บท 104: 0104 Merlin's Resting Place
"Hello, sir and madam, the tickets are seventeen pounds each, and thirty-four pounds for two. If you are willing to pay seven more pounds, we can give you a souvenir album and a tour map."
In front of the gate of the scenic spot, a female ticket seller who looked like she was working part-time had a polite smile on her chubby face and said to Bryan and Cliodna who were traveling together. She wore a blue uniform with a name tag that said 'Emma' and a straw hat that barely covered her curly brown hair. Her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm as she tried to persuade the visitors to buy the extra items.
Bryan squinted slightly as the sun in the west shone on his face. He glanced at Cliodna who was unmoved, and it seemed that this woman had no intention of paying. He curled his lips and took out a few banknotes from his pocket and handed them over. He felt a pang of regret as he saw the money leave his hand. He had worked hard to earn those Galleons by doing commissions in the knockturn alley, and now he had to exchange them for muggle currency at a low rate.
He had returned to the orphanage two weeks ago. Since he graduated from Hogwarts, this was the longest time he stayed there. Not only to fulfill his promise to Little Hammer, the young boy who looked up to him as a big brother, but also because he needed some time to think about whether he wanted to agree to this Druid priestess's request.
After a period of difficult choices, Bryan finally agreed.
Not because Cliodna could offer a generous reward. In fact, these Druids who have been chased by the Church like rabbits for centuries are all poor. They may not have as many Galleons as Bryan.
He agreed for two reasons. First, Merlin's relics are irresistible to any wizard or muggle. Even if Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, knew about this news, he would probably not mind running over to find out for himself. Although Bryan didn't know what this priestess meant by 'Merlin's resting place'.
Second, Bryan was always very curious about the divination result of the last Druid priest before his death. Both the Church and the Druids are religious forces. Bryan didn't think he had ever dealt with these fanatical religious people. He couldn't figure out why he, an orthodox wizard, would be involved.
But deep in his heart, Bryan faintly felt that it might have something to do with his identity as a reincarnator. He had come from another world where magic did not exist, and he had inherited the memories and abilities of another Bryan Watson who died in a car accident. He had always wondered if there was a purpose behind his strange fate.
Now it was summer vacation time. The famous muggle tourist area in England, the Stonehenge Park on Salisbury Plain, was bustling with people. There were crowds of people everywhere.
In his previous life, Bryan had experienced this situation often, but since he came to the magical world, this was the first time. In the crowd, Bryan, who was in thought, suddenly felt a coolness in his arms. He came back to his senses and found that Cliodna had been squeezed into his arms by the crowded crowd.
She was wearing a long white dress with green patterns that matched her emerald eyes and her long blonde hair that was braided into a ponytail. Feeling her back pressed against his chest, slightly stiff, Bryan took a deep breath. A special fresh scent entered his nostrils accurately, making his heart beat faster unconsciously. His consciousness also became momentarily dazed.
"Sorry, Mr. Watson–" In the noisy surroundings, Cliodna's cold voice was like a bucket of cold water extinguishing a little strange feeling that would inevitably rise in Bryan's heart. He hooked his fingers in his jeans pocket and blocked the sound of their conversation with a simple silencing charm.
"Is this what you call Merlin's relic?"
He looked at the Stonehenge that stood in front of them. It was made of several huge stones that were arranged in a circular pattern. Some were upright and some were horizontal. Some were connected by lintels and some were isolated. Some were smooth and some were rough.
They looked ancient and mysterious, but also ordinary and simple.
Bryan couldn't see anything special about them.
Bryan exhaled heavily and sneered, "Merlin buried himself in the stone before he died? No wonder no one could find his resting place for more than a thousand years."
Bryan and Cliodna followed the flow of people and stood outside a circle of iron railings painted with white paint. They could see the ancient Stonehenge that stood in the middle of the plain. Not far away, a muggle guide was telling a group of middle school students about the origin of Stonehenge.
"–The Salisbury Stonehenge, Ring Stone, Temple of the Sun, Prehistoric Stone Table, Stonehenge has different names in different historical periods. According to scientists' identification, it is generally believed that they were built around 2000 BC. At present, there is no consensus on how ancient people in the Stone Age and Bronze Age built such magnificent Stonehenges with extremely backward productivity."
"Sir, why did people build it?"
A curious girl with glasses raised her hand and asked the guide. She reminded Bryan of Hermione Granger who was always eager to answer questions in his Defense Against the Dark Arts class. He wondered what this little witch would feel after seeing Gilderoy Lockhart's arrest report on the Daily Prophet. The former professor had been exposed as a fraud and a liar who had stolen the credit for other people's achievements.
"Good question–" The muggle male guide had to shout loudly so that the students could hear him. He wore a khaki jacket and a hat with a badge that said 'Stonehenge Tour Guide'. He held a microphone in one hand and gestured with the other.
"People think that ancient people built it for astronomical observation–the main axis of Stonehenge, the ancient road leading to the stone pillars and the rising sun on the summer solstice morning, are on the same line; In addition, there are two stones that point to the direction of the winter solstice sunset. Therefore, people speculate that this is probably built by ancient humans for observing celestial phenomena, and can be regarded as the earliest prototype of an observatory!"
He paused for a moment, then continued, "Of course, there are also other theories, such as religious ceremonies, burial sites, healing centers, etc. But no one knows for sure what the real purpose of this stonehenge was."
He pointed to a large stone that stood upright in front of them. It was called the 'Heel Stone' and it was aligned with the sunrise on the longest day of the year. The students looked at it with awe and curiosity, imagining how the ancient people moved such a heavy stone without any machinery.
"The founder of the ancient Druids built it for two purposes, besides using the power of Stonehenge for star divination, it was also to draw magic from beyond the world."
Cliodna said in a low voice that only Bryan could hear.
"Draw magic from beyond the world?" Bryan frowned and looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"What does that mean?"
Cliodna closed her mouth again. She stared silently at the door frame made of several huge stones. It was called the 'Slaughter Stone' and it was stained with blood-red lichen. For some reason, she had a hint of resistance in her body, as if she didn't want to reveal too much.
Bryan pointed to the inner circle of stones that was surrounded by a rope barrier. It was forbidden for ordinary tourists to enter, but he knew that they could easily bypass it. He looked at her with curiosity and asked, "Although I don't know what this stonehenge has to do with the relic you mentioned, I guess you have been in there many times, right?"
Cliodna nodded slightly and said, "You are very wise, Mr. Watson."
Her beautiful appearance attracted more attention wherever she went. Many tourists around them secretly cast their eyes on her, admiring her fair skin, green eyes, and blonde hair. She looked like a fairy from an ancient legend.
But Bryan, who was with her, didn't feel much envy. Instead, he felt a bit bad, because he finally found a wizard who could match his level of Occulumency besides Snape and Dumbledore. He could not read her mind or emotions at all. She was always calm and cold, as if she had a wall around her heart.
The two didn't talk much for the next time. They just followed the muggle tourist group and visited this magnificent stonehenge. Bryan tried to observe it from a different perspective, but only vaguely found that the balanced magic in the void was distorted abnormally in this space.
According to common sense, this situation meant that there was a high-concentration magic node. But no matter how Bryan looked at it, those stones were just ordinary big stones and nothing special.
He wondered what secrets they hid and what connection they had with Merlin, the greatest wizard of all time.
In the southeast sky, a moon had jumped over the horizon of the plain. Bryan and Cliodna had dinner at a nearby muggle restaurant. Then they took advantage of the night not being too dark and set up tents on the lawn with many camping muggles. They were both good at this. They didn't use magic and easily built a round dome tent.
"When do we need to wait?" Bryan asked after a long silence. He faced the rolling 'green waves' on the plain and felt a premonition that something terrible would happen in the next exploration.
But this Druid priestess seemed very reluctant to mention anything about the relics. Every time Bryan casually brought it up, she would immediately shut up and say nothing.
Many muggles looked at Cliodna who was standing with Bryan. She was the most beautiful woman they had ever seen. Her fair skin contrasted with her green eyes and blonde hair. She looked like a fairy from an ancient legend.
Two young men stood up from among the muggles who were having a group meal. They were wearing casual clothes and backpacks. They seemed to be adventurous travelers who wanted to explore different places. From their direction, they seemed to be heading towards Cliodna, perhaps hoping to strike up a conversation.
But before they got close, they were deterred by Bryan's alert eyes and turned away with a smile. They pretended to be looking for something else and walked away quickly. Bryan didn't care about them. He only cared about Cliodna's answer. He sensed that she knew something important about Stonehenge that he didn't know.
The tents around them flickered with lights and flames. Many muggles were still enjoying their night or preparing to sleep. Some were playing music or singing songs. Some were reading books or watching movies on their devices. Some were cuddling with their partners or whispering sweet nothings.
Cliodna glanced at them and lowered her voice. She said, "It's better to wait until the muggles are resting, Mr. Watson. We'll make some noise later–"
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