Borgin-Burke

Each item is labeled with its name, origin, hazard level, and handling recommendations.

Regulus glanced at the nearest shelf.

Tags: Weeping Madonna Statue.

Source: An abandoned church in Paris, France, suspected to be an experiment conducted by Dark Wizard on Muggle.

Danger level: Three stars. Those who come into contact with the virus will be plunged into uncontrollable grief, eventually leading to a mental breakdown.

Recommended treatment: Seal the container with a lead-lined texture and avoid direct viewing.

Tag: Revenge Dagger.

Source: Scottish Highlands, a family heirloom.

Danger level: Two stars. The stabber will suffer all the pain the victim has ever endured.

Recommended treatment: Seal the ivory sheath with long horns; it must not be removed.

Tag: Memory Weaver.

Origin: Unknown; suspected to be an ancient alchemical artifact.

Danger level: Four stars; capable of fabricating false memories and implanting them into the brains of living people.

Recommendation: This is for theoretical research only; practical application is prohibited.

Old Bok walked to the display stand in the center of the warehouse, which was covered with a black Velvet cloth.

"I'll show you three things today," he grinned, revealing yellow teeth. "They're all recent acquisitions, and things the Ministry of Magic is looking for."

He lifted the velvet cloth, revealing three items on the display stand.

The first item was a palm-sized bronze box, its surface covered with twisted Rune, from which a dark red luster seeped.

The box had no keyhole, no seams, but Regulus could feel something moving inside—very slightly, yet undeniably real.

"The Cursed Box." Old Bok's finger hovered above the box, but he didn't touch it.

"It contains a family Blood Curse. In the 14th century, two Pureblood families were sworn enemies. One side made this item to curse the other side to have their bloodline cut off."

Later, both families perished together, and the box was lost to the world. The method to open it was lost, but the curse remained in effect: anyone who attempted to open it would have their immediate family members die a violent death within three generations.

He looked at Regulus: "One of the criteria the Ministry of Magic uses to define a mass-cursed item is that it affects more than ten people or lasts for more than a century. This box meets both criteria."

Regulus didn't look at him, staring at the box. The Rune were Ancient Runes variants; he could recognize a few words: bloodline, Restraints, transmission.

The principle behind curses may be that the life and soul of the Spellcasting are used as fuel to bind the bloodline of the target family. As long as the bloodline continues, the curse will not be extinguished.

The solutions are either to find and destroy the remains of the original Spellcasting, to overwrite the original curse with a more powerful one, or to completely sever the cursed bloodline.

"Will anyone buy it?" he asked calmly, as if discussing a regular product.

"Three buyers are interested," Old Bok said, looking at Regulus.

"One wants to use it against an opponent, one wants to study ancient curse Magic, and one is simply a collector, but all are observing and waiting for the Ministry of Magic to review the situation."

He covered one corner of the velvet cloth, revealing the second garment.

It was a Crystal skull, about the size of a real human skull, with two rubies embedded in its eye sockets, and light and shadow moving within the gems.

The skull's surface was covered with fine cracks, from which a ghostly blue light emanated.

"Soul Container," Old Bok explained, his smile carrying a knowing meaning.

"It's not the high-end version, it's a simplified version that can seal a part of a dying person's soul inside, keeping them conscious and able to communicate with the living."

It has many drawbacks; it dissipates over time; the container itself is fragile; and the soul inside suffers greatly, constantly aware of its slow death.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath as if trying to sniff out something in the air, and his face showed a look of enjoyment and nostalgia.

Regulus's senses spread; the skull emitted a faint, chaotic, and broken soul fluctuation, accompanied by a desperate shriek.

There is indeed consciousness within, but it is fragmented and barely pieced together, and could collapse again at any moment.

"Source?" Regulus asked.

"An Egyptian tomb, to be precise, is a pyramid, over a thousand years old."

Old Bok opened his eyes. "The tomb raiders dug it up, it changed hands three times before it came to me. Who knows who's inside? Maybe a pharaoh, maybe a priest, or maybe just an unfortunate burial slave."

He continued looking at Regulus, lowering his voice. "The Ministry of Magic is currently investigating all items related to soul sealing."

After the Azkaban prison break last year, they suspected that Death Eaters were using similar methods to save their lives. If this skull is found, it's enough to land me in the dock at Wizengamot.

Regulus nodded. Such things indeed needed to be prohibited. Souls and time were the exclusive property of the Ministry of Magic's Unspeakables and were not usually allowed to circulate.

Old Bok lifted the last piece of velvet cloth.

The third item was a walking Staff, made of ebony, nearly one and a half meters long, with a fist-sized Black Pearl inlaid at the top. The pearl had silver patterns on its surface and was shimmering.

The Staff lay quietly on the velvet, without any Magic Fluctuation, like an ordinary work of art.

"This one doesn't have a name," Old Bok continued.

"The person who brought it only said that it was found deep in some ruins in Norse. I have tested it, and the staff is made of Dragon Heartwood, which is at least three thousand years old."

The Black Pearl comes from Deep Sea Giant Octopus, a Magical Creature with a lifespan of over five hundred years. The silver patterns are from a metal refined from meteorites; the method of refining it has now been lost.

He picked up his Staff very quietly.

"Its function is unknown; it doesn't react to Magic Power, detection spells are ineffective, and even Dark Arts Detection Charm show it as harmless, but every wizard who touches it has the same dream for three days."

Old Bok placed the Ebony Staff back on the velvet cloth, his movements still steady.

"Nobody knows what it is." He lowered his voice, but Regulus felt he was deliberately creating an atmosphere.

Then Old Bok continued, "But the seven wizards who touched it all went mad in the end."

Regulus stared at the Staff, his tone unchanged. "Specific symptoms?"

"He started rambling incoherently after waking up," Old Bok replied.

"They shouted 'collapse, destruction, everyone will die,' as if they had been forcibly instilled with a kind of despairing belief. Those around them thought they were crazy, and they probably really were."

He suddenly turned to look at Regulus, his eyes wide, his tone as if he were scaring a child.

"They're all dead. When they died, they each used their own wands to cast Killing Curse on themselves, every single one of them."

There was a few seconds of silence in the room, then Regulus said, "The Killing Curse requires a strong will to kill; casting it on oneself means that they genuinely believe they must die."

Seeing that Regulus didn't react, Old Bok grew bored and his tone returned to normal. "Or rather, something makes them believe that death is the only way out."

He added, "Other curses might offer some relief, but the Killing Curse means certain death. From that perspective, it's actually the most dignified way to die, at least there's no pain."

Regulus's gaze fell on the Black Pearl at the top of the Staff, its silver patterns gleaming coldly in the dim light.

Distortion of cognition? Cognitive pollution? Or consciousness indoctrination?

These concepts reminded him of things that shouldn't exist in the Magic world.

But that's impossible; they're not part of the same system. So how exactly does it work?

If you can't figure it out, don't think about it for now; you don't have enough knowledge.

However, he also had something from outer space; he raised his right hand and gently touched his chest, feeling a slight warmth.

Then he wondered, why does Old Bok seem completely unaffected?

"You touched it," Regulus stared at him, "But you don't seem to care."

"I've been there," Old Bok nodded in admission. "I've had the dream twice, but I'm not crazy."

"Why?"

"Maybe I'm getting old, my mind is too stubborn, and I can't accept new things." Old Bok smirked.

"Maybe I've seen too much madness and this level isn't enough to scare me, but more likely it's because I haven't tried to understand it."

Those who went mad were all desperately trying to figure out what this was, attempting to analyze the principles, find the patterns, and escape their predicament.

No, I just recorded the phenomenon and then decided to sell it.

He spread his hands, his smile revealing a complex mix of emotions, "Some things are safer not to understand than to comprehend."

He covered the items with the velvet cloth again, and the three items were hidden once more.

"These three are all too hot to handle." Old Bok turned to face Regulus.

"The Cursed Box involves Blood Curse, the skull involves soul Magic, Staff involves unknown but dangerous items. If the Ministry of Magic finds out about any one of them, it will be enough to get the Burke family into serious trouble."

"So you want to get rid of it," Regulus said in a declarative tone.

"Looking for a safe place to store things, or a suitable buyer." Old Bok's eyes were fixed on Regulus.

"The Black family has history, heritage, and deep enough roots to digest all this. More importantly, Orion in Wizengamot can provide a political buffer."

Regulus paused for a few seconds. "I just came to take a look."

"Of course." Old Bok nodded. "The decision is your father's, but you've seen it and know the value and risks of these things."

Go back and tell Orion that the Burke family is willing to use these three items in exchange for the Black family's crucial support in Wizengamot over the next three years.

"What specific support measures are provided?" Regulus continued to ask.