After waiting for more than ten minutes, the absorption of the mutant dragon grass finally ended, and the basilisk became a pile of bones. Ryan put on the dragonskin gloves and picked up a piece of bone, only to find that it was noticeably lighter than expected. When he pinched it a little harder, the white bones quickly turned into a handful of ashes.
This absorption was too thorough. After confirming that there was nothing of value left in the basilisk remains, Ryan carefully checked the condition of the mutant dragon grass.
From the outside, the dragon grass had hardly changed—at most, its leaves looked greener than before. But through their spiritual connection, the dragon grass informed Ryan that it had undergone a transformation and would soon be reborn.
Reborn? Ryan focused on the dragon grass again. Only then did he realize that the entity bound to his pet contract was not the entire dragon grass but rather the football-sized fruit growing from it.
It seemed that in his exhaustion, he had overlooked this crucial detail. He couldn't afford to be so careless in the future.
Once the basement was nearly cleaned, Ryan recalled all the robots, sent them back to the world of Plants vs. Zombies, and reluctantly returned the mutant dragon grass to the grocery store. Then, he turned his attention to exploring the secret room.
According to legend, Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets was originally a place where he conducted magical experiments that the other founders opposed. If that were true, then there could be valuable remnants left behind in this secret room.
After all, considering its grand scale and elaborate decorations, it seemed wasteful to use this chamber solely as a basilisk's lair.
Ryan also didn't believe the claim in Hogwarts: A History that Slytherin had kept the basilisk to purge Muggle-borns from the school. The logic behind that idea was flimsy.
First, from the battle earlier, Ryan had observed that the basilisk was simply a beast with limited intelligence. Even in the British wizarding world today, very few families were purely magical in heritage. Ryan highly doubted that a basilisk, with its low intelligence, could make accurate judgments on blood status.
Second, the basilisk's abilities were insufficient to achieve such a cleansing. If it launched stealth attacks, Hogwarts would likely shut down after just a few student casualties. If it attacked openly, it would have to strike when students were gathered, but that would also mean Hogwarts' powerful professors would be present—easily enough to take down a single basilisk.
So what was the real purpose of the basilisk? With this question in mind, Ryan carefully examined every inch of the secret room.
After thoroughly inspecting the chamber and finding nothing unusual, he turned his attention to the statue of Slytherin. He chanted the opening spell again and slipped into the mouth of the Slytherin statue.
The tunnel was dark and stretched on for quite a distance, inducing a sense of unease. However, it was wide enough for an adult to walk through upright.
After walking more than ten meters, Ryan spotted a faint light ahead. Turning a corner, he entered a stone chamber illuminated by several embedded transparent crystals that allowed lake light to filter in. Additionally, a dim yellow glow radiated from an overhead source.
Ryan examined the space carefully. It was about the size of a classroom, and apart from a burning oil lamp overhead, the room was completely empty.
At first, he simply felt a little disappointed—until he suddenly realized something odd.
An oil lamp? In a sealed underground chamber? And how could such a small lamp burn for so long?
Curious, Ryan used a hook to remove the lamp and found that it was a simple bronze oil lamp with the Slytherin House emblem inlaid in silver.
More importantly, the lamp contained a silver oil bowl with two serpentine letters embossed along the edge—Salazar Slytherin's initials. A gold wick sat in the middle of the bowl, and though the light was burning brightly, there was no fuel inside.
This must be Gublai's Immortal Fire—a legendary spell said to be conjured only by the most powerful wizards, allowing flames to burn eternally without fuel.
Realizing this, Ryan decided to return the lamp to its original position. It appeared to be a part of Hogwarts' property, likely crafted by Slytherin himself. Taking it would not only be improper but also useless, as it held no power-enhancing abilities or monetary value.
Instead, he turned his focus to thoroughly searching the stone room, convinced that if Slytherin had hidden something in the Chamber of Secrets, it would be in this very chamber.
After all, if the basilisk had truly been guarding something, it was likely this room contained Slytherin's treasure.
Despite an exhaustive search, the only notable object remained the oil lamp. Ryan then decided to try speaking various phrases in Parseltongue.
When he uttered, "Reveal your secrets," the lamp suddenly flared with intense brightness, illuminating the four walls with extensive Latin text. Additionally, a life-like snake projection appeared in one corner of the room.
Was this Slytherin's inheritance?
Not wanting to miss any detail, Ryan quickly entered the world of Plants vs. Zombies and retrieved a film camera before rushing back.
As he photographed the texts, he realized they were written in Latin. Thankfully, he recognized Latin numerals and was able to document everything in the correct order.
After spending half an hour taking two full cycles of photographs and using up several rolls of film, Ryan determined that the inheritance consisted of 186 pages. Unfortunately, he couldn't decipher their content, meaning he would have to find a way to translate them after leaving.
Ensuring he had captured everything, he turned his attention back to the wall where the snake projection had appeared. In Parseltongue, he commanded, "Open."
A stone door with an ornate bronze handle shaped like a serpent emerged from the previously smooth wall.
Ryan grasped the handle and pulled. To his surprise, the door swung open effortlessly, nearly causing him to stumble.
Even after a thousand years, the secret chamber's mechanisms functioned flawlessly under Slytherin's magical protections. It was an astonishing discovery.
Beyond the door, a spiral staircase led upward. Ryan ascended for over ten minutes before reaching another solid wall.
Once more, he spoke in Parseltongue, and the wall swiftly split open, revealing a narrow doorway just large enough for one person to pass through.
Peering outside, Ryan saw tapestries hanging in the corridor and torches burning on the walls. He had successfully returned to the castle.
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