The little silver bucket discovered together with the World Tree roots in the Ministry's secret vault?! Ciel's eyes showed surprise. During this time, he had gained some benefits from it. The rewards from various plants had been strengthened under its influence. Most critically, the Hungarian Horntail dragon egg that should have died had actually survived under its effects. Otherwise, cultivating Blood Jade would have been extremely difficult.
But previously he had felt quite regretful about the little silver bucket. It was too severely damaged, with most of its surface worn away. Only at the bottom interior of the little silver bucket remained a small section of patterns. Though the style of those patterns wasn't exactly the same as a section of patterns on this book's cover, at least he could tell that both should be products of the same system.
His heart stirred. The little silver bucket's origins might be quite extraordinary. If he could explore its secrets and even repair it somewhat, he could benefit from it.
Then he carefully took down this book. Cautiously opening one page. The first page was blank. But in the blank space were lines of densely packed handwriting from different people. It seemed to contain countless people's resentment and wails.
"I can't understand it! I just can't understand it! I got the professor's permission to access the Restricted Section... I'm a genius, so how is it possible that I can't understand this? Am I not actually a genius? Maybe I'm just mediocre, an ordinary person born in an era lacking true geniuses? I refuse to accept this! How the hell did previous students pass this exam? Were they monsters?! Is it possible that the wizarding world has been declining generation by generation, and by my time, even someone with outstanding talent like me can't match any ordinary student from a century ago?!"
After these somewhat faded writings that were clearly quite old, a line of more recent text was written in bright red ink.
"Distinguished students of the past, though I don't know if you can still see this, I've done some research. Hogwarts' alchemy exams, except for the first year, which had practical components and created the serious teaching accident of everyone failing, have been purely theoretical ever since. And every year uses the same test papers. So the reason this subject was cancelled is also obvious... nobody could learn it, everyone just memorized answers during exams! ... Bathilda Bagshot"
After seeing this renowned author of "A History of Magic" leave her mark, he suddenly understood. So this book was formerly Hogwarts' alchemy textbook?
He then turned another page and indeed saw neat large characters: Introduction to Alchemy. But around this line of text, some mischievous student had drawn a lifelike tombstone. They'd even thoughtfully added a subtitle: "Introduction to Alchemy: From Introduction to Burial."
Below this tombstone was the tacit agreement of students from various eras who had studied alchemy to despair. Elegant script, like inscriptions on a tombstone, wrote down despairing names one by one. He even saw a familiar abbreviation among them.
"S.S. rests here."
It was Snape. He immediately recalled Snape's expression when discussing alchemy with him before. At that time, Snape had still insisted he hadn't been unable to learn alchemy but had chosen Potions as more suitable after weighing both options. He had found this somewhat credible then. After all, Snape's talent was unquestionable.
But now it seemed he had actually failed at alchemy? Thinking this, he looked at the book before him with genuine amazement. How difficult must this be? No wonder alchemists were so rare in today's wizarding world! No wonder this book was placed in the Restricted Section, not allowing ordinary students to borrow it. With so many excellent students failing, ordinary students reading this would just be wasting time.
But after hesitating for a moment, thinking he might obtain information about the little silver bucket or even find a way to repair it, he still picked up this "Introduction to Alchemy."
"This alchemy's status in the wizarding world would be at least a Heaven-tier or Emperor-tier cultivation method in fantasy novels. Since I've encountered it, I should at least take a look. What if my thinking, different from ordinary young wizards, actually allows me to get started? What if? Wouldn't that be amazing?"
With faint hope, he took the Bubble-Head Charm and Introduction to Alchemy and left the Restricted Section.
Time flashed by... three days later. He looked at "Introduction to Alchemy" with a bitter expression. After three days, the only thing he understood was the five characters "Introduction to Alchemy."
"I knew it. All those 'what ifs' are lies. So many geniuses couldn't get started, let alone me. Even if cornered, I couldn't do advanced calculus; even if driven mad, I couldn't understand alchemy."
Shaking his head, he casually set Introduction to Alchemy aside. Fortunately, his expectations hadn't been very high. He'd approached it with the mindset that learning even a little would be profit, while learning nothing wouldn't be a loss.
So even with no progress in alchemy, he wasn't discouraged. His gaze shifted to the Bubble-Head Charm, his expression turning joyful. Learning the Bubble-Head Charm had gone much more smoothly than expected.
"With my Bronze-tier Transfiguration mastery and so many Platinum-tier spells as a foundation, the Bubble-Head Charm really isn't difficult."
On the system panel, the Bubble-Head Charm was already glowing with brilliant silver light. It had advanced to the Silver tier! Then he waved his wand.
"Bubble-Head Charm!"
His wand drew a circle. A water bubble immediately appeared, like an inverted glass fish tank, covering his head. At this moment, the Aquatic Enhancement ability on the system panel suddenly brightened and took effect.
He immediately felt both his magical strength and magical perception rise significantly. Even his thoughts became much clearer than before. His expression was quite satisfied.
If he had learned the Bubble-Head Charm before the Forbidden Forest incident, Sectumsempra's power would have surged, making killing an Acromantula much easier. Now this weakness was finally compensated. Moreover, the Bubble-Head Charm had additional uses... it could guard against toxic and foul gases and even block some noise. Its practicality was quite strong.
The only drawback was that the oxygen stored in the bubble only lasted thirty minutes of breathing. If the Bubble-Head Charm wasn't removed after that, one would choke on water. Some wizards in history had forgotten the thirty-minute limit and drowned. But for him, this wasn't a problem at all. Aquatic Enhancement allowed him to breathe freely even underwater!
He then looked at the three plots in the little greenhouse used for cultivating Blood Jade. The third group remained unchanged as before, showing no visible changes. But the first two groups using dragon blood and Acromantula blood, respectively, showed increasingly obvious changes.
The originally transparent, crystalline white luminescent mushroom mycelium had quietly been suffused with blood lines. However, the difference was that the group using dragon blood had been suffused with bright red, while the group using Acromantula blood had been suffused with an eerie green.
This made his gaze somewhat unusual. "Using different blood, the cultivated Blood Jade might have different changes? Unfortunately, the transformation isn't completely finished, so the reward information is still blurred. I don't know what specific differences there will be. But it should be soon."
Then he picked up "Introduction to Alchemy" and the Bubble-Head Charm and headed toward the library. Professor Sprout's pass only allowed borrowing forbidden books for three days. Anyway, his main goal... the Bubble-Head Charm... had been learned. Alchemy didn't seem promising either. Better return them.
At the same time, in the Forbidden Forest, in a cocoon covered by spider webs, the last trace of life quietly ebbed away. At this moment, in the Ministry's archive room, a file belonging to a Ministry official glowed bright red, triggering a series of urgent alarms.
Fudge, who had been resting at home, hurriedly came to the Ministry. His expression was frighteningly grim. He'd had enough troubles recently. Now there was actually an alarm that only triggered when Ministry officials died. What was all this about?
He asked with an iron-gray face. "Who died?"
The archive employee said quietly, "Umbridge. She hasn't come to work for three days. The department thought she was in a bad mood and giving up on herself. But unexpectedly, she died tonight."
Hearing news of Umbridge's death, Fudge's expression changed several times. He wasn't particularly regretful. After all, after that hearing, Umbridge had no value. Everyone knew her political career was over. But an official's death was indeed a huge trouble for Fudge that couldn't be dismissed.
He rubbed his head. "When Ministry officials die, the Wizengamot always participates. Dumbledore needs to know about this too. Send him an urgent letter."
Soon after, Dumbledore received the Ministry's letter. His expression became suspicious and uncertain. Umbridge was dead? Though her political career was ruined, she was still officially a Ministry official. Even dark wizards wouldn't dare target her. Moreover, Umbridge wasn't from any pure-blood family... there wasn't much reason for desperadoes to target her.
The motive for killing her was most likely revenge. Ciel's face unconsciously appeared in Dumbledore's mind. This child was usually low-key, but when someone hurt family or friends he cared about, the ferocity he erupted with even made Dumbledore take notice. Given what Umbridge had done, if he had the opportunity, Ciel might well have killed her.
Some gloom appeared in Dumbledore's eyes. He didn't want to harbor such malicious speculation about his students. But after experiencing Tom Riddle's situation, Dumbledore inevitably retained some wariness toward outstanding students. Especially Ciel's popularity in Hufflepuff... it was too high. Not much different from Tom Riddle's popularity in Slytherin back then.
But he lacked Tom's talent. This might actually make him more likely to go astray trying to compensate for his talent. Moreover, with the Boy Who Lived Harry Potter starting school this year, dark tendrils were also stirring restlessly at Hogwarts. If he was contacted by that person, he might well be exploited through anger and desire for talent, leading him astray.
Especially since Dumbledore had learned from portraits throughout the castle that he had visited the Restricted Section three days ago. This made his gaze even more profound.
After pondering, Dumbledore also headed toward the library.
In the corridor leading to the library, it was deep and quiet. Moonlight streamed in, illuminating the figure of a white-haired old man in pajamas ahead.
He paused, asking hesitantly. "Headmaster Dumbledore? Coming to the library so late?"
Dumbledore smiled. "No matter how aged, the passion for pursuing knowledge never dies. That's the teaching in Hogwarts' school song. To teach brilliantly talented students like you, how could I manage without studying? Ciel, coming to the library so late... what book do you want to read?"
He paused, his heart sinking. It seemed Dumbledore's paranoia was acting up again. Classic case of once bitten by a snake, ten years afraid of rope. He shook his head.
"I'm not here to read books. I'm returning the books I borrowed from the Restricted Section three days ago."
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, half-joking, half-serious. "Is that so? Coming to return books? Oh, that's quite rare. You know the Restricted Section is usually a disaster area for overdue returns. It's hard to manage there... many forbidden books are borrowed for months or even semesters before being returned. After all, such powerful magic always captivates people, doesn't it? Don't worry, I also studied at Hogwarts once. Haha, I've been to the Restricted Section too... I was a whole semester late returning books then. So... Ciel, what books did you borrow?"
He was silent for a moment. Taking a deep breath, he said quietly, "One book contains the spell that has killed the most people in history. My aunt told me it was extremely dangerous. The other book causes pain and despair, burying countless people's dreams."
Hearing his answer, Dumbledore's blue pupils first flashed with sharpness. But immediately after, it turned to relief. Being attracted to such powerful magic wasn't strange. Everyone hoped to master powerful magic... he himself had been no exception in his youth. But he was willing to speak honestly about it, proving he hadn't fallen too deep and wasn't beyond salvation.
Dumbledore said softly, "Ciel. Did you master them?"
He nodded. "I mastered one of them."
Dumbledore suddenly frowned, constantly pondering. Though he didn't know exactly what magic he had learned, from this description, it was probably dark magic and extremely powerful. Mastering it in three days? Was this his natural talent for dark magic, or had someone influenced him?
His expression became serious. "Show me."
He hesitated. "Headmaster... Cast it here?"
Dumbledore's tone carried an undeniable feeling. "Yes. I must see what you've learned as quickly as possible. Don't worry, Ciel. Whatever you've learned, I won't tell anyone..."
He sighed. "Alright then."
He gripped his wand and suddenly drew a circle. Dumbledore first prepared defensively while pondering. Generally speaking, dark magic casting gestures were extremely aggressive. Drawing a circle? What kind of dark magic was this?
The next moment, his incantation rang out. "Bubble-Head Charm!"
A water bubble immediately covered his head. His voice came from under the bubble. "Headmaster? Is there something wrong with this spell?"
Now Dumbledore was completely stunned. "Bubble-Head Charm???"
He suddenly felt something was off. No way. Was he deliberately deceiving him? Who went to the Restricted Section to learn the Bubble-Head Charm?!
But the next moment, he actually took out the Bubble-Head Charm textbook in front of him, asking curiously. "Headmaster. Did I use this spell incorrectly?"
Dumbledore suddenly paused. "No, no, you used it quite well. This is what you called the extremely dangerous spell that killed the most people in history?"
He nodded seriously. "My aunt told me so. She said people drowned by the Bubble-Head Charm far outnumber those killed by lethal curses. Is there something wrong?"
After a moment of silence, Dumbledore hesitantly asked, "What about the other book you borrowed? The one causing despair and pain, burying dreams..."
He took out "Introduction to Alchemy," his face showing terror. "This book is simply too frightening, too despairing."
Dumbledore was completely speechless. How was this different from what he'd imagined?
He looked at Dumbledore in confusion. "Headmaster. Is there a problem with the magic I took? I originally just wanted the Bubble-Head Charm, then I saw Introduction to Alchemy and thought the patterns on it were beautiful, so I took an extra book. Shouldn't I have taken extra? Headmaster, I won't be expelled, will I?"
Dumbledore now felt quite ashamed, his cheeks burning. He kept berating himself mentally. Such a good child. Coming to the Restricted Section only for the Bubble-Head Charm. When he asked, the boy told him everything without any concealment. How could you suspect him? Dumbledore, are you fit to be headmaster? Failure as an educator! You're simply not human!
His expression changed repeatedly, finally settling on relief. "No, no, of course not, Ciel. You may not be the most outstanding student I've seen, but you're certainly the most honest and down-to-earth. Facing the temptation of those powerful magics in the Restricted Section, you didn't waver, only sticking to your original goal. You know, we always see various scenically attractive paths along our journey, but if we become obsessed with them, we actually stray further from our original road. Such qualities are too precious. For this, I'm awarding Hufflepuff ten points. Also... consider this my personal reward to you. I can answer one alchemy question for you."
Hearing this, his eyes suddenly brightened. Though Dumbledore was naturally suspicious, his magical mastery needed no elaboration. As for alchemy, having corresponded and collaborated with Nicolas Flamel in his youth, his mastery couldn't possibly be low.
Rather than painstakingly researching the patterns on the little silver bucket himself, why not ask Dumbledore directly?
So he quickly took out a quill and drew the small section of patterns from the bottom of the little silver bucket from memory. "Headmaster, what do these patterns mean?"
Dumbledore looked at the patterns he drew with initial indifference. But after a moment, he suddenly made a sound. "Hmm?" His face showed some contemplation and curiosity.
After a long while, Dumbledore looked at him. "Where did you see these patterns?"
He paused, then answered honestly. "The little silver bucket I brought from the Ministry's secret vault. I saw this section at its bottom."
His eyes lit up as he sighed. "That vault is full of old relics like myself. Didn't expect it to let you find treasure. This is what would be called ancient alchemical patterns even in the ancient discipline of alchemy. Generally believed to have reached its peak during ancient Greek times. Back then, powerful wizards lived on Mount Olympus, called the Olympian gods by Muggles. Ancient alchemical patterns were widely used by Olympian wizards to create alchemical items. In alchemical circles, alchemical items with such patterns have extreme collectible value. Many alchemists would pay hundreds or thousands of Galleons to acquire such an item. If lucky enough to discover previously unrecorded ancient alchemical patterns, you could publish top journal articles in alchemical circles... even Nicolas Flamel would write congratulatory letters."
Speaking of this, Dumbledore showed some regret. "Unfortunately, the section you showed me has been excavated many times before in alchemical circles from similar patterned artifacts. It contains the symbolism ofthe earthh element in alchemy, meaning... abundant land. If I'm not mistaken, this little silver bucket's prototype should be the silver cup held by Demeter, goddess of agriculture, grain, and fertility in the Olympian era. Due to Demeter's widespread popularity, there were many imitations of her cup. But ninety-nine percent of imitations only copied the form without possessing that great magic that could make the earth fertile. The only exception was the famous Hufflepuff Cup. This was definitely the most successful reproduction, believed to possess the most similar power to Demeter's cup."
Hearing Dumbledore's words, his eyes widened. The silver cup of Demeter, goddess of agriculture and fertility? Hufflepuff's cup? So that was the connection?
Then a flash of lightning suddenly struck his mind. He tried not to let his voice reveal excitement, speaking with some regret. "Headmaster, you just said the reproductions don't have the original cup's power? None at all? That's such a pity."
Dumbledore laughed, even playfully winking. "Of course. We all hope the items in our hands correspond to some mythical legend, possessing such magical power. I deeply empathize with this disappointment, Ciel. But Demeter's cup has long been lost to history, and whether that incredible magic ever trulyexisted orr was just exaggerated descriptions by Muggles of thetime is unknown. Regardless, the reproduction's value isn't low. If you're willing to sell it, people would line up to buy it tomorrow."
He shook his head repeatedly. "No, no. I want to research it more. What if it really is Demeter's cup? Wouldn't I lose out selling it?"
Dumbledore couldn't help but laugh heartily. "Oh, indeed. If it were Demeter's cup, even Nicolas Flamel would be interested."
He even drew his wand with interest, demonstrating a gesture to him. "Though Demeter's cup has long been lost, the ritual magic to activate it has been preserved. Like this. Proscindite glaciem, vomere fulgente! Ring the cup once: break the frozen earth, let plowshares gleam! Spargite grana auri, paleasque territe! Ring the cup twice: scatter golden grain, thresh the chaff! Cantate ovantes, seges alta viret! Ring the cup thrice: sing of abundance, let tall crops flourish!"
Seeing him intently memorizing this ritual, Dumbledore laughed even more happily. The child was truly interesting.
Then Dumbledore returned to his headmaster's office. After he left, Ciel took a deep breath, his gaze falling on the system panel. A new ability appeared on the panel.
[Demeter's Ritual Magic (Black Iron Tier)]!
His eyes flashed strangely. After returning Introduction to Alchemy and the Bubble-Head Charm to the Restricted Section, his deliberately suppressed heartbeat finally began to gradually accelerate.
"If what Dumbledore said is correct. Historically, only Demeter's cup and Hufflepuff's cup possessed incredible power. The cup is now in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault. Then this bucket that can stimulate life force... Could it really be Demeter's cup?"
Then he quickened his pace toward the little greenhouse. But after he returned to the little greenhouse, the scene before him made him pause, temporarily setting aside verifying whether the little silver bucket was Demeter's cup.
In the little greenhouse, the two groups of luminescent mushrooms that hadn't completed transformation before had now undergone dramatic changes. One group had turned completely bright red from inside out. This was exactly why he named these transformed luminescent mushrooms Blood Jade.
The group that used Acromantula blood had turned a crystalline green color. Like imperial green jade. But regardless of color, the reward orbs above them had undergone earth-shaking changes compared to their previous luminescent mushroom state.
When his gaze fell upon them, two completely different reward information displays came into view.
(TL NOTE: Unfortunately, my LOTR: Playing Minecraft in Middle-earth book was mistakenly flagged as spam on Webnovel and removed. I'll re-upload it under a different title by tomorrow at the latest. Thank you for your patience!)