The Return to Hogwarts

Amelia stood with her back against the scorching rock wall, staring blankly at the boiling lava for a long while before snapping out of her daze. Realizing what was happening, she quickly looked at Amosta, but she didn't see any disappointment on his face.

Amostah was also observing the magma below. He squinted, his penetrating gaze seemingly trying to pierce through the magma's barrier to find out what was happening below. Unfortunately, the magma, a creation of nature with extraordinary power, made the magic in the space extremely chaotic, and Amostah could not see what was happening below.

"Do you have a way to confirm whether the vault below is intact?"

After a while, Amosta gave up and lowered her gaze to Borgrod.

Amosta's question made Bogorod even more panicked. He could see that Amosta Blaine was very interested in what Salazar Slytherin's vaults. That was obvious; what wizard could refuse the legacy of the great Slytherin?

Regardless of his status among wizards or his standing in the eyes of the goblin elite, Amostrath Blaine had the power to destroy it. Moreover, it was the goblins' responsibility to sink Slytherin's vaults into lava.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Blaine, I…we—”

The old witch bent over so low that her head almost touched her feet.

Upon hearing this, Amosta did not seem angry. Instead, he stared at the clan emblem in his palm, which still exuded a cool aura, and fell into deep thought.

Would Salazar Slytherin really make such a basic mistake as to let his specially reserved vault sink into the lava and be destroyed?

Amosta envisioned a sculpture of Slytherin in his youth standing before the mysterious door in the Chamber of Secrets deep beneath Hogwarts, a vast cavernous space that had remained unopened until now.

He was an unruly and exceptionally talented wizard.

He was conceited, but not foolish; arrogant, but not wicked.

The four great masters of Hogwarts are fighting against the progenitor of dark wizards who could bring great harm to the world. It is such an important matter that the four great masters must join forces to respond to Merlin's plan in the more distant past. How could Salazar Slytherin be so dismissive?

The answer is no--

Amostella is more inclined to believe that Slytherin didn't consider the minor troubles his vaults might face a thousand years later, but simply couldn't be bothered with them, since the vaults he left behind wouldn't be damaged by the lava at all.

"Where is Slytherin's vault located approximately?"

Amidst the rumbling roar of lava, Amosta's calm voice clearly reached Bogorod's ears, causing the wrinkles on the old monster's forehead to smooth out suddenly, leaving him utterly astonished.

"You're planning to go down into the lava, Amosta!"

The breathtaking natural wonders deeply moved and awed Amelia, while the epic grandeur of the place weighed heavily on her, making it hard for her to breathe.

But upon hearing Amosta's question, she immediately snapped out of her daze and stared at him nervously.

"I believe that the vault was not destroyed by the lava."

Amosta didn't explain anything, he just said calmly.

“Actually, we’re almost there. It’s at the top of the track, below which are some vaults belonging to the oldest families, but they’re all abandoned. There’s one vault—oh, I mean, if it still exists—with seven snakes guarding the central recess on its door, where the key is placed. This vault doesn’t need a goblin to unlock it; you just need to place the key.”

Bogrod stared at Amosta in astonishment, seemingly unable to comprehend his insane idea.

“But Mr. Blaine, you want to go down into the lava. I know you are powerful, but it seems to be beyond a wizard’s limits in the lava. Water alone cannot extinguish the lava underground!”

"Beyond the limits of a wizard?"

Amosta smiled and shook his head; this wasn't his first time going down into lava.

He had already done this once before in the underground of Azkaban, except that there was a magical passage left by Halbo. But since Halbo could leave a passage in the lava that had not been damaged for thousands of years, it wouldn't be too difficult for Amosta, even though he was no match for that kind of 'mythical wizard', to briefly go down into the lava.

"You wait here for me, I need to go check on things—"

Clutching the cold Slytherin family crest in his hand, Amostah gazed indifferently down at the magma lake below, which shone like the surface of the sun, his dark pupils reflecting the light of the flames as if they were gold.

Amelia tried to dissuade him again, but after Amosta turned and gave her a reassuring smile, her grip on Amosta's arm loosened involuntarily.

Looking up and around at the vast, boundless cavern, Amosta's eagerness subsided somewhat.

He couldn't be too reckless. If he triggered a chain reaction that caused the lava lake below to erupt, not only Gringotts, but probably half of Diagon Alley would be destroyed!

wow-

The moment she stepped out of the magical barrier, a surge of heat hit her in the face, and the hot wind made Amostachi's soft gray hair appear somewhat withered and yellow.

Boom!

A thunderous roar suddenly erupted above the lava lake, which was filled with a constant rumbling sound. The already restless magic in this place was now plunged into complete chaos. Many tangible crimson hurricanes suddenly appeared in the huge space that was dyed crimson. As if attracted by some force, these crimson hurricanes surged wildly toward Amosta, who had jumped off the platform and was floating two hundred feet above the lava lake!

The crimson hurricane that kept flowing toward Amosta blurred Amelia and Bogrod's vision. They could only see Amosta's figure enveloped in a crimson ball of light, and the color of that ball of light gradually intensified!

Ding--

With a crisp sound echoing through the underground lava lake, the crimson cave was suddenly filled with endless golden light. The intense light that was released for a moment forced Amelia to close her eyes tightly, but the dazzling light could not be blocked even with her eyes closed. Amelia even saw a great sun, exuding heavy pressure, slowly sinking down with her eyes closed!

Like a god!

Bathed in golden light, Amosta's hair and pupils glowed gold. He exuded an indescribable majesty as he slowly descended. The golden light around him, almost tangible, caused the lava lake to hiss and emit a large plume of white smoke the instant it touched the surface.

Continued subsidence!

Golden flames protected Amosta's body, and all the magma that came into contact with it was instantly vaporized into smoke. Amelia and Borgrod on the platform were so shocked by this terrifying scene that they could not utter a single word!

All that could be seen was a crimson expanse; the lava had washed over the rock walls, giving them a metallic sheen.

The scorching heat and the oppressive force of the magma caused Amosta's magic to surge like a flood. He remained calm and quickly descended.

After Amosta descended another hundred feet, the magma here took on a brilliant golden hue. Through a hazy magical sense, Amosta discovered that, as Bogrod had said, there were indeed some abandoned vaults scattered around, and at the very bottom, there was a still-closed stone door.

That's right!

Although he could no longer see it, Amostella could still sense the complex and unimaginable magical nodes and corridors distributed on the door, proving that the protective magic on the door had not failed and that Salazar Slytherin's personal vault still existed.

The depletion of his magic power left Amosta unable to examine the gate, which possessed extraordinary value, in detail. He struggled to move through the thick lava, relying on his magical vision to find the groove inlaid with the clan emblem.

Click!

The instant the mithril emblem was pressed into the groove, a crisp sound rang in the ears filled with a rumbling 'thunder'. Immediately afterward, Amosta 'saw' the intricate magical corridor above the gate suddenly activated. As magic flowed smoothly through the corridor, Amosta heard a heavy, mechanical creaking sound coming from behind the ancient stone door, but—

After a short wait, the door still did not open.

Amosta frowned slightly. In an instant, many thoughts flashed through his mind. Finally, his lips moved slightly, and a hissing sound came from his throat.

"Open"

Wow!

The seven giant snakes that had been sleeping on the door suddenly opened their tightly closed eyes, their emerald green eyes slanting out a tangible emerald light towards the space outside the door. The space occupied by the light saw the lava recede rapidly, and the stone platform that had been soaking in the lava became cool in a few breaths.

Just as Amosta landed on the platform, the ancient stone gate, which had not been opened for thousands of years, burst open with a loud bang!

Chapter 973 Gift

2024-06-12

call--

The moment the stone door opened, the cool air that rushed in made Amosta instinctively breathe a sigh of relief. He didn't rush into the vault to see what was inside, but instead turned his head to gaze at the lava lake that was blocked by the emerald green magical barrier, where not a trace of heat could penetrate, and a comfortable smile appeared on his lips.

Golden lava, like ocean waves, surged slowly, carrying a destructive power capable of destroying everything.

No wonder the goblin, Bogrod, gave Amosta a look that said, "Are you crazy?" Even Amosta, looking back at the thick lava lake, still felt a little apprehensive. But he still overcame it.

Fourteen years ago, a young wizard with a mature soul, who walked into the Great Hall of Hogwarts with trepidation and unease, gradually acquired the legendary strength that had been passed down in the myths by word of mouth through his talent and hard work.

"call"

Amostah took another slow breath, calmed himself down, and turned his gaze back to the vault, to the darkness that even the light of the lava could not penetrate.

Salazar Slytherin had clearly also placed powerful magic in his vault to ensure the environment was suitable. The moment Amostella stepped through the stone door, a series of thuds suddenly echoed from the vault, which had been simmering with only a slight breeze.

Under Amosta's wary gaze, the vault, shrouded in darkness, gracefully lifted its black veil, revealing its true form!

"Tsk tsk--"

Looking at the bronze torches placed every few feet along the rock face, Amosta clicked his tongue in admiration.

"The Ancient Blaze Flame, the same as the one in the secret chamber. What a capricious fellow!"

The pale golden light illuminated the vast vault with unparalleled clarity. Amosta stepped into the vault once more, the magic radiating from the celestial fire like a tangible tide, washing over Amosta's face like a sea breeze.

After turning his gaze away from the celestial flames, Amosta finally took a serious look at the vault.

The gentle rustling of the wind carries the weight and vicissitudes of history, like an old man softly recounting in Amosta's ear how magnificent that era was a thousand years ago, when the afterglow of ancient magical civilization had not yet faded.

This is a vault that looks like a cave.

The roughly circular cave was not the lavishly decorated Slytherin room that Amostall had anticipated. Of course, it was not simple either.

On the massive, intact rock walls, there were some very fine, pure-colored emeralds. Each of these emeralds was about the same size as the gemstones set in the pendant box in Amosta's hand. They were scattered haphazardly throughout the cave, without any discernible pattern, and shimmered faintly under the light of the ancient Bleu fairy fire.

Without a doubt, this is a considerable fortune!

However, instead of showing joy, Amosta, who was gazing at these emeralds, revealed a faint disappointment.

Admittedly, these gems are quite valuable, but if you really want to calculate it, they are not even as valuable as the ancient celestial fire in the cave.

"so--"

Amosta, losing interest, withdrew his gaze from the emeralds embedded in the rock face and turned to the only thing in the vault that could be called 'real'.

"Is this all you left me?"

In the center of the cave is a stone platform connected to the earth. On the flat surface of the stone platform, which is about the size of a washbasin, are placed black wooden boxes that have been sealed for thousands of years.

Da da da--

Inside the empty stone cave, the soft footsteps of Amosta echoed.

Walking to the edge of the stone platform, Amosta lowered his gaze, staring intently at the black wooden box. His sharp eyes tried to penetrate the box's barrier, searching for what was hidden within, but the box was clearly not as simple as it seemed; it perfectly blocked Amosta's magical vision, leaving him empty-handed.