The words on the light screen slowly faded, then a question appeared: "Where did time begin?"
This question was truly unusual for Allen. In his previous life, his time had already ended. But Allen had been reborn into the world of Harry Potter, which was equivalent to turning his time back to the past. From Allen's perspective, time was merely a vague concept with no particular physical form. If you existed, it existed. If you did not exist, neither did it.
But clearly, this question was not testing Allen's own understanding of time.
After sorting through his thoughts, Allen suddenly had an inspiration. "The present begins when the past ends, and the future begins in the present."
It had to be said that this was quite a clever answer. The Bronze Gate opened in response, clearly acknowledging Allen's answer.
Beyond the gate, mist filled the air, and Allen seemed to see a void. He stepped into it, and soon, an earth-yellow planet encircled by clouds appeared before him, slowly rotating. Allen observed it carefully for a long while, drawn in by its beauty and mystery. Before he knew it, he reached out to touch it. The moment his fingers felt the softness of the clouds, the planet shot away like a startled little beast and vanished into the mist.
In an instant, all the mist began to swirl around Allen. He seemed to stand at the center of a tornado; the outer layers surged violently while the center remained calm. Allen stayed composed and watched for changes. After an unknown number of rotations, the outer mist drifted away, and the inner layers gradually vanished as well. What appeared before Allen was a vast, boundless expanse of stars, like the common room's ceiling magnified countless times.
An ethereal female voice filled the space. "Only exceptionally wise wizards may pass through Mist Space. Find the planet you just saw within this universe. You have ten minutes. Pass, and you may proceed to the next trial. Fail, and you will become one with Mist Space."
Wisdom was an advanced, comprehensive ability that included perception, knowledge, memory, comprehension, decision-making, and more. Clearly, this trial tested memory, observation, and judgment.
Allen had indeed gained an eidetic memory with the help of the Super Scholar System, but that ability did not include images! Among these endless stars, there were thousands that looked similar to the earth-yellow planet he had just seen. With only ten minutes, how could he possibly distinguish it and find it successfully with nothing but his naked eyes? For Allen as he was now, this was almost an impossible task.
Time passed bit by bit, and it would not stop simply because Allen was thinking. Allen made an immediate decision and contacted the Super Scholar System in his mind. "System, System, hurry and see if you can provide any help?"
The system's ethereal voice did not fluctuate in the slightest, as though it could not sense the host's anxiety at all. "Host, you have not yet completed your previous library mission. I cannot provide you with additional assistance." When Allen called for the system again, it remained silent.
Just then, Allen suddenly remembered that there was still an item in his storage space. At this moment, he was immensely grateful for his good fortune back then.
"Open storage space." Allen's tone was firm and unquestionable.
The system's storage space quickly appeared in Allen's mind. Allen selected the ancient parchment tied with a red string. The string fell away automatically, and the parchment slowly unfurled, revealing:
Invincible Aura: 12 minutes.
Beneath the parchment was its function:
It can intercept time and may also be used all at once. Within the duration covered by the aura, the host can solve any difficult problem.
Without the slightest hesitation, Allen immediately chose, "Use Invincible Aura for three minutes." A clear current flowed out of the storage compartment, and Allen became calm and confident.
He felt wonderful now, as though the stars were all under his control. He searched through the endless starry sky, constantly eliminating distracting planets. The target planet's image was incomparably clear in Allen's mind. Compared with these planets, he could quickly catch every tiny difference. Fortunately, just as the three minutes were about to run out, Allen found the target planet.
Allen hurriedly fired a red signal from his wand, marking the space above the target planet.
Although that cool female voice did not appear again, the rotating, shattering starry sky made one thing abundantly clear—he had passed the trial!
The universe of stars in this space shattered into countless fragments and spun away into nothingness.
Only the planet Allen had just marked remained floating before him. It slowly transformed into a small European-style Tower. The Tower's door opened soundlessly. When Allen entered, he saw a thin light screen floating quietly behind a row of three-seat European-style sofas.
At this moment, the light screen contained nothing. Through it, he could see the splendid decorations beyond. The Tower possessed immense artistic beauty, decorated in white and gold. The room contained exquisite furniture and luxurious carpets, most of which appeared to be artworks by English and French craftsmen. The Tower's ceiling was round, adorned with ivory and gold, while a smooth, curved crystal chandelier spiraled upward in tiers. The upper sections of the surrounding walls depicted fifteenth-century wizards participating in the Wars of the Roses.
The light screen before Allen blazed with blue light. The cosmic star map that had just shattered into fragments unexpectedly gathered together again on the screen.
A model identical to the Tower he stood in appeared in the lower-right corner of the screen. Countless golden lines crisscrossed the star map.
It was still that female voice. "Raise your wand and cast the 'Move' Charm to complete the cosmic traversal game. Complete the game and pass the trial. Otherwise, you will remain here forever."
There was no way back. He could only—press forward with all his strength!
Before you continue