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Chapter 108: Entering the Chamber of Secrets
Chapter 108: Entering the Chamber of Secrets
As the Christmas feast was drawing to a close, Liam had to admit that while his mother’s cooking was delicious, House-Elves were indeed more skilled in the kitchen. At least the food at this important banquet was even better than what he had once eaten at a Michelin-starred restaurant with his parents.
After leaving the Great Hall, Liam returned to his dormitory, read for half an hour, and then went to bed, setting his alarm for two o'clock in the morning. Fortunately, his roommates had all gone home for the holidays, so the alarm wouldn't disturb anyone.
Liam found it hard to sleep due to excitement. Thankfully, he had the habit of running the Mao Mountain Purity Heart Method before bed. After completing one full cycle, he finally drifted into a deep sleep.
At two o'clock in the morning, the alarm rang on time. Liam got out of bed, put on his assassin gear, and after checking that everything was in place, he left his bedroom, donning his school robe.
After leaving the Common Room, Liam noticed that Hogwarts was especially quiet during Christmas. Most students were not on campus, and those who stayed were likely exhausted from their festivities. The corridors were empty and silent, with not a soul in sight.
Upon reaching Myrtle's Bathroom, Liam found that Myrtle was not there. She must have gone somewhere for the holidays. At Nick's Halloween Party, he had learned that ghosts had their own forms of entertainment.
Liam walked up to the sink and confirmed that there was indeed a faucet that didn't work, with a carved snake on the side.
This was the spot. In his previous life, he had read on the official website that the Gaunt Family had been involved in the Victorian-era renovations of Hogwarts. They had moved the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets to its current location, using the sink as a cover. Given that flush toilets and faucets could not have existed when the school was first built, and even a Dark Wizard like Slytherin wouldn't be perverse enough to place an entrance to the Chamber of Secrets in a girls' bathroom, it made sense that this was a later addition.
Fortunately, in the world of Mr. Zombies, Liam had gained the Parseltongue Inheritance. He used Parseltongue to command the sink to open. The faucet emitted a brilliant white light and began to spin rapidly. Then, the sink itself started to move.
Finally, the sink disappeared, revealing a large pipe wide enough for an adult to crawl through.
After casting a Cushioning Charm on himself, Liam entered the pipe. The Cushioning Charm was one of the few spells he had mastered, as it was essential for performing the Leap of Faith.
As he fell down the pipe, Liam felt like he was hurtling through a dirty, dark, and seemingly endless tunnel. He could see other pipes branching off in various directions, but none were as wide as the one he was in. The pipe was twisted and winding, with a steep slope that led downward.
The twists and turns caused Liam to bump into the corners occasionally, and he felt like he was deep underground by now.
Eventually, the pipe leveled out, and with the help of the Cushioning Charm, Liam landed steadily at the exit. He found himself in a large stone tunnel, the ground covered in mud. The damp environment made him suspect that he was now beneath the Black Lake.
The tunnel was eerily silent. Liam took out a Lantern Plant to light his way. The only sounds were the occasional crunch of his footsteps on the ground.
Liam brought the Lantern Plant closer to the ground and noticed that it was littered with small animal bones. However, these were likely not the remains of the Basilisk's meals. Considering the Basilisk's size, the energy gained from eating such small prey would be less than the energy expended in the chase.
After turning a corner, Liam discovered a long, immobile object on the ground, stretching about six to seven meters. As he approached, he realized it was a vibrant, green snake skin, unmistakably from a venomous snake.
The snake skin lay coiled on the ground, indicating that the snake had shed it some time ago. In the damp, stagnant air, a thin layer of dust had settled on the skin.
Liam knew he couldn't pass up such a valuable find, so he opened the door to the Multiverse General Store and carefully placed the snake skin inside. Fortunately, the skin was not heavy.
After securing the snake skin, Liam continued down the winding path. The tunnel twisted and turned, and he had to navigate each bend one after another. The designer of this tunnel was clearly a master of psychological manipulation, as the dark, twisting passages made anyone walking through it constantly worry about what might be waiting around the next corner.
After another turn, the tunnel finally opened up. A wall stood at the end, adorned with two serpents entwined around each other. Their eyes were made of large, gleaming green gemstones.
Liam approached the wall and examined it closely, only to discover with regret that the green gemstones were part of a magical mechanism. He had to abandon his plan to pry them out.
"Open", Liam said again in Parseltongue. The two serpents parted, and the wall cracked open, the fissure growing wider and wider. Finally, the wall slowly slid to the sides and disappeared. Liam straightened his clothes, tossed his slightly cumbersome robe into his Spatial Bag, and carefully stepped inside.
Upon entering the Chamber of Secrets, Liam found himself in a long, rectangular room. After casting a Detect Magic spell to confirm that the Basilisk had not yet emerged, he opened the spatial door of the Multiverse General Store and retrieved the cage of roosters he had kept there.
Once prepared, Liam began to survey the room. The ceiling was high, supported by numerous stone pillars intricately carved with entwined serpents, casting long shadows on the floor.
The chamber was not completely dark but emitted a faint green glow. Following the light source, Liam noticed that the ceiling of the Chamber of Secrets was embedded with transparent crystals. Through these crystals, he could see the bottom of the Black Lake, where some bioluminescent plants provided the chamber with light.
The presence of a light source was a positive development, considering that the Basilisk could locate its prey through smell and sound, while Liam would find it difficult to fight using only non-visual means.
Reaching the end of the room, Liam saw a statue as tall as the chamber itself, standing against the wall.
Looking up, he saw the statue had a weathered face and a sparse beard that extended from the chin to the feet.
From this sculpture, Liam could discern the aged and weary appearance of the elderly Slytherin, suggesting that the legend of Slytherin's conflicts with the other founders, leading to his departure in anger, was indeed true. At the very least, the statue clearly depicted Slytherin's poor condition in his later years.
However, sympathy aside, Slytherin's pet had indeed become a threat to the students at the school. It had even killed a student fifty years ago.
It was well-known that magical creatures were an essential part of the Wizarding World, holding significant importance. Excessive hunting and killing of magical creatures were deplorable. However, when a creature bred in captivity began to take lives, it crossed a line. This was the primary reason Liam had come here to hunt the Basilisk.
(End of Chapter)
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