Hogwarts doesn't need a savior

There are thick black stone walls on both sides of the road. It would be very crowded if two people walked side by side. The ceiling is only about two meters high, and the space is cramped.

"There was a triggered black magic trap here. One of my colleagues was injured because of it. Another of our partners also suffered a loss when he cooperated with me in the second investigation."

Bill was now standing between the two of them, pointing to several corners in the corridor and giving gentle reminders.

"Your Transfiguration creations must not have been specially modified, right? So you skipped a few traps that can sense the breath of life." Lynn said without turning his head.

"……Yes."

"This is the lesson. Not only must we be cautious, but we must also consider various details in advance. After all, we only have one life." Lin En spoke in a serious tone, but his steps were brisk.

Suddenly, a stone brick in the corner of the wall lifted up slightly, and the mural on the wall revealed a ferocious snake head.

A dagger made of magic flew out from the air.

“Swoosh—clang”

Before Bill could react, the swift spell had already hit the shadow of the yew tree and shattered.

"It's really strong." Euphemia nodded without surprise and said with a hint of approval.

"It's a very interesting dark magic, slightly similar to Snape's spell, except that it has a physical body."

Lin En pulled out his wand, smiling, "It seems that your exploration and trap elimination are not comprehensive enough. Let me help you."

The tip of the staff glowed faintly, as thin as a thread.

The originally empty road ahead was suddenly covered with mist, which was imperceptible to the naked eye and condensed into a skull.

"This is……?"

"You're lucky, Bill. The black magic here is not only strong, but also very comprehensive. This is the magic of the Persians, and they like to use skeletons for demonstration and provocation."

Lynn said lightly, "But in a sense, this is also a greeting to insiders. Because this magic has no effect - it is rare in black magic."

"Greetings?" Bill was confused. "But why would he do that?"

"That's unknown, just like we don't know why Hogwarts Castle is full of military atmosphere." Lynn shrugged, "Ancient wizards always have some behaviors that are difficult to understand."

"They never care about human life either, as if they are the only ones who count as human," Euphemia said coldly, dispersing the mist with a flick of her wand.

The murals on the wall began to crack, revealing snake-like lines, and began to spew out poisonous mist.

Lynn looked around and said, "That's why they are dark wizards. No matter what their personalities or deeds are, cruelty is their nature."

As he spoke, the Rune symbol lit up.

The poisonous fog in the sky melted quickly like ice and snow under the sun, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

"But this doesn't affect our visit to the magic museum that dates back thousands of years, with the mentality of broadening our horizons." He said with a smile, and took the initiative to give Bill some space so that he could see more clearly.

Only then did Bill understand Lynn's intention of bringing him along - to serve as an almost negligible guide, and the real purpose was to take the opportunity to give him some advice.

"Chief, I—"

"Rather than finding the treasure hidden inside, I want to see the whole picture of this place. Thank you for your company for a while!"

Patting Bill's arm teasingly, Lynn spoke in a cheerful tone, leaving him no room to speak.

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

In the following time, although the stone wall that troubled everyone in Gringotts was clearly just ahead, Lynn and Euphemia had no intention of going straight there.

They searched around in the winding passages, walking into gloomy forks that seemed to be full of dangers, just like when Lin En played a maze game in his previous life, vowing to "light up the entire map."

However, unlike the treasure chests and props that appear at the end of the fork in the road in the game, in this huge underground palace fork, apart from the stone carvings, murals and specimens full of the customs of various countries along the Mediterranean coast, there are only endless black magic and black magic creations.

Just as he had joked before, this was a real "museum of black magic".

Even in the outermost areas, plague, curse, confusion, harm, enslavement...all mainstream categories of black magic appeared in front of the three people in various forms. Some had long been lost in the long river of history, while others have continued to this day.

The "Old Age Curse" that I had seen in the desert outside is also one of them, hidden at the end of one of the forked roads, in a statue of Apollo, the sun god. Next to it is a statue of Dionysus, the god of wine, which contains another curse.

But in front of Lynn, these old-fashioned magics are nothing more than that.

But Bill was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat - he was far from being as skilled and courageous as Lynn and Euphemia.

Even at the end of the most remote path, they saw a turbid black lake filled with corpses of which only skeletons and a little flesh were left - perhaps they were the builders of this huge underground palace.

The cold and damp chill spread from here, all the way to the surface, carrying with it the heaviness and harshness of death.

Sensing the breath of life, thousands of corpses rushed out from the bottom of the lake and rushed towards the three people in a mighty force.

But what greeted them was only equal destruction - or liberation.

Lynn and Euphemia looked at each other and took a step forward at the same time, blocking Bill behind them.

He raised his magic wand, and the number of floating cannons behind him suddenly increased to dozens.

The raging fire turned the entire Black Lake into a purgatory. Countless corpses came one after another and turned into ashes in the flames until the entire lake dried up completely.

The air around was filled with a burnt smell, and there was an almost suffocating feeling, but it could not penetrate the protection of the Bubble Head Curse.

Looking at the charred "lake" or an almost bottomless pit, the three of them lowered their heads silently.

Countless victims are buried at the bottom of the pit. They have been transformed into corpses and bound by black magic for thousands of years. Even now, their bodies as cages can hardly withstand the erosion of time.

Faced with the souls of these unjustly dead, they could only express their respect silently, although even souls could not transcend such a time.

After a moment, Lin En slowly spoke: "The black magic on the periphery should have been cleared up. Bill, we should continue to look deeper and see the true face of the builder - I have a rough guess as to who this guy is."

He turned around and waved his hand. The huge pit collapsed, and the earth and rocks fell, burying the remains.

Chapter 139 Giant Basilisk

"Rumble--"

As Bill presented the deciphered ciphertext on the pitch-black wall, after a roar that was half mechanical and half magical, the giant wall that had stretched for thousands of years split in two in the middle, stirring up countless dust.

No matter how powerful the magic is, it has a time limit, unless it finds a carrier with equally magical power - just like the legendary magic props chosen by the four giants of Hogwarts for themselves, but this is something that can only be encountered by chance.

Especially in an era when alchemy had not yet developed or even appeared in its infancy.

The new world hidden behind the stone wall had long been covered by dust, and was no longer as eerie and beautiful as the underground palace outside.

Ancient Egyptian murals, ancient Greek stone carvings, Persian dyes and geometric patterns...all the complicated decorations remain on the outer layer.

All that remained within the wall was the pitch-black darkness shrouded in a gray haze.

Perhaps this is the original appearance of this underground palace - no matter how exquisite the decoration is, it cannot conceal the cruelty of the abyss - this is the true inner self of a dark wizard from ancient times.

If the goblins in Gringotts really thought there were treasures here that they would recognize, they were probably very wrong.

But for Lynn, this does have a different meaning.

Knowledge itself is neither good nor evil, and black magic also has its own value.

The true measure still lies in the wizard's inner scale.

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

When all the dust was swept away and we walked forward along the dark corridor, the shape of the underground palace also quietly changed.

If the outside world is an elaborately carved maze, which is full of dangers but also has an exotic beauty, then the world behind the stone wall is more like a private residence - or a cell under house arrest.

After passing the initial darkness and monotony, countless patterns came into view of the three people.

Poisonous snakes, toads, centipedes...all kinds of animals that are believed to symbolize poison and death appear on the walls, but without any aesthetic appeal.

It's like a layman who has nothing to do and is scribbling here - the only difference is that he has extraordinary power and can turn the pictures in his mind into reality with a wave of his hand.

Later on, there were no longer just poisonous creatures, but more common ferocious beasts, and then those magical creatures.

Thestrals, unicorns, thunderbirds, cat-cats... Although their appearances are still ugly, there is obvious progress. At least the characteristics of these highly recognizable creatures can be presented.

Bill was confused, while Euphemia seemed to be thinking about something. She looked at the passage which became wider and wider as she went deeper. She silently drew out her wand and followed closely behind Lin En, keeping alert.

I don't know when it started, but the light spell that had always worked has lost its former magic.

The light became dim again, from the ceiling above, to the walls on both sides, to the ground under the feet, every direction seemed to be covered with black ink. Except for the slight glow of the animal patterns, there was no other light source, but instead absorbed the external light.

Apart from the sound of footsteps and breathing, there was no other sound. It was so quiet that it was surprising.

"You two, step back and keep some distance from me." Lin En suddenly said, "It seems that the owner here has a welcoming ceremony. Let me play with him."

Without a moment's hesitation, Euphemia grabbed Bill beside her, stopped before he could react, and slowly backed away, leaving Lynn alone in the corridor engraved with magical creatures.

It was at this moment that magical power that came from nowhere suddenly filled the passage, making it wide enough for horses and carriages to run side by side.

As if absorbing enough light, magic or some other existence, the walls on both sides began to make slight noises.

"Squeak... squeak..."

It was faint but clear, as if a feather was tickling one's cochlea, the itch was faint but frightening.

Lynn stood there motionless, his eyes slightly closed, as if waiting for something, until the sound stopped and the walls on both sides took on a new look.

They were groups of realistic murals. The previously ugly stick drawings had turned into groups of distinct nodes, running through the bodies of the lifelike magical creatures, and protruding from the walls, emitting bright light.

It is no longer a variety of magical creatures, but has become one magical creature with different shapes and forms.

This is a wonderful change. Different nodes and contours outline its different appearances and states.

The faint light seemed pure and clear - even a little holy, in stark contrast to the dark magic that permeated the entire underground palace.

But the familiar fluctuations allowed Lin En to quickly judge that the magic here was no different from every black magic outside the underground palace.

"He is not only a master of black magic, but also proficient in all kinds of advanced white magic... Interesting." He murmured, glancing around with the corner of his eye, staring at the mural that almost came alive.

The rustling sound came from far away, as if something was swaying and dragging on the ground.

With a loud bang, the mural that had expanded to the extreme exploded, and countless black rocks scattered on the ground. They seemed to have life, rolling and merging spontaneously, and turned into six black magical creatures.

The head of a lion, the body of a goat, the tail of a python.

This is a monster in ancient Greek mythology, a symbol of cruelty and bloodthirstiness, the original Chimera.

Rather than the name given to hybrid animals in later times, the Chimera here has the form of Homer's epic.

"call--"

Raging flames spewed out of their mouths, and in an instant, the wide corridor turned into a high-temperature purgatory.

At the same time, from the depths of darkness, a giant python, whose head alone was more than ten feet long, slowly swam out.

This is a basilisk, and... it is much larger than common sense and imagination, and there is even a small crown shape bulging on the top of its head.

"Chief!" Bill shouted anxiously, "Get back! Euphemia, let's go and help him!"

He was extremely anxious, but Euphemia was very calm. She just waved her hand silently and put away her wand.

"No need. It's better to let him stretch his muscles. After all... maybe we will witness a real living fossil in a while."

"What did you say...!" Bill's eyes widened in shock, but Euphemia still had no intention of speaking, just looking forward with interest.

There, the battle had already begun.

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

Six Chimera beasts spewed out flames that burned the sky and boiled the sea, wrapping the human figure in them.

The giant snake that came from afar spit out its tongue and slowly moved forward, appearing cautious and calm.

Those big yellow eyes showed three parts curiosity and seven parts surprise.

It was the first time it had seen a creature that could look it in the eye without being harmed.

At the same time, it also felt the breath of death of its own kind - and more than one or two.

Cold-blooded creatures like basilisks will not be angry or sad about the death of their own kind, they will only feel fearful about it.

But the basilisk did not feel that way. It was just confused about the human in front of it and the shadow that appeared beside it.

And those silver-white metal balls wandering in the air.

"It looks like... you've shed your skin quite a few times, right, big guy?"

Ignoring the flames around him, Lin En walked slowly forward and looked at the basilisk without any fear or timidity.

"Ssssssss—"

All he got in response was a meaningless sound - or perhaps a snake language that only Parseltongues could understand.

Unfortunately, Lin En did not have such an innate blood ability, nor did he try to learn this skill like Ron in a certain future timeline. He just raised his head and looked into the eyes of the behemoth in front of him.