Chapter 337: The Message
Chapter 337: The Message
Whenever Liam had free time, he would rush to the Secret Library. The library housed a vast collection of books, many of which he had never seen or even heard of. Liam discovered that the library's collection covered a wide range of topics, not just the research materials of Britain's wizards but also information from all over the worlds.
For example, Liam was currently reading a thick book written in Cursive Latin from the Medieval period. The cover was adorned with gemstones and made of gold, while the pages were crafted from the skin of the Colchis sheep, descendants of the legendary Golden Fleece. The parchment, a beautiful light golden color, could last for a thousand years without decay and could bear the power of Magic.
The ink used for writing was also special, containing the venom of a Rune Snake, which ensured both preservation and color stability, and also etched the parchment slightly to prevent the text from being eroded.
The knowledge recorded in the book was even more precious, detailing seven or eight Elixirs that could permanently enhance a person's abilities in various ways. The only problem was that many of the required materials were now extinct, and even those that weren't were beyond Liam's current means to purchase.
Alchemy was indeed an expensive field of study; no matter how much money one made, it always seemed insufficient. Fortunately, Liam had resources from several worlds at his disposal. He was reading this book in the hope of deducing the underlying principles of the Elixirs and finding similar substitutes from other worlds to create comparable effects.
The number of books in the Alchemy section was relatively small compared to other sections, but it still totaled around two to three thousand. Even with Liam's upgraded constitution, which allowed him to remember everything he read, going through all these books was a monumental task.
After a few days of reading, Liam discovered that the Secret Library identified its visitors through soul resonance. The previous magic power verification process actually collected soul resonance data through the fluctuations of magic power.
This was a highly precise form of Magic that could accurately identify unwelcome intruders. Even someone like Harry, who possessed the Invisibility Cloak from the Deathly Hallows, couldn't deceive the library's guardian Magic until he learned how to use the artifact properly. After all, the Invisibility Cloak that could be seen through by Mad-Eye Moody's magical eye was only because Harry hadn't mastered its use yet, and the library's guardian Magic was far more powerful than Moody's eye.
In this situation, Liam found a clever workaround: the Rose Crystal was now floating in the air, flipping through the books quickly, while her Artificial Sprite, Lusa, was rapidly recording the content of the pages.
Since the Rose Crystal shared the same soul as Liam, she was considered part of him in the library. This allowed her to help record the contents of the books.
The Puppet’s method of reading was more like scanning, which made her recording speed much faster than a human’s. In just half a month, the small Puppet had almost scanned all the books in the library.
After the Rose Crystal scanned all the books, Liam would review the content with her at night through their Soul Link.
Reading in his mind was much faster than flipping through the pages, and soon he found some familiar books, such as the Emerald Record written on papyrus and the Baopuzi inscribed on bamboo slips. These books contained many key details that made them genuine, valuable Alchemy texts, unlike their non-magical versions.
The following time was dedicated to learning. Liam sometimes went to the Multiverse General Store to read, in order to maximize his study time. To avoid raising suspicion, he still occasionally visited the library. Time passed slowly in this state until after the Easter break.
It was the last week of May, and the weather had grown warm. Professor Dumbledore was still mostly absent from the school, likely out directing the hunt for Voldemort and searching for the Dark Lord's other Horcruxes.
At the end of a Transfiguration class, Professor Mcgonagall held Harry and Liam back after the lesson.
"Potter, Liang, you two are to report to the Quidditch pitch at nine o'clock tonight", Professor Mcgonagall told them. "Mr. Bagman will be there to inform the Champions about the third task."
It was only then that Liam realized he was still a part of the Triwizard Tournament. Honestly, after Voldemort's resurrection and the destruction of the Horcrux, he had almost forgotten about it.
So, at half past eight that evening, Harry met Liam in the Gryffindor Common Room, and they made their way downstairs. Along the way, they continually discussed what the final task of the Tournament might be.
"What do you think it will be?" Harry asked Liam as they descended the stone steps and merged into the cloud-covered night. "I heard from the Beauxbatons students that we might have to find some treasure underground?"
"Underground? That's absolutely impossible", Liam dismissed the idea. "There are no underground caves around here like there are in Castrobrusso, and the cost of digging one artificially would be too high for just a Tournament."
As they walked along the dark lawn toward the Quidditch pitch, they passed through a gap in the stands and entered the pitch. The Quidditch pitch was no longer smooth and flat. It appeared that someone had built numerous long, low walls that crisscrossed and meandered in all directions.
The Beauxbatons students were partly right. Liam noticed several piles of earth in the middle, and with her experience from the trenches in different worlds, she quickly realized that there would be some underground structures involved.
"Good evening!" a cheerful voice called out. Ludo Bagman stood in the center of the Quidditch pitch, and the other four Champions from the other schools had already arrived. Liam and Harry climbed over the low walls and approached them.
"What do you think?" Bagman asked cheerfully as Liam and Harry climbed over the last wall. "It's coming along nicely, isn't it? In another month, Hagrid will transform them into twenty-foot-high walls."
Under normal circumstances, Harry might have been upset or worried about the drastic changes to the Quidditch pitch, but after witnessing Voldemort emerging from the cauldron, his focus was now on finishing the Tournament as quickly as possible. He didn't react much to Bagman's words.
"Alright, I think you can guess what we're going to do here, can't you?" Seeing that no one was speaking, Bagman tried to liven up the mood.
"A maze", Liam said directly.
"Exactly!" Bagman exclaimed. "It's a maze. But this isn't just any ordinary maze. With the help of magic, it's a fully three-dimensional maze, much more challenging than what you can imagine. The third task is straightforward. The Triwizard Cup is placed at the center of the maze, and the first Champion to touch it will receive full marks."
"Do we just have to navigate the maze?" Fleur asked.
"There will be many obstacles", Bagman said cheerfully, hopping from foot to foot. "The Ministries of Magic from the three countries have provided a variety of magical creatures... and there will be some talismans or puzzles to solve... you know, that sort of thing. The Champion leading in points will enter the maze first." He glanced at Harry with a keen eye, as if looking at a pile of Galleons.
"Remember, you all must strive to succeed, and it will come down to your ability to traverse the obstacles. It should be quite fun, don't you think?" Bagman concluded.
"Yes, it should be quite fun", Liam agreed. After dealing with the Mole problem and driving Voldemort away, he felt that this Tournament should now be a purely enjoyable event. He planned to take this opportunity to have some fun and relax.
(End of Chapter)
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