The gold paving the ground was also a significant draw for him. He tapped a brick, weighed it, and his face showed a slightly disappointed expression.
"Just gilded, huh..."
Ian wasn't sure if this type of brick was for show or for some anti-corrosion treatment for the dragon remains, but he knew that gilded bricks weren't worth disrupting the integrity of the ancient ruins.
"Don't mess up my precious bone dragon because of one upturned brick." Ian re-embedded the gilded brick, his mind still lingering on the thought of riding a bone dragon.
Not being able to ride it now didn't mean he couldn't in the future. If worse comes to worst, the bone dragon could be turned into an alchemy creation. Surely, in the future, he would find a suitable way to fulfill his dream!
"I need to check the passageway on the Hufflepuff side. If I'm not mistaken, it should lead to the Room of Requirement?" Ian made two statues embrace each other.
Then he disengaged the link with the statues.
He glanced around the underground palace to make sure nothing else was overlooked before diving into the passage behind the Hufflepuff statue. This area was much cleaner than the previous passage. As he stepped in, the first thing he noticed was the tunnel's walls, smooth and as good as new, seemingly with some special enchantment.
There wasn't a speck of dust or stain.
The ground beneath was equally astonishingly clean, flat and smooth. Every step felt solid, with nothing to hinder his advance—no debris or puddles.
"Hufflepuff's ancestors paid more attention to detail, after all."
Although it was also a stone-built tunnel and lacked the opulence of the underground palace, everything from the air quality to the small candles lighting up the path was much more refined than on the Slytherin side. Slytherin now seemed to Ian like a slovenly recluse who wasn't fond of cleanliness.
"Soft kitty, Warm kitty, Little ball of fur~"
Ian, in high spirits after finding the great treasure, even hummed a little tune.
As he walked, his every step echoed softly and rhythmically in this tranquil space, distinctly clear.
The path meandered.
Over half an hour later, Ian reached the end of the passage, facing an obstacle with a metal framework. He gently pushed it open.
As Ian had guessed, the Hufflepuff tunnel indeed led to Hufflepuff's Golden House, known now as the magical Room of Requirement.
"This high up?"
The picture frame on the wall served like a window. Ian's head popped out from the tunnel and discovered that the elevated frame hung about three meters off the ground.
"Ladder, accio!"
Fortunately, the room had plenty of tools available, and with a simple [Accio] Ian could retrieve them. He descended the magically arranged ladder.
"Click~"
The picture frame surprisingly closed right after Ian landed, unlike the constantly connected Slytherin's Secret Chamber. Luckily, Ian didn't plan on returning to the underground palace through the passage behind the frame. Instead, he needed to study seriously how to move the giant statues and command the dragon bones.
No rush.
After all, the treasure was right there.
Besides Ian, no one else knew about it.
"The four founders evidently didn't know where each other's secret rooms were, yet all were sure the others had one. It seems because of the underground palace connecting the four directions."
Ian looked up at the picture frame returning to its original state, revealing nothing extraordinary, with an image housing just a single candle and no portraits present.
"I still have plenty of time for exploration; I just don't know why the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor statues won't move. Is it because I haven't found their secret chambers yet?"
Ian thought this guess was highly possible, having known the locations of both Slytherin's Secret Chamber and Hufflepuff's Golden House before awakening the statues. The palace's statues might possess a magic to sense if the entrant had certain qualifications.
After all, a young portrait of Gryffindor had said that one needed to find his secret chamber to gain recognition, and such a standard of judgment naturally might exist for the other founders as well.
"It's a pity Lady Ravenclaw didn't tell me about her secret little room." Ian regretfully tucked his wand back into his waistband. Although he still relished the unique adventure, seeing the wall's clock approaching dawn, he had to return to the harsh reality.
"Clean the toilets, huh..."
Rising from his musings, Ian contemplated whether to use magic to complete Snape's punishment, knowing his wand use had likely already been detected by Snape.
If effort wasn't recognized, better to cut corners and brush off the work. After all, working hard to scrub toilets only to face accusations from Snape of misconduct felt worse.
"Scourgify!"
"Scourgify!"
"Scourgify!"
...
After a quick cost-benefit analysis in his heart, Ian decided to go all-in and, in no time, cleaned all castle toilets using magic — magical labor was much more efficient, one person equaling an entire cleaning company.
"Double wand might be superior to guns, but a wand is truly the key to liberating productivity." Discarding the cleaner garb, Ian not only completed the task before dawn, but even took time to bathe in the Room of Requirement, out of habit and to wash off any traces of Snape's magic potion that magic couldn't clean.
Refreshed, he returned to the Ravenclaw Common Room, ready to grab his book for breakfast and class.
"Where did you go last night?"
The bronze eagle head surprisingly initiated a chat with Ian.
"Is that a riddle to get inside?"
Ian caught onto the bronze eagle head's verbal loophole.
"Of course not."
The bronze eagle head's voice remained soft and cute.
"Then I'll just wait here for other little wizards to come out." Ian knew the bronze eagle head was bound to give him a hard time, so he didn't give it a chance to question him.
"I'm just concerned about your mental health."
The bronze eagle head tilted its head.
"I'm perfectly healthy; I even found a great treasure last night." Ian knew the bronze eagle head's personality might be a bit stingy, but it wouldn't spread gossip like the Fat Lady.
"Is the great treasure you mentioned something on you?"
The bronze eagle head curiously inquired.
Ian was a bit taken aback.
"What do you mean?"
He carefully thought back, recalling that he hadn't taken anything from the underground palace. Even his clothes had been changed to a new robe.
Just as a slightly unsure Ian pulled out his money bag to check,
"Come here, give me your hand." the bronze eagle head continued.
"I'm warning you, don't think of biting me." A bit perplexed, Ian placed his hand in front of the bronze eagle head, and despite his defenses, the bronze eagle head pecked him hard.
Its speed was truly too swift.
"I knew you..."
Ian, wincing in pain, withdrew his hand. He was about to transform into a rant machine, but just as he was ready to start cursing the eagle, his voice caught in his throat abruptly.
"What is this!?"
Ian noticed with some astonishment that a ping-pong ball-sized green mark gradually appeared on the back of his hand, right where he was pecked by the bronze eagle head.
The pattern was identical to the relief on the faucet in the second-floor abandoned restroom leading to the underground palace — a glowing snake biting its tail.
Ouroboros.
"Am I cursed by Slytherin?"
Ian furrowed his brow tightly.
"No."
The bronze eagle head softly corrected.
"You've been chosen by Slytherin."
It rectified Ian's words.