The Wind and the Wings of Hogwarts

A red spark shot out, like a signal flare, shooting towards the door.

But this spark did not reach its destination.

After flying only a short distance, the red sparks exploded like fireworks, scattering into sparks.

Scott frowned.

According to his estimation, the spark should have traveled far more than that distance.

He climbed up for a while longer.

Another ten minutes passed, and he still couldn't tell if his position on the steps had changed.

Scott stopped again, then decisively turned around and headed down.

When he reached the last step, which led to the darkness below, he suddenly burst into laughter.

In his magical perception, the darkness below was not actually that deep.

It is only half a meter tall.

Scott leaped lightly and jumped down the steps.

As he landed, his vision suddenly brightened, and he found himself in a bright, square stone chamber.

Directly in front of you is a red wooden door, with several lines of ancient magical script engraved on a bronze plaque above it.

Scott walked to the door and quickly translated the meaning of the ancient runes.

“A sparkling dream is always so far away; blindly chasing it will not bring us any closer to it.”

"Stop and look behind you; you might find something unexpected."

Click.

As Scott uttered those words, the brass lock on one side of the wooden door opened automatically.

He pushed open the door and went inside.

Behind the door lies a crazy mechanical world.

Countless complex machines are running at full speed, yet they produce very little noise.

At the same time, Scott felt with absolute clarity that these various shapes and interconnected machines seemed to be alive.

They can operate at full capacity without any human intervention, and many have even grown hands and feet, allowing them to move and climb flexibly in various places.

Scott walked through the gaps in the machinery, climbed the cold red ladder, passed over huge pipes, and finally passed several rows of towering bookshelves that seemed to reach the ceiling, before arriving at a very cozy living room.

Professor Russell, dressed in a white robe, was sitting on the sofa, holding a book as thick as a brick in his hands.

"You've arrived. You're the first one."

He looked up at Scott and said.

"Hello, Professor Russell."

Scott stepped onto the soft carpet in the living room.

Is this the end?

Professor Russell nodded.

"That's right, the competition ends here. The judges will score your performance."

Scott looked around. "So how do I get out?"

"No, you don't need to rush out."

Professor Russell said.

"You are free to roam here until the last warrior arrives; this is your reward."

"award?"

Scott glanced at the rows of tall bookshelves, then at the alchemy laboratory that the other door in the living room led to.

"Does that mean I can read any of the books here freely, and even visit Master Nicolas Flamel's alchemy laboratory?"

"That's it."

Professor Russell nodded affirmatively.

"Of course, you can't take anything from here."

"Thank you, I understand!"

Scott strode to the bookshelf, his eyes dazzled by the countless books of all kinds on it.

After thinking for a moment, he turned to Professor Russell and asked, "Do you have any recommendations?"

"I recommend you join the lab."

Professor Russell said.

"You don't have much time, and there's not enough time for you to thoroughly read any of the books here."

"I think you're right."

Scott readily accepted his suggestion and walked to the door that read "[Fleming Alchemy Laboratory]".

With a gentle push of his hand, the door opened.

As he entered the laboratory, the door closed automatically again.

Scott ignored the door behind him and instead observed the enormous laboratory.

The first thing that caught his eye was a variety of enormous mechanical devices whose names he couldn't recall.

These devices appear to be connected to the machinery outside the laboratory, operating steadily, occasionally emitting a "whooshing" sound and spraying out various colors of light and gas.

In the middle of the laboratory is a huge experimental table.

On the experimental table were various kinds of vessels, as well as many different colored stone slabs engraved with alchemical arrays.

On one side of the countertop, there is a panel with a strong cyberpunk style, covered with a dense array of buttons.

Scott walked to the experimental table and looked at the stone slabs inscribed with alchemical arrays.

Perhaps, the most valuable thing here is these alchemical arrays.

As he was thinking this, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar red color out of the corner of his eye.

That was a shelf located on one side of the laboratory, with multiple shelves displaying materials of various sizes and materials.

In one of the higher shelves, there is a beautiful red stone.

That is……

Philosopher's stone?

Scott's eyes widened instantly.

It can't be wrong.

Although he had never seen a real Philosopher's Stone before, he had obtained a one-time use Philosopher's Stone and still possessed one.

He could easily tell that it was a real Philosopher's Stone.

Scott was surprised.

Beauxbatons just placed the Philosopher's Stone here like this?

Aren't you afraid he'll just grab it and run?

Thinking this, Scott suddenly found the Philosopher's Stone incredibly tempting.

With it, I can live forever.

With it, I can build an endless army of "summoned beasts".

With it...

He couldn't help but take a step forward, accidentally bumping into the lab table.

No, something's not right.

The moment this thought popped into Scott's head, he instinctively became alert.

Brain shut-in, operating at full capacity!

Magic perception, unleash its full power!

It was like a bucket of cold water being poured over me, cooling down my feverish mind.

Scott immediately realized it was a trap.

At this moment, in his magical perception, the "magic stone" had revealed its true form.

It was just a red, highly magical gem, nothing compared to a Philosopher's Stone.

Scott realized what was happening too.

Professor Russell was not telling the truth.

The match did not just end.

Or rather, Professor Russell himself and the "Philosopher's Stone" are both part of the game!

Scott withdrew his gaze and looked at the stone slab on the experimental table, silently memorizing the alchemical arrays.

Click.

Suddenly, a straight crack appeared on the surface of the experimental table, and the table slid to reveal a piece of parchment.

Uncontrollable greed is an obstacle to the pursuit of truth.

Congratulations, Warrior! You have completed this round of the competition!

Since you are the first warrior to clear the level, please select your reward.

A. A magical item created by a professor in Beauxbatons (magical items can be either offensive or defensive).

B. Activate the Virtual Alchemy Lab (The Virtual Alchemy Lab can simulate most alchemy reactions 100%, accelerate the reaction process, and requires no materials)

I choose B!

Scott said decisively.