Lenore found herself equally drawn to him. And she had her eye on him.
Jim shook his head, wiping his mouth to prevent any accidental drool, and meticulously straightened his clothing. Feeling presentable, he stepped forward with a smile. "Miss..."
But Lenore seemed completely oblivious, her gaze fixed on something behind him. She brushed past him, stammering, "Um, your eyes are so beautiful..." The shy little vampire could only conjure such a line.
Meanwhile, Tom's attention was captured by a painting on the hall wall. It depicted a giant seated amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, clutching countless tiny, ant-like bodies. Strangely, however, the giant had only one eye open; the other was tightly shut.
Spotting some approaching hotel staff, Tom inquired casually, "Where did that painting originate?"
"Huh?" Lenore replied, a little surprised, but happy at the opportunity for conversation and promptly shared what she knew. "It seems my father acquired it long ago. I recall it being there even before I was born."
Lenore, engrossed in their conversation, completely failed to notice Jim, who remained "petrified" behind her. Jim still held the gesture of attempting to speak to Lenore, a bitter smile and tears streaming down his face.
"Sigh, that kid really has no self-awareness," Gilderoy Lockhart, standing nearby, grumbled. "Even I, Gilderoy Lockhart, so handsome, couldn't get anywhere with that person. What chance does he stand?"
Harry and Malfoy nodded in agreement. Anyone familiar with Hogwarts knew this unspoken rule: The Hogwarts version of the first rule for picking up girls: Never pick up girls when Tom is around!
Cassandra and Nagini, however, remained unfazed. Ever since the Yule Ball fiasco during their fourth year, they no longer believed that such "sudden appearances" could pose a threat.
Tom, meanwhile, appeared quite preoccupied by the strange painting. "What's depicted in that painting..."
The painting depicted no ordinary giant. Instantly upon seeing it, an image flashed through Tom's mind: a completely dark, lightless place, where the only visible feature was a colossal statue, over twenty meters tall, seated on a stone throne, its appearance identical to the giant in the painting.
With Tom's Divination skills, he knew this prophecy was inextricably linked to his goal. He attempted to glean further insights, but aside from a few scattered fragments, he could discern nothing. Incredible… Tom could usually see a wizard's future at a glance. But now, he couldn't even discern much from a mere statue. Truly… interesting.
"I remember Daddy saying something like, the painting depicts…" Who was it again? Oh no! He couldn't remember! The little bat's brain went blank. He should have known better than to let his mind wander during his conversation with his father.
Tom noticed, but didn't press Lenore. "It's alright, I have a pretty good idea." He habitually patted Lenore's head, causing the little bat to pause.
Tom's gaze remained fixed on the painting. An existence that even he couldn't fully predict could only be a true god! And not just any ordinary god!
Giants, gods, one-eyed, and connected to giants living in the Scottish Highlands… isn't that the one from Celtic mythology? The King of Evil Gods! Balor! Lueger, the sun god and king of the Danube gods in Celtic mythology, is this man's grandson. Tom's anticipation for the items in the giants' hands grew.
But at the same time, he was also curious. "System, are you sure His things are in the hands of those giants in the Scottish Highlands?"
"Absolutely! Would I lie to you?"
Indeed… the System, that idiot, didn't have the intelligence to lie. But if that's the case… "Then why were these giants beaten so badly by the wizards?"
"The power of gods is beyond the comprehension of mortals. Those things are just decorations for them."
"…"
That's true. As it stands, anything possessing divine power, no matter what it is, isn't easy to use. Ancient magical runes cost lifespan, and the trident can only be used by the descendants of the sea god. Harry's Invisibility Cloak and the Resurrection Stone at Gaunt's old house seemed to come at no cost, but Tom knew it was because Harry and his friends simply couldn't unleash the power of these artifacts, which were "on par with the Elder Wand."
Take the Invisibility Cloak, for example; invisibility was merely an inherent attribute, not its true ability. Tom had already figured this out, but he wasn't surprised. After all, they were Death's artifacts; how could someone so easily obtain them and use them? Except for the Elder Wand, of course—it's a double agent.
It seems the giants of the Scottish Highlands weren't as close to Balor as imagined; otherwise, they wouldn't be unable to use Balor's treasures. Although he didn't know why that thing was left there, now that he knew, well… hehehehe…
"Gentlemen and ladies," the ghostly waiter floated over again. "The rooms are ready."
"Hmm." Tom withdrew his gaze from the portrait and nodded in response. After greeting the still-dazed little bat, he led Harry and the others to the suite prepared for them.
...
What set this vampire hotel apart from other Muggle hotels was this: its lounge area was located underground, while the above-ground areas were reserved for entertainment.
The ghostly waiter guided the group to a stone wall engraved with the number "1732." "This is one of the hotel's most luxurious suites, prepared for you by Mr. Tepesh."
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