OBS Chapter 121 The Crown
Chapter 121 The Crown
Chapter 121 The Crown
After arranging the internal affairs of the First Order and discussing some details with Reggie, Lynch did not linger any longer.
He returned directly to Hogwarts using the Portkey.
Hogwarts, having just seen off its students, felt deserted. The corridors were no longer filled with the sounds of running and playing, and only a few professors remained at the long table in the Great Hall, quietly eating and talking in hushed tones, as if afraid of disturbing the castle's rare tranquility.
The professors were dealing with some end-of-year tasks—organizing lesson plans, locking down classrooms, and so on.
A few days later, the professors also left the school one after another.
Professor Flitwick excitedly announced his intention to visit a spellcaster in the Pyrenees; Snape, as usual, returned to his mansion in Spider's End Alley.
Finally, the castle fell truly quiet.
Only a few faculty and staff members remained at the school, who considered Hogwarts their home: Professor McGonagall, who had made the castle their home after her husband's death; Hagrid, who had settled in Hogwarts decades ago; Mrs. Pince, the librarian who was almost always there; Filch, the caretaker who seemed to never finish cleaning every corner of the castle, and his cat, Mrs. Lorris; and... Lynch, who had to stay within the Hogwarts grounds.
His stone house was located deep in the Forbidden Forest, separated from the main castle.
At this moment, this area has become the best barrier for him to isolate himself from the world.
Living in the Forbidden Forest, their three meals a day are brought back on time by the loyal Torts from the kitchen house-elf, steaming hot and with a wide variety of dishes.
He didn't need to set foot in the castle, so naturally he didn't see the other few who remained.
This deliberate distancing was exactly what he wanted.
Lynch's daily routine, besides reading books and newspapers and taking walks in the Forbidden Forest, revolved around studying the piece of land that had finally come into his possession.
The legendary magic stone.
The alchemy lab, accessible only by an inverted staircase, became his main place to while away the long hours.
The raven was restored to a wooden sculpture and placed in the corner of the stone table, with the magic stone temporarily removed from its body.
It sits on a specially made silver tray engraved with runes, radiating a soft and eternal crimson glow.
Lin Qi did not attempt to refine an elixir of immortality—that would be a vulgar waste for him.
What interests him more is its essence, the immense life energy it contains that almost defies the laws of nature, and its operating principles.
He carefully channeled a wisp of the magic stone's energy, observing its effects on various basic materials: after the energy was injected, the properties of a stone underwent a strange transformation, slowly converting into a more stable metallic structure, but ultimately not turning into gold, instead becoming some kind of strange alloy; a nearly withered potion seedling, nourished by life energy, visibly revived.
The leaves turned a vibrant, lush green; he even tried channeling a wisp of energy into a small piece of the giant eight-eyed spider's venom, which immediately boiled violently, its toxicity seemingly purified and amplified, yet strangely exhibiting a stable crystalline state. These experiments were meticulous and precise, requiring immense patience and absolute focus.
Lin Qi was enjoying himself.
The Philosopher's Stone is like a universal key, gradually unlocking the deepest doors to the realm of material transformation and life energy for him.
He meticulously recorded every tiny change, attempting to deduce some underlying logic from them.
Occasionally, during breaks in experiments, he would look up, his gaze seemingly penetrating the stone wall and gazing towards distant London.
The Stone Tower Merchant Guild and the First Order did not cease to function due to his physical isolation.
Some information about the Chamber of Commerce’s daily decision-making was delivered by owls, serving as proof of open communication with the Chamber.
Reggie will periodically transmit important intelligence and decision summaries through encrypted magical contracts.
Those papers were silently delivered to him through the disappearing drawer in his desk. After glancing at them, he would reply with concise comments. The days spent behind the scenes were peaceful to the point of being monotonous, yet undercurrents were surging beneath the surface.
Lynch was like a patient fisherman, fishing for the ultimate secrets of magic in the silence of the Forbidden Forest, while simultaneously working through invisible threads...
They have a firm grip on that ever-expanding network in the distance.
He knew that the current calm was merely the calm before the storm.
Voldemort will inevitably return, and the landscape of the magical world will undergo tremendous changes. The power in his hands must become more solid and sharper even faster.
A significant part of this lies within this forbidden forest stone house, in his exploration of the infinite mysteries of this small stone before him.
Summer sunlight streamed through the high-mounted skylight of the alchemy room, casting beams of light that, along with floating dust particles, illuminated the alluring red gem on the tray and Lynch's focused and deep black eyes.
However, this tranquility did not last long.
A few weeks later, one evening, a silver phoenix, a guardian spirit, pierced through the wall of the stone house, bringing Dumbledore's invitation: "Professor Lynch, if it's convenient for you, please come to my office. There's something I think you need to see."
Lin Qi put down the quill pen in his hand, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Dumbledore’s tone sounded as gentle as ever, but he keenly sensed an unusual gravity in it.
But there was little sense of urgency in his voice, so he got up, straightened his suit, and walked steadily toward Hogwarts Castle.
As we ascended the spiral stone staircase, the dripping beast quietly leaped away, and the door to the principal's office slid open silently.
The office was cluttered yet orderly. Phoenix Fox was preening its feathers on a perch, while Dumbledore sat behind his enormous desk, his azure eyes behind his crescent-shaped spectacles flashing when he saw Lynch.
On the desk, various silver instruments emitted soft smoke, and the endoscope rotated silently.
But at this moment, all of this background became blurred in Lin Qi's eyes.
His attention was completely drawn to something on Dumbledore's desk.
It was an ancient and exquisite crown, and even with large areas of dirt on its surface, its superb craftsmanship was still evident.
It is made of some kind of dull metal, with intricate patterns and a small string of text engraved on the side.
Lin Qi walked to the desk and unconsciously reached out, wanting to pick up the crown.
But his pupils contracted slightly just before they touched the crown.
He sensed an extremely faint yet chilling and sinister magical fluctuation, like the finest spider silk, wrapped around the crown, carrying an aura of decay and darkness.
Lin Qi withdrew his hand and silently looked at the crown on the table.
Dumbledore did not miss the subtle change in Lynch's eyes.
His voice was low and slow, as if afraid of disturbing something: "Earlier, I mentioned that I found some unexpected clues, and this is what I found by following those clues—the Ravenclaw tiara."