[Flender: Brother Zephyr, how's your health now? Have you recovered?]
After some time spent talking, the relationship among the four people in the Chat Group had grown much closer. At the very least, formal forms of address like "sir" could finally be retired.
[Zephyr: Very well. Or rather, I've never felt better. Right now, I feel like even if those two bastards Garp and Sengoku teamed up, they still wouldn't be my match.]
[Dumbledore: Oh? Then it seems another great gift has arrived.]
As his magic increased, Dumbledore's lifespan had also increased dramatically. Under normal circumstances, living for a thousand years would be easy.
Wizards, particularly powerful wizards, naturally lived far longer than ordinary people. Someone like Dumbledore could easily live for one or two centuries even without the Chat Group's enhancements, provided he did not die unexpectedly.
His vast lifespan and broad horizons had made Dumbledore's thinking far more diverse.
For example, after seeing the world of One Piece, Dumbledore had begun considering whether he ought to train his body. Physical combat seemed rather useful, and Hogwarts could add physical education classes as well. There was certainly nothing wrong with a wizard having a strong body.
[Samuel Oak: How wonderful. Through this place, everyone has gained a better future.]
Professor Oak said cheerfully. His own body had been greatly strengthened, and there was no need to mention his lifespan. What delighted him even more was that he could use his abilities to improve his companions' lifespans and health as well.
That was what mattered most. One person's longevity could be unbearably painful.
At that, all four of them sighed emotionally. Aside from the help provided by future events, improving their talents was the true treasure for people like them, who had already achieved so much.
[Flender: Come to think of it, isn't there still one group member who hasn't responded to us?]
[Dumbledore: You mean that Mr. "Evil Eldest Disciple and Filial Second Disciple." Indeed, he has not said a single word so far.]
[Samuel Oak: If he was resting last night, then he should know we exist by today, shouldn't he? Why hasn't he spoken?]
[Zephyr: I did turn in early yesterday because of my routine, and I only discovered this panel just now. Perhaps that person is like I was before and simply has not noticed it yet?]
[Flender: That shouldn't be the case, should it? Unless something unexpected happened, he shouldn't fail to notice the situation.]
Flender pondered it. The notification sound whenever the Chat Group received a message was quite obvious. It could indeed be missed when someone was busy, but when one had nothing to do, it was hard not to notice.
Nighttime could be explained as rest, but what about now?
Flender thought about it. Judging from the Chat Group's current members—each of whom was connected to teaching in one way or another—the final member's silence, along with that member's name, made him begin guessing who the person might be.
Suddenly, an extremely classic senior figure appeared in Flender's mind.
"If it's him during that period, then he truly wouldn't be able to communicate with us." Flender fell into thought.
Yao Chen, Yao Lao, the old man in the ring from Battle Through the Heavens. He had two disciples: his eldest disciple had betrayed him, while his second disciple was extremely filial. If he was currently in a period of soul dormancy, then he truly could not communicate with them.
Flender and the others had already tried to @ him many times, yet there had been no response at all.
An ordinary person, even if paralyzed or deprived of all five senses, could still sense an @ from the Chat Group. Only if something had gone wrong with the soul would they fail to feel it.
Still, Flender was not certain. In his previous life, he had not exactly been well-read; he only knew the stories and characters he happened to know.
What if that person was not Yao Chen, but another character Flender did not know whose circumstances were similar? That would not be strange either.
Still, there was no harm in trying.
[Ding! The Battle Through the Heavens series has been released. It matches the worldview of member "Evil Eldest Disciple and Filial Second Disciple." The Chat Group has automatically completed it and converted it into a real trajectory of fate. Only that member may view it.]
[Flender: Oh, I guessed correctly. It seems the final member is also someone I know.]
[Dumbledore: I see. Does it select people from worlds that you know, Flender?]
[Samuel Oak: That would explain why you know our stories. You are the initiator of the Chat Group.]
[Zephyr: Is that so? Will this Chat Group eventually show stories that we know but Flender does not?]
[Flender: I have no idea. I only just came into contact with this Chat Group myself.]
The four of them eagerly began discussing the rules by which the Chat Group recruited people, but in the end, they reached no conclusion.
For now, everything was merely speculation. If they truly wanted to understand the recruitment rules, they could only wait for the next new member to join.
In the end, because the Battle Through the Heavens story had not been clicked, it naturally could not be made public. Flender could only rely on his memories to recount it roughly.
The other three also learned what kind of world the final member lived in, what abilities he possessed, and what sort of person he was.
The result was satisfying. Though the Chat Group's five members did not have perfectly compatible personalities, they could all be considered decent people, and they shared a certain common topic—teaching children or students.
Under such circumstances, the Chat Group could function quite well. At the very least, it would not go silent and die in a short time.
But what the future would bring still depended on the personalities and morals of future members. If someone like Blackbeard or Voldemort joined, then harmony in the group would be nearly impossible.
"I hope future group members are harmonious, friendly people who can become friends. At the very least, no anti-human, anti-world terrorists. Even morally ambiguous, two-faced characters would be fine."
That was the most sincere hope in everyone's heart within the Chat Group.
After chatting for a little longer, they each went their separate ways. All of them had their own matters to attend to.
Flender was still traveling, as was Zephyr. Professor Oak was still summoning old friends and mobilizing his connections. Only Dumbledore was able to act immediately.
The hidden dangers at Hogwarts had not yet been completely eliminated!
Late at night, Hogwarts.
"Hey, Albus, are you sure you haven't made some mistake? There really is a thousand-year-old Basilisk in the school? That legendary Chamber of Secrets really exists?"
In the headmaster's office, Kettleburn, the Care of Magical Creatures professor who had not yet retired, stared intently at Dumbledore as though he were an unopened treasure chest in a maze.
Dumbledore looked helpless. For safety's sake, and because he did not want to make himself seem "aloof" again, he had shared all the information he could share.
This included the four Hogwarts house heads and this elderly Care of Magical Creatures professor. When it came to Basilisks, he certainly knew more than anyone else.
"Of course, Silvanus. It is a relic left behind by Slytherin. I only learned of it recently after uncovering some secrets."
Dumbledore smiled as he found an excuse for his recent actions.
"Really?" Professor McGonagall cast him a suspicious glance. Was this "headmaster" really not just trying to slack off?
"Of course, Minerva." Dumbledore raised both hands in a mock gesture of surrender.
Professor McGonagall looked at Dumbledore without speaking. She knew exactly what kind of person this old man, both her friend and former teacher, was.
He was worthy of respect, that was true. He was unreliable, and that was also true.
This was the second night after Dumbledore joined the Chat Group.
On the first night, Dumbledore had already retrieved Ravenclaw's diadem from the Room of Requirement and spent a long time studying that Horcrux.
Although Tom had to be destroyed, the diadem was innocent. If Tom could be eliminated without harming it, Dumbledore was naturally willing to do so. After all, it was a relic of Ravenclaw's—though it had been stolen by her daughter...
After a night of research, drawing upon his own knowledge and the magical knowledge from the gift package, Dumbledore had already found a lead. He simply had not acted yet.
To be safe, Dumbledore intended to gather every Horcrux before destroying them all in one stroke, killing Tom in the quickest and most reliable way possible.
Dumbledore already had plans for the remaining Horcruxes as well.
The Locket had been found in advance by a brave child and was constantly being destroyed. Unfortunately, that house-elf was unable to finish the task, but Dumbledore already knew the location: the House of Black's ancestral home.
Hufflepuff's Cup was in Gringotts. Dumbledore had no direct means of obtaining it, so he could only decide to sneak in and take it through illegal means. That would not be difficult for him.
The Diary was in the Malfoy home. Dumbledore intended to personally visit the elder Malfoy. For the safety of his family and the school, he would agree. Little Malfoy would be attending Hogwarts next term, and Dumbledore would not allow such a dangerous object to be secretly brought into the school.
Gaunt's Ring was in the House of Gaunt's ancestral home, and Dumbledore was prepared to go there himself. The temptation of the Resurrection Stone still existed, but Dumbledore could now maintain a calm heart. He had seen that other worlds possessed many methods, so he was anxious, yet not anxious.
Nagini had not yet been born. As for the final Horcrux, Harry... Dumbledore now had a solution as well. Having confirmed Voldemort's existence, he would never leave that child to grow up unattended again.
And then there was Quirrell, who would arrive next school year with Tom in tow. Dumbledore was saddened by Quirrell's choice, but this time, he would try to save that pitiful child. One wrong step could be forgiven, after all—because that was Tom.
Dumbledore had previously lacked a means of separating a temporary Horcrux. Now, things were different.
After swiftly reviewing his plan in his mind, Dumbledore confirmed that nothing was amiss. He smiled faintly at the friends and colleagues before him, his bright blue eyes twinkling happily beneath his half-moon spectacles.
"Very well. To avoid disturbing our pleasant nightlife, let us get moving and find the gift Slytherin left behind."
The four house heads nodded, some solemnly and some with stiff expressions. Only Professor Kettleburn pursed his lips.
"You have already disturbed my nightlife by calling me here. It is too late to say that now, my dear Albus."
Looking at Kettleburn, whose limbs had been reduced to one arm and half a leg, Dumbledore gave a wry smile.
This old companion, who had been with him for nearly sixty-four years, was still on probation. Kettleburn had accumulated sixty-two teaching accidents during his Care of Magical Creatures classes and had been placed under observation.
What Dumbledore remembered most clearly was a pantomime performance of The Fountain of Fair Fortune in the Great Hall. Kettleburn had been tasked with providing a giant worm, but he had brought out a magically enlarged Ashwinder instead. It exploded directly onstage, followed by terrifying flames. The hospital wing was packed afterward, and the pungent burnt smell in the Great Hall took several months to fade.
If this old friend had not been so professionally capable, and if Kettleburn—who had reached the complete form of one and a half limbs by the time Dumbledore became headmaster—had not become much more well-behaved than before, Dumbledore would likely have been troubled as well.
After the discussion ended, the six of them walked through Hogwarts' secret passages, each concealing their presence as they moved soundlessly.
Though it was currently the holidays, quite a few ghosts were still active around the school. The Basilisk could even harm ghosts, so to avoid trouble, Dumbledore still decided to settle everything in secret.
Dumbledore walked at the front, his steps light. With the intelligence he now possessed, Tom had shed his most dangerous shell.
Before long, they arrived at the abandoned bathroom on the third floor.
Dumbledore inspected the area first. Once he confirmed there was no one nearby—not even Myrtle Warren, who normally lived here—he stepped inside with relief.
The bathroom was old and gloomy. Dumbledore glanced around, becoming distracted for no apparent reason as he considered whether it should be renovated later.
He walked directly toward a faucet bearing a snake-shaped mark. In Dumbledore's eyes, it stood out like a crane among chickens.
Dumbledore approached it, his pale blue eyes gleaming with strange light as he softly muttered in Parseltongue.
"Hiss, hiss, hiss." (Open.)
A strange hissing sound rang out. The professors glanced at Dumbledore, but none of them sensed anything unusual.
From beginning to end, Dumbledore had been a genius. His official records stated that he had mastered both Mermish and Gobbledegook.
Professor McGonagall focused all her attention on the faucet before her, gripping her wand tightly. She looked like an old cat stalking prey.
She trusted Dumbledore, which was why she did not think this was the time for a leisurely outing.
The instant the Parseltongue ended, the faucet emitted a dazzling white light and began spinning rapidly. Then the sink itself began to move.
Before the professors' eyes, the sink slowly vanished, and a massive pipe appeared. Its opening was large enough for a person to crawl into.
The gates of the Chamber of Secrets had opened once more.
Professor McGonagall's pupils contracted. Hogwarts held many secrets; she had thought she understood that saying well enough, but it seemed her understanding had been far from sufficient.
"Wow~"
Kettleburn cried out excitedly. Like a Niffler that had spotted a coin, he rushed over impatiently.
"It's in there, isn't it? Slytherin's gift, the Chamber of Secrets, the thousand-year-old Basilisk!"
"Albus, I'll go in first—"
"Professor Kettleburn."
Before Dumbledore could speak, Professor McGonagall spoke first. Kettleburn's body stiffened, and his smile visibly disappeared.
"All right, all right. I am no match for you, Minerva. We'll listen to Dumbledore."
Dumbledore smiled happily, but when he saw McGonagall looking at him, he immediately restrained his smile.
"I should go first."
With that, Dumbledore stepped into the pipe and jumped in without the slightest hesitation.
In a certain sense, Dumbledore was a rather reckless man. As a member of Gryffindor, that did not seem particularly strange.
Professor McGonagall shook her head at the sight. After discussing the order with the professors, she placed Kettleburn in the middle, and they entered the pipe one after another.
Before doing so, McGonagall did not forget to close the bathroom door first.
The trip down the pipe was not pleasant. It was slimy inside, as though it had not been cleaned in centuries, and it seemed to go on forever.
It twisted and turned, winding in every direction as it descended along a steep slope. Only after reaching a point even deeper than Hogwarts' underground classrooms did they land with a splat.
Professor McGonagall rose with a terrible expression, feeling covered in mud. She waved her wand, and her body was restored to cleanliness.
This was a pitch-black stone tunnel. Following the faint points of light, McGonagall quickly spotted Dumbledore, who was standing there with a smile.
The other professors arrived one after another, their wands waving constantly like diligent little bees.
"We seem to be beneath the Black Lake." Kettleburn stamped on a puddle beneath his feet, looking delighted as water splashed up.
"Is a great adventure coming next?"
"You can treat it as a nighttime excursion."
Dumbledore lightly flicked his wand, tracing starlike glimmers that stood out clearly in the darkness.
Then Dumbledore saw Professor McGonagall's thoroughly disapproving expression.
Before you continue