Investigation (II)

"What blueprints?" Ron asked curiously.

Delaney sighed and replied, "The prototype blueprints for that detector. The Confederation Technical Group released the design for a device used to detect deep Magic Fluctuations several years ago. It was originally intended to monitor crustal activity in volcanic regions. I built one according to the blueprints, then modified it by lowering the detection frequency by an order of magnitude and removing the unnecessary extra functions.

"After the modifications, its sensitivity was just right for tracking the course of Ley Lines beneath ancient buildings.

"What did you find with this device in America?" Hermione asked.

Delaney chose his words carefully. "I found some things, but I wasn't sure what they were. So I came to Britain. I wanted to find a relatively stable environment and verify this method."

"Did you see a similar structure over in America?" Harry pointed at the concentric circles on the floor.

Delaney shook his head. "No. The structure here is very unusual. The dimensions of the concentric circles, the spacing of the grooves, and the height of the central stone pillar—I haven't seen this combination of parameters anywhere else. That's why I want to stay a while longer and collect a few more sets of data."

He picked up the detector again and aimed it at the top of the stone pillar. The ripples on the screen began pulsing steadily once more beneath the cold white light.

After a while, he set down the detector and took a small metal case from his pocket. Opening it revealed several mineral fragments in different colors, each giving off a faint glimmer in the cold light.

He placed one against an indentation on the pillar's surface. After a few seconds, he picked it up, replaced it with another, and repeated the process as