With extraordinary comprehension, I built a floating city at Hogwarts.

In contrast, the Sphinx's danger rating is only "XXXX", but this is not because they are weak, but because they are relatively mild-mannered and lack strong aggression.

The danger level primarily reflects the degree of threat a species poses to wizarding societies.

Like chimeras, manticores have a particular fondness for human flesh. When hunting, they emit eerie, soporific hums. These creatures are not to be underestimated; they can even mimic human language, but the sounds they produce are like bizarre melodies blending flutes and trumpets. Their scorpion-like tails sway incessantly, their stingers shooting out in all directions, spraying venom like deadly raindrops.

What's even more troublesome is that their fur has strong magical resistance, which can resist most spell attacks, leaving wizards often helpless when facing them.

After witnessing the monster with his own eyes, Zhang Qiu seemed to have suddenly solved a mystery in his heart: "I finally understand how those explosive-tailed snails are born."

"You guessed right, it is the mother of those blasting snails, and also another piece of material that your Animagus needs."

Levin wasn't as polite to the Sphinx as he was to it. He decisively pulled out his wand and cast a spell on the ground. Instantly, a cluster of dark tentacles burst forth from the ground, exactly the same as the ones Hermione had summoned in Fishman Square.

These tentacles are thick and powerful, and despite the manticore's growls and howls, they tightly bind it, staging a tentacle play.

Levin then took the opportunity to extract a vial of precious blood from it.

"Wait, how can the bloodline of the manticore be fused with that of the sphinx? What's the principle behind that?" Zhang Qiu was still full of doubts as the two left the cave.

Levin didn't answer directly, but instead brought up the previous topic: "Remember the reproductive isolation issue we discussed at the Sphinx?"

"You mean, there's no reproductive isolation between manticores and sphinxes?" Zhang Qiu asked incredulously.

“That’s right!” Levin affirmed this seemingly absurd statement. “Think about it, they all have human faces, lion bodies, and wings, so it’s not surprising that they are related by blood.”

"Just because they have similar features, they can be mixed-race... That's such a simplistic and crude reason." Zhang Qiu still couldn't accept this explanation.

“Yes, it does sound absurd, but that’s the truth.” Levin spread his hands helplessly. “Actually, the reason is quite simple. Most of these magical creatures did not evolve naturally, but were created later. Some were modified by wizards, some were created by gods, and some were simply products of curses. In short, these creatures are essentially fusions of existing creatures in nature. After their birth, they gradually multiplied and became new species.”

He transformed back into his chimera form, letting Zhang Qiu ride on his back, and continued explaining as they flew:

"Similar examples are not uncommon. For instance, Hagrid hybridized a manticore and a fire crab to create the Exploding Tail Snail—the difference between a manticore and a fire crab is much greater than that between a manticore and a sphinx."

Then he talked about the Sphinx: "In fact, many half-lion creatures can interbreed. Sphinxes, lion scorpions, chimeras, and even griffins can produce hybrid offspring—the hawk-faced sphinx is simply different from a griffin by the only difference between them."

"But why didn't you say so at the time?" Zhang Qiu asked.

“Because the Sphinx itself is unwilling to admit it.” Levin curled his lip. “The female Sphinxes are very arrogant. They don’t even look down on the Sphinxes with sheep or eagle faces, let alone other beasts. In their eyes, only the male Sphinx can be regarded as one of their own. If I had rashly revealed this truth back then, she would have kicked us out on the spot.”

".‖ Whoa whoa!"

As Levin revealed a series of hidden insights, Zhang Qiu nodded repeatedly like a chick.

My strange knowledge has increased.

As night fell, Levin led Zhang Qiu back to the tower.

After Levin announced that he would gradually arrange for everyone's Animagus transformation, Zhang Qiu and the others completed the initial rituals one by one.

They prepared the pupae of the hawk moth, crystal vials containing their own hair, and a potion mixed with saliva and a teaspoon of dew.

These potions had long since absorbed the essence of the moon and turned red.

Levin skillfully concocted a transformation potion using the blood of the Sphinx and the Manticore.

With Hermione's Animagus transformation as a precedent, Cho Chang was less afraid this time. She took Levin's potion under the oak tree and drank it all in one gulp.

Soon, a creature with features of both a sphinx and a scorpion appeared before Levin.

Unlike the manticores seen in the cave, Zhang Qiu's Animagus did not have the mane of a male lion. Her entire upper body maintained its original appearance, but she had the limbs and body of a lion. The wings on her back were not the bat wings of a manticore, but the beautiful eagle wings of a sphinx. Her tail, however, maintained the appearance of a manticore and was covered with terrifying venomous stingers.

Still in a daze, Zhang Qiu vaguely examined her lion legs, then looked up and saw Levin staring intently at her. She assumed he was mocking her.

A destructive and bloodthirsty will within her Lion Scorpion bloodline made her unable to resist lunging toward Levin, but because she was not yet used to the Sphinx's way of moving, she ended up sitting on the ground in a lion-like duck-sitting position.

Levin keenly caught every fluctuation in Zhang Qiu's emotions, and he immediately said in a gentle and soothing tone, "Zhang Qiu, don't be controlled by the lion scorpion's nature. That wildness can be tamed. I believe you have enough strength to fight it and control it!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Qiu, who was trying to control her limbs and wings, turned her head to look at Levin, scrutinizing his handsome face.

This face, which she had cherished and pursued for a long time, now shone like a beacon, giving her strength and confidence.

After a while, the girl's ferocious expression softened, and her madness and bloodlust slowly subsided.

Suddenly, she began to stagger toward Levin again.

Levin observed quietly, his wand poised to respond to any unexpected situation.

This is a process of self-confrontation, and he will not intervene unless absolutely necessary.

Soon, the Sphinx arrived in front of Levin. With a single pounce, the man before her would fall to her claws.

However, at the last moment, she gently rested her head against Levin's chest.

---------------without-

The image shows the Sphinx, Zhang Qiu.

Chapter 416 Hedge

"Great, you did it, Zhang Qiu."

Levin gently stroked her beautiful head.

The head in his arms quietly changed, gradually revealing the features of a lion's head and being covered with the distinctive fur of a lioness.

It seems her mind can switch between Lion Scorpion mode and Sphinx mode.

Transformation and fighting against inner emotions is indeed a difficult task.

After a short rest, Zhang Qiu stood up again and began to explore his new abilities.

Besides inheriting the abilities of the Manticore and the Sphinx, she was surprised to find that the Sphinx's human head allowed her to still cast spells in this state.

“I feel great, but I’m not used to casting spells while crawling on all fours yet,” Zhang Qiu said, her voice more magnetic and deep than before.

This must be due to a change in her vocal organs, which not only makes her voice sound exceptionally unique but also reveals an indescribable languor and sexiness.

“Perhaps you could try learning staffless spellcasting,” Levin suggested. “With Sphinx’s intelligence, it shouldn’t be too difficult to master.”

“Spellcasting without a staff…that sounds difficult.” Zhang Qiu hesitated.

“Perhaps you could learn a portion of Animagus to solve this problem,” Levin suggested. “I’m currently researching how to transform myself into an alicorn centaur using a portion of Animagus. Once I’ve succeeded, you can do the same.”

Animagus Sphinx (Lion Scorpion)

力量：23、敏捷：16、体质：18、智力：20、感知：19、魅力：19

Abilities: Advanced magic resistance, poison, spikes, keen sense of smell, iron will, trivia.

Spells:

0-Ring: Detect Magic, Read Magic, Purify Food, Divine Guidance, Detect Toxins, Repair Magic

1st Ring: Divine Favor, Remove Fear, Devotion Shield, Language Proficiency (Constant)

2nd Ring: Detect Invisibility (Constant), Item Locator, Bull's Strength, Calm Mind, Heal Medium Wounds, Resist Energy Damage, Lesser Restoration

3rd Ring: Sharp Ears/Eagle Eye, 730 Dispel Magic, Remove Curse, Cast Curse, Searing Radiance

4th Ring: Advanced Invisibility

5 Rings: The Mark of Sleep, The Mark of Pain

6th Ring: Knowledge of Legends, Persuasion, Fear

7 rings: a deterrent emblem

After obtaining the Sphinx Animagus form, Zhang Qiu felt as if he had opened a mysterious door, and was pleasantly surprised one after another.

She discovered that this change gave her far more than just an intellectual boost.

As an ancient magical creature, the Sphinx possesses inherited memories.

Within this vast sea of ​​memories, Zhang Qiu was astonished to find some ancient runic magic.

Although these spells originated in ancient Egypt, their principles are similar to those of runes.

Or perhaps, the origins of magic in most regions are similar to primal runic spells.

These inherited memories cannot directly teach Zhang Qiu the ancient runes, but they are like a key that helps her unlock the deeper meanings and rules behind the runes.

This is similar to learning French or German after learning English; it's a feeling of making connections between different things.

What excited Zhang Qiu even more was that her talent in divination magic had also been significantly improved.

So-called prophetic spells are not all about predicting the future, but rather spells for "acquiring information."

The future is only one part of information.

The Sphinx is actually a magical creature that is very skilled in divination spells.

They can communicate with anyone without barriers and know all kinds of information in the desert. They were considered by the ancients to be omniscient and all-knowing, naturally relying on their prophetic magic.

Zhang Qiu's other two subjects that needed tutoring were divination and numerology.

What a coincidence!

Since acquiring the new Animagus, Zhang Qiu's tutoring progress has been incredibly rapid.

Levin was also able to focus more on building the maze.

In fact, the fastest part of building a maze is constructing its main structure.

After all, Levin has a group of professional helpers.

Levin's so-called professional helpers were naturally his tree spirits.

In fact, Levin created more than just tree spirits during this period.

He created several water fairies using the streams that flowed around the forest, several wind fairies using the strong winds blowing over the forest, and planned to introduce seawater to create several sea fairies.

In fact, the template that Levin used to create these nature spirits was the legendary nymph.

Nymphs are guardians of nature's purest and most beautiful realms, possessing exquisite beauty with elven features and a deep connection to the natural world.

The so-called tree spirit can also be called a forest fairy or a wood sprite;

As for the other name of the Water Fairy, it is the most famous water sprite among the Nymph Fairies;

The Wind Fairy is a wind spirit, or a wind fairy, named Sylph.

In addition, Levin created several flower fairies named Ainawen, adding even more fragrance to his home.

This time, however, Levin doesn't need so many people; just a few tree spirits will be enough for him to accomplish everything.

Considering that the treants' range of activity would be limited by the forest they guarded, Levin specially selected several saplings from his own forest, had several treants possess these saplings, then transplanted the saplings to the Quidditch pitch, and then, through a special ritual, transformed these saplings into something that could be considered part of the forest.

This method of forcibly expanding the forest's area also has drawbacks. The expansion relies entirely on these few trees that serve as coordinates, as well as the tree spirits that possess them. Once these trees are uprooted, the temporary expansion will become ineffective.