Chapter 337: Niffler's Education
Chapter 337: Niffler's Education
Goblins are one of the few humanoid races that have fully preserved their cultural heritage. Besides their unique Goblin Magic and exceptional craftsmanship, they have their own language, customs, and settlements.
Many aspects of their culture bear a resemblance to Wizards, such as the way parents scare their children.
In many Goblin fairy tales, Nifflers are depicted as demonic beings. Their notoriety extends beyond just stories; even in arguments among adult Goblins, if one were to list the top ten insults, "Your family has attracted a Niffler!" would undoubtedly make the list and likely rank near the top.
"Don't worry, Valen has many treasures", Felix said.
Gonuk felt even more uneasy upon hearing this. In Goblin culture, the more treasures one has, the more desires one harbors, which is how one accumulates such vast wealth! He hurriedly excused himself, and Clemi, after looking outside for a moment, announced with amusement, "Mr. Gonuk chose the tent farthest from us." Everyone couldn't help but chuckle.
It was already dark, and Felix was alone in the tent, pulling out a stack of parchment to meticulously review the fruits of his journey.
First were the nine Ancient Magics, a bountiful harvest. Hailbo, to hide his true identity, left relatively normal magics on the stone slabs, avoiding anything strange or bizarre. Felix reflected on whether he could have left this place unscathed if he had stumbled upon it during his travels.
Especially on the stone slab closest to the Chamber, Hailbo left a heartfelt message. The gist was: Since you have overcome numerous trials, you have earned my recognition. I have left all my knowledge in the Chamber.
Ah... it was all a deception.
But the technique was incredibly sophisticated. Felix only discovered the intricacy of the scheme after carefully reviewing the details. Using nine genuine Ancient Magics as bait, the seemingly useless introductions and travel anecdotes on the other slabs were Hailbo's carefully crafted elements.
For instance, he first introduced his background and then recounted his travels and adventures, revealing many secrets that painted a picture of a powerful, solitary, and proud Wizard.
Such a person wouldn't set traps, right? It wouldn't be worth it! Wizards of that era had no concept of a Horcrux.
Most ancient Wizards set up Chambers either to hide treasures or to create tombs, which were naturally filled with traps. No one would think to "publicly" display their powerful magics.
Therefore, from the perspective of a Wizard of that time, it would be hard not to fall for the trap.
Once the successor believed in Hailbo's fabricated Wizard image, their vigilance would greatly diminish. They would only be cautious about the "tests" left by their predecessors, neglecting the hidden, insidious traps.
Moreover, in the subsequent slabs, Hailbo gradually offered some encouraging words, urging the successors to continue forward and leaving some seemingly useless minor techniques, all to enhance his standing in the minds of those who ventured through.
But he never revealed the crucial information, waiting to deceive them. For example, he would disguise powerful curses as small pebbles on the path or suddenly increase the power and intensity of the curses, catching people off guard. If the successors were already predisposed to believe these were tests, they would only think their skills were insufficient, never suspecting the malevolent intentions.
Unfortunately, no scheme can withstand the erosion of time. Hailbo's elaborate arrangements seemed feeble and powerless over the long span of time, and even the Horcrux he meticulously protected and guarded had long since destroyed itself.
"It's also possible that his technique was flawed", Felix thought. "After all, it was the first Horcrux in the world, so some mistakes were inevitable."
...
Among the nine Ancient Magics Felix recorded, four were offensive: Golden Flame, Black Lightning, Corrosive Black Mist, and Malicious Transformation; two were defensive: Silver Shield and Compressed Air; and the last three were auxiliary, which he hadn't had time to study in detail yet.
"Hmm, Hailbo didn't leave names for these magics, so I'll have to come up with them myself based on their characteristics..." Felix scratched his head, a bit at a loss. "But names aren't that important, I guess."
At that moment, the lazy Niffler, lying on the tent's carpet, shuffled over. Felix casually tapped its head, and it grumbled as it scurried away, taking two Galleons, twelve Sickles, and six Warmnuts with it.
Felix wasn't paying much attention, still lost in thought about Ancient Magic. The most intriguing aspect was the defensive magic involving compressed air. It wasn't so much about compressing air as it was about compressing space, at least to achieve a similar effect.
Although there were no explicit rules, Wizards generally had the impression that casting had distance limitations, at least for most spells. You couldn't expect a Disarming Charm to fly ten thousand meters into the sky, which was a clear distance limitation.
Among the spells Felix had mastered, the one with the farthest casting range was the Patronus Charm. In his many studies, one direction he explored was changing the form of the Patronus, making it look like himself. This would make it convenient for buying things or communicating with others. However, when he mentioned this idea to Dumbledore, Dumbledore teased him for overthinking it.
"A Patronus is a reflection of the soul. Instead of changing its form, I suggest you drape a Wizard's robe over it..."
Felix readily accepted this suggestion. He used blank memories to weave a transparent, glowing robe, allowing the Patronus to pass off as a ghost. Perhaps after the start of the school year, a new ghost would roam the halls of Hogwarts Castle.
Felix reined in his scattered thoughts and focused on the compressed air spell. The principle was simple: creating a wall of air in front of the caster. However, this wall of air compressed a segment of space, pushing the attacking magic beyond the casting range and control distance, causing it to naturally dissipate.
Theoretically, this spell could defend against any attack, even the Killing Curse.
Felix had already decided to place this spell and the black lightning spell at the top of his study list. The black lightning spell was incredibly powerful, characterized by its extreme speed and strong penetration. Most defensive spells were useless against it.
His human-form armor charm was already less effective than a regular Shield Charm. Against black lightning, it was as fragile as a thin layer of parchment.
Felix sighed again, impressed by Hailbo's understanding of investing resources.
"Such a good person, it's a shame he's dead."
Besides these nine Ancient Magic spells, Felix had also experienced an unconventional curse training session. Although Hailbo hadn't taught him a single curse, Felix had learned a lot from his personal experiences. He now needed to record these insights.
...
Niffler Valen crawled into the tent and saw Felix writing smoothly on parchment. His shadow flickered in the tent, the light inside fluctuating between bright and dim. Niffler was startled and, without thinking, grabbed a gemstone and threw it at Felix's head.
Felix looked at the gemstone in front of him, then turned to face Niffler. The two, one large and one small, stared at each other in silence.
A few minutes later, Felix held Niffler by the tail, shaking out a pile of Galleons and various trinkets from its small pockets, including the Dream Merlin Medal and a broken Time-Turner. Of course, a small pile of suspicious-looking gems in the corner also caught his attention.
"It looks like I need to give you a proper lesson", Felix said, transfiguring a small cup into a stool and making Niffler sit down properly. "Sit still. I've been negligent in your education. We have about four hours before you return the items."
Niffler Valen tucked its pink beak into its chest, sensing a strong premonition that its carefree childhood was about to end.
"I need to provide you with some basic education. Otherwise, you might cause trouble when school starts. Let me think... The section on property rights in the economics books I've read is quite educational..."
(End of Chapter)
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