Chapter 1025
Letters and Forbidden Books
Chapter 1025 Letters and Forbidden Books
Vader abruptly lifted his head from the Pensieve, swayed slightly, and steadied himself by grabbing a stone pillar.
Abigail's memory was so long that it took Vader several seconds to come to his senses and remember that he was in the Room of Requirement.
The memories in the Pensieve still emit a faint glow, swirling and rippling in circles.
Wade's face appeared somewhat pale in the dim light. He stood there, processing everything he had just witnessed.
The room was silent except for Wade's breathing, which went from heavy to gradually calming down.
After a while, Vader waved his wand lightly, put away his memories, and turned to leave the Room of Requirement.
When he returned to the dormitory, it was already very late, but he was wide awake.
He sat at his desk, reached out and pulled out a quill pen he had made himself, then opened the Book of Friends, tapped the end of the quill pen with his fingertip, and the dark blue pen floated on the page by itself, waiting quietly.
A few seconds later, as Wade pondered, the pen began to move across the paper with fluid grace—
"Wayne, I've seen all of Abigail's memories that you sent. Behind both the Purifiers and Prometheus, there's a common mastermind."
Now I need you to inform everyone to secretly investigate two people:
One is Sophirus Lake, a human wizard, male, very old, who may have had frequent activities in ordinary society.
Years ago, he took young Abigail from the home of a farmer named John Clark in Wallace County, Kansas, where there may still be some records.
The other is a female fairy named Amanda, who is probably the most powerful among the fairies, with at least a group of subordinates who obey her commands.
Given her different identity, investigating her might not be easy. Just do your best and keep an eye out for any clues related to memories, time, or ancient magic. She might have been in similar places before.
Most importantly, these two guys are extremely dangerous. They'd rather find nothing out than reveal that you're investigating them.
Also, avoid approaching Kosovo in the near future. Contact me immediately if you discover anything.
After finishing writing, Wade paused for a few seconds, the ink still clearly visible.
After all, Wien still plays the role of Braun in the UMNO party, and he sometimes attends some events, so he can't always take out his friend list to check messages.
Wade was not surprised by this, but briefly felt a little curious about Grindelwald's purpose in sending Wade to Africa.
Then, he put aside his momentary lapse in concentration and pulled a blank parchment from the bookshelf.
After a brief rest, the quill pen resumed its flowing strokes:
To Professor Dumbledore:
Sorry to disturb your rest, but I just received a message—
Ms. Sera Abigail died not long ago due to a curse, and before her death she left behind a memory, which eventually came into my hands.
I believe the content here is of great importance and it is necessary for you to know.
And...do you know anything about the last two people in this memory?
Looking forward to your reply.
Wade Gray.
After finishing writing, the quill pen bounced to the side with a "thud," and the ink on the paper dried quickly.
Vader stuffed the crystal bottle containing the memories and the folded letter into the envelope, tapped it with his wand, and the letter floated up from the table, passed through the window, and flew as lightly as a swift across the sky toward the principal's office window.
Wade stood by the window, watching the envelope arrive safely at its destination, before returning to his desk and sitting down.
Although Dumbledore had clearly withheld some information—or rather, some thoughts—from Wade, after a brief moment of annoyance, Wade decided to generously forgive him.
Because he himself did not truly confess everything.
For example--
He told Dumbledore about the activities of the Malawi Party in the United States, including the role his puppet Braun played in them.
However, he did not say what the rest of the puppets did specifically, or that many of the puppets are still in the United States.
Dumbledore knew that the Vigilantes had quietly seized a large amount of wealth during the political turmoil in the United States and even secretly controlled the Magical Congress, but he did not know exactly how much Vader had gained from it, or how those assets were disposed of.
The principal seemed to have no idea about these things at all; if Wade didn't bring it up, he wouldn't mention it either.
Looking back on all this, Wade felt that it was a good habit for people to maintain some privacy.
After sending the letter to Dumbledore, Wade didn't stop; he continued to flip through the Book of Friends and switched to a new page.
At the top of the page is Grindelwald's handwritten name, so clear it looks like it was just written yesterday.
The quill pen bounced over again, taking on the writing task without its owner's intervention.
To Mr. Grindelwald:
The following is information I obtained from a memory...
If they are looking for a "gap in the world," then the private magic school that was breached by the US military at Cape Adan in Kosovo might be Rick and Amanda's target.
I've heard that De Laine is operating in that area with his men, and he hasn't contacted me recently. Please be sure to remind him to be careful.
After all, he was likely facing not the Muggle soldiers or ordinary wizards he had initially assumed, but powerful dark wizards with far-reaching schemes and unknown methods, as well as an unknown number of goblin forces.
After finishing writing, Wade didn't wait for a reply. He turned the page and continued writing with his quill pen, slightly modifying the message he had just sent to Grindelwald and writing one for Derain as well.
After finishing writing several letters, Wade put the quill back in the pen holder and gently closed the friend's book.
He leaned back in his chair and turned to look out the window—the night sky was unusually clear, the moonlight was like frost, quietly shining on the windowsill, and a few wisps of thin clouds lingered near the moon.
"when!"
Suddenly, a soft clinking sound rang out on the table.
Wade turned his head and saw a cup of hot water and a note with crooked handwriting on his desk:
It's late, time to rest.
Although there was no signature, Vader recognized it immediately as Zoe's handwriting.
He smiled and said softly, "Thank you for your concern, Zoe... But at Hogwarts, a student who doesn't go out at night isn't living a complete life, right?"
After saying that, he put away the Book of Friends, got up and walked to the front of the wardrobe space, and flicked the golden bell on it with his finger.
"Ah! I'm not asleep! I'm not asleep!"
Startled awake, Bell shouted and shook twice, asking solicitously, "Do you want to go in, Master? Or should I call someone out?" Wade said, "Neither in nor out. Have everyone put down what they're doing and help me find information related to fairies, world rifts, and the source of magic."
"Okay, I'll go and pass it on right away!"
The guilty bell called out in an unusually enthusiastic tone, making a jingling sound.
Wade donned a cloak, transformed into a peregrine falcon, and flew straight out of the window, arriving at the library in an instant.
Mrs. Pince was not there, of course. The library was pitch black, the tall bookshelves stood like silent giants, and the air was filled with the unique smell of old paper, ink and dust. It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Vader shook his wand, and a ball of light floated from its tip, hovering quietly in front of him. It moved slowly with his steps, illuminating the densely packed spines of books in front of him.
He silently crossed the regular reading area, stepped directly over the rope that was merely a formality to stop students, and entered the restricted book area.
Although the school does not allow students to borrow books from the restricted area at will, in reality, this ban has a great deal of flexibility.
As long as a student has a note from any professor, they can borrow any book they want from the restricted section.
So for most students, the only problem is how to convince a professor to sign their note.
In the past, as a student whom professors loved and trusted, Wade didn't need to sneak into the library because he could always get approval slips.
But tonight was different. He didn't even know what book to look for or how to write the application. He could only search through them one by one.
So he chose the more direct and simpler option of nighttime travel.
Even though it was just a rope separating them, the air in the restricted book section seemed colder than outside. Some books had bloodstains on their covers that hadn't faded for centuries, while others were chained up with heavy chains, as if they contained living creatures.
The ball of light swept past each book title—
Nameless Priest, Poisonous Magic, Black Magic Stitching, Research on the Magic of Underground Civilization, Powerful Potion, Bloodline Curse...
Some of the books Wade had already read, some he found uninteresting just from the titles, and others were simply unreadable.
In the magical world, some knowledge is not necessarily better the more you possess it.
For example, the book "A Study of Magic in Underground Civilizations" sounds like an ordinary research record, but there's actually a reminder on the title page—
What the editor actually recorded were the various cruel methods used against subterranean creatures; and the process of using certain vicious black magic to transform normal humans or magical creatures into subterranean creatures.
Reading such books can have a strong negative impact on readers. At best, it can cause mental exhaustion and physical and mental fatigue due to recurring nightmares. At worst, it can lead to schizophrenia, or even gradually distort cognition, causing readers to accept the ideas in the book and lose basic morality and empathy.
—These were things Professor Morrie told him when Wade wanted to borrow a book once.
Instead of directly refusing Wade's request to borrow the book, the professor took him to the library's restricted section and showed him a warning left by someone on the title page before explaining the terrible consequences of reading such books.
“You must remember, Vader—the chains of the forbidden zone do not lock up knowledge, but rather the black magic itself that can actively harm readers and even spread negative effects.”
"Some knowledge is a tool that you can learn to use. But some things are living traps that crave to be read, to find new hosts, and to continue the dark mission that was given to them when they were written down."
At that moment, Professor Morrie sighed softly, looked at Wade whose face still bore the traces of youth, and softened his tone, saying:
"You have rare talent and curiosity, which is great. But a smart person must know when to stop."
"These chains in the school library will one day be unable to stop you. But if one day you want to read a book without permission, remember this—"
"First, do not open those books that have been sealed!"
"Secondly, if you absolutely must open it, remember that dangerous books always contain warnings—experiences learned from countless bloody lessons by those who came before you. If the consequences are unbearable, then put it back immediately!"
"Third, and most importantly—come find me!"
"If you insist on doing it, I won't stop you, nor will I ask why. But I can prepare protective gear for you and provide rescue in case of an accident."
“You can always trust me, child.”
……
Some of the books seemed to be whispering softly, stirring up Wade's memories.
Professor Murray's words of advice from that time are so clear, it's as if they're ringing in my ears right now.
but……
Wade sighed silently.
When he went to see Professor Morrie to continue studying alchemy, he learned from several seventh-grade students that Professor Morrie had recently taken leave, apparently to go to Egypt to study a newly discovered ancient magical ruin.
The current substitute teacher for the sixth and seventh graders is a young alchemist, who is said to be an outstanding graduate from the previous two years.
But after listening for a while, Vader felt that he was not as good as Machioni, so he turned around and left without much interest.
Now that Vader needs to look through the library's books, Professor Mori can't possibly fly back from Egypt and suddenly appear beside him.
Moreover, how could Professor Morrie, who was worried that Vader would rashly touch the taboo back then, have imagined that Vader would now have an accomplice who was completely unafraid of danger?
Wade stopped, opened his pencil case, and a swarm of fireflies, each the size of a fingernail, silently flew out, their tails emitting a cold white light.
The fireflies hovered in front of Wade for a moment, then scattered like twinkling stars, flying towards the bookshelves in all directions of the forbidden book section, carefully scanning the title of each book, searching for clues.
Wade himself wasn't idle either; he continued his aimless search along the main road.
The Silent Codex, Immortality and Extinction in Genealogical Magic, Weaving Dreams...
A few minutes later, a firefly suddenly flew back from the depths of the bookshelf at an angle, its tail flashing rapidly like a changing signal light.
Wade immediately followed the messenger.
He walked through two rows of bookshelves that almost reached the ceiling and came to a secluded corner, where he saw a thin booklet tucked between two large volumes, "Explorations in the Theory of Black Magic" and "The Power of Curses".
Several fireflies were struggling to pull the booklet out from the middle of the book, revealing the title on it—
Ragnarok and its Origins.
There were no chains or sealing magic on this book, not even blood or human skin; it looked like an ordinary book.
The fireflies placed it on the ground and turned the pages one by one.
The book's inner pages are yellowed and fragile, with dark brown ink forming lines of elegant text:
Before Yggdrasil's roots had penetrated all worlds, before the three Fates had spun all their threads, an even more ancient being glimpsed a glimmer of light from the cracks of nothingness.
It wasn't the legendary Asgard or Jotunheim, nor was it heaven or hell; it was solidified 'fragments' that spewed out after the origin shattered.
The earliest awakened wisdom, those beings later known as 'gods' or 'primordial wizards,' ventured into touching these 'fragments'...
One update tonight
(End of this chapter)