Chapter 338: World-Class Spell

During the intense battle between the Order of the Phoenix and the Aurors.

Magic Research Institute.

A researcher pushed open the door to the underground computer room.

"Who are you? This is a classified area, off-limits to non-staff." Two wizards at the end of the corridor blocked his path upon seeing him.

"I'm Howard Jackson, the new software engineer. I'm here to debug the Athena system." The researcher showed his identification.

"Jackson?" One wizard took the ID for a glance. "Magical Botany Department, this isn't your area..."

Before he could finish, a thud sounded; his companion had already fallen unknowingly, and as he instinctively reached for his wand, he heard the man claiming to be Jackson speak in a slow, gentle, and irresistible voice: "Sleep."

An overwhelming sleepiness prevented the wizard from lifting a finger, and in the last moment of consciousness, he tried to send a message through the mental network, but it vanished without a trace.

"Within the range of my mental space, any mind transmission will be blocked," 'Jackson' said, removing a card from the wizard's chest and placing it on the blast door behind them.

With a beep, the door opened.

Another corridor lay inside. As he entered, a female voice announced, "Entering the sterile room, please undergo disinfection."

Similar setups were in every important lab, and this "disinfection," apart from killing germs and viruses, included a fairy's "Thief's Downfall" to nullify most spells, preventing infiltration.

Jackson, having undergone several "disinfections," knew it was standard procedure and didn't resist.

Several nozzles extended from the walls, spraying a fine mist.

However, as soon as the mist touched his skin, Jackson felt dizzy.

There's poison in this!

I've been discovered!

He immediately took out a cross-shaped object from his bosom, ready to break out forcibly, but gun barrels extended from the wall ahead, "Bang bang," shattering his arm.

"You can't trap me." Jackson said, preparing to abandon his body and leave, but the walls around him lit up with an eerie blue glow.

A voice from the speakers said, "The walls are laced with a magic metal mesh. Have you heard of electromagnetic shielding? This is a magical shielding device. We've had over twenty wizards infuse it with magic, creating a powerful magical field. Unless your magical power increases tenfold, no magic signal can escape from here."

Jackson was shocked to find himself trapped in his body, unable to transfer through his mental space.

Meanwhile, a network of fine laser beams, forming an intricate grid, slowly pressed forward.

"What's this?" Jackson sensed danger.

"Laser grid," the voice continued, "A whimsical design from the professor, a homage to a movie, I don't quite understand. But these industrial lasers can cut through steel plates."

"Let's see if you're made of steel, shall we?"

...

"Strawberry flavor." Murphy sighed in relief. "Finally, a normal one. But you guessed tomato. So, it's my turn to ask the second question."

"What can you tell me about that secret?"

Dumbledore was silent for a moment, "I can tell you nothing, Murphy."

Murphy frowned, looking at Grindelwald, "But Mr. Grindelwald knows the secret? It seems revealing the secret doesn't lead to dire consequences, so why can't I know?"

"Because this secret won't stop you; in fact, it might be used by you as a weapon."

"Oh?" Many possibilities crossed Murphy's mind, "So, let me guess."

"Given the current situation, you and the Holy Mother both want to prevent me from breaking the Statute of Secrecy." Murphy said, then shook his head, "No, if it were just that, we would have room to negotiate."

"After all, unlike Mr. Grindelwald in his day, whose goal was to break the Statute of Secrecy, the Statute means little to me. I don't wish to break it; in fact, the existence of the Statute was fundamental to my ability to amass a fortune through the information gap between wizards and Muggles."

"If possible, I'd also prefer the Statute to continue, to block other wizard competitors."

"If it were just to maintain the Statute, you could've chosen a more amicable method, like joining forces with me, ensuring the information gap is only exploited by me and not become common knowledge, making an exception to the Statute just for me."

"Such an exception might be hard for you to accept, but surely it's better than going to war with me. You know, you don't stand much of a chance. Even choosing to fight me could lead to the Statute's breakdown."

"But you chose to fight me." Murphy said, "This means what I'm doing has an impact more serious than the Statute itself, something you and the Holy Mother can't accept."

"And that impact is the secret the Holy Mother is keeping."

"I think I have some idea now." Murphy said.

Dumbledore sighed, "You are indeed very smart, Murphy."

"What could be worse than breaking the Statute of Secrecy, letting wizards be known to Muggles?" Murphy pondered, "Interestingly, we discovered a phenomenon regarding magic we call 'the observer effect of magic.'"

"Magic tries to avoid revealing itself to those unaware of its existence."

"Conversely, if someone is aware of magic, it can't hide from them."

"If Muggles knew about magic..."

"Wait..."

Murphy paused, "So, that's the 'secret'!"

"This secret isn't information, not a phrase, but a concept?!"

"It's a spell... mental suggestion? No, wrong, something more fundamental... a Muggle-repelling spell? No, stronger..."

Then a lightning bolt struck his mind.

"The Fidelius Charm!"

Murphy stared at Dumbledore in astonishment, "A Fidelius Charm? Treating 'magic' as a secret to be kept, with all wizards as the Secret-Keepers?! So magic remains unseen by Muggles... This is a world-class Fidelius Charm!"

"So, this is the ultimate form of the Statute of Secrecy, the true function of the wizarding secrecy."

Dumbledore remained silent, but at that moment, silence meant agreement.

Murphy felt a chill run down his spine at this revelation, as if he had glimpsed the true nature of the world.

"So the observer effect of magic isn't an actual phenomenon, but the influence of this world-class Fidelius Charm!"

"Then who cast this Fidelius Charm, and why?"

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