Hogwarts: Lacus doesn't want to be a witch who destroys nations.

The icy lake water enveloped Lux ​​like ink, with only the faint glow of her wand tip barely illuminating a small area in front of her.

The resistance from the water flow made every movement slow and heavy. All that could be heard was the low hum of the surging water and the slightly rapid hissing sound as I filtered the water through the gill grass.

"This place is even darker than the Forbidden Forest..." Lux thought to herself, carefully controlling her posture to avoid stirring up too much mud.

She didn't bring Lumi down with her. Poro wouldn't be of much help underwater, and it would be troublesome if it got swept away by the current or became a snack.

Based on previous information and the area with the most frequent abnormal energy fluctuations at the bottom of the lake, Lux roughly determined her direction and traversed the jagged reefs and the huge, strangely shaped forest of aquatic plants.

After swimming for an unknown amount of time, several eerie blue lights suddenly appeared in the dim water ahead, like floating will-o'-the-wisps.

Lux immediately extinguished the light from her wand and hid herself behind a huge rock covered in thick moss.

Through the cracks in the rocks, she saw a small group of mermaids swimming slowly by.

Their upper bodies are robust humanoid forms with dark blue or grayish-green skin covered in fine scales, while their lower bodies are strong and powerful fish tails that trace smooth arcs in the dark water.

They wielded tridents crafted from massive fish bones or coral, their tips inlaid with luminous pearls or crystals—the very source of the eerie blue light. Their faces wore expressions of a mixture of vigilance and reverence, their sharp eyes scanning their surroundings.

"A patrol!" Lux's heart skipped a beat. "Looks like we've found the right place!"

She trailed far behind the merman patrol like a shadow. The mermen seemed extremely familiar with these waters, deftly navigating the reefs and whirlpools, heading in one direction. A strange, inexplicable energy fluctuation began to creep into the water; Lux's system interface flickered slightly, and a notification appeared:

[Runic energy fluctuation detected. Inspiration Rune Keystone Rune: Unsealed Tome]

"Just as I thought!" Lux perked up and became even more careful to conceal herself.

The waters ahead suddenly opened up, revealing a huge underwater basin. In the center of the basin stood a complex of buildings constructed from massive, ancient white coral reefs and polished boulders, its style rugged and primitive, exuding a quiet power.

This is the mermaid settlement.

In the heart of the settlement, on the most magnificent altar, which appears to be carved from a single piece of moonstone, lies a book quietly.

Lux's eyes widened. It was indeed the shape of a book, roughly the size of a thick magic dictionary.

Its cover is not made of leather or paper, but of flowing, liquid starlight-like energy, which is a deep indigo blue and has countless tiny, ever-changing rune markings floating on it, emitting a soft yet undeniable glow.

Golden halos flowed along the edges of the pages, as if woven from pure light—this was the foundational rune indicated by the system.

The altar was heavily guarded, with dozens of well-equipped and more robust mermaid warriors standing solemnly around it, holding bone forks, their eyes as sharp as eagles.

At the highest point of the altar sat a mermaid with a completely different aura.

She was taller and more elegant, with long, dark green hair that flowed like seaweed in the water, and a crown made of huge pearls and glowing coral on her head.

Her fishtail scales shimmered with a noble silver-blue hue, reflecting the light of the runes and exuding an awe-inspiring holiness as she gazed with reverence at the runebook on the altar.

"It really is a book," Lux muttered to herself, hiding in the shadow of a large rock in the distance. "With this level of defense, forcing our way in would be suicide."

One of the mermaid guards responsible for wiping the base of the altar was perhaps too nervous, or perhaps the water was too turbulent. When he swung his tail, the tip of his tail accidentally brushed against a corner of the rune book on the edge of the altar.

"puff!"

A very faint sound, like a bubble bursting.

The guard's figure blurred for a moment, and then, without warning, he appeared on the other side of the altar, a good five or six meters away from where he had been.

He was clearly caught off guard. His body didn't have time to adjust, and his head slammed hard against a protruding coral reef with a "thud." He immediately saw stars, spun around in place, and almost dropped the bone fork in his hand.

The guards around them were taken aback at first, but instead of panic, their faces immediately showed immense fervor and awe! They all bowed their heads respectfully toward the Book of Runes, placed their right hands on their chests, and uttered low, strange syllables, as if they were performing some kind of solemn prayer.

The Queen nodded slightly, a look of knowing and relief on her face, as if this sudden teleportation was a manifestation of "divine grace".

"Flash?!" Lux almost exclaimed in surprise. "This rune can be used like this? Randomly triggering summoner spells? But this guard's luck is too bad, he flashed and ran into a wall."

This scene further convinced Lux ​​of the rune's identity and effect.

But looking at the heavily guarded altar and the majestic queen, Lux knew that a direct assault was futile; she had to outsmart her.

She took a deep breath and slowly swam out of her hiding place, trying to make her movements appear slow and friendly.

Then she started gesturing.

She first pointed to herself, then to the book of runes on the altar, then clasped her hands together in a gesture of "request." Next, she made a "borrow" gesture with her fingers.

The mermaid guards immediately became alert, their bone forks aimed at her in unison, emitting rapid, warning hissing sounds and a series of complex, undulating syllables like the ocean waves.

The Queen's gaze also fell on Lux, her eyes cold and sharp, like a deep-sea chill.

She slowly raised a hand, stopping the guard from launching a possible attack, but the displeasure and scrutiny in her eyes were undisguised.

Lux pressed on, gesturing with words like "short" and "return," and even tried to draw a simple clock in the air with her wand to indicate that she only needed a very short time.

However, the mermaids only reacted with deeper confusion and hostility.

The Queen frowned slightly and uttered a series of even lower syllables.

Although she couldn't understand it, Lux clearly sensed the implied sense of expulsion.

"Oh no, we're talking at cross purposes..." Lux lamented inwardly. "It would have been better if I hadn't come out at all."

Just then, a pale blue figure passed through the swarm of mermaids and came to Lux's side.

Lux looked closely and realized it was the mermaid from the kitchen. What was it doing here?

"I...translator...you...spit..." The merman managed to utter a few words. These mermen could speak underwater, and Lux ​​roughly understood.

There are still many good mermaids; those 10 points weren't deducted for nothing, they came in handy now.

Lux drew her wand, kept the tip shiny, and began writing in the water.

"I don't know your name, so I'll just call you Little Blue for now. Tell your tribe that this book is a rune, and it's very dangerous. A terrible monster might come after you one day. It's better for everyone to keep it safe with me now; it's a win-win situation."

Little Blue nodded and began translating: "(Mermaid language) This land dweller said that if we don't hand over the book to her, she'll cause us trouble. She wants to win twice."

"Besides, even if I don't take it, the runes will eventually be found by other wizards. You don't understand how terrifying the power of these runes is yet. As the queen, you should know that this kind of easily out-of-control power can harm the tribe."

Little Blue felt this sentence was a bit difficult, but she still dutifully translated: "(Mermaid language) She said she would bring other wizards sooner or later, Queen, you don't want your people to get hurt, do you?"

"Of course, I'm not taking it for free. You can tell me any needs you have, and I can do it for you as long as it's reasonable."

Little Blue shook her finger to indicate that the passage was simple: "(In mermaid language) She said that after she took the sacred object, she also had to fulfill her request."

Although Lux couldn't understand what the merman was babbling about, she believed that her sincere words would surely move them.

Look, even the mermaid queen's expression changed; she must be tempted.

The Queen had clearly lost her patience; the last trace of scrutiny in her eyes turned into icy rage. She waved her hand dismissively.

"Hiss—!" The two guards closest to Lux immediately shot forward like arrows, swinging their strong fish tails, wielding bone forks, cutting through the water, and thrusting straight at her with chilling killing intent!

"Damn it!" Lux cursed under her breath, twisting her body sharply to the side to narrowly avoid the bone fork that was thrusting at her. The cold water was stirred up by the bone fork, which brought a hidden force that made her cheek sting.

"Little Blue, what the hell did you translate?" Lux felt that her wording was fine.

They were open to discussion, so why the sudden change of attitude?

at this point.

"Negotiations have broken down; prepare for a decisive attack!"