William couldn't help but frown - he had gone through great lengths to fly to Greece, not to hit a dead end. Now he had to figure out a way to open this thing. Since the magic circle was incomplete, then he should find a way to complete it... Wait, why complete it?
Upon this thought, William's eyebrows instantly relaxed.
Purchasing missing array patterns isn't actually difficult. First, shape the stone in his hand to fit the missing part, then erase the array patterns inside the small stone, and then deduce from the undamaged parts on the large stone.
As a "big shot" who has studied Ancient Runes for a full two and a half years, developed a bunch of practical uses, and aced the N.E.W.T. exams, deducing these rune patterns similar to Ancient Runes was a breeze, but—why bother with the hassle?
William took two steps back, then nudged the tongue-wagging Fluffy aside, pointing his magic wand diagonally to the ground, "Confringo."
"Boom—"
With its power augmented by Ancient Magic, the Confringo spell almost instantly blew off the array pattern embedded neatly in the ground before him, revealing the spotless ground underneath because he specifically aimed at the seams.
Hmm...
There was a magical fluctuation. Looking at the apparently unremarkable soil, William first used a Levitating Spell to tuck the Seik Stone, which stood nearly as tall as him, into his pocket, then gripped his magic wand and gently tested forward with his steps, one step, two steps, one step two steps, seemingly...
Finally, at the instant he reached the critical point, William's vision blurred for a moment.
The next moment, a vast temple exuding the flavor of Ancient Greece appeared before his eyes.
However, it looked somewhat peculiar.
Staring at the white temple hanging upside down in the sky, William was momentarily stunned—how to get up there?
After a moment of hesitation, William picked up the startled Fluffy, set foot on the steps, and the next moment, a powerful vertigo sensation suddenly hit, then he abruptly realized—the world had turned upside down.
The originally upside-down temple now appeared normal in his eyes, and the peaks and snow he once stepped on were now above his head. The endless deep blue sky and the sun were trampled beneath his feet, the sudden shift in perspective left him feeling a bit dizzy, but he quickly adjusted.
"Woof woo woo~"
Well, it seems the acrophobia has worsened.
Looking at the terrified expressions of Fluffy and Xiaoming in his arms, William chose to pat Fluffy's head, and this favoritism prompted discontent from the other two dog heads nearby, who ceased their whining and attempted to nuzzle William's palm—great, plan success! This way, they'd forget their acrophobia.
Taking advantage of the distracted silly dog heads, William decisively quickened his pace, swiftly traversing the narrow white steps, and stepping onto the final platform before the temple.
Setting Fluffy down to let it roam freely for a while, William's gaze began scanning the surroundings.
Hmm, a standard Greek-style temple, resembling the ruins of Zeus and Hera's temples around Athens, though its size and scale were much more complete. Surrounding it were numerous towering white stone pillars, and the semicircular dome ceiling was engraved with golden patterns, with the black marble floor reflecting cool light.
But unlike those ruins replete with nothing but broken walls, this temple had another significant difference.
"Is this... pure gold?"
Gazing at the colossal, dazzling statue before him, the corners of William's mouth involuntarily dripped with happy drool.
A seven or eight meters tall pure gold statue, aside from the marble pedestal, was inlaid with ivory and gemstones that appeared incredibly valuable. William hesitated... hesitation be damned, even a second of second-guessing was disrespectful to his own little vault, so William decisively waved his hand, and a flurry of shadows flew out from his pocket.
"Chirp chirp!"
The fully operational Niffler squad swiftly assembled, reported in, and commenced "combat".
The gold was too heavy to move, so the squad chose to remove the shiny gems and ivory first. Every hardworking Niffler had sparkling eyes, proving the difference between turning a hobby into a job and considering a job a hobby.
What? You ask if doing this would desecrate the gods?
Ha ha.
Retrieving the napping Norbert from his pocket, William manipulated it using a Levitating Spell to explore the surrounding temple. Being tough and thick-skinned, it was the best choice for investigating mechanisms, but fortunately, William didn't find anything unusual nearby.
So, he decisively released the Nifflers and took a picture of them with his magic camera.
Looking at the busy Nifflers in the photo, William nodded in satisfaction—bringing this photo back would make that little rascal Kabuda green with envy.
Serves it right for being cunning, slacking off, and being lazy.
Looking at the little fellows absorbed in work, William led the newly awakened Norbert and Fluffy toward the depths of the temple. The jade-like white stone columns separated numerous statues. Truth be told, William could hardly recognize any of them, as most were scantily clad, with shoulder-length hair...
If not for the distinct physical features of many statues, William wouldn't even be able to tell the gender of these sculptures.
The reason is simple; all the statues, for some unknown reason, had faces that were just smooth blocks of gold, devoid of any facial features, as if they were always like this.
Thus, William, who had scant knowledge of the exceedingly intricate relationships in Greek mythology, had even less chance of identifying these statues, save for the last one.
William halted his steps, raising his head to look at the statue before him—a figure over ten meters tall, crowned with an olive wreath fashioned from gold, seated on a grand throne crafted from cedar, with a lightning bolt in the left hand and a golden scepter in the right, beside it stood an eagle.
Most importantly, this statue had facial features.
Zeus.
Without hesitation, William quickly discerned the statue's identity, none other than the lord of Greek mythology notorious for his many wives.
... They say he even transformed into a swan and a bull to trick young girls?
Hmm, not as good as Loki*horse.
Rubbing his chin as he silently quipped in his mind, William started scanning the surroundings. If the only thing here were these gem-embedded statues, aside from fattening up his little vault, they seemed otherwise useless.
Better keep looking...
Just as William was surveying the statue-laden temple, a sudden startled exclamation reached his ears, "What are you things!?"
The shock and anger in the elderly voice made William instinctively turn his head, but his view was obscured by stone pillars. Subsequently, he quietly tiptoed behind a stone pillar and peeked toward the grand entrance.
He saw several unexpected guests had appeared on the Nifflers' worksite. Unlike William in a black robe, they wore entirely white clothing. Apart from not revealing much, they were indistinguishable from the surrounding statues.
Where did they come from?
William was stunned for a moment, yet he refrained from showing himself, continuing to hide and watch. Apparently, those individuals struggled with emotional control, as they kept waving their hands to catch the busy Nifflers on the statues one by one—
"...They're stealing gems?"
Seeing the Niffler desperately covering its pouch in his hand, the lead man was momentarily baffled, then shook the Niffler's legs vigorously. In the next moment, a pile of multicolored gemstones and ivory clattered onto the marble floor, emitting a crackling sound.
"..."
For some reason, everyone present momentarily froze.
Grabbing my Nifflers?
Behind the pillar, William frowned as he watched those white-clad figures collecting jewels, robbing his little vault?
Very well.
William looked down at the dog and dragon at his feet, daydreaming, and nudged them with his toe, "Go, give them a surprise."