Chapter 276: Merlin (3k)

Professor Snape’s hatred for Quirrell was obvious; since returning from Spider Tail Alley, he had been desperate to find the man.

“If I were you, after doing those vile things, I would vanish far away myself—”

He finished coldly, cast a glance at Professor Quirrell as if he were already dead, then stepped into the shop.

There were many spells that could make a wizard disappear without a trace, and he happened to be skilled in those very spells…

Quirrell’s face paled slightly—it was a threat from a top-ranking wizard. He looked toward the young wizards outside the shop, his dazed eyes hardening again.

He could not die; this life was not merely his own.

After Professor Snape rushed into the shop, Xiang Xien fell behind. To his surprise, he saw Professor Professor Tela, who was enthusiastically buying every single Chocolate Frog card.

This left Ron and Harry dumbfounded in line.

“I hope she gets a rare Cornelius Agrippa.”

Ron muttered; the card he mentioned was the rarest—up until last month.

But now, drawing a Cornelius Agrippa made it impossible to say whether the luck was good or bad.

After all, the wizards’ goals had subtly shifted without anyone noticing.

“Let’s go buy some raspberry ice cream.”

Harry noticed Ron’s low spirits and said.

“Professor.”

Xiang Xien spoke softly from behind the crowd.

“Oh, how delightful to see you, my dear student. Before Abigail finishes picking her fairy tale biscuits, let’s take a look at these marvelous Chocolate Frogs.”

Professor Professor Tela snapped her fingers, and all the Chocolate Frog boxes opened at once, revealing their cards.

The cards floated in midair, then circled around Professor Professor Tela; with a flick of her finger, one card—“Hermes”—shot out.

“An invitation. Looks like your luck hasn’t run out yet—I thought I’d spent all mine the moment I met you—”

She smiled, then slipped the invitation into Xiang Xien’s hand.

Outside, the crowd had erupted; they stared in stunned silence at the invitation in Xiang Xien’s hand.

“Sir, I’ll offer you a hundred Jin Jin Jialong for that invitation in your hand!”

A shrewd merchant rushed forward first.

“Don’t listen to him, sir—I’ll add thirty more!”

Others quickly reacted.

Reporters frantically snapped photos but could only capture Xiang Xien shaking his head and walking into the shop.

“It’s Xiang Xien! He’s here too! He got the invitation!”

Harry looked utterly astonished, thrilled by his friend’s incredible luck.

“Ah—Xiang Xien got it, Xiang Xien got it—really—”

Ron was listless, deeply frustrated at missing the invitation.

How did the organizers show up in person… then what did our queue even mean…?

We were set up.

…

Inside the shop.

Xiang Xien followed Professor Professor Tela to find the witch, Abigail.

She stared at Xiang Xien with deep respect and eagerness:

“Mr. Hermes, when will the three-headed dog biscuits be restocked? I mean, what’s your next direction…?”

Her expression darkened the moment Professor Professor Tela stepped between them.

“Professor Tela, I’ve kept my promise and brought you the secret manual. Yet you still dare to demand the Sacred Stone—you’d better remember what the Sacred Stone means to Wajadu, and you’d better remember why we last rose to fight!”

“I haven’t forgotten—the Sacred Stone must never leave Wajadu. But won’t you reconsider at all?”

Professor Professor Tela said with keen interest.

“What did Hogwarts give you that makes you so devoted?”

Her angry gaze swept past Professor Tela and landed on Xiang Xien.

“I’m sorry, sir. Unless the Elder Council approves, even you won’t be accepted.”

Xiang Xien watched as Professor Professor Tela’s lips curved slightly, then pulled out a parchment resembling a contract:

“I think the Elder Council didn’t object.”

Abigail stared at the contract, unable to believe it; her voice grew hoarse:

“How is this possible? How could you possibly have obtained it—this has never happened before. What did you even do?”

“It wasn’t me.”

Professor Professor Tela smiled warmly and pulled Xiang Xien away.

Inside the compartment.

Xiang Xien heard Professor Professor Tela whisper:

“The Sacred Stone can never appear beyond Wajadu’s control; only Wajadu students are eligible to obtain it.

Otherwise, it becomes nothing more than an ordinary, cursed stone. Only twenty-four special Sacred Stones can leave Wajadu and unleash greater power.

One of them is this one…”

A stone was placed in Xiang Xien’s hand; though called a stone, it resembled a tablet more.

“Until you’re familiar with it, I’ll hold it for you. Remember: use it once a month. When you use it, remind yourself not to drown in false dreams. In the dream, no matter how much power you desire or how long a life you wish for, you can have it all.

These two things are what humans most crave—the problem is, humans always choose what harms them most.”

She said this with deep meaning, then took the stone back.

“I understand, Professor.”

Xiang Xien glanced at it for a few seconds, curious; according to the Professor’s words, the dream linked to this stone seemed far from simple.

It reminded him of a line from The Dream Stories:

“He experienced many adventures there, adventures that made him reluctant to leave…”

The Dream Stories described that place as the world behind the veil; Professor Professor Tela interpreted it as the world beyond the Veil of Death.

Could there be a connection between them?

“Professor, have you read this book?”

Xiang Xien asked directly.

“A fascinating book—you actually found it. Read it well, my student. Its prototype is a very famous person—you’re always talking about him…”

Professor Professor Tela smiled.

“Merlin?”

Xiang Xien asked.

“The downside of having a clever student is that I can never enjoy the pleasure of being a teacher who answers questions—”

Professor Professor Tela sounded slightly wistful.

“Sorry, Professor.”

Xiang Xien lowered his eyes.

“Oh—child, what I mean is, don’t always seek such pleasure—it’s precisely what alchemists most desire.”

Professor Professor Tela looked even more pleased.

“But remember: alchemists seek practice as the true source of wisdom.

This book contains too many fantasies—it happened within a dream. It can serve as a reference, but never as a guiding flag.

Whether it truly describes that greatest wizard, we simply don’t know.”

“So, at least some parts of this book are true, correct, Professor?”

Xiang Xien asked sharply.

“Of course, it’s a dream, a fleeting illusion, child—but why does that mean it isn’t real?”

Professor Professor Tela said slowly.

Xiang Xien fell into thought; he sensed this book was far from simple.

Like The Tale of the Three Brothers, they might be pointing to something, conveying hidden messages.

But Xiang Xien quickly dismissed it.

Rather than waste time on vague illusions, he’d rather practice Soul Transfiguration twice more.

A small group in the Wizarding World firmly believed that mysterious texts—like The Tale of the Three Brothers—were secretly conveying information opposite to their literal meaning, accessible only to those with sufficient wisdom.

For example, if someone legally possessed the three Deathly Hallows, he or she would become the “Master of Death,” a phrase usually interpreted as invincibility or immortality.

But the truth was the exact opposite.

Xiang Xien slowly set down The Dream Stories.

If the story within was true, he would eventually achieve it; if false, what use was it to drown in it?

He pulled out the secret manual given by Witch Abigail—these were Wajadu’s most guarded treasures, far more tempting than The Dream Making Guide.

Beside him,

Professor Professor Tela was slightly lost in thought, a faint smile on her lips, her eyes filled with pride.

The Dream Stories was a legend that had leaked from Wajadu; countless African wizards had once believed in it, fueling the flourishing of their astronomy, transfiguration, and alchemy.

But in truth, no one knew whether the story was true or false, just like The Tale of the Three Brothers.

…

The Fairy Shop is about to close.

The wizards all filed out, leaving Diagon Alley by all manner of strange and peculiar means, some even leaving Britain entirely.

Wizard Sean gained many secrets of soul transfiguration from the book in his hands and headed toward Professor Quirrell— he needed to deliver some potions to the professor.

At this moment, Snape was nearly enraged:

“What are you doing?! Damn it—come here!”

Those who had been Death Eaters were untrustworthy, and Snape knew this better than anyone.

If they could yield once to violence, desire, and fear, it was only natural they would lose themselves a second time.

This sudden outburst caused Abigail, who had been preparing to leave, to turn back, and made Professor Professor Tela sit down again, visibly excited.

“Professor Tela, what’s going on?”

Abigail asked.

“Shut up and watch.”

Professor Tela said coolly.

Abigail dared not speak out, only flushed with anger.

“I’ll give you my Making Guide to using the Sacred Stone.”

She said it with fierce determination.

“Oh?”

Professor Tela hadn’t expected such a bonus; she gave Abigail a long, deep look.

“I’ve always liked your little schemes...”

Wizard Sean explained the circumstances of his hiring Professor Quirrell without much effort; Snape, meanwhile, wore a grim expression.

He had long suspected how so many potions had vanished from the young wizards’ vaults—apparently they’d been fed to rats...

“You’d better—be fully aware of what you’re doing—”

He finished coldly, then stepped toward Quirrell.

“I’ll be watching you. This time, before you do something stupid, I’ll kill you—”

His threat left Quirrell pale, but this time, Quirrell was no longer the weeping, weak-willed man he had been at Hogwarts.

“I have only one life to offer Mr. Green—I won’t waste it here...”

These words even stunned Snape for a moment.