Harry Potter and the Great Old Ones

Chapter 829

Professor Woodwardwell and his team continued through the narrow passage, where the stench of decay seemed to grow stronger, a mixture of dampness and fishiness that weighed heavily on everyone's breath.

The flashlights in everyone's hands emitted a faint light in the passage, casting silhouettes on the moss-covered rock walls, adding to the mysterious and oppressive atmosphere.

The sounds of everyone's footsteps and breathing echoed in the narrow space, accompanied by the occasional rustling of animals, making the whole environment feel as if one were in a forgotten world.

Professor Caldwell, who was leading the way, would stop every now and then to check the road conditions ahead and carefully assess every possible danger.

Just as the expedition team's tension reached its peak, the passageway finally began to widen. The rocks on the walls gradually became smoother, and even the light ahead seemed to slowly increase. Suddenly—

They arrived at a huge open space, as if they had suddenly traveled from an underground wormhole to the vast world outside.

As the group walked out of the passage step by step, a relieved smile unconsciously appeared on everyone's face.

They arrived at a huge natural cave with a skylight in the ceiling, allowing natural light to stream in and illuminate the entire cave. At the center of the cave was a naturally formed circular area composed of limestone and other minerals, surrounded by various strangely shaped stone pillars.

Between the stone pillars flowed a thin, clear stream, clearly spring water gushing from an underground river.

Although the George Crater is located in a desert, a desert does not mean that it is completely covered by sand from top to bottom.

Deserts also receive rainfall, and rainfall creates underground rivers. These underground rivers, combined with proper conditions, can foster oases and ecosystems.

The sunlight streaming through the skylight into the cave creates a patch of light that reflects on the tranquil cave water, producing a dreamlike effect.

Even in such a dark cave, the presence of a few glimmers of light and trickling streams brought life to the place.

After a long period of oppression and walking through dark passages, being able to breathe in such a bright and free space is a huge relief for every team member.

Moreover, having arrived here and seen the sunlight streaming through the natural cave's skylight, it meant they were about to approach the inner ring of the George Ring and emerge from this dark and cramped passageway.

"Everyone, take a short rest here," Professor Caldwell ordered. "We'll depart in fifteen minutes."

"it is good!"

"Yes!"

No one objected. Some people quickly squatted down to recover their strength as much as possible, while others bent down and dipped their hands into the cold underground river water.

The river water here is not suitable for drinking. Several scientific research teams have previously tested the river water in this area and found that although it does not contain harmful heavy metals such as lead, chromium, nickel, and mercury, it contains high levels of sodium, potassium, and iron, making it unsuitable for direct consumption.

Tierra was also very curious, so she gently squatted down and put her hand into a small underground river.

Feel the clear water flowing over your palm.

"Mr. Lockhart, are you getting used to it?" Professor Caldwell, while taking a break, trotted over to Tierra and tried to squat down to get closer to her, but—he fell backward and tripped and fell flat on his face.

"Professor Caldwell!" Fortunately, Tierra reacted quickly and reached out to pull Professor Caldwell back, preventing him from falling hard.

"Hehehe, I'm getting old, hahaha." Professor Caldwell chuckled awkwardly, as if trying to make amends. "But Mr. Lockhart seems to have Mongoloid ancestry?"

"What makes you say that?" Tiera raised an eyebrow and asked in return.

“The way you squatted down,” Professor Caldwell said, pointing to Tierra’s legs, “is clearly an Asian squat.”

"What? Is Professor Caldwell a staunch racist?" Tierra asked, half-jokingly.

“Oh no, no, please don’t misunderstand. It’s just that it’s rare to see a Caucasian squat like that, and,” Professor Caldwell carefully observed, “and Mr. Lockhart really doesn’t have any body odor. That’s why I asked. Of course, it’s just pure curiosity, hahaha, just curiosity, hahahaha.”

Upon reaching the end, Professor Caldwell couldn't help but laugh awkwardly.

“It’s nothing, it’s no secret.” Tiera chuckled and shook her head. “I’m Asian.”

This is indeed a "feature" that Tiera did not take into account.

Although "Gidero Lockhart" is a suit he uses very often, he still feels somewhat lacking in the details of his disguise.

Because he possesses absolute power, disguise is often just a means to facilitate his actions.

For example, in this scientific expedition, it would be much easier for a successful fantasy novelist in his thirties, with blond hair and blue eyes, to participate than for a sixteen or seventeen-year-old, underage child.

Although most of these professors and scholars were after Gilderoy Lockhart's money, they at least maintained a basic level of respect on the surface.

"Haha, I see." Professor Caldwell chuckled awkwardly twice and then said nothing more.

“By the way, don’t you and your students need to collect some samples to take back?” Tierra asked.

“We don’t need it here for now,” Professor Caldwell replied immediately. “We can collect it when we come back.”

“This area has been studied many times. Even if we collect good samples, they can only serve as supplementary research for the entire George Ring ecosystem,” Professor Caldwell continued. “Our most important goal this time is ultimately the largest oasis in the very center of the George Ring.”

“Few people have ever reached that oasis, and even those who have only conducted simple surveys and sampling at its edges. With your financial support this time, we hope to delve deeper into the heart of the oasis and conduct more in-depth research,” Professor Caldwell continued.

Tierra was, after all, his biggest benefactor, so he had to know where his money was going.

"Oh, I see." Tierra nodded with a light laugh. "Then I wish Professor Caldwell all the best in obtaining some groundbreaking data!"