Analysis

Harry set the manuscript on the table. Hermione and Ron sat at a table across the archive room. Ron held a German dictionary, while Hermione read the pages of German handwriting directly, marking key passages in pencil.

She read for nearly an hour. When she looked up, her gaze was more intent than when she had come in.

"The author believed this Ley Line Network didn't exist in isolation. It might connect to an older, more primitive system. He said the dashed lines extending from either end of the arc pointed toward two regions: northeast, into the depths of the Norwegian Sea north of the Scandinavian Peninsula, and southeast, into the Indian Ocean south of the Arabian Peninsula. He suspected those extensions might lead to two larger ancient hubs, far beyond these nodes in Central and Southern Europe in both scale and function."

Ron put down the dictionary. "So the network we're looking at is just part of a bigger system?"

"According to the author's theory, yes. The networks in Central and Southern Europe may only be the middle section. The real backbone lies at either end: one near the Arctic Circle, the other deep in the Indian Ocean. There should be more complex structures in those places."

Harry photographed the manuscript's key passages with his phone, returned the pages to their cardboard box, and tied it shut again with cotton string.

"Does the Confederation Technical Group know this manuscript exists?"

"The archive records show it was last requested fifteen years ago," Hermione said. "And whoever requested it left no name. It may have been an anonymous inquiry."

"Then this is the only document we have that mentions where the system extends at either end." Harry stood and returned the box to its shelf.

In mid-February, a Confederation marine survey