Chapter 37: Exploration and Secret Planning

Alaric's analysis made everyone suddenly realize. Although they were still somewhat skeptical about Dumbledore arranging conspiracy traps, they mostly believed Alaric's explanation.

However, the idea of a test for students caught their attention.

The three roommates huddled together for a while, then turned to Alaric and said that the three of them were planning to challenge the corridor together.

"We won't bring you along," Anthony explained to Alaric. "Your strength is too strong. With you around, we can solve any trouble. What use do we have then?"

Hearing this, Hermione sharply ridiculed them, "If you want to show off your abilities, don't copy Alaric's homework every day."

This hit them right where it hurt. They mumbled for a long time before finally coming up with excuses like "there's too much homework" and "wizards don't consider it copying."

After that, Anthony, Terry, and Michael left with their plates, looking somewhat embarrassed.

After a while, Hermione suddenly whispered to Alaric, "How about... how about we also find some time to check out that corridor? I also want to try Dumbledore's test."

Indeed, Hermione became significantly more sensitive when it came to exams and tests, striving to be the first.

Alaric readily agreed because he was genuinely interested in the magical stone hidden behind the magic mirror.

Then, they invited Penelope and Cho Chang to join them. Penelope expressed interest and agreed to accompany them again, but Cho Chang declined.

"I hate those scary magical creatures," she explained. "Just thinking about that three-headed dog, with its slobbering mouths, terrifies me. So, don't count me in."

When it came to deciding the time to act, Alaric suggested another idea, "Maybe we don't need to rush into exploring. Firstly, we don't even know what else is in that corridor besides the three-headed dog. I think we should first find a way to deal with the three-headed dog and then make plans."

"Which means we should go to the library and look up the habits of three-headed dogs. I remember there's a book called 'The Monster Book of Monsters' that records many dangerous magical creatures; it might mention this one," Hermione analyzed.

Alaric nodded in agreement, but he added, "Actually, there's a more direct way. We could find the designer of this challenge, and get more clues from them. From the professors Penelope mentioned, who do you think would use a three-headed dog as a challenge?"

After a brief silence, they all gave the same answer.

"Hagrid!"

The three girls suddenly realized and immediately showered Alaric with admiring glances.

"You're really clever."

"To think of looking at the problem from this angle."

Alaric modestly waved his hand, then proposed, "For now, let's stay put. On one hand, we can check the habits of three-headed dogs in the library, and on the other hand, we can find an opportunity to ask Hagrid."

In fact, Alaric believed that he now had the ability to break through to the end of the challenge alone.

He had read the original book and knew what each stage of the challenge was.

The first stage with the three-headed dog could be handled by Himari; although she couldn't transform into human form yet, she could already fight with her magical power

 While facing a dragon, she might be a bit stretched, but defeating a three-headed dog was well within her capabilities.

The second stage with the Devil's Snare could be dispersed with flames, and he knew how to use the Fire-Making Spell.

The third stage, catching a flying key while riding a broomstick, was his strength.

The fourth stage, the giant wizard's chess, he might not know how to play the game yet, but with his intelligence, he should pick it up quickly.

The fifth stage, testing logical reasoning, while most ordinary students would be stumped, he could easily solve Snape's puzzle with his intellect.

But he didn't want to break through all the stages now.

Because the last stage was the Mirror of Erised, and the Philosopher's Stone was hidden inside it.

This magical mirror could reflect the deepest desires of people, and only those who wanted to find the stone but not use it could retrieve the stone from the mirror.

And this was something Alaric couldn't do; he did want to use the Philosopher's Stone.

Of course, he did want to achieve immortality, but he didn't want to use the Philosopher's Stone for it. 

The immortality achieved through the Philosopher's Stone had significant flaws: the user had to drink the potion created by the Philosopher's Stone every week to maintain immortality.

And this kind of immortality could only keep a person alive but couldn't ensure youthful vitality—Nicolas Flamel and his wife were examples. Although they lived for several hundred years, most of the time, they had the appearance of elderly people.

Moreover, Alaric believed that, with his ability, he would definitely find a more perfect way to achieve immortality.

Even if he couldn't do it himself, he could achieve it through summoning or by going to different worlds in the future. After all, in countless dimensions, there must be some dimensions where there were ready-made methods for achieving immortality.

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