Chapter 116. Gryffindor's Treasury
After a short exchange, several magical creatures gradually adapted to and accepted the mysterious event of being able to understand each other's speech.
And Pro, relying on intelligence slightly higher than an Erumpent's and a glib tongue, successfully sweet-talked Ari and Charlie.
Pro sat on Ari's head, excitedly imagining the future, drawing up a grand blueprint for the two Erumpents.
Ari and Charlie were bamboozled into a daze, eyes shining, and looked about ready to acknowledge Pro as their big brother.
Several Acromantulas chattered excitedly, as if they were extremely eager to join the team organised by Pro.
Mori stood to the side with a face full of disdain, feeling that swindling fools was rather unscrupulous, and not wanting much to throw in with Pro.
Duncan raised an eyebrow at the few magical creatures off to the side, and suddenly felt that obtaining this ability might not be a good thing.
But since matters had already come to this, he could not change it, and could only sigh silently and accept it.
Yet seeing Pro about to coax the Erumpents into tearing down the castle, Duncan coughed twice, glared at Pro, and reminded it to rein itself in.
Once Pro calmed down a little and was not as overbearing as just now, Duncan walked to the new stone pillar that had risen in the centre of the hall to inspect it.
The magic, book-shaped object on the pillar looked the same, but the tiny letters on the pages had changed.
"Congratulations, latecomer, you have passed all the trials, and my treasury shall open to you."
"You are a commendable warrior, and I am honoured that Hogwarts will have a student like you in future!"
Signed: Godric Gryffindor.
Looking at Gryffindor's evaluation, Duncan felt slightly embarrassed, for he had cleared the stages by taking shortcuts.
But only slightly embarrassed.
Duncan blinked and put it out of his mind, shifting his gaze around to search for the thing he cared about most.
Where was the treasury left by Gryffindor?
Why had there been no movement for so long?
Suddenly, a great mouth opened where the two Erumpents were standing.
Ari's body slid halfway in, its massive bulk stuck in the middle.
But Pro on top of its head was not so fortunate, shaken loose directly and dropped into the newly opened passage.
"Pro, are you all right?" Ari, hearing Pro's scream from behind, called worriedly again and again to its newly acknowledged boss.
"Move aside!" urged Duncan.
If he was not mistaken, below should be the treasury Gryffindor had mentioned.
But he also feared Pro might run into danger, and feared even more that if he waited a few seconds, Pro would pack away everything inside.
With Duncan's help, Ari struggled up and shifted aside, revealing a stairway leading down.
The light at the tip of Duncan's raised wand bloomed into a globe, and he carefully went down the stone steps at a quick pace.
At the end of the stairs was a square room.
Pro sat there as if Petrified, staring at the scene ahead where it was empty—there was not even a single hair.
"Where are the things?" Duncan walked to Pro's side, bent down, and asked in a low voice.
"Gone, there's nothing at all.
Duncan, we were cheated!" Pro said, on the verge of tears.
"There's only an empty room here.
We worked so hard for so long and got nothing!"
"Is that so?" Duncan said softly, his eyes moving forward.
Afraid Duncan would not believe it and suspect it had taken the treasury's items, Pro hurried to its feet and scrambled up onto Duncan's shoulder.
"It's true, I definitely didn't lie to you.
I swear on my Niffler honour!"
"You have no credibility with me whatsoever," Duncan replied offhandedly.
But this time what Pro said might be true, because there were indeed no traces of any items having been placed in the room.
Could Gryffindor really be that bored?
Or had the things here long since been taken away?
Duncan observed the surroundings and pondered silently.
Pro was almost in tears, opening and closing its mouth soundlessly, wanting to argue but finding no grounds—after all, it had far too many priors.
In fact, when it first fell down and saw this empty room, it could hardly believe it, and this Niffler was almost stupefied.
If Duncan had not roused it, it might have slumbered in sorrow until death.
Holding his wand aloft, Duncan strolled to the centre of the room, and his keen gaze caught some writing on the floor.
"Has your heart already been drowned by disappointment?"
"Ha ha, just playing a little joke on you."
"Ordinary treasure is unworthy of a warrior who has broken through the trials I set."
"Please look up.
That is the gift I prepared especially for you.
I hope you will like it, warrior!"
"In addition, you may also take away those statues outside and that long sword.
They are of no further use left here."
"The directions for controlling the statues are written on the parchment above.
Take it down and you will be able to see."
Duncan looked up.
Something long seemed to be hanging from the dim ceiling above.
"What are you looking at?" Pro followed his gaze, its tone a bit scornful.
"Doesn't look like anything good.
There's not a glimmer of light up there..."
"Pah, short-sighted!" said Duncan.
He swept his wand upward.
A dazzling beam struck the hanging object above, intending to bring it down.
But the beam seemed slapped aside by an invisible hand and rebounded to one side.
After a brief moment, a black garment slowly billowed down from above.
Duncan reached out to catch it, astonishment in his eyes.
Gryffindor seemed to have left him a piece of clothing that could fend off spells?
He just did not know how powerful a spell it could rebound, but a thing left by the old gentleman ought not to be inferior, right?
As Duncan turned the garment over, two yellowed parchments fell out from within.
The writing upon them had grown indistinct under the ravages of time, yet still held firm without crumbling to dust.
Duncan picked them up and read carefully.
The two parchments recorded, respectively, the method of using the garment and the method of using those statues outside.
In the detailed introduction concerning the garment, it was recorded that it could resist generally powerful attacking spells.
But it could not resist some extremely special Dark Magic spells.
Even so, this already surpassed the vast majority of defensive tools currently existing in the wizarding world and was enough to satisfy.
Not to mention that it could also change shape with a person's will and had a self-cleaning function.
Duncan put away the parchments, let Pro down, took off his school robes, and changed into the garment left by Gryffindor.
Then, following the recorded method, he altered the garment's form, very pleased with the gains from this trip.
"Come on, we should go back," Duncan said with a smile.
Pro looked at the garment on Duncan with envy, feeling a slight grievance—its trip had been for nothing, and it had got nothing at all.
Drooping its head, Pro was about to climb back onto Duncan's shoulder when, out of the corner of its eye, it caught sight of something in a corner.
Pro's eyes lit up, and it dashed over like lightning, cradling it in both paws, wanting to tuck it into its pocket.
Duncan followed and said curiously, "Hold on, let me have a look first!
Don't worry, I won't steal it from you!"
"All right..." Pro slowly slid the thing out from under itself.
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