Searching the Forest, Finally Finding the Giant Tree / The Land of the Elements, the True Purpose of the Journey

This position should have been quite uncomfortable, but she slept very peacefully.

"When you examined her memories earlier, you saw footage of Voldemort feeding on her venom and ordering people to mix her venom with Unicorn blood to create a makeshift body, right?" Rowena continued writing in her notebook. "This also proves she was a Maledictus, because to create a body that could house a human soul, one would inevitably need the essence of a human."

Harry understood what Rowena meant; what she called 'essence' might be more accurately described as 'fluid'.

It could be blood, or it could be something else entirely.

When Voldemort ordered the stranger to create his body, he only added Nagini's venom and Unicorn blood, without asking the unnamed servant for any blood... This means that Nagini's venom contained components of human bodily fluids.

So what is this supposed to be, a reverse version of the Legend of the White Snake (HP version)?

'Her current closeness to you is likely due to the influence of some remaining fragments of memory. It's clear that when she was human, she also knew an Obscurial, and therefore, when you attacked her with Obscurus, it involuntarily awakened a sliver of that long-dormant memory.'

"Maybe... yes."

In that instant, what Harry really wanted to say was... maybe she knew me.

The Zouwu clearly recognized Nagini; even if it was bound by some rule and couldn't say it explicitly, Harry could tell.

Therefore, Nagini must have known Harry in the 'past' time.

She knew Harry was an Obscurial, and perhaps had even met him Obscurus, which is why, when Harry attacked her, she unconsciously allowed a fragment of her memory to stubbornly break through the Blood Malediction's seal, thus becoming close to him.

But after figuring all this out, Harry felt ashamed because he truly couldn't recall ever having any interaction with Nagini...

It feels like I'm a scumbag who's slept with a girl but can't even remember her name.

Hmm... by now, Zouwu's eyes were practically rolling out of their sockets.

It could tell at a glance that Nagini was a person, and it knew even better that Harry was completely mistaken.

Please, she has absolutely nothing to do with you!

You two knew each other back then, but you tore her ex-boyfriend to shreds. It's already a miracle she hasn't attacked you directly; why would she be so close to you?

But these two are really something else. One, after transforming and losing his memory, mistakes someone for someone else; the other, after being reincarnated, has strange connections. And to make matters worse, they can even chat in Parseltongue to deepen their relationship. This is practically a tragic love story!

Now, Zouwu has absolutely no idea how to explain things to Norberta when he gets back.

Harry went to the Albanian Forest, but ended up bringing back a mistress for Norberta —a centenarian grandmother, no less...

Hmm, Norberta will definitely be happy to breathe fire and burn this snake to death!

(P. S. Explanation of a misunderstanding caused by a translation error)

Old Voldy is indeed concerned about the snake, but not to the point of caring about feeding it.

Uehara Bun

"You will milk her before we retire, Wormtail," said the second voice. "I will need feeding in the night. The journey has tired me greatly."

"Before we go to sleep, you feed it milk and Wormtail," the second voice said. "I also need to eat during the night. I'm exhausted from this journey."

The Chinese translation is from the People's Literature Publishing House version, but it is an incorrect translation.

The English word 'milk' as a verb refers to the action of 'milking', not feeding. Therefore, the correct translation here is 'squeezing out venom.' Old Voldy was always concerned about his own food. That's all~)

Chapter 546 Exploring the Forest, Finally Finding a Giant Tree

In the deep, dense primeval forest, Harry rode his Zouwu, leaping nimbly through the air, with his newly tamed giant snake Nagini following beside him, and even the Swooping Evil was released to fly freely.

Although everything seemed relaxed and pleasant, Harry wore a sour expression, helplessly scanning every tree he passed, hoping yet fearing to find even the slightest hole in the trunk.

"No... Sister, I've been looking for this place for a week already, can we go back now?"

Since parting ways with Sirius and his two companions, Harry has been stuck in the Dark Forest for a week, searching for seven days in a row.

If it weren't for the ample food reserves in his ring, he probably would have to eat raw meat and blood right now, breaking his vow against ever eating wild animals.

Of course, all of the above is nothing compared to a fruitless search.

Ever since they arrived in Albania, Rowena has gone mad, insisting that Harry venture deep into the Dark Forest to find the hollow tree where Helena hid the Ravenclaw's Diadem.

Harry had thought that if he listened to her, he might find some kind of opportunity, but now he realized that he was just asking for trouble.

Finding a hollow, rotting tree in Dark Forest isn't actually that difficult... just kidding!

Harry has examined at least a hundred tree holes this week, to the point that he now feels nauseous at the sight of cracked bark, but he still hasn't found any clues related to hollow trees.

Moreover, the dense fog in the forest was a major problem; sometimes it was so thick that even Harry couldn't see the way and could easily lose his way.

No matter how much Harry wanted to give up, Rowena refused to give up and insisted that he find the tree.

Keep looking, you'll definitely find it, and you might even have an unexpected surprise.

"Big Sister Rowena, I really don't understand what can be gained from a rotten tree." Harry sighed helplessly as he looked at the words in his diary.

"What do you know!" Rowena slammed into the diary without hesitation. "Do you really think Helena just hid the Ravenclaw's Diadem in some random tree?"

Isn't that so?

"Of course not!" Rowena retorted in her delicate handwriting, "Helena doesn't know how special she is, but I know very well. She didn't actively seek out that tree as a hiding place; she sensed it in some inexplicable way!"

Are you sure?

Harry frowned upon hearing this. After Helena arrived in Albania, she didn't hide among humans but instead concealed herself in the Dark Forest with the Ravenclaw's Diadem, ultimately being assassinated by the Bloody Baron near the Hollow Tree...

Harry knew all this, but judging from Rowena's words, was Helena attracted by that tree?

It's just a tree, how could it have such a magical attraction? Is it some kind of Kappa Tree of Life or Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil?

'Don't use those church legends to speculate about magic! If it weren't for the invasion of these foreign forces, causing all sorts of trouble including the Philosopher's Stone, wizards wouldn't be in this state today!'

Sigh, here we go again.

Having lived in his mind for so long, Harry had a pretty good grasp of Rowena's personality; this older sister's dedication to her faith was absolutely terrifying.

The only church she recognized was the ancient Kel Druidism. She scoffed at the series of 'foreign' religious festivals that wizards now celebrated, and she also had a strong aversion to the Philosopher's Stone... the Sorcerer's Stone in Nicolas Flamel's possession.

To be fair, Harry really does resonate with her persistence.

In some ways, their situations are quite similar. Spirit of Rowena slept for a thousand years, only to awaken to find the world completely changed; Harry, having traveled through time, could only gaze across the sea at his former homeland.

Even so, they still clung to what they had always believed in. Rowena was convinced that the Kel were the origin of Britain wizards, and definitely not the Nordic countries that the Runes pointed to.

As for Harry, there's no need to say more.

Our revered ancestor is the Yellow Emperor, and all four hundred million people are his descendants...

Well, once this feeling of 'we're both in the same boat' kicked in, Harry really couldn't bear to refuse Rowena.

"Although I don't know what's so special about Helena and that tree, I think I'll search a little longer." With a sigh and a shake of his head, Harry resumed his potentially futile search.

'I'm sorry, I can't talk about Helena right now. Anyway, regardless of whether my guess comes true or not, I will tell you the secret of the Slytherin's Locket.'

"That's not that important to me," Harry chuckled and shook his head. "Right now, I just want to find that tree for you as soon as possible."

After that, Rowena seemed to fall silent for a long time before two words slowly appeared in her diary.

'Thanks.'

"This is... something's not right!"

Harry patiently searched for several more days in the Dark Forest, but still found no clues about the hollow tree. However, he suddenly became aware of the eeriness of his surroundings.

"What a brilliant Undetectable Extension Charm! Not even a trace of magical fluctuation can be detected!"

After searching for more than ten days, Harry finally confirmed that he was likely within the range of a massive Undetectable Extension Charm.

It's important to understand that Albania is a small, elongated country, with its widest point less than 150 kilometers wide. The Dark Forest is located in southeastern Albania, and given Zouwu's pace over the past few days, Harry should have already ventured deep into Greek territory. How could he still be wandering in the forest, without even crossing a single mountain?

Sensing something was amiss, Harry transformed into an eagle and soared into the sky. After gazing into the distance, he finally determined the direction he needed to go.

"I knew it! That's it!"

With the strong winds blowing comfortably high in the sky, what Harry saw in his eagle eyes was a huge white ring.

That was the thick fog in the forest before; now it seems that it was what formed this eerie, Undetectable Extension Charm land.

Harry is currently very close to the inner edge of the White Mist Ring, and he has already determined that... the hollow tree he is looking for might be located at the center of the ring!

"Zouwu, let's go! Full speed ahead!"

After landing, Harry, now back in human form, pointed out the direction to Zouwu, put Nagini into his suitcase, and then set off at full speed!

This time, he didn't need to worry about getting lost or spending time checking every tree hole around him; he could simply ride his Zouwu at full speed.

"Roar!"

They soon arrived at the edge of the white mist ring. The enormous China Dynasty Beast seemed to sense something as well. It let out a joyful long hiss and leaped out of the thick fog in front of it!

The next instant, Harry felt as if he had stumbled into a completely new world.

Just like when he was eleven years old and had just arrived in Diagon Alley!

Countless lively sounds echoed in Harry's ears, as if playing a vibrant and melodious tune, and all these sounds came from the ancient tree in front of Harry!

Its branches and leaves were lush and dense, blocking out the sun. Its trunk was as thick as a house, and directly opposite Harry, there was a hollow that an adult could easily enter...

Hollow tree!

Chapter 547 The Land of Elements, The True Meaning of This Trip

"Is this the hollow tree...? It's unbelievable!"

Without exaggeration, this is absolutely the biggest tree Harry has ever seen.

To be fair, this tree of unknown species is not particularly tall. Compared to Giant like cedar and eucalyptus trees that are often over 100 meters tall, its height of around 30 meters can only be described as below average.

But its trunk was astonishingly thick; Harry walked around it from beginning to end and estimated its circumference to be at least 50 meters!

What does a 50-meter perimeter mean? If you convert it to area, it means it occupies more than 200 square meters!

If the interior space is not much different from the exterior space, it is enough to partition off four bedrooms, two living rooms, and two bathrooms.

However, what surprised Harry the most was not the enormous size of the hollow tree, but the sound it made.

Every branch, even every vein of every leaf, constantly plays a melodious, Voice of Magic... The sound from just this one tree far surpasses the sounds of the entire Diagon Alley!

Entering the tree hollow to the music that only he could enjoy, Harry discovered that the interior space was quite large, containing traces of past life, such as weathered tables and chairs, perhaps made by Helena when she lived in seclusion there.

However, this place has now clearly become a paradise for small animals. Harry can sense that many little creatures are hiding in the shadows, secretly watching him, and there seem to be quite a few birds building nests high up in the cave.

They were clearly wary of Harry, but not overly afraid, and Harry was happy to coexist with them peacefully.

He also discovered that the sounds became clearer once he entered the tree hollow.

The top of the tree cavity, several meters high, acts like a speaker that gathers sound, making the Voice of Magic of the entire tree play even more clearly.

Harry didn't find these sounds noisy at all; on the contrary, he always found them incredibly pleasant.

Immersed in the music, Harry even felt his ears moving along with it, gradually becoming able to grasp the rhythm of the music more accurately.

He shared his feelings with Rowena, who immediately wrote down her excitement in her notebook.

'Great! I knew it! This place with the hollow tree must be an elemental realm!'

"The Elemental Lands? What's that?" Harry asked, puzzled.

'As the name suggests, these are places where natural elements can gather.' Rowena quickly wrote in her notebook, 'These places, for unknown reasons, have formed powerful magical fields that can even cause natural elements that should have disappeared to gather in large quantities, ultimately forming the rare and precious elemental lands.'

'For example, the Lake Heights where Hogwarts is located is an elemental land... Hmph, if I hadn't chosen that location for the school through a dream, Salazar, even with his Universal Solvent, would never have been able to create the Water Elemental Heart!'

Well, in that last sentence, Rowena was clearly being arrogant.

But once she said that, Harry understood.

Hogwarts is an elemental place, and it should be a place where water element gathers. Salazar used Universal Solvent to absorb the water element gathered in the Chamber of Hogwarts and eventually created a Water Elemental Heart.

The Hollow Tree is similar to Hogwarts; it naturally possesses a powerful magical field, which explains the strange phenomena such as the Undetectable Extension Charm misty rings and the fact that the Hollow Tree is invisible to the naked eye from a distance.

And on this tree, there also gathers an element... well, coincidentally, both Rowena and I really like this element.

The wind that represents freedom and the sky... is dynamic and agile.