A freshly erected pyramid was nearly pushed to the brink of collapse under Wayne's relentless efforts, yet the results were rewarding. They swiftly navigated through numerous obstacles and reached the core area.
The Inferi, blood bats, various puppets, and stone constructs encountered along the way were all dismantled into scattered pieces, making Grace's heart ache with pity. She secretly intervened to salvage a few, storing them away for future study.
The pharaoh's remains lay within the burial chamber, located in the pyramid's innermost core—the most heavily fortified area.
As Wayne and Grace approached a massive stone wall, heavy footsteps echoed from the shadows.
Eighteen bronze giants, standing ten meters tall with jackal heads and holding golden sceptres, closed in from all directions. With each step, the ground trembled beneath them.
The sceptre tips glowed with magical runes, and with each rune that appeared, the jackal-headed figures moved three times faster.
Grace's eyes sparkled with fascination.
"Wayne, we mustn't damage these. Look at the magical runes on their masks and sceptres—they're completely unfamiliar to me."
"You've never encountered them before?" Wayne was genuinely surprised this time.
Over the past few days, he had gained a thorough understanding of what Ravenclaw's wisdom entailed. In the realm of magic, aside from the knowledge he inherited from the Dragon King, he was far inferior to Grace in all other aspects.
His combat prowess was undeniably stronger, but it was largely due to his solid foundation and the elevated perspective he held.
Yet, how many years had he studied magic compared to the centuries Ravenclaw had spent poring over books?
Grace patted Wayne's shoulder. "Let's deal with them first. Try not to break anything. After I've studied them, I'll see if they can be repurposed as guardians for Hogwarts."
"Alright."
The eighteen bronze jackal-headed figures covered several meters with each stride, arriving before the pair in moments. Their sceptres whistled through the air as they swung down.
Wayne slowly raised his hands, and the domain instantly unfolded. Time and space froze in that moment, let alone the jackal-headed creatures.
Grace watched in awe, marvelling at the domain's wonderful effect—something she had never encountered in any historical records.
Control over time, space, and even prophetic abilities, coupled with Wayne's claim to manipulate natural elements—it was an overwhelmingly versatile skill set.
Boom!
The earth abruptly swelled, forming eighteen sturdy stone coffins. Wayne first encased the jackal-headed figures in ice, then stuffed them into the coffins. Grace promptly produced a storage bag and collected them all.
"Be careful when you release them," Wayne cautioned.
"I know, it's not like I can't handle them," Grace giggled, wrapping her arms around the young man's arm. She simply enjoyed the feeling of Wayne fussing over everything for her.
Wayne smiled without responding, leading Grace to the enormous stone wall. He placed his hand on it, and the wall softened and writhed, forming an archway to admit them both.
"Lumos," Grace whispered softly. A small sun radiating warm light leapt from her slender fingertips, rising to the ceiling of the vast stone chamber and illuminating every corner.
At the centre of the room, a gem-encrusted golden crown rested on a high platform, while the floor was carpeted with jewellery boxes and gold coins.
Wayne waved his wand and collected all the gold and silver treasures. Although ancient metallurgical techniques were rather poor, resulting in low gold purity, the sheer quantity made it a huge profit.
As for Ramesses II's coffin, Wayne left it untouched, letting him rest peacefully here.
As long as the coffin remained undisturbed, this couldn't be called tomb robbery.
Grace paid no attention to Wayne. Instead, she tapped lightly on the stone walls and soon discovered a hidden door, which opened with a gentle push.
The two entered a secret chamber where niches had been carved into the walls, each holding numerous stone tablets. This time, it was Grace's turn to rejoice.
"Let's collect them first. There are too many to study here—we'll examine them slowly after returning."
...
"Just this much?"
At Mahoutokoro, Grindelwald made a dissatisfied sound.
Headmaster Koga and the professors behind him broke into a cold sweat. "Mr Grindelwald, this is all the stock we have in the school."
"The production of warm jade has always been scarce, and with the school's recent financial difficulties, we couldn't possibly stockpile useless materials."
Grindelwald didn't look at him but scanned the surroundings. "You still have these buildings, don't you?"
Koga's face changed. "But these are our school's classrooms and dormitories."
"No matter, I don't mind that you've used them." Grindelwald comforted him with a considerate tone. "After we take them back, we'll just clean them seventy or eighty times."
"But... but if you dismantle the buildings, where will the students live?" Koga hastily found an excuse. "They're just children! A great wizard like you wouldn't make them sleep in the wilderness, would you?"
By now, Koga and the teachers and students of Mahoutokoro weren't just putting on a mournful face—they were practically vomiting blood internally.
How had they ended up targeted by such a Dark Lord? He'd come demanding to tear down their home!
"How could I possibly do something so cruel?" Grindelwald feigned displeasure. Just as the others sighed in relief, he pointed behind him, and fifty expressionless Acolytes stepped forward in unison.
"They're the helpers I brought along. With them, new buildings should be up in a day or two, right?"
'Sigh, if Dumbledore were handling threats, how could he possibly manage? He'd probably give the game away.'
'It has to be me taking charge. Just a few words, and I've backed them into a corner, haven't I?'
Grindelwald secretly gloated, feeling he'd outdone Dumbledore once again.
But as he smiled, his expression gradually faded.
'Damn it, what's there to be proud of?!'
'Doing favours for that brat Lawrence, yet I'm the one bearing the infamy—what am I so happy about?!'
Suddenly realising this, Grindelwald's mood turned utterly dreadful. His gaze toward Koga, who was still stammering for excuses, grew increasingly hostile.
"Do you have any objections? Or are you unwilling to grant me this courtesy?"
"I came here to befriend you! If you can't even spare a welcoming gift, do you even want to be my friend?!"
"Of course not!" Koga's legs went weak, nearly collapsing under Grindelwald's pressure. "We'll give it! We'll give it, alright?"
Half an hour later.
Koga stared tearfully at the devastation before him. The buildings, once constructed from warm jade, had vanished, leaving only broken foundations.
Centuries of history had been destroyed in an instant.
As for Grindelwald saying he'd leave the Saints to help them build houses?
Did Grindelwald dare say it? Was he actually bold enough?
"Quick... quick..." Koga supported a professor, his voice trembling, "Go to the Ministry of Magic at once, inform the Minister, then contact Miss Kinomoto and Miss Daidouji, have them ask Mr Lawrence to seek justice for the school!"
Grindelwald naturally anticipated that Mahoutokoro would appeal to the Ministry of Magic and the International Confederation of Wizards for redress, but he never expected they would set their sights on Wayne.
Who dares bring a case against me?
Carrying tonnes of warm jade and a bellyful of resentment, Grindelwald returned to his current headquarters—Durmstrang.
"Send another official letter to Hogwarts. I intend to lead an exchange delegation," Grindelwald instructed Vinda Rosier, adding finally, "Tell Lawrence the goods he wants are in my possession. If he disagrees, I won't hand them over."
"Yes."
Vinda Rosier went to make preparations.
...
Two days later, news of Mahoutokoro's encounter with the Dark Lord had spread like wildfire, and Durmstrang's official letter arrived on Professor McGonagall's desk.
From Hermione, Professor McGonagall knew that Wayne was immersed in magical research and hadn't been seen for some time, but this letter couldn't be ignored.
Ultimately, she took the letter to the Ministry of Magic to consult Dumbledore, leaving the decision to the old headmaster.
After reading it, Dumbledore fell into deep thought. "You say Wayne has made another breakthrough in magic?"
"That's what Miss Granger told me," McGonagall said.
Dumbledore hummed in response, showing little concern about Grindelwald's impending visit, his focus instead on Wayne's activities.
A magical breakthrough—did that mean Wayne had advanced further, reaching the realm once occupied by the great masters?
The very thought was tantalising.
"Albus? Albus?" Professor McGonagall called several times before he snapped back to attention.
"Apologies, Minerva, I was lost in thought," Dumbledore said, offering an apologetic smile.
"If he wishes to come, let him. I've always supported student exchanges between different schools. Last year's Holy Grail War was quite successful—the students learned a great deal."
"I'm also curious to see how Durmstrang's students have progressed under Gellert's tutelage over the past year."
"I believe Wayne shares this sentiment."
"Then I'll draft a reply," Professor McGonagall nodded. "When shall we schedule it for?"
She too strongly endorsed inter-school exchanges, believing competition motivated students to strive harder—especially now that she knew Grindelwald was on their side, which put her more at ease.
"After Easter. By then, Wayne should have finished attending to his affairs," Dumbledore decided.
"By the way, what exactly are these 'goods' mentioned at the end of the letter?" Professor McGonagall asked, recalling her earlier puzzlement.
Dumbledore's expression stiffened.
What could he say? Tell Professor McGonagall the truth about Mahoutokoro's plunder?
That wouldn't do...
Even for Hogwarts' reputation—to avoid revealing the school had a headmaster who was a thief—this matter must remain buried.
"I'm not entirely sure myself," Dumbledore evaded. "You might ask Mr Lawrence when he returns."
...
North America, New York.
After leaving Egypt, Wayne and Grace arrived in New York, first visiting Queenie and Jacob before sending a formal visiting card to Ilvermorny.
They received a reply within a day.
Faced with a visit from the world's most powerful wizard, Ilvermorny couldn't refuse.
In a luxurious Manhattan apartment, Grace was translating the stone tablet taken from the pyramid while Wayne idly watched late-night television programmes.
He suddenly remembered he still had a gift package that could only be opened upon reaching the Legend level.
Having been busy studying magic and advancement, he had completely forgotten about this package.
"Darling, I'm going out for a stroll."
After informing Grace, Wayne instantly appeared in Manhattan Park.
"System, open the world gift package."
An exquisitely designed package appeared on the system interface. As the wrapping fell away, chaotic-coloured light bloomed forth, coalescing into form before a massive altar began spinning rapidly, finally landing in the system backpack.
[Dimensional Altar: A top-tier Divine artefact linking infinite dimensions and universes. Sacrifice one being of equivalent level to unlock the first world traversal permission, sacrifice two for the second, and so forth.]
[Note: Opened worlds possess extreme unpredictability, but when sacrificing offerings, the host may silently recite desired world types in their mind, greatly increasing the probability of obtaining such worlds.]