Chapter 340: Two Questions

In the forest, the Phoenix Society members had already drawn their wands, ready to launch an attack at any time, yet Kingsley, who was in command, had not yet given the order to attack.

"Shacklebolt, what are we waiting for?!" Moody asked irritably.

"Waiting for a signal," Kingsley said, his eyes fixed on the hill opposite.

Suddenly, a flash of light lit up on the hill, and Moody was stunned. "Are there our people on the other side?"

"That's not our people," Kingsley said, gripping his wand tightly. "It's time! Attack!"

After saying this, he immediately disappeared by Apparition, and the Phoenix Society members behind him also followed and Apparated to the opposite hill.

As soon as his feet stood firm, Moody saw a strange priest in black robes and a black cloak, wearing a crown of thorns. He held a cross-like wand in his hand, chanting while splashing flames and lightning with that wand, pushing back several Aurors.

Moody was certain these guys weren't Phoenix Society members, but it seemed they were helpers?

"Defense! Defense! Don't let them get close to the radar!" the Auror captain shouted. He had expected to encounter the Phoenix Society, but he hadn't expected a group of guys dressed as missionaries to appear suddenly.

He was preparing to call for reinforcements from the mental network, but the mental network that had been smooth until just now was now filled with some kind of rustling white noise. He shouted a few times in the network, and the only response was the unchanging silence.

He scanned around, then discovered a priest kneeling on the ground, seemingly praying.

The other party held a portrait high in his hand, and the power to block the mental network seemed to come from there.

He raised his wand. "Stupefy!"

This was the spell he used most skillfully.

Suddenly, a knight wrapped in pitch-black armor jumped out in front of him, and the spell hit the knight, but it seemed to have no effect.

Damn it, who are these people?!

……

Murphy's mental network was silent, yet he seemed completely unaware, watching Dumbledore slowly pick one from the Every Flavor Beans.

Dumbledore broke the bean into two halves, placed them in two covered cups, pushed one to Murphy, and kept one in front of himself, then said, "Take a guess, Murphy."

Murphy's sense of smell was enough for him to smell very subtle scents, but Dumbledore had clearly added some magic to the cups to isolate scents and other perceptions; it was difficult for him to perceive any information about the contents.

"Mango flavor," he guessed randomly; he had just seen the bean Dumbledore picked was yellow.

"I'm afraid you guessed wrong," Dumbledore said. "I guess it should be butter flavor."

The two lifted the cups and put half a bean into their mouths.

"Oh..." Murphy rolled his eyes. "It's actually fried fish flavor. You can ask your question, Professor."

Dumbledore clearly didn't like this taste either, but he had tasted worse beans, so he ate the bean with an expressionless face.

"Tell me, Murphy, what do you actually want? Why must you do these things?" Dumbledore asked. "You once said you yearned for immortality; is this your wish?"

"Immortality," Murphy nodded. "That's right, that is indeed one of my wishes."

"If it's just that, I can give you the Magic Stone," Dumbledore said.

"Aren't you afraid I'll use the power of the Magic Stone to cause destruction?" Murphy asked mockingly.

"Compared to the power you possess now, the Magic Stone pales in comparison. In the past, I underestimated you too much."

"I do indeed want immortality; why don't you give me the Magic Stone first?"

"If your wish is just that, of course. But you seem to have more things you want; what are those?"

"You see, I gave you an answer, and you still don't trust me," Murphy said cunningly.

"I thought the rule of this game was honesty."

"Fine, fine," Murphy smiled. "The other thing I want is a bit complicated to explain, but today we seem to have plenty of time. In short, I'm just curious; curious about truth, curious about magic. Of course, you can also see it as me craving power, craving omnipotence. In fact, omniscience and omnipotence are one and the same."

"Omniscience, omnipotence... I understand. So, that's why you want to study magic through Muggle means. You want to become a god?"

"Some people would indeed describe it that way," Murphy said.

Dumbledore frowned; this answer didn't surprise him too much, it just confirmed his guess.

But this also brought up another question: "Murphy, who exactly are you?"

Murphy looked at him and smiled. "That's the second question, Professor."

……

"Bang!"

Just as a black-armored knight was preparing to behead the Auror in front of him, his head seemed to be hit hard by something, and then, a distant gunshot echoed in the valley.

The next moment, another gunshot rang out, and the priest who was kneeling on the ground praying had his leg broken. At the same time, the Auror captain found that the mental network communication had been restored.

Immediately after, several lightning crows flew into the crowd, and accompanied by a burst of blinding lightning, over a dozen Aurors suddenly appeared to provide support.

The Phoenix Society's attack was suppressed in an instant.

……

"Watermelon flavor," Dumbledore said.

The two put the Every Flavor Bean Murphy had chosen into their mouths again.

"Ah... chili," Murphy frowned. "You actually like eating this kind of thing?"

"It always gives you some surprises," Dumbledore said. "Then, what question do you have for me, Murphy?"

"I do have a question I most want to know, but I guess you won't tell me easily. How about this: if I can actually guess correctly once, you tell me that answer, how about that?"

Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans are said to have over seven hundred flavors; the probability of guessing correctly blindly is very small.

Dumbledore thought for a moment. "Let's ask your first question first."

"Fine," Murphy looked at the other party. "Regarding the Holy Mother, I want to know everything about it."

"I don't know much more than you do," Dumbledore said. "Are you sure you want to hear it?"

Murphy nodded.

"First, it might be very ancient," Dumbledore said. "I checked the literature, and there have been many times in history when those black-armored knights appeared; they dealt a not-insignificant blow to the wizarding society."

"Second, it is not a wizard, or any person. Its form of existence... is very peculiar; wanting to kill it should be very difficult."

"Finally, it exists to guard a secret. It regards you as the greatest enemy. But you are not its only enemy."

"Who are the other enemies?"

"The Oath-Breaker Miriam—I have seen this name before; she seems to be a prophet. And... Tom Riddle," Dumbledore's blue eyes looked searchingly at Murphy. "It believes that you caused some changes in the two of them; you are the root of everything."

Miriam and Tom Riddle?

Miriam's case was easy to explain; as a long-lived vampire, her entanglement with the Holy Mother might not have been for just a day or two.

But, Tom Riddle?

Which Tom was it referring to?

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 341 =====