Dumbledore held the Elder Wand in his mouth and continued to dive downwards with a perfect breaststroke.
He would occasionally install a glowing alchemical device on the rock wall, and soon he arrived at the narrow, dark passage.
He suddenly brought his hands and feet together and slipped into the secret passage with an extremely graceful posture.
Vincent, who was following behind, was completely stunned.
Harry, who was behind them, and Sirius Black was at the very back, were also stunned.
A big shot is a big shot; he doesn't look like a centenarian at all.
Let Dumbledore handle the tough challenges; they should just stay behind and follow.
The tunnel walls were covered in mud, Vincent, who had a slight obsession with cleanliness, kept adjusting the nozzles of his Flying Boots to change his posture.
Version 3.0 of the Flying Boots optimizes the wearing process and significantly reduces noise and vibration during flight. It even incorporates submarine ventilation technology, enabling it to generate considerable thrust underwater.
Ultimate performance naturally comes with ultimate cost.
However, the mass-produced version only needs to control noise and vibration, and the high price will only make wizards hesitate.
The dark passage was winding and rugged, ending at a slightly wider space above the water.
Dumbledore stood up from the water, his eyes fixed on the two miniature Magical Automaton floating in front of him.
This space does indeed have magical restrictions, and these restrictions are specifically designed to prevent detection magic from entering.
He scooped up the two Magical Automaton and stuffed them into his arms, then looked up and saw a set of steps not far away.
Although the steps are somewhat rough, they are definitely man-made.
If you keep looking upwards, you can see a very large cave.
Vincent then burst out of the water.
He hovered in mid-air, his gaze sweeping back and forth across the rippling water, as if searching for something.
"Professor, have you seen my Magical Automaton?"
Dumbledore answered without hesitation, "No, I didn't see it."
Vincent squinted, staring intently at the bulging white robe on Vincent's chest.
That old bastard Deng really holds a grudge, but the two positions are actually quite symmetrical.
Harry and Sirius Black also emerged from the water one after the other.
Neither of them could understand why the atmosphere around them was so tense.
The eerie atmosphere only completely disappeared when Vincent looked away and gazed at the steps not far away.
The cave above the steps is where Tom had "friendly exchanges" with the two orphans when he was a child. Such a place with special significance could very well have been used to house a Horcrux.
The group climbed the steps, Dumbledore, who arrived first, stood in the center of the cave, carefully examining the rock walls and the cave ceiling.
Vincent stood not far behind him, taking the Serpent Staff from the Flamel Ring.
Not only are there magical restrictions, but there are also various kinds of magic that block the six senses, and even some evil aura left over from a sacrificial ritual.
The era is too ancient, but the sacrificial ritual should be the key to unlocking the real cave.
Dumbledore lowered his Elder Wand and walked towards the rough rock wall. "This is just the foyer, the entrance hall. We need—"
"We need to find the keyhole to get inside." Vincent took out a small black sphere, smaller than the Golden Snitch, from the Flamel Ring.
The surface of the ball was incredibly smooth, but it had no metallic sheen whatsoever.
He fiddled with the small ball in his hand. "Professor, let's have a competition to see who can find the keyhole and the key first?"
Dumbledore smiled without saying a word, his fingertips gently tracing the rough rock face.
Harry and Sirius Black finally understood.
The old man and the young man were actually having a tantrum.
Dumbledore continued to explore the rock face on his own, and Vincent, without waiting for his reply, slowly twirled the small ball in his hand.
The sphere opened with a "click," revealing a crack, and countless thin red rays of light shone onto the rough rock wall.
Dumbledore glanced back, then quickly continued to explore along the rock face.
Vincent slowly spun half a circle in place, and suddenly the surface of the small sphere flashed with a red light.
"Professor, I've found it."
Harry and Sirius Black looked at each other silently.
These two tantrums aren't so bad, at least the search progress has greatly improved.
Vincent walked toward the small black sphere and scanned the unusual rock wall.
Near the center of the rock face, there's a ring that's faintly darker than the surrounding area; that's probably the keyhole.
The three of them walked over quickly.
Dumbledore stretched out his palm and pressed it down, but Vincent pointed his Serpent Staff at him before he could retreat.
The outline of an archway emerged, radiating a dazzling white light.
The illusory outline slowly became clearer, but disappeared completely after a few seconds.
Dumbledore stared intently at the large rock at the bottom of the cliff, while Vincent took out a black magic book and started reading.
Harry and Sirius Black didn't dare disturb the two.
The keyhole has been found, but the key is still missing.
Two minutes later, Dumbledore muttered to himself, "Oh... of course not... too low-class..."
Vincent closed the spellbook. "I was right, this was indeed a sacrificial ritual."
Dumbledore glanced back at the spellbook in his hand. "We need to pay a price to get through here and into the real cave."
Vincent looked at him with disdain. "Tom is such a disappointment. I've been looking forward to this for so long."
Dumbledore's tone was also somewhat contemptuous, "That's why I say it's too simplistic. Blood may seem to weaken the body, but there are many things in this world that are far more terrible than physical damage."
Blood is the medium and offering required for the sacrificial ritual, and also the key to enter the actual cave.
The two had initially thought it would be some kind of evil ritual involving the sacrifice of life or soul, but the idea that it only required bloodshed seemed too trivial.
Dumbledore took a small dagger, the kind often used in Potions Class, from his robes, and then winked at Vincent.
The latter pretended to look through the magic book in his hand again, clearly not wanting to suffer this loss.
"Uh..." Harry stepped forward. "Professor, let me do it."
Dumbledore shook his head. "You are kind, Harry."
He rolled up one sleeve. "But your blood is more valuable than anyone else's; there's no need to waste it on something like this."
"But Professor, we don't know yet..."
Sirius Black put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "I'll do it."
He picked up the dagger from Dumbledore's hand and gripped the sharp blade tightly with his other hand.
"Wait a minute." Vincent closed the spellbook. "I have an idea. Maybe we can avoid paying a price."
Alchemists always carry some strange little gadgets, and the blood of various Magical Creatures that can improve the quality of their finished products is a common item.
Vincent didn't take out blood, but instead a metal baseball bat that could stop magic.
Liquid metal dripped onto the Ishigami, making a "sizzling" sound.
If the sacrificial ritual were to cease to exist, which is equivalent to eliminating the keyhole, then the key would be unnecessary.
Dumbledore gazed at the liquid metal that seemed to be slowly devouring the rock, and couldn't help but smile and sigh.
"Tom is too arrogant. He looks down on many things, thinks his arrangements are flawless, and believes that everything should go according to his ideas."
As if to confirm his words, after the entire rock was swallowed by the liquid metal, the hidden archway reappeared on the rock wall.
Vincent bent down and transformed the liquid metal back into a baseball bat, and the rock that was supposed to drip blood mysteriously disappeared.
"Times have changed, Professor."
He stood up and looked at the archway that seemed to lead to endless darkness. "Alchemy is developing, magic is developing, and the entire wizarding society is developing. Outdated things are destined to be abandoned by the times."
Dumbledore's eye twitched slightly.
That's the truth, but he always felt that Vincent was indirectly criticizing him.