The wheelchair-bound warrior is speedrunning Hogwarts.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows, while the gentle lapping of the waves against the shore created a stark contrast to the gloom of London.

Vera squinted slightly, savoring the rare tranquility and warmth. Her nerves, which had been tense from training and worrying about Harley for days, seemed to relax a little.

She rested for a while in the villa, and then Kreacher served her a simple lunch made with local ingredients: some fresh salad, grilled fish in olive oil, and feta cheese.

Enjoying lunch while gazing at the sea is truly a blessing in life.

After lunch, Vera had Kreacher push her along a sun-warmed path beside the villa.

The path was lined with lush olive trees and low bushes, and the air was filled with the rich aroma of wild rosemary and thyme.

The sound of the waves grew clearer, and a salty sea breeze caressed my face.

“Kreacher,” Vera turned to the elf, “since we’re here on a trip, let’s go to the Acropolis in Athens.”

Kreacher nodded immediately: "Yes, Miss."

The Acropolis of Athens is the most outstanding ancient architectural complex in Greece, which includes four of the greatest masterpieces of Greek classical art—the Parthenon, the Arc de Triomphe, the Erechtheion, and the Temple of Athena Nike.

In modern times, it has naturally become one of the most famous tourist attractions in Greece.

Of course, what truly interested Vera was not the architectural style of the Acropolis itself, but rather... the temples within it.

Since Kreacher didn't know the exact location of the Acropolis, and there were many people around, Vera made some preparations and then traveled alone to the vicinity of the Acropolis.

In fact, Kreacher was also with her, but at Vera's insistence, the little fairy had no choice but to follow her instructions and put on the invisibility cloak, promising that she would never appear in front of anyone.

The master's request is an absolute command to the elf. With Vera's request, Kreacher would rather die than reveal himself to Muggles.

She got off the bus near the Acropolis, and the kind driver even helped her to properly position her wheelchair.

After thanking her, Vera maneuvered her wheelchair alone and blended into the flow of tourists from all over the world.

Sunlight poured down on the ancient stone buildings without reservation, and the thousand-year-old architectural complex outlined a solemn yet incomplete silhouette against the blue sky.

The air was filled with the scent of historical dust mixed with dry vegetation, and the sounds of various languages, camera shutters, and tour guides' explanations filled the air.

From the Acropolis's gate, passing the Erechtheion and the Temple of Victory, Vera would stop in front of each building to quietly observe and then shake her head silently before continuing onward.

During this time, some kind-hearted people saw her standing still and thought that this little girl with mobility issues was having trouble climbing the stairs in front of the temple, so they wanted to come up and help her.

But she rejected them all.

The reason is simple: Vera didn't come here just to see the scenery.

From the moment she stepped into this place, she tried her best to detect any magical fluctuations in the air.

Since Hogwarts Castle is a product of conscious ancient magic, could the temples be the same?

With that in mind, Vera came here, ready to try her luck.

However, apart from these grand yet silent buildings themselves, she did not sense any particularly active sources of magic.

Perhaps the erosion of time and the constant footsteps of Muggles have buried or washed away the deeper secrets.

Or perhaps these were just ordinary buildings to begin with, their significance imbued by time, and had nothing to do with magic.

She wasn't too disappointed with the result; she simply stopped and walked along the way, constantly feeling the atmosphere that this ancient land had accumulated.

Following the ever-expanding road, the magnificent outline of the Parthenon comes into view, and even after the vicissitudes of time, the remaining stone columns still tell of its former glory.

As the most famous ancient building on the Acropolis and one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Parthenon was built in 447 BC, more than two thousand years ago, more than a thousand years earlier than Hogwarts Castle.

Vera stopped in a relatively secluded corner, closed her eyes, and tried to catch any trace of magic about the place.

Kreacher followed stealthily not far behind her, his vigilant gaze constantly scanning the surroundings to make sure no foolish Muggle would bump into her wheelchair.

Unlike her previous brief stops in front of other temples or ancient buildings, this time Vera frowned and lingered in front of the temple for a long time.

Even Kreacher, who had been by her side the whole time, felt that it was taking a long time. Just as he was about to go forward to check on her, Vera finally opened her eyes.

The golden light shone again in those dark eyes.

“Kreacher,” she whispered, “take me up without alerting anyone else.”

The little elf hidden under the invisibility cloak keenly noticed that even her mistress's tone of voice had changed.

It dared not be careless and immediately and carefully avoided the others, carrying her and her wheelchair up the steps in front of the temple.

Arriving at the temple, Vera looked up at the Doric columns, which represented the highest level of architectural art in all of Greece, and gently touched the mottled stone with her fingertips.

As the magic circuits quietly reached their limit, golden patterns silently appeared on Vera's skin, attempting to capture the rhythm hidden deep within the stone pillars, the foundation, and every inch of weathered rock.

There's something there.

Unlike the pervasive, gentle, and orderly magical fluctuations at Hogwarts.

The "existence" hidden here is ancient and profound, like a mineral vein buried deep underground, silent and beyond her current comprehension, leaving only a sedimentation of pure "power".

It is not in a dormant state, but rather in an extreme state of introversion, shrinking all fluctuations to its core and refusing any external exploration.

But I still felt its presence just now.

Vera pursed her lips, trying to slowly probe into it with an extremely subtle magical fluctuation, like a spider's thread.

As expected, there was no response.

That silent power, like an unchanging mountain range, remained unresponsive to her probing.

Vera did not give up. She patiently maintained this extremely subtle connection, her mental energy highly concentrated, and fine beads of sweat gradually appeared on her forehead.

The sunlight shone on her pale face, making it almost transparent.

Time passed slowly, and tourists came and went, their noises seeming to be muffled through a layer of glass.

Just when she was almost exhausted and ready to give up for the time being—

The stone pillar beneath my fingertips trembled very slightly.

It was not a physical vibration, but a very subtle resonance on a magical level.

Like a pebble thrown into an ancient well, after a long and despairing descent, it finally hit the bottom and emitted a faint, almost non-existent echo.

In an instant, a vast and desolate ancient magical energy fluctuation, like a startled giant, flashed past the edge of her perception!

The feeling was so fleeting, like a hallucination, that it sent a shiver down Vera's spine and made her heart pound wildly in her chest.

It woke up? Or rather... it sensed something?

But the fluctuation did not spread, nor did it convey any hostility or probing intent. It was as if a sleeping giant had turned over, and soon returned to that unfathomable silence.

It was as if that touch just now was merely its instinctive reaction to that insignificant "touch," and it didn't even bother to open its eyes to see who it was.

Vera leaned back in her wheelchair, breathing heavily, feeling her mental and magical energy rapidly depleting.

This brief contact and probing had almost drained most of her energy.

The restorative power of the unicorn's blessing is quietly taking effect, soothing the subtle emptiness in the magic circuits caused by overuse.

She looked at the majestic temple before her, her eyes filled with awe and reverence.

This place... is indeed not simple.

Although this contact was brief and didn't even establish effective communication, it was enough to prove her suspicions—

Deep within some ancient ruins lie dormant powers far beyond the comprehension of modern wizards, powers that may very well have existed since the age of myth.

Perhaps it is the remnant of an ancient god, perhaps it is the condensation of a ley line node, or perhaps something else entirely.

Although with her current strength, she is far from being able to delve into these secrets.

But simply knowing of their existence and experiencing that fleeting glimpse of their vastness was enough to give her a deeper understanding of magic and her future path.

"Miss?" Kreacher's worried voice came from beneath the invisibility cloak; it sensed Vera's sudden weakness. "Are you alright?"

“I’m fine, Kreacher.” Vera took a deep breath, suppressing the tremor in her heart, and her voice returned to calm. “I’m just a little tired. We should go back.”

“Yes, Miss,” Kreacher replied, carefully manipulating the magic to smoothly lower the wheelchair down the steps, avoiding the crowd, and heading towards the exit of the Acropolis.

On the way back, Vera remained silent, closing her eyes to rest, while repeatedly reliving the moment of contact in her mind.

The texture and level of that power were completely different from the consciousness of Hogwarts Castle; it was more ancient, more primitive, and also more... indifferent.

Back at the Black family villa, Vera didn't immediately check the scroll. Instead, she rested for a while until her mental and magical energy had almost fully recovered before unrolling the scroll again.

On the painting, the habitat remains as serene and beautiful as ever.

But upon closer inspection, some subtle changes can be observed—

The grassland near the lake showed obvious signs of being rolled and trampled; several small trees were leaning to one side; and many huge, messy claw marks were left on the sandy beach by the lake.

Hermella was lying at the entrance of its nest, occasionally glancing warily at the distance, making a warning growl in its throat, its wings slightly raised, as if it were ready to take off or breathe fire at any moment.

Meanwhile, Lou Williams lay dejectedly on an open ground quite a distance from the nest.

Its three heads drooped, its six eyes stared longingly in the direction of Hermella, and its huge tail swept the ground listlessly, making it appear listless.

It appears that it tried to get close, but was clearly driven away by Charmander without any politeness.

Vera smiled helplessly; this situation was within her expectations.

Fantastic creatures all have their own territoriality, so it's really a bit much to expect two fantastic creatures, both of which are apex predators in their respective ecological niches, to become good friends all at once.

The fact that we can live in peace now is only because of her as the middleman.

She reached out her finger and gently touched the surface of the scroll.

The familiar suction came, and when she opened her eyes again, she was already standing on the grass of her habitat.

Almost the instant she appeared, Hermella and Luwei reacted simultaneously.

"Woo!" Hermella immediately flew out of its nest, nuzzling Vera's leg affectionately, while glaring warily at Luwei in the distance and letting out a low warning growl.

"Awoo!" Luwei immediately stood up, and all three heads simultaneously let out a wronged yet expectant cry. Its huge tail began to wag wildly, wanting to get closer but not daring to, anxiously circling around in the distance.

Vera bent down and gently stroked Hemera's head and wings reassuringly: "Alright, Hemera, don't be afraid. It's not an enemy, it's... well, it's your new family member, its name is Luwei."

She conveyed comforting and explanatory messages to Hermella through a spiritual link.

The little dragon tilted its head, looked at Vera, then at the enormous three-headed dog in the distance. The wariness in its eyes lessened slightly, but it was still not completely relaxed.

Then, Vera beckoned to Lou Williams: "Lou Williams, come here."

Once given permission, Lou Williams immediately ran over happily, causing the ground to tremble.

It carefully stopped a few steps away from Vera, its three heads vying to lower themselves and nuzzle Vera's palm, but its massive body appeared somewhat clumsy and reserved for fear of frightening Hermella.

Vera smiled and stroked each of its noses: "You too, Luwei, be gentle. Hermella is still small, you'll scare it."

The middle head of Luwei let out a pitiful whimper, while the other two heads cautiously and extremely slowly tried to sniff Hemera.

Hermella immediately took a step back, its scales slightly raised, and a threatening hiss came from its throat, but this time it did not breathe fire.

“Alright, take it slow.” Vera stood between them, acting as a mediator. “Hemora, Luwei means no harm. Luwei, step back a little and give Hemera some space.”

She continued to convey messages of peace and goodwill to both sides through a spiritual connection, while also bringing out a large quantity of delicious jerky and special food that she had prepared beforehand.

Food is always the best bridge to bring people closer.

She divided the food into two piles, placing one pile in front of Hermella and the other a little further away for Luwei.

The two magical creatures were immediately drawn to the food.

Hermella glanced warily at Luwei, and seeing that it was obediently staying in front of its food pile and did not seem to be trying to take it, she lowered her head and began to eat.

Lou Williams was also starving, and he wolfed down his food with his three heads, but he was much more restrained in his eating, no longer throwing it everywhere like before.

Vera sat among them, watching them eat, occasionally touching one or patting another, continuing to soothe them.

After the meal, the tense atmosphere eased considerably.

While Hemera still wouldn't let Louie get too close, at least she stopped hissing threateningly.

Luwei seemed to understand that this little guy was not to be trifled with and that its owner valued it highly, so it simply lay down a short distance away, watching with its six eyes pleading and its tail wagging gently.

“Very good, keep it like this.” Vera looked on with satisfaction at the initial signs of peace.

She knew it would take time for them to truly accept each other, but it was a good start.

For the next half day, Vera stayed in the habitat with the two of them, allowing them to gradually become familiar with each other's scent.

By evening, when Vera was about to leave, Hermella had allowed Luwei to rest about a hundred meters from the nest.

Louie also seemed to have found a new source of amusement—it discovered that the sparks spewed out by Hermella could help it ignite some of the huge tufts of fur it rubbed off while scratching itself, and watching the fur tufts burn was a novel experience for it.

Vera couldn't help but laugh as she watched as Lu Wei carefully picked up a small clump of grass that Hemera had accidentally lit with one of his heads, while the other two heads curiously leaned in to sniff it, only to be choked by the smoke and sneeze repeatedly.

Hermella tilted her head, looking at the big guy's comical appearance, making a gurgling sound in her throat, seemingly finding it a little funny as well.