Alan's shoe sole touched the first stone step.
Hard, cold.
In the next instant, a torrent erupted from beneath his feet, crashing violently into his body. This was not the thin, chaotic stray energy of the outside world, but a refined, concentrated magic, as though purified billions of times over.
Every dormant cell within him was awakened and flooded by this surge. A riverbed long cracked and parched welcomed a flood unseen in a thousand years. Mental fatigue was swept away, replaced by an exhilarating acceleration of thought.
And at that very moment, the core of his mental world—the Mind Palace, built from frameworks of logic and waterfalls of data—shook violently.
On the dome of the palace, lines of golden script formed from pure spiritual power etched themselves in with unquestionable authority:
[Ultimate Task Triggered: Analyze Hogwarts]
[Task Description: Seek out the underlying logic of ancient magic. Before graduation, through study, exploration, and deduction, construct a complete magical operational map of Hogwarts Castle, and integrate its core principles into the Mind Palace.]
[Task Reward: ???]
The final three question marks were not static symbols. In his spiritual perception, they appeared as a writhing mass, a data black hole that could not be parsed, endlessly distorting and devouring any attempt to probe it.
For the first time, his Mind Palace encountered information that defied definition.
And Alan's heart, for the first time, quickened from a cause not of biology but of mind.
In that instant, he understood the meaning of this reward. It signified a transformation beyond his current system of knowledge—a return so ultimate, it could reconstruct and elevate every logical framework he had built.
The emergence of this task embedded a new, grander, and far more alluring axis into the future seven years he had already so carefully planned.
His Mind Palace immediately split into multiple processing modules, beginning parallel calculations:
"Module One: Intelligence Acquisition. Target: The Restricted Section of the library. It must contain original documents on castle construction, ancient magical protocols, and magical contracts. Maximum access clearance required."
"Module Two: Skill Preparation. Target: Advanced detection and analysis spells. The current magical knowledge base is insufficient to support structural scanning of the castle. Must master related higher-level spells in the shortest possible time."
"Module Three: On-Site Survey. Divide the castle into exploration zones A, B, and C. According to risk and yield, formulate phased infiltration and analysis plans."
Countless logical chains intertwined and extended in his mind, weaving into a tightly-knit action network.
While his thoughts raced, the group of new students had already been led into a separate waiting room.
A witch stood before them, her expression stern, her gaze sharp behind square-rimmed glasses, enough to pierce through one's heart.
It was Professor Minerva McGonagall.
"Welcome to Hogwarts."
Her voice was clear and severe, carrying an authority that allowed no doubt. At once, the low hum of chatter in the room was silenced.
"In a few minutes, you will participate in the Sorting Ceremony. The ceremony is very important, because during your years here, your House will be like your family at Hogwarts…"
Professor McGonagall began to explain the significance and rules of Sorting.
But Alan's attention had already moved elsewhere. His calm gaze swept across the nervous, tender faces around him.
His Mind Palace had now switched to the "Social Behavior Analysis" module. An invisible high-speed scanner was dissecting each target with cold precision.
A red-haired boy—the robe he wore was clearly somewhat old, with visible wear at the cuffs. His hands rubbed together unconsciously, knuckles whitening from tension. His eyes wandered restlessly, yet kept darting toward the doors of the Great Hall, from where faint sounds of clinking cutlery and the aroma of food drifted through.
[Target: Ron Weasley.]
[Energy Fluctuations: Active, outward, unstable.]
[Personality Model: Impulsive, values family and friendship, lacks deep reflection, easily influenced by external emotions.]
[Assessment Conclusion: Gryffindor, probability 81.2%.]
His gaze shifted.
A blond boy was trying hard to keep his chin lifted. His robe was brand new, the fabric shimmering faintly with magical sheen—clearly an expensive custom piece. Yet the slight tremor at the corners of his mouth, and his overly stiff posture, completely betrayed the unease within.
[Target: Draco Malfoy.]
[Energy Fluctuations: Sharp, aggressive, but unstable at the core.]
[Personality Model: Elitist, craves power and recognition, holds a strong sense of class hierarchy, accustomed to masking weakness with arrogance.]
[Assessment Conclusion: Slytherin, probability 94.7%.]
His eyes shifted again.
A bushy-haired girl was quietly moving her lips as if no one else existed. Her mind was sharply focused, utterly absorbed in her own world. From the subtle fluctuations in her mental energy, Alan could sense she was rehearsing the casting structures of several basic spells over and over again.
[Target: Hermione Granger.]
[Energy Fluctuations: Stable, high-density, structured.]
[Personality Model: Extreme thirst for knowledge, near-obsessive trust in rules and learning, somewhat rigid, lacking flexibility.]
[Assessment Conclusion: Ravenclaw, probability 88.5%.]
Alan savored this process of analysis, as if from a god's-eye view.
This was not simple malice or prying—it was an intellectual delight. He regarded these new students as data packets awaiting classification, and the Sorting Ceremony as nothing less than a public experiment to test the accuracy of his algorithm.
Calmly, he stood among the crowd, like a shepherd hidden within a flock, waiting for the moment the gates would open.