Upon hearing this, Ethan raised an eyebrow.
The Acromantula was a treasure from head to toe, and he indeed needed such a large insect as bait for fishing.
He had originally planned to knock out Hagrid and forcibly search him...
But now, he wouldn't have to bother.
Ethan nodded approvingly. "I'll paint you another picture for Christmas, titled 'Hagrid Playing the Flute,' to commemorate your magnificent feat tonight."
Hagrid: "
Please spare me QAQ
Ethan turned and looked at the massive, sunken figure in the middle.
After some thought, he decided to stuff it directly into his Sealed Wardrobe.
To let Tom Riddle, who was also inside, bathe in the primal scent...
No, what if Tom awakened some unknown hobbies.
What if he got high on sucking blood?
It's better to roll it up, stuff it into the leather bag, and find someone to deal with it later.
Ethan thought to himself and nodded.
Waving his wand, he transformed the sand on the ground into a giant cloth.
Just as he was about to pack the Acromantula away.
Ethan's eyes suddenly narrowed, his gaze fixed on the spider's chest cavity.
There, a deep red light gradually began to glow.
Material dropped?!
Ethan immediately perked up.
He quickly walked forward, flicking his wrist, and his wand transformed into a gleaming dagger radiating cold light.
"Crack, crack."
A teeth-grinding cutting sound echoed.
Hagrid's features twisted together, and he let out an "Oh" as he turned his back, unable to bear watching.
Ethan's eyes sparkled, and blood splattered onto his fair face.
His hands moved without pause, so skillfully that one might suspect he had a side job.
Cutting through the hard exoskeleton.
Ethan rolled up his sleeves, reached into the soft, warm interior, and rummaged around.
Squishy, squishy sounds emanated.
Echoing through the silent forest.
Ron's face was blank as he muttered, "Can someone please find out what Ethan did before he came to school?"
Why is he so unfazed?!
Harry: "Guess why nothing was found?"
Because no one came back sane.
Ron: horrified face.jpg
Hermione rolled her eyes dramatically and said, "Oh, come on! Ethan is just a genius with a different way of thinking!
"You make it sound like he's an agent of some evil organization."
"Gugu?"
The Death Bird curiously poked its head over, eyeing the tender spider meat with drool.
The blood-stained silver-white scepter in his hand swept just above their heads.
They felt a chill on their heads.
"This isn't for you to eat."
Ethan pushed away the Death Bird's large head, his eyes lighting up!
"Found it!"
With a squelch, like picking a ripe fruit from a tree.
Ethan pulled out a crystal-clear, hard object.
It was roughly palm-sized, like an unpolished red raw gem.
Beneath its frosted shell, a glimmering, deep red interior was faintly visible.
A dense mass of magic swirled around it.
[You have discovered an Extraordinary Material: The Concentrated Heart of an Acromantula]
[A one-in-a-million existence, only extraordinary creatures nurtured by "love" can crystallize this after death]
[Effect: Contains an extremely vast amount of life force; when processed into a carved artwork, it can produce miraculous effects]
It's a gold drop, everyone!
Ethan was overjoyed.
He had only intended to find fishing bait, but he hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise!
Concentrated with an extremely vast amount of life force—that sounded impressive!
Perfect, he could use Goblin craftsmanship to process it.
To unleash the maximum power of this raw gem!
"I can't wait to see the finished product..."
Ethan murmured, casting a Scouring Charm on himself.
He gleefully tucked the red raw gem into his leather bag, storing it safely.
Then, he tightly wrapped the Acromantula in the cloth.
He cast a protective spell and stuffed it into the leather bag as well.
Undetectable Extension Charm, those who use it know its power.
[You have fought side by side with the Death Bird, and your bond has increased!]
[Now, you can summon the Death Bird to your side by expending magic.]
[When the summoning ends, the Death Bird will return to the Forbidden Forest.]
A ghostly blue bird skull mark floated in Ethan's hand.
Then it vanished, sinking into his skin.
...I get it.
The Death Bird and Cerberus are like the difference between Pikachu and regular Pokémon, right?
The former is free-range, while the latter usually stays in the cards.
Ethan thought free-range was pretty good.
It would consume less magic.
"With the Death Bird, I can greatly compensate for the lack of aerial combat," Ethan mused. "It will be especially effective in certain special terrains."
"However, when it comes to ferocity, the Hellhound is still superior."
After all, as a true "(fused) creature."
The Death Bird has the concept of "death."
Unlike Cerberus, whose body is made of paint.
If it gets injured, it can slowly recover by returning to the card.
"Death Bird, Hellhound, Dragonflame... These are my biggest direct combat methods right now."
Ethan slowly nodded.
He couldn't help but sigh, "To envelop the world in my art, it's still a long and arduous journey."
For now, let's envelop Hogwarts in art.
The others: '
What will the world become in the future...:
Having acquired giant fish bait and also gained the bond of the Death Bird and the mysterious Spider Heart.
This trip to the Forbidden Forest was truly fruitful!
I'll come again next time.
At this moment.
Hagrid stumbled towards the clearing soaked in a large patch of blood.
His head was bowed, his eyes bloodshot.
He rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a flattened wildflower.
He bent down and gently placed it on the clearing.
He looked like he would never be happy again.
Ethan: "Oh, by the way, Hagrid."
"Would you be willing to help me take care of my Death Bird? It should continue to live in the Forbidden Forest."
As soon as he said this.
Hagrid's head snapped around!
A bright light suddenly burst forth from his bloodshot, swollen eyes!
"Yes, yes! I'd be more than willing!!"
"Thank you, Ethan! Merlin, what a kind and thoughtful child you are! Waaah..."
Hagrid cried and sobbed as he rushed to the Death Bird's side.
He reached out as if coaxing a child, tentatively touching its skull.
"Oh~ Look how strong you've grown! I'll call you 'Little Bone'...
His face was filled with joy.
Only that lonely wildflower rolled around on the ground with the wind.
Everyone:
Their hearts changed too quickly!
Also, Ethan, don't let Hagrid raise any more strange creatures!!
Everyone put on a pained expression.
It was hard to imagine.
What kind of chaotic scene their third-year Care of Magical Creatures class would be next year.
Ethan: proud.jpg
Today was another day of doing good deeds.
Patting himself on the back.
After completely solving the Acromantula problem.
Since Ethan said that since they were already here.
He planned to do some more 'shearing' in the Forbidden Forest before leaving.
So, everyone except Luna followed Hagrid out of the Forbidden Forest.
Originally, Hermione and Cho Chang also wanted to join Ethan for the enjoyable 'shearing' activity.
But in just a blink of an eye.
Ethan and Luna, hand in hand, disappeared into the white mist rising in the night.
Like a wisp of a ghost.
Thus, they could only reluctantly give up.
The group followed behind Hagrid, who carried a lamp.
Having survived a harrowing experience, they were utterly exhausted and no one wanted to speak.
In the silence.
Cho Chang suddenly spoke:
"Um... do you know that the Chamber of Secrets was opened fifty years ago?"
Upon hearing this.
Harry and his two friends snapped their heads around, looking at her in astonishment.
"The Chamber of Secrets—"
"Shh!"
Cho Chang urgently interrupted them, nervously glancing at Hagrid, and whispered:
"I heard it from a member of my club."
"Fifty years ago, the Chamber of Secrets was opened once."
"And that time, it directly led to the death of a girl... In the end, the culprit caught was Hagrid."
Even after leaving the Forbidden Forest and stepping onto the path leading to Hogwarts.
Harry and his two friends had not recovered.
They had received a huge shock.
Fifty years ago, it was Hagrid who opened the Chamber of Secrets?!
Hermione frowned: "But that's very strange."
"According to Hagrid, he's raised that Acromantula for fifty years, which perfectly aligns with the last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened."
"Assuming the monster in the Chamber of Secrets is that Acromantula, then if it had been living in the Forbidden Forest all along, there shouldn't have been any more attacks at Hogwarts."
"Moreover, if Hagrid were truly a murderer, Headmaster Dumbledore would never have kept him on."
Cho Chang was startled: "What you said makes sense... But, Harry, I suggest you avoid contact with Hagrid for a while..."
She had originally been sent by the Round Table Council.
To find crucial evidence that Harry was the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets.
Thereby indirectly suppressing Ethan's club.
But now... Cho Chang did not intend to report tonight's situation.
Tonight's experience was too bizarre.
Especially in this extraordinary period.
It sounded even more suspicious.
As if some unspeakable evil plan was underway.
Cho Chang made up her mind.
She would pretend nothing happened tonight, and they would all return safely to their respective dorms.
However, as the group rushed into the Hogwarts main gate, barely making curfew.
A hand firmly grabbed them!
"Aha! Caught red-handed!"
"Tell me, what were you doing with that crude half-giant? Were you preparing to open the Chamber of Secrets again?!"
Lights came on.
Cho Chang looked up and saw several members of the Round Table Council gleefully grabbing them.
And leading them was an unexpected person—her good friend, Marietta Edgecombe.
Marietta, her hair curled, said, "Don't blame me, Cho Chang, I'm doing this for your own good."
"Lately, you've been swayed by Ethan, and your reporting frequency has greatly decreased."
"So... they had me take over your duties."
"And it seems I'm doing quite well, aren't I?"
Cho Chang's face turned pale: "...They said that if you did well, you could join the Round Table Council?"
Marietta didn't speak.
But the mixed expression of unease and excitement on her face already told Cho Chang the answer.
Cho Chang's face was ashen.
She couldn't even hear Harry and the others' angry struggles.
She had once believed.
The Round Table Council was a club of excellent students, helping each other and progressing together.
But only now did Cho Chang fully realize.
This was a pack of hyenas.
A pack of hyenas who suppressed each other, fought for fame and fortune, and desperately trampled on others to climb to the top.
At least, this portion of people held the dominant position.
Ravenclaw students might be smarter than others.
But if that intelligence was misused in the wrong places.
They could err more deeply than ordinary people.
Cho Chang closed her eyes in despair and numbness.
Allowing them to drag her and Harry to the Principal's office.
Perhaps expulsion awaited her...
Just then.
All sounds around them suddenly ceased.
The air seemed to thicken.
An indescribable sense of eeriness, like a sticky and cold snake's body, climbed onto her.
—
What happened?
Cho Chang instinctively opened her eyes.
However, a calm, clear voice sounded beside her ear:
"Shhh— Night falls, close your eyes."
"Good people, it's time to sleep."
The next second, she suddenly lost consciousness.