Hogwarts doesn't need a savior

"That's great... I can't even take a second."

"I don't think this is its original appearance. Although Rowena is strict, she will not leave magic unused. This crown must have been used countless times by her herself. You still have a chance."

"Can you really fix it? Even if we know the correct configuration of the magic circuit, the damaged part..." Inès was a little frustrated, with her brows drooping.

"Don't worry about the other parts. My teacher is the greatest alchemist in history. He can handle it. As for the gemstone, we need to figure out what it is."

After a moment's thought, Lin En handed the crown to Inès and said slowly, "Let's take it one step at a time. There will be a way. You can look for clues with Helena."

"...Okay." Inès took the crown somewhat nervously and put it in her bag. "I will be very careful this time."

"Perhaps this is a lesson Rowena taught you unintentionally. If you want to obtain treasures or power beyond your ability, you always have to pay a price." Lin En said thoughtfully, and then added, "The same goes for me."

It has to be said that although those few short seconds were filled with fatigue, they had a magical power that made people fascinated and addicted. Even though he knew it was not good for the body, he was still fascinated by it.

This was one of the reasons why he gave the crown to Inès, who had never experienced such a feeling.

Some temptations are hard to resist.

He pulled the two-way mirror from his pocket and touched the Stargazer badge, which was still slightly warm.

The magic of the badge played a big role in allowing him to survive the aftereffects of being attacked from both the crown and the Horcrux without any hindrance.

But it is also a warning.

He knew that Euphemia was probably on her way.

Thinking of this, he looked at Inès and said softly, "It's getting late. I'll go see the principal later. You should go back and rest first. We can study together when we have time."

"How about I go with you to find him? Your current physical condition is not too...?"

"No need, Ms. Garcia." Before Ines could finish her words, Euphemia rushed in from outside the door. "I will take good care of him. You don't have to worry about it."

The coldness and distance in his words almost overflowed.

"Eh……?"

Inès stood there in a daze, watching Euphemia, with an expressionless face, walk straight to Lin En and skillfully put her arm around his. Many question marks popped up in her head.

"My girlfriend, Euphemia." Lynn looked a little nervous, but also very relaxed. It was as if he had found a fulcrum and relaxed.

He picked up the note from the table and handed it to Euphemia, who was still eyeing Inès. "If the principal has other arrangements, I will tell you. But I don't think that boring old man will be of any good."

"Oh! Is that so? Then I won't bother you anymore." Ines blinked and staggered out, with confusion and bewilderment written all over her body.

Not until the sound of her footsteps completely disappeared did Euphemia pout slightly, pinched Lynn's cheek hard, and pulled it "viciously" outward.

"Alas!"

"Don't cry out in pain! Who told you to mess around?" Euphemia gritted her teeth, "Didn't we agree to be cautious? Are you obsessed with the crown?"

"No - I thought you were jealous." Knowing that he was in the wrong, Lin En quickly interrupted, "I was prepared."

"Who would be jealous, you dishonest fellow! I don't have no confidence in you." After glaring at him fiercely, Euphemia said angrily, "Are these bottles of vitality potions the defense you are talking about? Nonsense!"

"Don't be angry, listen to my explanation first." Lin En sighed, "I am indeed interested in the magic on the crown, but it is more important to lure out Voldemort's soul. If we don't solve it before Dumbledore comes back, he will probably destroy the entire crown."

"...It's the same again. You are always right." Euphemia was not a rude person. She had calmed down a lot, but she was still a little unhappy. "Then you are not allowed to use yourself as bait!"

"It won't happen again." Lin En quickly stated, "And this time it's not without gain. I roughly understand Voldemort's habit of setting up Horcruxes, which will be helpful in the future."

"..."

Seeing how excited he was, Euphemia didn't know what to say and could only stare at him silently, which made him a little nervous.

From childhood to adulthood, he has been unable to resist this gaze.

Fortunately, Euphemia didn't intend to embarrass him. She just looked away for a moment and opened the note in her hand.

Above is the new password for the principal's office.

"I'll go with you to see him."

-----------------

On the other side, Inès's living room.

It was not until she returned to her room, sat down and drank a glass of water that the dazed witch suddenly slapped her forehead.

"So this guy Lin En has a girlfriend?!"

Her face was full of surprise, as if she had discovered a new world.

Chapter 182: Traces of the False God

In the principal's office, a silvery-white mist slowly drifted, and the air was filled with magical fluctuations.

It was already late at night, but Dumbledore was still surprisingly in good spirits, with his eyes sparkling.

He had just finished reading a memory of unknown origin when there was a knock on the door.

"Please come in, Lin, your magic really amazes me." He sat behind the desk, looking at Lin and Euphemia coming in from the door, and said with a little surprise, "Welcome, Euphemia, we haven't seen each other for a long time, right?"

"It's been a long time since we last met, Principal. How are you? I think you're in better shape than Lin En is now." There was a hint of meaning in Euphemia's calm tone.

Dumbledore didn't respond. He waved his wand and a soft armchair appeared opposite him.

"Please take a seat. I do have something very important to say. Of course...Euphemia too. I know that Lynn trusts you unconditionally. Although I know you don't like to read other people's memories, I think we should make an exception this time."

He smiled and pointed to the Pensieve, inviting him.

On the huge stone basin, the runes were glowing faintly.

That is an old proverb from Northern Europe.

-----------------

Standing in front of the memory mixture that was neither liquid nor gas, Dumbledore lowered his head defenselessly and entered the memory first.

Then, with great resistance, Lynn and Euphemia plunged headfirst into it.

They felt their feet leave the ground and pass through a silver mist, then spin in the darkness until they reach a gray road.

The sunlight seemed very dim due to the influence of smog. Although it was a sunny day, there was a huge sense of oppression.

Dumbledore had arrived before the two of them and was looking at the sign standing on the side of the road.

【Boston, 25 miles south】

The mottled words reveal the traces of time, and have become somewhat blurred by the wind and rain.

On the road, simple Ford Model T cars were speeding back and forth.

Obviously, this scene is from the 1920s.

"Come with me. We still need to walk a little further before we reach our real destination." He said, "However, the owner of this memory will soon appear. You must be familiar with him."

Before he finished speaking, a dusty man and woman slowly approached on the distant horizon.

Walking in front was a handsome middle-aged man. Time did not seem to have left any bad traces on his face, but instead added a bit of mature charm and charisma. The navy blue striped suit complemented his tall and upright figure. Only a pair of sharp eyes told of his burning ambition.

Gellert Grindelwald, the most dangerous dark wizard ever.

Walking behind him was a woman as charming as a black rose.

"Vida Rosier." Euphemia said her name word by word and subconsciously held Lynn's hand.

"It seems you've been busy lately, Principal." Lin En stood in front of her unnoticeably and asked calmly, "Did that annoying handsome old man give you some news again? I have to say, his memory is quite narcissistic."

Dumbledore smiled and shook his head. "There is some news. Read on. He is on his way to Salem. By then, he will be an unstoppable wizard. And there is Rosier, this witch is also not simple."

Following his gaze, time in memory suddenly sped up, and the next moment, the three of them appeared at the entrance of the town and saw the same gray road sign.

Salem, Massachusetts

Seeing this familiar place name, he could even vaguely smell a faint fishy smell that didn't exist - that should be the scent brought by the sea breeze. This is not only a small town with a peaceful life, but also a port with a long history - Lynn put away his thoughts, silently pulled Euphemia, and quietly watched the actions of Grindelwald and her assistant.

These two powerful wizards walked through the streets like ordinary Muggles. After turning several corners, they entered a bar, where they met a wizard who seemed to be an employee of the Magic Congress.

After a conversation that was deliberately hidden, they got an old map and rushed to the harbor. They took off into the air in a deserted place, turned into an illusory afterimage, and flew to a small island dozens of kilometers away that looked like just sea water from the outside.

On the beach there, they not only saw the Unspoken Men of the Magic Congress—although the youngest of them had a greatly changed appearance, Lin En could still vaguely recognize that he was the old man who had led the group not long ago—but also a dark cave.

They did not talk, but simply exchanged a glance, and the Silent People evacuated collectively. Even Vida Rosier just stayed on the beach, took out his wand, and released one advanced protective magic after another.

Grindelwald walked into the deep cave alone.

Lynn followed without hesitation, and so did Euphemia. Dumbledore, on the other hand, stayed on the beach, looking at the witch with complicated eyes, wondering what he was thinking.

This seemed to be a mysterious transaction that had been completely erased from history, which aroused the curiosity of the two.

And in the dark cave, Grindelwald generously showed everything he saw and heard.

The dark road was not long, only about one or two hundred meters before it suddenly became clear and we entered a cave that had no light source but remained bright from beginning to end.

Then, they saw a strange creature of gigantic size, which was tightly bound by countless magic chains extending from the wall, unable to move at all.

The familiar deer head, but the body seems to have no fixed shape.

Sometimes it is a human body, and sometimes it twists and shakes like liquid, turning into the form of a wild beast.

It looked just like the black monster that Lin En had seen in the Magical Congress, but it was completely different from the wandering ghost that had no entity at all.

The terrifyingly huge magic power, the extremely powerful aura, and the captivating huge beast eyes, even though Grindelwald had already taken the most important step on the path to becoming a wizard, he still only had a slight advantage in front of it.

But there was no sign of nervousness on Grindelwald's face, instead there was a hint of sneer.

Lynn saw his lip movements. Although there was no sound, he seemed to hear the powerful and spirited wizard shouting in his ear.

It was a declaration of battle. Countless dark blue flames rose up and swept over like burning the sky and boiling the sea.

The next moment, all the images disappeared, and a strong sense of weightlessness enveloped the two people.

Lynn tried hard to take one more look, but had no more memory.

They have to leave.

Dumbledore quietly appeared behind the two of them and said in a low voice: "This is also the first time I know that there are such strange creatures. It seems that I have stayed in Hogwarts for too long and know too little about the outside world."

"Grindelwald didn't get rid of this big guy in the end, right? After all... as far as I know, the monster that escaped from the Magic Congress that day was not exactly the same as it." Lin En asked.

"You don't seem surprised." Dumbledore said, looking a little puzzled. "You can only ask him for the details. He didn't tell me."

"Go ask him?" Euphemia frowned.

"Yes, ask him."

Dumbledore slowly walked back to his seat, crossed his arms, and looked at the two from a distance.

"He extended an invitation to Lynn, and this is a keepsake."

A skull emblem with the words "For the Greater Good" was engraved on the black letter paper. It was the symbol of the Witch Party.

Chapter 183: Nurmengard's Debate

Three days later, Sunday.

Lynn, fully recovered physically and mentally, arrived in Austria.

The lush green grass thrives in the sunshine, standing out from the gloomy castle in the distance.

From a distance, he had just stepped into the range of the anti-Apparition magic when he felt the gaze coming from the tower.

Even though he is over a hundred years old and has become weak and haggard after a long period of self-imprisonment, the eyes that once intimidated the whole of Europe and even the whole world still have a majesty that cannot be underestimated.

Lynn walked forward nonchalantly, stared at the most dangerous dark wizard, walked up the hill and entered the castle gate.

There were no guards and no other prisoners. The castle he had occupied for many years was now almost deserted, but it was spotless, and even the winding stairs were as clean as new.

Obviously, there are not only many long-lasting magics here, but also someone must come to clean regularly to ensure that the environment is clean and livable - even if it is just a cell.

Lynn didn't let Grindelwald wait too long. Rune's light lit up, and he appeared outside the cell in the tower in just a moment.

"You don't seem to have made much progress in the past few years, you greedy brat." The old man, with a vicissitudes of life but still full of vigor, sat cross-legged on his simple hard bed and stretched out his hand with a cold expression, "Give me back the token."

"You're still so mean. I've always called you a handsome old man." Lynn flicked his finger, and the letter slipped through the gap in the railing and landed steadily in Grindelwald's hands. "People should make progress every minute, right? Dumbledore said you invited me here. I think you didn't just want to make fun of me, did you?"

“I ask you—” Grindelwald glared, his pale hair trembling slightly, “I just want him to tell you that if you want to know a secret, it’s best to go and ask for it in person, rather than asking someone else to do it for you.”

“I see. I was wondering why you suddenly became polite.” Lin En then revealed an expression of “as expected” and sat down on the floor without even thinking it was dirty.