Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 346 Avalon (Part 1)

The sky was gray, a depressing gray.

A few wisps of clouds hung above, like ribbons, wrapped around a crescent moon.

There was no wind, yet the clouds were swaying slightly.

Ike stared at it for a long time, and could only conclude that it was magical.

Turning my gaze back to what was before me, I saw a vast expanse of land composed entirely of pebbles and gravel. It was barren and lifeless. Looking down, I saw a massive, jarringly large reef beneath my feet, and behind me stretched the calm, dark sea. To the left and right, the horizon stretched endlessly, a landscape of jagged, rugged rocks filling my vision.

With a wave of his wand, a ball of light flashed from the tip of the wand, shot forward several meters, and was then extinguished by Ike.

This was a necessary experiment, and the result was good; the spellcasting was completely natural and smooth.

It is enough.

Without getting bogged down in directions, Ike, who had already explored many ruins, felt he had plenty of experience. In such places, external directions were useless; the only thing he could trust was himself.

After casually leaving behind a towering stone tower made entirely of piled stones, Ike took a step directly in the direction in front of him.

The sandy area was vast, and they walked for quite some time until they could only vaguely see the stone towers when they turned back. Finally, the scenery changed. With a light wave of his wand, another stone tower rose from the ground, and they continued onward.

When he reached his feet, Ike suddenly stopped.

He tentatively stepped forward with his right foot, then immediately pulled it back. He slid it across the ground, and a trail of black mud was instantly swallowed by the sand. Looking again, the yellow sand and black mud were clearly distinct.

Ike frowned; the swamp full of black mud in front of him was clearly abnormal.

From the moment he entered Avalon, Ike had maintained a protective barrier. But just now, the instant his right foot touched the black mud, the barrier vanished!

"This godforsaken place actually bans magic!"

Ike cursed under his breath, venting his frustration briefly before stopping. At times like this, any venting was useless. The black mud only prevented Ike from using magic to smuggle himself across; there was still another way to cross the swamp.

"...The king killed Mordred, but he himself was fatally wounded..."

"...Bedwell, keeping his promise, threw the king's sword into the lake. Suddenly, a pure white hand reached out from the water, caught the king's sword, and sank into the lake carrying the symbol of the king..."

"...Vivian appeared, accompanied by Nemü and Morgan le Fay..."

"...The lake nymphs, surrounding the dying king, carried him to the black boat summoned by Morgan le Fay..."

"...The small boat rocked gently, carrying the great king across the sea, through swamps and dense forests, back to the fantasy land far removed from the world..."

Ike walked along the edge of the swamp, softly chanting a song that had been passed down in the magical world for a long time, which contained the secret of passing through this swamp.

It's very simple, you just need to find that small black boat.

This requires searching bit by bit. The magic of Morgan le Fay, the Lady of the Lake, to summon the boat has not been passed down. In fact, none of the magic related to King Arthur, the Lady of the Lake, or even Avalon has been passed down. And Ike just tried it; the Summoning Charm is completely useless.

Indeed, how could magic created after the Middle Ages break be useful?

Ike walked silently, drinking water when thirsty, eating when hungry, and sleeping whenever he was tired or sleepy. He was well-prepared, with a small box in his pocket containing enough food and water for one person to last for half a year.

Because of magic, they do not change.

A few days later, or rather four days later, Ike finally saw a change on the monotonous swamp: a black log stood out abruptly on the edge of the swamp, and around it, there were five more identical logs, neatly arranged in two rows extending into the swamp.

"...The swamps of Avalon possess a rare characteristic: all magic is ineffective here..."

"...We searched for two days and finally found a small, makeshift dock. Godric said it must have been built by the Lake Fairy, but I think the Green Knights are more likely to be the culprits, if they really exist..."

"...After waiting anxiously at the dock for several more days, until the crescent moon in the sky turned into a full moon, we finally saw the ship that could cross this swamp..."

"...Just like in the legends, the boat was black and small, but surprisingly stable, sailing on the swamp without feeling any bumps..."

"...Godrick was the first to jump onto the ship, standing at the bow, shouting as if he were the captain of a Viking ship..."

"...Helga was the second, shouting along with Godric. Only she would agree with Godric like that, and only she would find his behavior exciting; I would just think it's childish. As for Salazar, he never gets involved in these things..."

"...The boat was very smooth, but I noticed Salazar's brow was furrowed ever since he boarded. When I asked him, he just shook his head, but his brow furrowed even more..."

"...He kept staring at the dark mud of the swamp around him. Was there some danger somewhere? But nothing happened until we crossed the swamp..."

Recalling the contents of the Ravenclaw manuscript in his mind, Ike was certain that the six logs in front of him were the dock that the four giants had found back then, but a thousand years had passed and the dock had been swallowed up by the swamp.

Ike didn't think much of it; after all, when the four giants came here a thousand years ago, Avalon seemed to be deserted. A thousand years have passed, so some changes are to be expected.

Moreover, the crucial point now is that Ike has no idea how long he has to wait here. Looking up at the moon, which hangs eternally in the sky, several days have passed, and it seems unchanged.

So we simply stopped on the shore.

To make himself more comfortable, Ike unusually set up a tent and waited quietly. It was also a good time to do some simple reflection and think things through.

For example, everything I saw in the sky above Gloucester that day...

Time seemed to change after entering Avalon; it felt completely different from outside. Two days passed, and the crescent moon in the sky remained unchanged. But on the third day, it suddenly shrank.

Several more days passed, and then one day it grew a little bigger. I thought that the next time it changed, it would become a full moon, but unexpectedly, it simply disappeared.

He waited and waited for it to change twice more, until Ike was getting a little impatient. Finally, at a certain moment, the moon in the sky suddenly turned into a perfect circle.

The bright moonlight illuminated the entire Avalon in an instant, dispelling the wisps of clouds that clung to it. Ike quickly packed up the tent and other belongings, and looked into the depths of the swamp by the bright moonlight.

He waited and waited, and finally, a relieved smile appeared on his lips.

In the distance, deep within the swamp, a small black boat is slowly making its way to the shore.

As Ravenclaw recorded, it was very smooth.

(End of this chapter)