Chapter 336: The Library's Secret
Chapter 336: The Library's Secret (Request for Subscriptions, Favorites, and Votes)
The next morning, Liam hurried to the Library. After handing Professor Dumbledore’s signed note to Madam Pince, he was surprised to learn that he couldn’t take the books out.
"Can’t take them out? I can only read them in a designated area? Why is that?" Liam asked, puzzled. "I’ve borrowed books from the Restricted Section before, but there weren’t so many rules."
"Because the books Professor Dumbledore has approved for you to read are beyond the scope of a student. Some of these books are inherently dangerous, while others have various issues, such as being extremely fragile due to their age. In such cases, they can only be read in a designated area to ensure safety, both for the books and for the readers", Madam Pince explained.
She then sized Liam up and down. "Since Professor Dumbledore has agreed to let you access the storage area for these books, he must believe you have the necessary qualifications to read them. However, I still need to warn you: if you damage any of the books, I will immediately expel you, even if Professor Dumbledore comes to your defense."
"Alright, follow me." After issuing her warning and ensuring Liam was paying attention, Madam Pince led him toward the Restricted Section. To Liam’s surprise, they didn’t stop at the bookshelves in the Restricted Section. Instead, they continued down a corridor deeper into the Restricted Section, eventually stopping in front of a wall.
"Is this it?" Liam asked.
"This is the true location where the important books are stored. You didn’t really think that the so-called Restricted Section, which lower-year students can sneak into during night-time, would house anything dangerous or significant, did you?"
Liam finally understood why Harry could enter the Restricted Section in his first year. That area wasn’t particularly important. This also explained why, despite the Wizarding World’s emphasis on knowledge, a thousand-year-old school like Hogwarts had such lax security for its important books.
On the wall was a detailed relief carving of a baboon holding a crescent moon. In traditional mysticism, this image symbolized Thoth, the ancient Egyptian god of wisdom. And for some reason, Liam felt the baboon’s fur was slightly ruffled, and the area above its head seemed a bit clearer.
Does it mean I’m going to be extremely smart? Liam had a strange thought and began to worry about his hairline. However, Madam Pince didn’t notice Liam’s wandering thoughts. She placed the note in the baboon’s empty hand, and as soon as the note touched its hand, the relief carving came to life.
The baboon raised the note and held it next to the moon in its other hand. Only then did Liam realize that the moon was carved from a piece of moonstone.
The moonstone moon suddenly emitted a silvery moonlight, clearly visible even in the daytime. Under the moonlight, Professor Dumbledore’s signature on the parchment glowed golden, complementing the silvery moonlight.
After the inspection, the baboon returned to its original position. Madam Pince retrieved the note and handed it back to Liam, then grabbed a branch on the relief carving and pulled it hard.
The stone branch stretched like rubber, and when Madam Pince released it, it snapped back to its original shape. A series of clicks followed, and a section of the wall began to rise, revealing a doorway of normal size.
"Alright, follow me and don't touch anything." After giving her warning, Madam Pince walked straight toward the large hole in the wall, with Liam closely following behind.
This was an extremely spacious room, constructed primarily of a rough, gray stone. It looked unremarkable at first glance, but Liam immediately recognized it as a high-quality Philosopher's Stone material, capable of withstanding magical attacks and extremely expensive outside. According to Fred, in the Wizarding World, only the top-tier families could afford to use various materials to build their own treasure rooms. Here, the entire room, which seemed to span a vast dimension, was made entirely of this material.
Stepping through the small doorway, Liam felt as if he had entered the Giant Realm. The room was filled with enormous bookshelves, some as tall as two-story buildings, standing like small mountains. Beside them were finely crafted bronze ladders and platforms.
"Herbology, magical creatures, enchantment, history—" books of all kinds were arranged in different sections. The bookshelves contained not only paper books but also texts written on wooden tablets, papyrus scrolls, and even large stone slabs inscribed with various scripts.
"Truly magnificent!" Liam couldn't help but exclaim softly. He had never known such a place existed within Hogwarts.
"This has been here since the school was founded", Madam Pince's voice carried a hint of excitement and pride. "The four founders collected and stored their books and materials here. Over the past thousand years, Hogwarts has continued to store the most important or dangerous materials, which are not suitable for public display, here. Only students or professors who have been approved by the Headmaster are allowed to enter. Additionally, anyone who enters this room must sign a magical contract with Hogwarts, promising not to disclose any of its contents to others."
Liam nodded, understanding why he had never heard of this place before.
"Alright, place your hand here. We need to perform a magic authentication. If you feel your magic power being stimulated, don't resist." The two of them arrived at the center of the room, where there was a clearing with a white marble stone platform.
Placing his hand on the large sunstone slab embedded at the top of the stone platform, Liam felt something sweep over his palm, causing a tingling sensation. The scan was accompanied by magic, which triggered a reflexive response from his internal magic power.
"Maybe magic and science will ultimately lead to the same destination", Liam thought, as the stone platform reminded him of the fingerprint recognition systems he had seen in sci-fi movies.
"You can take your hand off now. Your magic power fluctuations have been recorded. Next time you come, just place your hand on the baboon relief carvings to open the door. Also, your access is limited to the Alchemy section. You will be blocked by a magic barrier if you try to enter other areas, and attempting to force your way through will trigger an alarm. Additionally, no one is allowed to spend more than six hours in this room per day. If you exceed this limit, the magic will eject you. Finally, I wish you success in finding the knowledge you seek." With that, Madam Pince left briskly, leaving Liam alone in the room.
"It's time to get to work", Liam muttered to himself as he headed toward the Alchemy section. Even though he had a deep understanding of alchemy from his previous world, the rules in different worlds could vary.
To wield full power in this world, learning this world's alchemy would be a much better approach than trying to figure it out on his own through trial and error.
(End of Chapter)
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