Everyday Life of a Top Student at Hogwarts

Chapter 236 The Afterglow of the Crown

Chapter 236 The Afterglow of the Crown

Having temporarily set aside matters concerning the Eye of Quidditch, Cullen refocused her attention on the stone chamber deep beneath the Quiet Abode, shrouded in multiple powerful protective arrays. At the center of the chamber, on a gilded platform, Ravenclaw's crown floated silently at the center of a complex copper-blocking array made of mithril and moonstone, emitting a faint, tainted light.

After weeks of in-depth research, combining Karen's "Eye of Truth" for deep observation, Nico's exquisite soul magic probes, and Castor's unique insights into dark magic curses involving the soul, they have gained a nearly complete understanding of the situation inside the crown.

"Final soul resonance frequency scan results confirmed." Nico's voice was exceptionally clear in the silent stone chamber. He gently touched a rune on the edge of the crown with a crystal probe in his hand. The tip of the probe glowed with a soft white light, and the internal structure of the crown was once again clearly revealed in Karen's "Eye of Truth" vision.

At the edge of the core area once occupied by fragments of Voldemort's soul, a faint, almost transparent, ghostly blue light flickered stubbornly, like a candle burning in the wind. This light was pure and intelligent, carrying the unique aura of Ravenclaw's thirst for knowledge and rationality—it was the remnant of Ravenclaw's primal consciousness, suppressed to its limit!

Deeper within the core, while Voldemort's soul fragments had weakened slightly due to the research conducted over the past few days, the tearing dark magic contamination at its structural core remained stubbornly persistent. Like maggots in the bone, it not only eroded the crown's spirituality but also acted as a heavy lock and a source of deadly poison, relentlessly suppressing the fragile wisp of pale blue light and continuously assimilating and corrupting it. The two existed in an extremely unstable and fragile state of "symbiosis," but this symbiosis came at the cost of the continuous annihilation of primal consciousness.

"The conclusion is consistent." Castor's voice was cold and certain. "The strength of the original consciousness is below the critical threshold, and its existence is deeply entangled with the corrupting and suppressive network of the Crown itself and Voldemort's soul. Forcibly separating Voldemort's soul using existing stripping magic or alchemy methods would have a greater than 90% probability of directly annihilating this remaining consciousness due to the resulting energy shocks and structural collapse. This is tantamount to completely destroying the Crown's spirituality."

Nico's expression was solemn, tinged with deep regret: "Yes. The light of Rowena's wisdom, after a thousand years of silence, had a chance to revive, but it was on the verge of being completely extinguished because of Tom Riddle's desecration. To strip it away directly is tantamount to us extinguishing this last ember with our own hands."

Karen's gaze was fixed intently on that faint, eerie blue light. He looked at his two mentors: "Is there really no other way? Are we just going to give up like this?"

"Give up?" Nico shook his head slightly. "Of course not. We just need to change our strategy and take a more lenient and gentle approach. Since the patient cannot bear the excruciating pain of the dissection, let's first get the patient out of danger and create an environment conducive to their self-recovery."

He pointed to several key rune nodes within the forbidden magic array: "Our new solution is: deep isolation sealing."

"Deep isolation seal?" Karen repeated, thinking quickly.

“That’s right,” Nico explained in detail. “We’re no longer trying to immediately ‘dig’ Voldemort’s soul out of the crown. That would be too damaging. What we need to do is build a strong, stable, multi-layered ‘firewall’ or ‘isolation zone’ inside the crown, between the core contaminated area of ​​Voldemort’s soul and the original consciousness of the crown.”

He traced his finger in the air, and invisible magic outlined a simplified diagram of the crown's internal structure. "Look here, here, and here—these are the main channels and energy nodes for the spread of contamination. We will use the precise coordinates located by Karen's 'Eye of Truth,' with Castor setting up soul-sealing and contamination-isolating runes, while I will guide pure, nourishing, and stabilizing magic into these nodes, constructing a sturdy sealed cage around Voldemort's soul. This cage will maximally isolate the soul from the crown's continued contamination and suppression of its original consciousness."

"At the same time," Nico pointed to the area around the wisp of blue light, "outside this isolation cage, we also need to set up a gentle recovery field. Infuse it with pure magic that has nourishing, stabilizing, and inspiring properties, creating a relatively safe and energy-rich recovery zone for the primordial consciousness, allowing it to temporarily escape the direct suppression of the pollution source and gain space to breathe and repair itself. Like carefully pruning the tightly binding, deadly vines from an ancient tree strangled by vines, then providing it with sunlight and rain, giving it a chance to slowly recover its vitality."

Castor interjected, his tone tinged with a hint of coldness: "The core of the isolation seal lies in its strength and stability. Although Voldemort's soul is weak, its corrupt nature is extremely stubborn. The seal must be absolutely flawless, without any leaks, otherwise all previous efforts will be in vain, and it may even trigger a backlash from the soul. The nourishing field, on the other hand, lies in its purity and compatibility; it must be in harmony with the characteristics of Ravenclaw's intelligent consciousness to avoid any rejection reaction. This is a meticulous and long-term project."

Karen fully grasped the essence of the plan: "So, our current objective isn't to strip Voldemort's soul away, but rather to first tightly isolate it, preventing it from further eroding the Crown's body and primal consciousness, while simultaneously providing the best possible environment for the Crown's consciousness to recover, waiting for it to regain some strength. Once the primal consciousness is strong enough and its connection with the Crown's body is more stable, then we can consider carrying out the final, less risky operation of stripping Voldemort's soul away?"

"Exactly!" Nico's eyes gleamed with approval. "A very accurate summary, Karen. This is currently the only feasible solution to preserve the original consciousness of the crown. The entire sealing and nourishing process will be quite lengthy, potentially taking a considerable amount of time, or even longer. Moreover, whether we can ultimately successfully awaken and stabilize the original consciousness, making it strong enough to withstand the impact of its separation, remains to be seen. But this at least gives it a glimmer of hope and preserves the possibility for us to study the true mysteries of this legendary crown."

"I understand." Karen nodded solemnly, her eyes now filled with unwavering resolve and responsibility, devoid of any hesitation. "Then, let's begin. What do you need me to do?"

"Your 'Eye of Truth' is the key of all," Nico said seriously. "The location of the seal and nourishment nodes,

Guiding the energy infusion and monitoring any subtle abnormal fluctuations during the process require your precise, real-time observation and feedback. This will be the ultimate test of patience, focus, and the accuracy of your magical perception.

"I'm ready." Karen stood up straight, her gaze fixed intently on the crown on the alchemy platform.

Nico and Castor exchanged a glance and nodded. The three took their positions, and powerful magic began to surge within the stone chamber. Several crystal bottles, shimmering with different lights, appeared in Nico's hand, containing carefully refined moonshine moss essence, unicorn tears, and other precious materials. Cold and obscure magic gathered at the tip of Castor's wand, and ancient sealing runes flickered around him.

Karen took a deep breath and activated his "Eye of Truth" with all his might. In his vision, the world shed its appearance, revealing the fragile and dangerous balance within the crown, the dark pollution awaiting isolation, and the glimmer of light yearning for revival.

"Location initiated, core contamination node A7 area, energy reading stable - Teacher Castor, seal rune injection coordinate offset 0.03 degrees, clockwise fine adjustment - OK! Rune anchoring successful! Teacher Nico, nourishing fluid guidance, flow rate reduced by 15%, slight ripples appear in the energy field - Stable! Next node, B2 area -"

Karen's calm and clear voice echoed in the stone chamber, like the most sophisticated navigator guiding the two masters through this intricate surgery concerning the preservation of millennia of wisdom. Pale golden sealing runes and soft, nourishing green light slowly intertwined, permeated, and constructed within the crown. Voldemort's soul's inky thorns seemed to be blocked by an invisible barrier, its spreading contamination forcibly contained. Outside the barrier, a faint, eerie blue light, like a seedling receiving rain after a long drought, seemed to brighten by an extremely faint sliver under the nourishment of pure magic.

The spark of hope, under strict protection, has been carefully preserved. Perhaps one day, the afterglow of its glory will be rekindled.