As far as the eye could see, the bronze candelabras at the entrance flared with moonlight-white flames the moment he stepped inside. The palace ceiling was a stellar mural, much like the one adorning the Great Hall at Hogwarts. Bathed in the candlelight, the constellations were incredibly clear. Each star's path shifted as time flowed onward. The Twenty-Eight Mansions even formed a pattern resembling a majestic eagle, poised to take flight across the Milky Way.
In the heart of the main hall, a colossal hourglass, its chains woven from crystal, floated gracefully. The sands within shimmered with an intensely mystical silver-purple glow. Dylan took a few steps forward, his gaze fixed on the magnificent hourglass.
"What in Merlin's beard is this for?"
Dylan sensed that every single grain of sand within it was extraordinary. It was as if someone had sealed incredibly tiny spells within each individual grain. These enchantments had transformed the sands, clearly endowing them with unknown purposes.
Dylan's eyes drifted to the side.
On a long table crafted from moonstone, hundreds of glowing parchment scrolls were neatly arranged, row upon row. These parchments, it seemed, were the knowledge scrolls left behind by Rowena Ravenclaw herself.
"No bookshelves? They're just sitting on a table?"
Dylan casually picked up a scroll. As he unrolled the parchment, he was rather surprised to discover that the ink marks weren't forming words at all. Instead, they rearranged themselves the moment he unfurled it.
"Oh?"
Reading the words that appeared on the parchment, Dylan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"Knowledge is a cage?"
Just a title, and Dylan's interest was instantly piqued. This appeared to be Ravenclaw's own manuscript, and a paradoxical one at that. It meticulously detailed Ravenclaw's thoughts and reflections on whether wisdom truly leads witches and wizards to freedom, or if it ultimately traps them within the very knowledge they seek. The content, even after all these centuries, was utterly captivating. Dylan found himself so engrossed that he didn't even want to put the parchment down.
After a moment, Dylan ultimately decided not to finish reading the manuscript just yet. There were so many parchments here. He could read them whenever he wished. For now, his main priority was to gather all of these treasures and take them back with him.
"Looks like I'm in for some serious studying."
With a flick of his wrist, Dylan swept the parchment in his hand, along with all the others on the long table, into his system panel space. He wasn't entirely sure if he could take the entire palace with him in the end. If not, at least he'd make sure to take all the contents. He'd even dig up the very floorboards if he had to.
With the parchments stowed away, Dylan's gaze returned to the long table. Now, without the piled scrolls, a magical artifact sitting in a corner was revealed to his sight.
"An orrery?"
Dylan walked over, picked it up, and gave it a couple of turns. It was a miniature orrery crafted from magical metal. Even after all this time, it was still functioning. The planetary orbits displayed on it seemed to follow the actual laws of the universe. Perhaps to make it even more realistic, tiny golden sparks occasionally flickered from the device.
"Could this hourglass be something Ravenclaw used for a countdown?"
After casually stowing away the orrery, Dylan turned his attention to the massive hourglass beside him. This too must be a magical artifact. Dylan felt strong magical fluctuations emanating from it. Clearly, like the orrery, this hourglass, even after being stored for so long, was still fully functional. However, Dylan didn't try to see if he could move the hourglass, as it appeared to be fused with the floor.
Dylan planned to first see if he could take the entire palace with him. In the meantime, he could clear out some of the smaller, miscellaneous items, like the parchments. As for items practically integrated into the palace itself, Dylan decided to leave them for now. If it came down to it, he could always dismantle them and take them later.
Circling around the main hall, Dylan walked straight ahead. Pushing open a door, he found himself in what appeared to be a laboratory. And not just any laboratory—it was far more proper and well-equipped than his own makeshift setup. It certainly didn't resemble his haphazardly constructed workshop. A single workbench alone took up nearly half the room. On the other side, dozens of glass containers were arrayed, more than half of which still held potions. He wondered if these potions, after all this time, were still effective.
However, if a potion-maker's skill was high enough, their concoctions could become like fine aged Firewhisky – the longer they were kept, the richer their potency. So, even if these potions had been here for centuries, their effects would likely have only improved, rather than diminished. And since the creator of these potions was clearly Ravenclaw herself, Dylan figured they were very likely still usable, much like the magical artifacts outside.
This laboratory was enormous. Dylan estimated that this single lab might occupy a third of the entire palace. The main hall outside accounted for another quarter. The palace wasn't grand, but it seemed to have a fair number of rooms. Dylan guessed the upper floor probably held storage or living quarters. But the palace only seemed to have two levels.
Dylan pursed his lips. "Is this all there is to Ravenclaw's treasure?"
While the lab table certainly looked expensive, and the entire lab was clearly built to a high standard, it was still far from what Dylan imagined a treasure to be. He let out a soft sigh and left the laboratory, returning to the main hall. Then, he looked towards a side door. Walking over, he pushed it open.
Candlelight streamed through the crack in the door, and the contents within responded with an even more fervent glow. Beams of gold light assailed Dylan's eyes, making them sting. Yet, he didn't squint; instead, he widened his eyes, peering into the room.
Inside, Galleons were piled high, forming mountains of gold. The coins looked like a molten waterfall, spilling from the corners of the room to the threshold. In the candlelight, they refracted a dazzling, almost blinding, light. Even the air itself seemed subtly stained with a flowing amber hue. This room appeared to have been transfigured by a spell; not only did the floor seem to flow with gold coins, but beneath the crystal chandelier on the ceiling, a suspended shower of diamonds hung. These diamonds floated in strings, resembling curtains of shimmering jewels.
"These diamonds..."
Dylan looked closer. He could tell at a glance that they weren't just ordinary diamonds. They possessed magical properties, making them suitable materials for magical experiments.
"Brilliant!"
Dylan's eyes lit up, then lit up again, and again. This was what he truly considered Ravenclaw's treasure! While Ravenclaw symbolized wisdom, neither the knowledge-filled parchments nor the laboratory alone could be truly considered treasure. Most importantly, without financial backing, how could she have researched so many things?
Looking at the mountains of gold coins that practically filled the entire room, and that swirling cloud-like shower of diamonds, Dylan smiled with satisfaction.
"This mist really does seem to be a spell, protecting these diamond materials and even continuously nourishing them."
What a clever idea! Magical materials actually needed to be stored properly. If kept for too long, the magic within them could gradually dissipate, causing their magical potency to wane. Such materials, when used in experiments, would only make research less efficient. And when used for any other purpose, they would have a significant impact. After all, if the purity of the materials themselves was compromised, it would be strange if there were no ill effects.
Dylan stepped into the room. Immediately, a crisp clinking sound followed. Dylan looked to the very center of the room. It seemed something had originally been held there, supported by gold coins—because the coins formed an open hand, as if holding something.
Dylan clicked his tongue. "Could the item originally held there have been Ravenclaw's diadem?"
No, that didn't sound right either! He hadn't heard of Ravenclaw hiding her diadem. It was an heirloom, and later it was collected by others. Would Ravenclaw specially build a treasure palace just to hide her diadem?
Dylan, however, was inclined to believe that this palace, rather than being Ravenclaw's treasure, was more likely one of her former experimental grounds. After all, higher-level wizards generally had their own laboratories. For a witch of Ravenclaw's caliber, it went without saying.
Therefore, Dylan felt that calling this palace a treasure was indeed fitting, especially for a young wizard of later generations. To possess such a well-equipped laboratory, overflowing with gold coins and piled with magical materials from a predecessor, certainly warranted the title of treasure. But it still differed from what Dylan had imagined a treasure to be, or rather, a treasure in the truest sense.
Dylan's vision of Ravenclaw's treasure was something far more mystical. Not like this, where the 'treasure' was essentially just a laboratory.
"Oh well, contentment is a virtue."
Dylan gently raised a hand. In an instant, the piled Galleons began to subtly tremble. Then, the entire gold mountain disintegrated with a roar! Countless coins escaped the pull of gravity, hovering in mid-air like a golden mist. The myriad coins clinked against each other, a continuous cascade of clear, ringing sounds. Finally, like a golden waterfall, they flowed upwards, converging into a spinning column of golden light that poured into Dylan's palm.
At this moment, Dylan's mind felt as if countless coins were tinkling.
—Clink! Your money pouch has received one thousand Galleons! —Clink! Your money pouch has received five thousand Galleons! —Clink! Your money pouch has received ten thousand Galleons! —Clink-clink-clink-clink-clink!
Not until the very last coin settled in Dylan's palm did he feel utterly satisfied. He then glanced at his system panel.
[Name]: Dylan Hawkwood [Magic]: Fiendfyre, Cheering Charm, Confundus Charm, Obliviate, Scourgify, Reparo, Herbivicus, Decoratus, Vermiculus, Pellis, Diffindo, Calefacio, Celeriter Coquo, Ardens Oleum, Sepulchrum Animae, Expulso, Umbra Volans, Redivivus, Avis, Sectumsempra, Legilimens, Crucio, Imperius, Erecto, Morsmordre, Parasitus, Putrefactio Flos, Knotgrass, Bat-Bogey Hex, Somnium Maximum, Eradico Cthulhu, Avada Kedavra, Incendio, Occlumency, Rictus Sectum, Ostium Somnii, Memoria Obscura— [Traits]: Rapid Meditation, Eye of Scrutiny, Serpentine Gaze of Ending, Dementor's Kiss, Dementor's Might, Peeves' Prank, Boggart's Bane, Pet Ability Control, Infernal Mandrake's Aura, Spell Barrage x50— [Items]: Soul-Blade, Shadow Ring, Wand of Authority, Pet Space Satchel, Portable Magical Library— [Money]: 1,297,000 Galleons, 780,000 Pounds [Pets]: Soot (Umbral Shadow), Norberta (Norwegian Ridgeback)
Upon seeing that his Galleons in the money section had jumped from around three hundred thousand to over one million, Dylan was absolutely ecstatic!
So much gold? He had been so terribly shortsighted before. That was absolutely the most genuine, purest Ravenclaw treasure! Anyone who dared say it wasn't a treasure would have a proper quarrel on their hands!
Based on his initial estimation, Dylan had thought there might be only a few hundred thousand Galleons at most. He never expected there to be almost a full million! He was rich now! His personal space could expand by a huge margin! Or he could unlock several new world traits! And if not that, he could even activate hundreds of new trait tasks for his spells!
"I haven't really been completing my spell traits lately, but now that I have money, I might actually consider activating new spell trait tasks for a few of my charms."
Before, it was partly because he was short on funds. And partly because, when it came to making existing spells stronger, Dylan preferred to learn more varieties of spells first.
—Of course, the main reason was really the lack of money. Even though his father was constantly trying to make money for him, they had pretty much hit a bottleneck. Money couldn't just endlessly flow to him. So, Dylan had temporarily put his thoughts of activating spell traits aside.
However, now that he had money, Dylan's thoughts were stirring once more.
—No wonder the old saying goes: when a man gets rich, his thoughts start to 'bloom'!
Of course, Dylan's "bloom" primarily referred to how to spend money, not his romantic interests.
Dylan circled the entire palace twice. There was nothing else to be found. The palace was essentially divided into three sections: the first was the main hall where the parchments were kept, the second was the laboratory, and the third was the secret chamber holding the Galleons and various magical materials. As for the second floor, it consisted of living quarters. There wasn't much to say about those; Dylan wandered through them a few times but found nothing of value.
Wandering about, Dylan eventually finished collecting the scattered items in the palace and then stepped back out.