Everyday Life of a Top Student at Hogwarts

Chapter 329 The Concept of the Key to the Soul

The Eagle's Nest was quiet, save for the soft scratching of a quill pen across parchment and the occasional, extremely faint metallic scraping of metal as Karen adjusted her instruments. In the center of the workbench, the snakeskin journal sat atop a temporarily reinforced observation array, its faint magical glow flickering like breath.

Deep within Karen's grey-blue eyes, under the full power of the Eye of Truth and with the assistance of other instruments in the workshop, the magical structure that constituted the external access lock of the log was displayed before him with unprecedented clarity. It was a breathtakingly precise three-dimensional network composed of countless extremely subtle, constantly changing ancient runes and inscriptions.

They are not static, but rather flow and intertwine like living things, following some profound laws, forming a perfectly closed loop and an extremely exclusive defense system. Each flow brings minute changes in the intensity and nature of magic, far more complex than his previous simple perception through the isolation box or in the laboratory.

He had been observing without moving for nearly two hours, and the thick notebook beside him was filled with complex diagrams of magic flow and rune change sequences.

"How's it going? Any leads?" Fabian asked in a low voice. He had just finished the initial classification of a newly discovered potion residue sample and couldn't help but lean over to check on the progress. Wesley and Ernesto also cast inquiring glances at him.

Karen slowly closed his eyes, rubbing his throbbing temples to give his overused Eye of Truth a rest. "More complex than I imagined." His voice carried a hint of weariness, but more so, the calm born of focused concentration. "Its defense mechanism is dynamic, changing almost constantly, but the core authentication logic remains constant—it requires a specific, unforgeable mark" to trigger the final "pass" command. My previous imitations only approximate the mark's shape and fluctuations, but lack its core essence."

"Essence?" Ernesto put down the ancient magic circle he was analyzing. "You mean, your magic isn't good enough; it has to be genuine Parsleyan?"

“That’s right, it has a certain judgment mechanism that can determine whether the person who unlocks it is truly a Parseltongue.” Karen nodded, reopened her eyes, and looked back at the journal, her tone grave. “The essence it requires” is likely genetic information ingrained in one’s bloodline, or a unique vibration imprinted deep within the soul. Salazar Slytherin set extremely high barriers to ensure that only he himself, or the one he considered the most legitimate successor, could unlock this knowledge.”

Wesley clicked his tongue. "So we've wasted our time? According to you, does Harry still qualify as the rightful heir?" — If not, the risk of going after him is too great.

"Not necessarily." Karen's fingers tapped unconsciously on the table as he fell into deep thought. The Eagle's Nest fell silent again, with only the rhythmic tapping of his fingertips on the wooden tabletop.

His mind raced, piecing together every detail he'd observed, his discussions with his mentors, and all the fragments of knowledge he possessed about soul and bloodline magic. The cold, ruthless censorship of the access lock, its merciless rejection, its logic requiring a specific "essence" to pass—

Suddenly, the knocking stopped abruptly.

Karen suddenly raised her head, a sharp glint in her eyes, as if she could see through the object in front of her and see some deeper connection.

"Wait—" he muttered to himself as an extremely audacious, even insane, thought struck him like lightning. "It requires the blood or soul of Slytherin—Tom Riddle, Voldemort, he is the last known descendant of Salazar Slytherin, and he fits the bill better than Harry. In the absence of his bloodline—then, a fragment of his soul—"

He immediately stood up and strode towards the heavily sealed storage cabinet in the workshop. He opened the cabinet door and carefully took out several different containers: a small, lead-sealed box exuding a cold aura, containing fragments of the remnant soul collected from Quirrell; a crystal prism with a slowly rotating gray mist inside and countless sealing runes engraved on its surface, containing fragments peeled off from the basilisk; and a heavy square box made of mithril and anti-magic metal, containing a small number of samples peeled off during his summer research on the crown.

He placed the containers one by one on the worktable, his gaze sweeping seriously over his three roommates.

"Guys, we might have found another direction, one that doesn't require Harry to take immediate risks, and if successful, this thing is even more suitable than Harry." Karen's voice was low, filled with the excitement of discovering a new continent, but even more so with caution. "But these things are extremely dangerous."

Fabian, Wesley, and Ernesto held their breath, staring at the unsettling containers on the stage. They didn't know what the other two contained, but they knew what was in the first box—it was what they had collected together.

"Karen, what are you trying to do?" Ernesto asked warily.

"I don't want to do anything dangerous." Karen's gaze swept over the containers one by one, finally settling on the Soul Prism. "I was just thinking, since the access lock requires examining the bloodline or soul of Slytherin," could Voldemort's soul fragments, in a way, be considered a—"key"?

"A key?" Wesley's eyes widened. "A fragment of the mysterious man's soul as a key? Merlin's beard! That's too—"

"Crazy?" Karen interjected, a calm smile playing on her lips. "But theoretically, this might be the closest thing to the correct key we can obtain besides Harry, and in some ways, it's more orthodox than Harry's. It's not a complete soul, just a fragment, but its essence likely possesses something recognized by the access lock."

Fabian adjusted his glasses, trying to keep up with Karen's train of thought: "You mean, instead of letting us use these fragments ourselves, we should—let the access lock see" them?

“That’s right!” Karen snapped her fingers. “The core idea is to deceive the access lock’s censorship mechanism. We need to design a method to redirect and lock its censorship focus onto this soul fragment we provided, rather than onto my soul, Karen Hawthorne, the instant I activate the access lock with my Parseltongue frequency, putting it into censorship mode. This will make the access lock think that it’s trying to open it with a Parseltongue bearing the Slytherin mark.”

Ernesto frowned. "This sounds—extremely difficult. And extremely dangerous. How do you guide it? How do you ensure the fragment's power doesn't spiral out of control? How do you precisely control that instant?"

"That's the problem." Karen took a deep breath. "It requires extremely precise design and absolutely secure control."

I can't handle this by myself.

Without further hesitation, he immediately took out the two-way mirror and infused it with magic. The mirror rippled, and soon, the faces of Nicolas Flamel and Castor appeared in the mirror simultaneously.

"Good evening, Karen," Nicole said gently, then noticed Karen's serious expression and the unusual containers on the table. "Hmm? It seems you've encountered a new situation?"

"Good evening, Professor Nico, Professor Castor." Karen spoke a little faster but clearly, "I just had a new idea about cracking access locks. It may be a bit risky, but I feel it's necessary to report it to you both immediately."

He quickly recounted his observation that access locks required "essential" authentication, as well as his bold new idea of ​​"using Voldemort's soul fragments as soul keys" to deceive the censorship mechanism.

A brief silence fell on the other side of the mirror. Nico stroked his beard, his brow furrowed, deep in thought. Castor's grey eyes were fixed sharply on Karen, as if assessing the risks of every step behind the idea.

"A soul fragment—as a key—" Nico repeated slowly, a calculating glint in his eyes. "Interesting—a very bold idea, Karen. From an alchemical perspective, it's not entirely impossible. The soul fragment does indeed carry the original owner's essential information. If the authentication standards of the access lock are mechanical enough," it might indeed be deceived.

Castor's voice was much calmer, with his usual caution: "The theory is possible. But the core problem is obvious: how to safely and accurately achieve 'guidance' and 'focus shift'? The powerful magical interaction and soul-level fluctuations at the moment the access lock is activated are extremely dangerous. The slightest carelessness could cause the fragment to spiral out of control, the backlash from the access lock could directly affect the operator, and might even alert the fragment's main body or other unknown connections."

“Yes, Professor,” Karen nodded seriously, “this is the biggest challenge. We need a bridge,” or rather, a guiding device. This device needs to be able to temporarily hold and stabilize the soul fragments, and be precisely controlled by my magic to perfectly project the magical characteristics of the fragments onto the access lock's review mechanism in a specific, extremely brief moment, while also isolating my own soul fluctuations.”

In the mirror, Nico and Castor exchanged a glance, seemingly communicating silently.

"A sophisticated soul resonance focuser," Nico pondered. "From an alchemical perspective, it requires a core material that is extremely sensitive to soul energy and highly controllable to construct the base. This base needs to be inscribed with a complex set of runes capable of amplifying specific soul fluctuations while shielding others. It also needs a precise triggering mechanism, synchronized with your Parsleyan activation."

Castor added, "From a defensive and curse-based perspective, this device must have a robust built-in isolation layer to ensure that the fragment's power is completely sealed off when not in use. The induction process must be brief and controllable, and the connection must be severed immediately upon completion of authentication or in case of an accident. Ideally, it should also have a design to absorb or transfer backlash energy."

As Karen listened, she rapidly jotted down key points, her mind racing: "Triggering synchronization is crucial. Perhaps we can borrow the magical technique of 'instantaneous energy guidance,' or the principle of 'synchronous resonance' from some ancient magical artifacts—as for the isolation layer, the reversal runes used when sealing the crown last time could perhaps be modified and used—"

Through a two-way mirror, the three minds embarked on a heated discussion that transcended space. Knowledge and perspectives from different magical fields collided and intertwined. Nilo offered insights into alchemical material selection and rune construction, Castor emphasized safety isolation and contingency plans, while Karen, drawing on her True Eye's precise perception of force flow, proposed suggestions regarding the timing and precision of energy channeling.

One technical challenge after another was raised, only to be temporarily suppressed by possible solutions. The initial outline of the solution gradually began to take shape:

It should be a palm-sized, complex alchemical device, its core requiring a special material that resonates with soul energy, its interior engraved with intricate runic circuits, and its exterior containing a control interface and a secure, isolated outer shell.

"—That's the initial plan," Nico concluded, his eyes filled with admiration for Karen's innovative thinking. "Although it's full of challenges, it's worth trying. Karen, your idea has opened a new door for us."

Castor nodded slightly, a barely perceptible hint of approval flashing in his gray eyes: "The risk still exists, but it has been reduced from an uncontrollable adventure to a risk that can be managed through technological means. The next step is to find and determine the core materials and specific design blueprints for creating this Soul Resonance Focuser."

"Thank you both!" Karen felt a huge weight lifted from her heart, replaced by a stronger sense of responsibility and motivation. "I will immediately begin searching for suitable materials and relevant design clues."

"We'll be conducting simulations and screenings from here simultaneously," Nico promised. "Stay in touch, Karen. Let us know immediately if there are any new ideas or discoveries."

"Yes, teacher!"

The communication ended. Karen put down the two-way mirror, let out a long sigh of relief, and felt her brain getting a little hot from working at high speed, but her spirits were unusually high.

"Wow—" Wesley finally dared to breathe loudly, "I didn't understand a word of what you guys were talking about, but it sounded amazing!"

Fabian's eyes were full of admiration: "Using a fragment of the soul as a key—Karen, your thinking is truly remarkable."

Ernesto was more pragmatic: "So, how should we help you find that core material?"

Karen carefully placed the dangerous containers back into the sealing cabinet, glancing at them on the table. "First, we need to consult a large number of texts on soul magic, alchemy, and ancient magical artifacts. Especially those that record rare minerals, magical creature cores, or special magical creations. Focus on items with properties like 'soul resonance,' 'energy amplification,' and 'precision guidance.'" He looked at his three roommates. "This will require your help."

"No problem!" Wesley responded immediately. "Although I'm not good at those profound runes, I'm good at finding things and reading books!"

""

Fabian and Ernesto nodded solemnly. With a new and more challenging mission objective clearly defined, the Eagle's Nest team sprang into action once more.