Lin Du's Desire

Dumbledore looked at Lin Du's momentary stillness, and instead of anger, a gentle smile of a plan come to fruition appeared on his face.

It was as if the sharp questioning just now was merely a gust of wind that dispersed as it passed.

"Whether it's the matter of the Basilisk, or your... incisive analysis of me just now,"

Dumbledore's voice returned to its usual calm, as if the previous tension had never occurred.

"Lin Du, your insight always amazes me."

Lin Du took a deep breath, realizing he had overreacted to the sudden mention of "Horcrux."

He reined in his exposed emotions, his tone softening with a hint of self-reflection:

"I spoke some arrogant words without permission, I apologize, Professor."

"You did say some rather harsh things to me," Dumbledore smiled, even playfully winking.

"I haven't heard such sharp criticism in decades, old as I am. However, I accept your apology, as long as—"

He drew out his tone, "—you also tell me some... things from the past. The parts missing from those investigation reports."

Their eyes met again. Dumbledore's face showed no sign of displeasure, as if all unhappiness had vanished.

Lin Du had no reason to refuse anymore.

With a sigh of resignation, Lin Du began, "You should have investigated my student days too, so let's start from after I graduated."

"After graduation, I first returned to the East, the source of my bloodline."

Dumbledore nodded slightly, "A starting point for seeking one's roots. Very reasonable. So, what did you find?"

"I spent nearly a year tracing the remnants of our ancient heritage recorded in old texts. But the results... were disappointing."

"The 'spiritual energy' or rather, the active magical environment of that land has withered to the point of near exhaustion.

Many intricate techniques have lost their foundation, leaving only fragmented remnants and stories passed down by word of mouth, making it difficult to discern truth from falsehood.

The blessed lands that might truly hold secret treasures have either been annihilated by history or are heavily sealed, inaccessible to the core with my abilities and identity at the time.

I realized I wouldn't find the answers I wanted there."

Dumbledore listened quietly, without interruption.

Lin Du picked up the cup of long-cold clear tea and drank it in one gulp.

"So, I returned to Europe, like a ghost, moving through the magical libraries of different countries, ancient ruins, or hidden within Muggle cities. Chao Feng,"

His tone held an almost imperceptible warmth when he mentioned the name, "was my only travel companion and research assistant."

"And the journey was never peaceful, was it?"

Dumbledore interjected gently, "A lone wizard, clearly seeking precious knowledge, would appear like a walking Galleon to some."

Lin Du's lips twitched, "Indeed, there were some foolish individuals, 'colleagues' from Knockturn Alley or similar places, who thought they could profit from me."

"What was their fate?"

Lin Du's tone was flat, "They all eventually became material for me to test certain magical theories, or made some additions to my meager resources. It's only fair, isn't it?"

Dumbledore gave a soft "Hmm," neither confirming nor denying, but clearly taking note.

"Continue your travels, I'd like to hear about the more 'academic' parts."

"The ancient runes in the French mithril mines, the extremely xenophobic families guarding outdated beliefs on the Nordic frozen soil..."

Lin Du spoke a bit faster, with a hint of past impatience, "Most yielded limited results. Oh, and the dragons in Bulgaria."

"Ah, dragons." Dumbledore's interest was piqued, "Extraordinary creatures. I presume you didn't attempt to tame them?"

"Something worse than that."

Lin Du's face flickered with embarrassment, "To research the origin of their magical resistance, and the life force within dragon eggs during incubation... I 'borrowed' an egg."

Dumbledore's eyebrows shot up, "From their nest? Mr. Lin Du, I must say, that sounds—"

"—utterly reckless. I know," Lin Du interrupted, sounding somewhat annoyed.

"Then I was hunted by those enraged parents for two full months, across three countries.

The 'Prohibition of Experimental Breeding of Magical Creatures Act' was like a piece of parchment in the face of protective dragons. During that time, my Disillusionment Charm and Space-concealing Magic improved by leaps and bounds."

"I can imagine the scene."

Dumbledore's lips couldn't help but curve upwards, and he even chuckled softly, "How did you eventually... resolve this incident?"

"I put the egg back, completely unharmed, into a crevice near their territory. They found it, and only then did their fury finally subside," Lin Du breathed a sigh of relief.

"That experience made me realize that the risks of some research paths indeed need to be re-evaluated."

"It seems your travels were full of lessons."

Dumbledore nodded, returning to the topic, "So, after these rich experiences, what led you to decide to return to Britain two years ago?"

Lin Du's gaze became focused, "Because after going around in circles, I discovered that Britain still had the most concentrated collection of truly systematic, in-depth literature and ruins, especially concerning the nature and taboos of magic. Elsewhere, it was either scraps, or the barriers were too high."

Dumbledore listened quietly, without interruption.

"So, about two years ago, I made up my mind to bring Chao Feng back to Britain." Lin Du's tone was resolute.

"I needed a more systematic and in-depth environment, and the Dark Magic literature and historical ruins here are the richest in the known world."

He picked up his teacup, his knuckles turning slightly white. "Chao Feng helped me a lot. It can detect magical fluctuations that ordinary people can't perceive, helping me avoid the deadliest traps in those dangerous ruins. We cooperated seamlessly, and for a long time, everything was fine."

"Until last autumn, in a Celtic ruin in northern Wales." Lin Du's brow furrowed slightly.

"There were records of ancient rituals concerning Soul Splitting. When we were deciphering a protective spell, we triggered some mechanism that even Chao Feng couldn't fully warn us about."

He looked up at Dumbledore, a hint of self-mockery on his lips. "It was the Ministry of Magic's Trace Monitoring Network. That ruin had been marked with a trace spell at some point, and our magical fluctuations triggered the alarm. Although we evacuated in time, the Ministry still captured the unique magical signature."

Dumbledore nodded gently. "Amelia Bones came to see me personally. She said the magical signature captured by the monitoring network was ancient and dangerous, but the caster was clearly extremely cautious, leaving no traceable marks."

"And then you appeared." Lin Du's gaze fell on the letter of appointment on the desk. "A letter of appointment, a teaching position, and... a respectable place for surveillance. You're always so good at giving people choices, Headmaster."

He spread his hands towards Dumbledore, his expression full of helplessness.

Dumbledore listened quietly to the entire account, a gleam of insight flashing in his blue eyes.

He gently parted the layers of leaves and got straight to the core:

"A lonely and persistent journey. Thank you for your honesty.

But, Lin Du, what is the deepest motivation driving your persistent desire to touch the essence? What do you truly want to 'get' from magic...?"

Lin Du froze.

He looked into Dumbledore's blue eyes, which seemed to see through people, and knew that the other man had already guessed most of it.

After a moment of silence, Lin Du tilted his head slightly, his voice low and tinged with an unwilling awkwardness:

"...Longevity."

The word was light, yet it weighed a thousand pounds.

"I don't want to... face decline helplessly before I've even glimpsed the ultimate mysteries of magic.

Magic is so vast, yet life is so short; this is the greatest injustice.

My research into Dark Magic, my exploration of its origins, the ultimate goal... is to find a way to break this constraint."

He finally revealed the ultimate goal buried deep in his heart.

The office fell into an even deeper silence, and Fawkes let out an almost inaudible low chirp.

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