บท 103: 0103 Decision
The moon cast a pale light over the quiet garden, where two figures sat on a wooden bench. One was a Bryan with dark grey hair and piercing lavender eyes, holding a wand in his hand. The other was a woman with long silver hair and a flowing white dress, her face hidden by a thin veil. She spoke in a soft voice, telling him a story that sounded like a legend.
"We have received inspiration from the earth and the gods we believe in. The wizard who bears this snake will help us take out the sacred objects belonging to the Druids in the place where Merlin rests forever. In the beginning, we made a mistake. It took several months to find nothing, and after a lot of twists and turns, through ordinary divination and investigation, we finally figured out that it seems to be the underground world of Knockturn Alley, the identity mark of a wizard—"
She paused, as if recalling the hardships they had gone through, while Bryan kept frowning, thinking carefully why the druid's ritual divination would get such a result. No matter from which aspect, he had no intersection with these people.
In fact, wizards were a relatively conservative and exclusive group, even wizards with impure bloodlines were rejected in the European magical world, let alone the Druid religion that had parted ways with the 'secret' wizard faction for so many years.
"We didn't dare to look for you openly in the underworld, because we were afraid that it might cause you trouble. When we finally figured out who this snake was, you suddenly disappeared from the underworld."
The Bryan didn't say anything. If it wasn't for Dumbledore's 'conspiracy' that brought him back to Hogwarts, he and these people would have met a few months ago.
"Out of helplessness, my teacher, the first-generation priestess of the religion, had to seek help from the gods again. And this time, she paid the price of her life and finally got a clear indication–Bryan Watson.
We knew your name, but at that time, you were teaching at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There was the most powerful wizard in the contemporary magical world, Albus Dumbledore. If possible, we didn't want to deal with this wizard, because if the news leaked out, it might cause some misunderstanding to our enemies.
We hid in the shadows and watched your figure. And when you left Hogwarts, how to approach you became a topic of discussion among us.
Some partners thought that they should find you directly and explain the reason and ask for your help.
Some people also thought that by hiding all the truth, as long as you continued to issue commissions in the underground world and provide generous rewards for tasks, you would always be attracted to it—"
The breeze whispered softly in his ears, carrying the scent of flowers. Bryan gradually relaxed his tense mood. He stared at the mysterious priestess whose origin and 'true purpose' were like a misty mystery. He was judging and weighing in his heart.
"But I hoped that I could release some goodwill to you before formally negotiating with you. So I asked my friends to leave the UK and go to other countries. Based on the information obtained from the previous investigation, I found this orphanage and became a volunteer at the orphanage–"
Hum. Bryan snorted coldly.
"I think your partners' suggestions are more sensible."
The cause and effect were roughly like this, but there were some things that the Bryan hadn't figured out yet.
"For more than a thousand years, countless wizards and even Muggles have been looking for Merlin's resting place. But except for that unopenable black stone tower in the underworld, no one has found any valuable clues. How do you know that the ruins you found have anything to do with Merlin? Don't tell me it's divination again?"
Cliodna didn't speak. Bryan knew that his question is probably related to the core secret of the Druid religion.
"What is in Merlin's ruins? Or what do you want to get from there?"
Cliodna, who had an ethereal temperament, apologized,
"I'm sorry, Mr. Watson, I can't answer your question for the time being, but when you are willing to accept the commission and enter the ruins, you will always know."
The Bryan couldn't deny it and curled his lips slightly. Although Cliodna didn't want to say anything, she didn't choose to lie.
"You should be glad that you didn't do too many unnecessary things during your time in the orphanage, Miss Coffey,"
Bryan said lightly. "Otherwise, the Druids may have to change their priestess again."
"What do you mean——"
"Miss Coffey, you ask me to risk my life for a mystery that you won't reveal. You say there are ruins that have something to do with Merlin, but you don't tell me what they are or where they are. You expect me to trust you blindly, but you don't offer me anything in return. Miss Coffey, what can you give me that is worth more than my own safety? I know that the value of this commission is very high, and it cannot even be measured in galleons. What can you promise me that will make me agree to this dangerous mission?"
Bryan's voice was cold and stern, and he looked at Cliodna with a piercing gaze. He could sense that she needed his help desperately, and he was not going to let her take advantage of him.
When Bryan returned to the orphanage alone, the moon had risen to the other side of the house. Smelling the faint fragrance of flowers in the cold air, Bryan stood quietly in the courtyard for a while. He felt a slight chill on his skin, but he didn't care. When his mood calmed down, he walked into the hall with light steps.
"Did you kiss her?"
a mischievous voice came from the dark corridor as he passed the third floor. He was one of the orphans who liked to tease him, a boy named Hammer.
"Go to bed quickly, little Hammer. Else I will beat your ass!"
Bryan didn't stop at all and said irritably. He knew that Hammer was just joking, but he didn't want to talk to him now. He came to a room on the sixth floor that was specially prepared for him. He washed up simply in the dark and sighed with relief. Then he lay on the soft mattress.
Although His body had relaxed, but his thoughts were still rolling like waves in the storm. Tonight, he deepened his understanding of the mystery and unpredictability of the magical world.
The Druid religion that came out of nowhere used some divination techniques that Bryan never cared about before and figured out his identity and background. Although Cliodna said that they paid a huge price, Bryan thought that it was not worth mentioning.
The biggest problem was still the divination result of the previous priestess of the Druid religion.
This mysterious and ancient religion has a long history. Their conflicts with the orthodox church have been mentioned even in Muggle storybooks. Bryan believed that if they really wanted that legendary magical item so badly, then this kind of divination must have been held regularly for many centuries, but they never got any revelation.
Considering the 'huge price' in Cliodna's mouth, Bryan thought that every generation of Druid priests might hold such a divination at the end of their lives.
But why would they involve him? In the quiet darkness, Bryan's brow furrowed again.
He first heard of the Druid religion and the equally ancient name 'Cliodna' on the Hogwarts Express many years ago, from a chocolate frog card he bought from a witch who sold 'candies, pastries, cakes'. Later, in the fourth grade, when Professor Binns was talking about the grievances and conflicts among wizards, Muggles, and the Holy See in the Middle Ages. He mentioned them casually. When he finished his homework, out of curiosity, he went to the library to look up some popular information.
But he didn't expect that many years later, he actually met a 'Cliodna'!
After recalling his twenty years of life memories, Bryan was sure that he had never been involved with them before. But at the same time, he believed that there must be a deeper secret behind that divination that he still did not know.
Bryan could tell that there was basically no lie in what Cliodna told him just now. But there were some things that still deserved deep thought.
A legendary item that could help them resist the equally mysterious and influential church in the Muggle world? It sounded absurd to Bryan.
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