Char looked at the Troll Communication Charm that Quirrell had left on the parchment, his expression one of surprise. This spell was not that complicated, but its principle was completely different from any of the spells Char had come into contact with before. It focused more on the spirit than the use of magic, seeming to be a spell created based on mental magic like Occlumency and Legilimency.
"But it's different from Legilimency, which reads the memories of others," he mused. "This Troll Communication Charm uses magic to gather one's own spiritual power and infuse it into the mind of another, thereby achieving the purpose of communication. It might even be possible to directly control the target with your mind!" His eyes burned with interest. This was a bit similar to the Imperius Curse, one of the Unforgivable Curses. Perhaps what Quirrell was now using to control the troll's actions was this very spell.
But a moment later, Char realized something. Quirrell, who had not yet graduated at the time, certainly could not have come up with something comparable to the Imperius Curse and been bold enough to publish it in his thesis. Otherwise, he would never have gotten a teaching position at Hogwarts; he would have been thrown into Azkaban a long time ago.
The ideal of the Troll Communication Charm was excellent, but the reality was much less impressive. The reason was simple. The key to the Imperius Curse's success, as the original novel clearly stated, was that after being hit by it, the target would feel a sense of ecstasy and comfort, causing them to release their mental protection and follow the caster's commands. But the Troll Communication Charm wasn't that sophisticated. Its principle was direct contact of spiritual power to complete dialogue, communication, and even control. This required a huge gap in spiritual power between the caster and the person being communicated with. Otherwise, it would be easy to lose control. This extreme demand meant that the spell could not be used on normal humans at all. It would only be effective when used on trolls. Even for Quirrell now, it was difficult to control a troll. Otherwise, when Harry passed the Philosopher's Stone level in the original book, he shouldn't have seen just an unconscious troll, but one who was devoted to Quirrell and at his service. For this reason, the spell could only be described as an ingenious creation at best. Its prospect was tempting, but it was simply beyond the reach of normal people.
But Char's eyes became brighter and brighter. The mental power of a normal person was limited, far from reaching the threshold that would allow the spell to be effective in other situations. But Char could improve his spiritual strength by harvesting Chalati grass. If his spiritual power reached the Platinum or even Diamond level, would it be possible to completely control trolls and even affect the human mind? And even further up, when it reached Epic or even Legendary level, could the Troll Communication Charm, even when used on wizards, have an effect comparable to or even greater than the Imperius Curse? This curse was not listed as Unforgivable. That would be equivalent to it becoming Char's exclusive "Unforgivable Curse," one he could use at will without worrying about the trouble caused by the real one.
Besides, even without considering its potential to become an Unforgivable-level curse, its ability to concentrate spiritual power alone was worth studying. If one's proficiency in it was deep enough, his Occlumency could also benefit, and even the depth of the flow state he entered might increase further.
His thoughts raced, then calmed. No matter how much he thought about it, it was better to actually try it. He drew his wand, placing it in front of his eyebrows, the tip lightly touching his forehead. His Occlumency was in operation, his mind calm, his spirit focused and concentrated to the extreme. He then placed his left index finger on his temple, forming a closed loop similar to a triangle. Then, he pointed his wand out. "Corde Animarum!"
He felt his spiritual power become more concentrated than before, as if it was about to turn into substance and flow out along the wand. On the system panel, in the ability column, a new line of words took shape: [Troll Communication Charm (Bronze Level)].
Char's eyes showed understanding. "It's because of my mastery of Occlumency. Sure enough, Occlumency is the foundation of many mental magics. With this foundation laid, practicing spiritual magic is much more effective. You can even achieve remarkable accomplishments right from the start, just like I am now."
While casting the spell, he also observed that the gloss on the word Occlumency glowed slightly. It was actually a little closer to the Silver level. The progress was not as fast as his attack-and-defense sessions with Snape, but it was much faster than training on his own. His expression filled with joy. It was impossible for Snape to spend so much energy practicing with him every day; he had only agreed to once a week. Char had originally thought it would take some time for his Occlumency to reach the Silver level, but now, communicating with trolls was a way to improve his progress. The time until he reached the next level might be greatly advanced.
After taking a deep breath, Char showed satisfaction on his face. Quirrell's paper had actually brought him a lot of benefits. Now, he could go back to Sprout Island and ask the trolls what was happening in the Forbidden Forest.
He left the library and quickly returned to Sprout Island via the Portkey. He came to a troll. The giant was lying near a field of Chalati grass, grabbing at the air with its huge hands, trying to smell more of the unique scent. It could be seen that life on the island was much easier than in the Forbidden Forest. Even the trolls went to the sea to play in the water, and the bad smell on their bodies had been washed away.
Seeing Char coming, the troll showed a happy expression. He also grabbed a handful of air, trying to get Char to smell it too. Char smiled and gestured a bit. "I'm going to cast a spell on you. It won't cause you any harm; it will just make our communication smoother. Just relax, you know what I mean?"
The troll looked at him blankly. It was still too difficult for it to communicate in such a complex language. But its eyes were full of admiration and trust. It patted its chest. "Gronnak! Gronnak! King!"
Char sighed, then waved his wand. "Corde Animarum!"
His spiritual power flowed out from the wand like a substance and entered the troll's mind. During the entire process, there was not even the slightest resistance that Quirrell had mentioned in his paper. It went more smoothly than he could have imagined. A strange feeling emerged in his mind. He could communicate with the troll mentally. Not with words, not with gestures, but with information conveyed directly through the spirit. Every spiritual fluctuation contained information that was much more direct than language. This efficiency was much higher than before.
He asked the troll, "Recently, the trolls in the Forbidden Forest have been gathering towards the same place. Do you know why? A priest? Did you know there are troll priests in the Forbidden Forest?"
The troll's spirit immediately fluctuated. Then, a scene from its memory unfolded before Char's eyes. When he saw the content, his pupils shrank slightly. In the center of the scene, a troll, clearly old, clutched a long staff made of beechwood, bone, and animal hair. The other trolls were bowing to it. The troll Char was communicating with was also among them, but obviously, this was many years ago. This troll, now an adult, was still a child then, ignorantly following the others in worship. It was as if an instinctive call came from its body, making it obey all the arrangements of the old troll.
Seeing this scene, Char took a deep breath. There was no doubt that the old troll must be the "priest" speculated about in Quirrell's paper. It held a long staff in its hand. Could it be a crude, homemade wand? The troll priest did indeed possess magical powers.
Then, Char saw the troll's memory scene continue. The priest banged his staff hard and chanted an ancient spell. A ball of flame that seemed to be real rolled and swept through the air, changing into pictures one after another, which was exactly the myth and legend of the trolls. "We are descendants of the noble Titans. Our branch inherits the bloodline of Hephaestus, the Fire Titan, God of Fire, and God of Blacksmiths. Supreme glory…"
The old troll priest rambled on and on. The trolls below had confused expressions on their faces and made incomprehensible noises. The priest's voice suddenly stopped. His eyes filled with sadness, and he let out a long sigh, as if feeling infinite sadness and helplessness about the decline of his people. Then, he shook his head. "Never mind. It's okay if you don't understand. The day when the prophesied King of Trolls, the Unburnt One, and the Heir of the Titans will appear is drawing closer. Donate your blood, come and try it."
Char watched this scene, his face filled with surprise. The flames used by this troll priest made him feel heat waves even through the memory. It seemed to be a special kind of flame, not inferior to Fiendfyre. And the priest claimed their bloodline came from Hephaestus, the god of fire and forging in ancient Greek legend? If it was true, that was truly sad. As the god of forging and carving, Hephaestus possessed ingenuity that surpassed all craftsmen in the world. His attainments in alchemy were also unparalleled. Unexpectedly, his descendants had become trolls wandering in the Forbidden Forest of Hogwarts. No wonder the troll priest's eyes were so desolate.
But what was the prophecy mentioned, the so-called King of Trolls, the Unburnt One, and the Heir of the Titans? This part was never mentioned in the original Harry Potter books. Just as Char was thinking, a little firelight interrupted his thoughts. A ball of fire was dancing in the hands of the troll priest. When he saw this thing, his expression suddenly became extremely surprised. This little bit of fire was actually… a seed? A seed that was completely red and looked like a flame.
Just seeing it from the picture, Char could feel its ancient and powerful aura. This seed still retained a very considerable amount of activity. Not only that, its level was so high that it was probably far beyond all the ancient plants he had come into contact with, except for the roots of the World Tree. Even the Whomping Willow, which offered Epic-level rewards, was a world of difference compared to this seed.
His eyes instantly became hot.
"This is… a mythical seed?!"
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