Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 249 An Encounter by the Aegean Sea

The Dark Lord is suspicious; his past experiences have made him reluctant to trust others.

Before Ike, perhaps only three people had earned his trust: Barty Jr., Bellatrix, and Snape. Now, Ike has become the fourth, and perhaps the most special one among them.

But in any case, Ike received a path from Voldemort that would allow him to become stronger, a path Voldemort called the path of seeking his roots, which aimed to find the most essential form of magic.

Athens was the first stop.

During his years traveling the world, Old Voldemort collected numerous historical secrets and legends, carefully analyzed them, and then personally verified them one by one. Clearly, he gained a great deal.

But there were also those who didn't succeed, the miraculous olive tree on the Acropolis of Athens being one of them. At that time, his mastery of magic was not as good as Ike's now, only surpassing him in those bizarre black magic spells.

That kind of magic was not enough for him to bypass the protective forces that had existed for who knows how long.

After a good night's sleep at the hotel, Ike went to the Acropolis the next day after breakfast, just like any other tourist. Upon arrival, he naturally blended into a tour group, lagging behind at the back, listening to the guide's explanations as he toured the city.

Passing through the mountain gate, we toured the area, looking at the once magnificent temples and the remaining ruins of the buildings, until we reached the Parthenon. We stopped to take photos in front of this most famous building and praised the wonders of ancient Athens with our companions.

Some of the older members of the tour group were quite tired after visiting several historical sites, so they decided to rest on the spot. Many people were resting, and it wasn't just one tour group; there were actually dozens of people resting.

Ike leaned quietly against a boulder, took a sip of water from a bottle, and seemed no different from the others. Once everyone had rested enough, the various tour groups continued their journey at the guides' urging.

There are many more attractions in the Acropolis, and even a whole day would only allow you to visit the most famous places.

Almost no one would choose to come back the next day because there are still some places they haven't visited. For most people, this is their only visit to the Acropolis in their lifetime, and they will never come back to this place again.

It wasn't until after four in the afternoon that the tour group that Ike had infiltrated finally left the Acropolis. People were very satisfied, as evidenced by the amount of film they had used.

Ike was satisfied, especially after he discovered that the white-bearded old man who had sneaked in with him had disappeared without him noticing.

Thanks to his powerful control over magic, he was able to ignore almost all magic detection methods. The guards would have had no chance of detecting him unless they used some ancient and strange methods.

It was obvious that the white-bearded old man who had infiltrated the tour group like him did not have such methods.

Quietly leaving the tour group, Ike strolled through the streets. He seemed to walk slowly, but it didn't take long before he reached the seaside. The blue roofs of the white houses and the color of the sea complemented each other, and the sunlight streamed down, creating a dazzling spectacle.

Of course, to enjoy this beauty, you need to ignore the noisy crowds and the dirty parts of the street.

Also, ignore the white-bearded old man who suddenly appears next to you.

"It's not time yet. Wait until the sun sets, that's when the most beautiful scenery will make you unconsciously calm down."

Dumbledore stood quietly beside Ike, wearing a grey robe and gold-rimmed glasses. People came and went, but no one noticed him; to them, there was only a handsome young man.

"Last night was quite an eventful one. The Greek Ministry of Magic was in complete chaos. A bunch of old fogies had the Minister tied up and taken to the Acropolis, and then the entire Greek wizarding world was shaken," Dumbledore said, gazing out at the sea. "And that's not all; they took it all to the International Confederation of Wizards..."

"So?" Ike said softly.

"So?" Dumbledore smiled and said, "So there are many old fellows like me who have come to Athens today, because we all know very well what was lost on the Acropolis last night."

Ike nodded upon hearing this and said, "It seems that it is indeed a very precious thing."

"Yes..." Dumbledore sighed, "Legend has it that the goddess of wisdom gave this treasure to the Athenians, and its fruit can grant extraordinary power..."

At this point, Dumbledore suddenly smiled: "There are many mysteries in the world that even I cannot know, but this so-called fruit that can make people extraordinary is not among them."

"Olive fruit? Wisdom fruit? It's just a name, but it is indeed something that is of great benefit to wizards."

"You came all this way just to tell a story?" Ike interrupted Dumbledore, who was about to say something more, his expression showing some impatience.

Dumbledore smiled, waved his hand, and said, "It's just the ramblings of an old man, or perhaps you could call it a suggestion..."

"What suggestion?" Ike asked.

"If your next stop is Istanbul, I think you can give up," Dumbledore said with a smile. "You should go straight to Baghdad, to the Tigris River. If you're lucky, you might find something else there that could make an old guy like me go through another ordeal."

"Do you know what I'm going to do?"

"Of course, the Path of Roots, the Path of Pilgrimage, the Path of Magic—call it whatever you like. This is the travel route of many wizards, and it can also be called a treasure hunt route," Dumbledore said, pushing up his glasses.

"Decades ago, I walked this road with someone, then Tom walked this road, and now it's you."

"Although I had long anticipated that you would one day embark on this path again, I never imagined it would be now," Dumbledore sighed. "You may be the youngest traveler in history..."

After a pause, Dumbledore continued, "Don't overthink it. The reason I advised you not to go to Istanbul is because the last miracle there has already been taken by Tom. What remains now is just a finely crafted counterfeit."

"And in my opinion, even if that thing still exists, it won't be of much help to you."

"Your soul is the most difficult to overcome I have ever seen."

"So, you're admitting you once tried to spy on my brain?" A bright smile appeared on Ike's face.

"Yes, I admit it, I did do it." Dumbledore admitted without hesitation, "After all, no junior wizard has ever done what you did in your first year."

"I must assure you that you will not go astray."

"And now?" Ike countered.

"Now?"

"Now, you're on the right path..."

(End of this chapter)