Vincent found the keyhole first, and he also solved the key problem, so he won.
Before going inside, Dumbledore took a miniature Magical Automaton from his pocket and returned it to him.
"How stingy..." Vincent quickly put it back into the Flamel Ring.
The other side of the archway was pitch black. After illuminating the surroundings with magic, the four found themselves on the shore of a large black lake.
The entire lake was incredibly vast, with no end in sight, and the dark water constantly exuded an ominous chill.
A hazy green light shimmered in the center of the lake, reflected in the cold, lifeless water below.
Vincent looked up at the cave ceiling, which seemed to be far away in the distance.
To create such a vast space using magic—that's the kind of power the Dark Lord should possess.
It's just not very classy. It's pitch black all over, with rough cave walls on one side and an endless black lake on the other, with a disgusting green light in the middle of the lake.
"Let's go," Dumbledore, leading the way.
He stepped into the lake, which was clearly a trap.
He waited a few seconds before continuing to walk forward.
Vincent gazed at the ominous aura emanating from the lake, hesitated for a moment, and then activated his Flying Boots.
He caught up with Dumbledore. "Professor, Tom underestimates Alchemy. He's meticulously set up so many magical restrictions, yet hardly any of them relate to Alchemy."
There are restrictions on flight, of course, but the Flying Boots are not powered by magic; rather, they are a perfect combination of Alchemy and Muggle technology.
Dumbledore seemed even more disappointed. "I taught Tom, and he wasn't this arrogant when he was in school. I suppose he only became like this after he successfully created the Horcrux."
Vincent nodded in agreement. "Professor, do you think the Horcrux is hidden at the bottom of the lake or over by the green light?"
Dumbledore instinctively reached for the miniature Magical Automaton hidden in his arms.
I think—
"I think it's hidden over there by the green light," Vincent interrupted him. "Professor, how about we have another contest to see who guesses right?"
Dumbledore smiled but remained silent, neither agreeing nor refusing.
Vincent flew to Harry and Sirius Black on the shore. "The professor has agreed. Can you be the referees?"
Silence means no refusal, and no refusal means agreement.
A second round seems inevitable.
Sirius Black shook his head and chuckled, "Alright, then Harry and I will stay on the shore and wait for your good news."
Vincent turned around and found that Dumbledore was gone, leaving only ripples spreading outwards.
Bah! That old bastard Deng is shameless; he hasn't even said "start" yet.
What good is a little more time? If we can't find the Horcrux, we'll still lose.
Vincent glided leisurely across the calm lake surface without creating the slightest ripple.
The 3.0 version of the Flying Boots is already very close to perfect, and the 4.0 version can further reduce noise and vibration in high-speed cruise mode.
A loud "bang" suddenly came from behind.
Vincent turned around and saw a large splash of water on the lake, with several white figures seemingly mixed in.
With a few thuds, the figures crashed back into the lake.
Just as he was wondering what was going on, the still-unsettled lake surface was once again churned up with a large splash.
This time we could finally see clearly that those white figures were actually people!
It should mean that they were human beings in their previous lives.
They were filled with a dense aura of Dark Magic, their emaciated bodies were covered by a layer of pale skin, and their cloudy white eyes were empty, like soulless walking corpses.
Vincent frowned. These Inferi were not formed naturally after death, but were forcibly transformed by evil Dark Magic.
Judging from their somewhat incomplete clothing, they were probably Muggle in life.
Harry and Sirius Black, who were on the shore, sensed a powerful surge of magic filled with anger.
The two looked at the source of the magical fluctuations, which was Vincent on the surface of the lake.
"Godfather, this is..."
"That's right, it's Dark Magic."
Sirius Black pulled Harry back.
Unlike the sinister and chilling aura of ordinary Dark Magic, Vincent's Dark Magic is full of violence and heat, like an angry dragon.
Inferi cannot be destroyed by conventional magic. They have no life, no soul or thought, and they fear fire and light, preferring dark and damp environments.
Tom's personality clearly wouldn't lead him to actively collect corpses, so how did he create these Inferi?
Vincent, who exuded a terrifying aura, did not want to think about it, nor dared to think about it.
He now had only one thought: to give these bodies, desecrated by Tom, a final rest in peace.
A blazing, destructive flame appeared on the two serpent heads of the Serpent Staff.
The crimson demonic fire expanded instantly under the influence of Dark Magic, its color becoming even brighter and more dazzling.
Two flames, like golden dragons, hovered around Vincent, eyeing the ominous lake surface with menacing intent.
As several Inferi were once again lifted from the water, two golden dragons opened their jaws and pounced.
A bloodcurdling scream, both piercing and tinged with a sense of relief, suddenly rang out.
Faced with the demonic fire that could incinerate everything, these Inferi quickly turned to ashes and scattered.
"8...17...26..."
Vincent silently counted their number.
The larger the number, the larger the two golden dragons swell.
The Inferi seemed endless; dozens or even hundreds were far from the end.
After an unknown amount of time, Dumbledore emerged from the water carrying a corpse dressed in a tattered black robe.
He ignored the golden dragon flying overhead, and instead gazed heavily at Vincent was still silently reciting numbers.
The bottom of the lake is densely packed with Inferi, probably hundreds or even thousands.
Some of them were cruelly killed and made into Inferi, while others had no obvious wounds and may have been deliberately killed to be made into Inferi.
Dumbledore didn't search the entire bottom of the lake, but it's likely that none of the creatures died of natural causes.
He looked down at the corpse he was holding in his arms.
Amidst the countless frenzied attacks of the Inferi, this corpse remained quietly motionless at the bottom of the lake.
Out of curiosity, he went over to examine the body and found that although it was covered with scratches and bite marks, there were no signs of decay.
To keep the Inferi alive for a long time, Tom cast a preservation spell on the lake, which allowed Dumbledore to recognize the corpse at a glance.
"Sigh..." He sighed softly and swam quickly toward the shore.
Without his "help," the Inferi remained quietly at the bottom of the lake.
After he carried the corpse ashore, two golden dragons, each over a hundred meters long, plunged into the lake, instantly causing the lake to boil.
Vincent had stopped silently reciting the numbers, not because he was numb, but because he was afraid he would lose his mind if he continued.
Tom — Voldemort's actions have no bottom line; he cannot be called human at all.
These are hundreds or even thousands of precious lives. They cannot find peace after death and are even turned into Inferi to guard the evil Horcrux.
It's utterly immoral and inhumane.