A day at Hogwarts.

Chapter 701 A Gift for Future Generations

Charles took a deep breath, his chest filling with fresh air in that instant.

Without the slightest hesitation or doubt, he took a firm step and crossed the threshold that symbolized the unknown and the challenge.

The instant his entire body was completely inside the door, the stone door behind him began to move slowly and close silently, like a giant beast gently shutting its mouth, isolating Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Harry's trio, and others from the outside world.

Charles keenly sensed that all the sounds around him had vanished without a trace, as if wiped away by an invisible hand, leaving only absolute silence.

The silence was so pure that he could clearly hear his own heartbeat, the "thump-thump" sound particularly powerful in the tranquil space.

The scene behind the door far exceeded Charles's expectations.

This is not a room or a treasure vault in the traditional sense, but a strange space that cannot be measured by conventional standards.

The ground beneath my feet was as black as ink and as smooth as a mirror, perfectly reflecting the seemingly endless starry sky above, making me feel as if I were walking on a frozen night sky, with every step I took treading on stars.

Instead of a traditional ceiling, there is a vast expanse of slowly rotating stars overhead.

These stars are composed of countless brilliant points of light and extremely complex geometric symbols, which together form a swirling galaxy.

The sight beneath the Milky Way is enough to inspire awe in anyone who sees it, making them realize how small and insignificant they are in its presence.

In this mysterious space, countless faint particles of light float in the air, moving and gathering silently like fireflies.

Charles suddenly realized that the particles of light around him originated from the Milky Way overhead, from the collapse of starlight.

Perhaps, after a while, this place will collapse due to the depletion of magic.

A shooting star flew towards Charles, stopped in front of him, and transformed into an ancient manuscript.

This manuscript, meticulously bound in dragon leather, is currently being lifted by a gentle, invisible force, slowly turning its pages on its own.

The manuscript pages are densely covered with various languages, complex patterns, structural sketches, and symbols that shimmer with light. They appear messy, but upon closer inspection, they are actually well-organized.

Charles's gaze was instantly drawn to the title of the manuscript—"A Study on the Identity of the Nature of Magic".

At the end of "A Study on the Identity of the Essence of Magic" is a magical model. Judging from the annotations, the core of this model represents the "origin of magic," as if it were the place of origin of the entire magical world.

In the model, countless fine, silk-like rays extend from the core light point. They do not scatter randomly, but follow some profound inner laws, intertwining, colliding, and avoiding each other, thus evolving into various magical phenomena.

Some of the light rays are stable and orderly, forming intricate structures that resemble spells, much like mechanical devices meticulously designed by engineers.

Some of the light was filled with wild power, mimicking the ferocity of a fire dragon's breath or the icy aura of some dark creature, giving one a sense of the primal and wild magical power.

Furthermore, some rays of light represent tiny crystals that form the basic structure of matter, and spiritual patterns that represent fluctuations of will, revealing the complex and subtle connection between magic and all things in the world.

"Will, matter, existence... and also, environment..."

Charles murmured to himself, his voice unusually clear in the quiet space, each syllable seemingly echoing in the air.

His eyes gleamed with focused concentration, his mind like a highly sophisticated computer analyzing everything before him, trying to uncover hidden patterns and mysteries from this complex scene.

There was one thing that he had cared about for many years.

Dobby and his friends were able to Apparate at Hogwarts because their magic was different from that of the wizards.

However, the fact that the old man was able to learn the magic of the Dobbys made Charles think that the barriers between the unique magic of different races were not as deep as he had imagined.

However, the old man's teaching ability and learning ability were inversely proportional, so Charles could not learn from him and therefore could not personally explore the secrets behind it.

"This may be the key to unlocking the secrets behind it."

Charles continued muttering to himself.

Do all different types of magic share a common 'source'?

"He's not merely categorizing; he's attempting to construct a grand framework that can unify the description of all magical manifestations—a nascent theory about the origin of magic..."

Charles was filled with awe and admiration. He realized that this pioneer's thinking had transcended the limitations of his time and launched a courageous assault on the essence of magic.

Just as he was immersed in the infinite variations of the model, the manuscript floating in the air seemed to be controlled by an invisible hand, suddenly stopping its slow flipping and returning to a point of starlight.

Immediately afterwards, a calm, slightly weary yet wise male voice, carrying the weight of a thousand years of history, resonated throughout the space without warning.

The voice was the same as in the portrait, but the tone was completely different. It was like a carefully crafted, magical testament, carrying final thoughts and entrustments, imbued with a profound sense of history and mission. "Those who come after..."

As the sound rang out, the starlight drifting overhead responded and fell, transforming into books or scrolls of paper, making Charles feel as if he were in a palace full of wisdom and mystery.

"If you can stand here and hear my voice, it proves that you have truly understood the essence of magic—not for enslavement, but for friendship."

"You have proven with your actions that magic is not the private property of any one ethnic group, but a common bloodline flowing among all things."

As the conversation continued, the magical model from the end of "A Study on the Identity of the Essence of Magic" appeared overhead. The rays of light representing different races and different magical modes became more active. They no longer repelled each other, but flowed, transformed, and even reinforced each other harmoniously under some higher-level law, showing an unprecedented state of integration and symbiosis.

However, the following words suddenly turned into a series of broken notes, intermittent and completely incomprehensible.

Charles frowned, fearing that his former enemies had sabotaged this part of the document.

After a long time, the voice returned to normal.

"I have devoted my life to trying to find a language, a grammar that can accurately describe why this same origin can present such a magnificent and diverse form."

“Rune is an important path.”

Rune runes appeared in the surrounding light, flashing and combining rapidly, demonstrating how they could drive wizards' spells, guide fairies' forging, and even resonate with the instinctive magic of certain magical creatures, like a universal key that could unlock the doors between different magical systems.

"It reveals the geometric commonalities of the underlying structure of magic."

He paused briefly, his voice carrying a hint of deep reflection, as if reviewing his long and arduous research journey.

"However, I eventually realized that it still has boundaries."

"It excels at depicting the results of magic, but it struggles to fully capture the vibrant will of a wizard casting a spell, to quantify the existential quality contained within the Veela's dance, and to perfectly define those ancient environmental magics that are integrated with the movement of mountains, forests, and stars."

The voice held a hint of regret, which then turned into a trace of anger.

"However, my research had to stop here."

"I angered the stubborn fairies by breaking the magical barriers between races. They used my friend's family to lure and capture my friend, interrogated him to reveal the secret of the defensive magic, and then launched an attack."

"I have no time left. I have not been able to find the key that opens the ultimate door that transcends life and death."

"Perhaps, this is a long and arduous road that requires the wisdom of countless generations to continue."

Charles's heart suddenly skipped a beat. Good heavens, "crossing the ultimate gate between life and death"—this is defying the heavens!

Then, the voice became incredibly solemn, filled with a fervent expectation that transcended time and space: "Your arrival has injected new possibilities into my unfinished work!"

"This proves that my direction may be pointing to the truth—the key to understanding the nature of magic lies not in forcibly confining everything to a single framework, but in learning to listen to all the whispers that originate from the source and finding the deeper melody in which they can play in harmony."

Charles was having trouble keeping up with the other person's train of thought. What was the connection between these two things?
As soon as he finished speaking, all the floating books and manuscripts fluttered up again and eventually gathered in front of Charles.

The voice rang out again.

"What I leave behind is not a treasure trove of answers, but the sum of all the questions, a record of all the failures, and all the signposts pointing to possibilities."

"What is stored here is the culmination of my life's work, and also the starting point for the deeper mysteries of magic."

"The knowledge here concerns the origin and current state of magic, and perhaps, the future that has yet to be written."

“Use it, expand it.”

"But always remember that true power comes from deep understanding, not from simple possession."

"The highest level of magic lies not in how much energy you can control, but in how many mysteries you can comprehend, and how much you can resonate with the most fundamental forces in this world..."

"For those who come after, the road ahead is long. May your wisdom and magnanimity illuminate the fog that I could not see through in the past."

The sound gradually faded, like receding waves, and eventually disappeared.

But that weighty entrustment spanning nearly a thousand years was imprinted clearly on Charles's heart, making him feel an unprecedented sense of responsibility and mission.

In the vast space, only absolute silence remained once again.

(End of this chapter)