Cloud-Top Cave lay halfway up Golden Crown Mountain. Stone steps led to its entrance, where numerous Treants stood guard. From there, a passage ran straight into the mountain's heart.
Locke led Douglas into the cave. As they went, magic candles lit up along both sides of the path, illuminating their way.
The interior of Golden Crown Mountain resembled a dungeon. During the Pureblood Era, the entire mountain had been built as a super fortress against the possibility of an assault by the whole Wizarding World.
Golden Crown Mountain specialized in High-Efficiency Agriculture so it could feed itself in the worst of times and survive independently even if the entire world fell into crisis.
Along the way, they passed many labyrinthine underground storerooms.
Even Golden Crown Mountain's wizards still did not fully understand some of those storerooms, and certain areas remained dangerous.
Locke led Douglas down the stone steps to the bottom of the mountain. They crossed a corridor lit only by self-igniting magic candles and arrived at a stone chamber.
An elderly Moon-Ring Wizard stood hunched at its entrance. His hair was white and his eyes were blind, but he had a Magic Eye in each palm. He also bore Dragon Race features: a conspicuous dragon scale on his face and half a dragon horn.
He raised his hands and used those eyes to examine the written order Locke showed him. It came from Wizard Trajan and bore the seal of Witch Catherine's office, signifying the approval of the Academic Committee, one of Golden Crown Mountain's three ruling powers.
"Young man, you have a bright future. Why come to the Black Hole Witch-Peach Orchard, the least promising of Golden Crown Mountain's twelve witch-peach orchards?"
"This is Golden Crown Mountain's dumping ground."
The old Moon-Ring Wizard's mouth had not moved, yet