Six Great Arcane Books
Dumbledore looked at Skylar quietly.
After a long silence, he slowly spoke, "What you said isn't wrong. The pursuit of power is part of human nature. Power can bring benefits, glory, and authority. On the bright side, it can maintain one's dignity and protect those around them..."
"The question is whether you possess the ability to control power, or whether you are ultimately controlled by it." Dumbledore's eyes gleamed with intense light as he spoke earnestly, "A true strongman possesses power, but does not abuse it—you've heard the story of Peverell, haven't you? The eldest of the three brothers relied too much on power, and in the end, he only brought destruction upon himself."
"Professor, you make it sound so easy— Harry's father and Sirius Black are both unregistered Animagus, aren't they? I haven't seen you report them, send them to Azkaban, and make Potter the son of a criminal!" Skylar argued. "Professor Moody's dung can attacked Muggle, it was even in the newspapers, but thanks to Mr. Weasley's intervention, nothing happened—isn't that what you call an abuse of power?"
Skylar concluded coldly, "This shows that everyone, unconsciously, uses their power to steer things in their own favor." He looked directly into Dumbledore's eyes and said softly, "The difference lies in this: you have your own sense of justice, while I have mine."
Skylar was getting tired of this kind of motivational preaching. Without waiting for Dumbledore to reply, he continued, "If you've called me here today to discuss my participation in the Triwizard Tournament, then I can tell you frankly—I have broken the rules, I have broken the Age Line you set, and I have participated in the Triwizard Tournament. But all I've done is to pursue greater power, nothing more. I have absolutely no interest in ruling the world or pursuing immortality."
Dumbledore's eyes seemed to light up, and he smiled, "Child, you misunderstand me. I've never doubted your decision to join the Death Eaters, nor would I judge a person's future based on their background. I think I can assure you of that. Hogwarts is a very inclusive house, and it's not like there aren't students from Death Eaters families. We're willing to admit these students because we believe that every young soul is beautiful, and every soul deserves our protection... I'm so glad, child, I'm truly glad that you're willing to tell this old man like me today..."
Dumbledore resolved the first knot in his heart.
One of the reasons he summoned Skylar this time was because he sensed Skylar's ambition to pursue power, and coupled with the impact of Meredith's disappearance on Skylar, he was worried that Skylar might fall into darkness under the temptation of extreme thoughts and power. That's why he specifically called him in to talk about his thoughts, hoping to enlighten him and prevent him from going astray.
Of course, this is only one of the reasons.
Another reason was that so much had happened recently that he was a little uneasy, and he decided to insure his plans.
Yes, he no longer intended to let Skylar grow freely; he planned to bring Skylar into his own scheme.
Dumbledore looked at Skylar with kind eyes and said gently, "Actually, the main reason I called you here today is to talk about your thoughts and see if there's anything I, as the headmaster, can do to help you."
"Hmm? Does that mean I passed? "Skylar thought to himself.
It seems the old man truly knows nothing about the Sleeping Dragon Society and Kingsley!
Despite Skylar's flowery words, it would be a lie to say he wasn't a little nervous in front of one of the most intelligent wizards of the century.
At that moment, several thoughts flashed through his mind.
It seems Dumbledore isn't omniscient or omnipotent after all. I must have overestimated him by reading too many fanfictions in my past life.
Dumbledore, of course, had no idea of the various thoughts swirling in Skylar's mind.
He continued, "There are a few things I wanted to discuss with you. Let's start with the first one! Skylar, I vaguely sense a familiar magic emanating from you. Although it's very faint, I don't think my intuition is wrong... I guess you've already been in contact with Abatair, haven't you?"
Skylar was stunned. Dumbledore knew Abatair and could even sense familiar magic emanating from him. Could it be...?
Dumbledore, seeing the look in Skylar's eyes, knew he had guessed correctly. He smiled and said, "There's no need to tell me where your Abatair came from. I have no desire for it whatsoever..." Then, Dumbledore took a book from a drawer and said, "Since you've already come into contact with Abatair, and you might use it in the upcoming Triwizard Tournament, consider this book a gift from the Headmaster as a reward for bringing glory to the school."
Sure enough, Dumbledore pulled out Abatair Volume Four!
A storm raged within Skylar, but he maintained a blank expression. Although he coveted the magical book, he wouldn't easily accept someone's kindness, especially when that person was Dumbledore.
No one would disagree that Dumbledore was the most brilliant strategist in the original books. Even after he died, he was still able to outmaneuver Voldemort.
Skylar would never believe that Dumbledore had no ulterior motives behind giving him such a great gift.
"Professor," Skylar said cautiously, "As the saying goes, 'No work, no gain.' First of all, I've already broken the rules by signing up for the Triwizard Tournament, and I'm not even sure I can win this tournament for Hogwarts. Don't forget that my opponents are all adult wizards... I think it would be more appropriate to discuss this gift after I've made some contribution?"
"Is that so?" Dumbledore's eyes flashed with an enigmatic light. "I don't think so!"
"I have high hopes for you, Skylar," Dumbledore said softly. "I think your strength is in no way inferior to theirs. To be honest, I believe—you are the strongest Champion in this competition!"
Skylar lowered his head slightly and fell silent.
All I can say is, he truly lives up to his reputation Dumbledore.
Since the beginning of this semester, Skylar has been unusually low-key. Yes, while his and Draco's combined attack was impressive, it was, after all, a family secret spell cast by two people working together. Who knows if this spell might have the added bonus of being cast by someone with the same bloodline?
As for resisting the Imperius Curse in Dark Arts class and successfully casting the Switching Spell in Transfiguration, these are at most the performances of an excellent student, nothing particularly amazing.
(Note: For the convenience of readers, Harry resisted the Imperius Curse on his fourth attempt in the first Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and Hermione mastered the basic Switching Spell in the first Transfiguration.)
It seems that Dumbledore, like Merlin, has noticed something about himself. These old monsters, despite lacking Magic Eye, possess a host of unknown detection methods; they're truly a headache.
Dumbledore smiled with satisfaction as he observed Skylar's reaction.
"Before you accept this gift, I'd like to ask you to say a few words," he said. "Do you know the story of Abatair?"
"Yes, Professor," Skylar replied, "Abatair a long history, said to have existed before the founding of Hogwarts. Its author is unknown, but it was most likely completed by more than one person. Later, it was divided into eight parts during a war, scattered across various places. Even Muggle publishers printed some fragments... Each volume corresponds to a magical domain: Charms, Magic, Transfiguration, Seals, Barriers, Curses, Psychic Magic, and Spirit Magic..."
"You truly surprise me; everything you just said is correct," Dumbledore nodded. "This volume I have is the Book of Transfiguration, which corresponds to the magical realm of Transfiguration. I heard you are learning Human Transfiguration from Minerva, and this book can help you... Finally, I'd like to ask, have you ever heard of the legendary Six Wonderful Books?"
"The Six Great Books?" Skylar said in confusion. How could there be such a thing? This sounds like the plot of online novels from his previous life. Could the old man have just made this up?
Dumbledore slowly said, "The so-called Six Wonderful Books are not actually legends, but real things. It's just that very few people know about them. I only heard about them from an old friend of mine..."
Another old friend? Or perhaps an old flame? Skylar thought to himself with a cynical glint in his eye.
"The Six Wonderful Books are six ancient and ancient magical texts, said to be the foundation upon which all our Magical Theories have developed to this day," Dumbledore continued. "The Six Wonderful Books are the Book of Truth, the Book of the Phoenix, the Book of the Druids, Abatair, the Book of the Dead Covenant, and the Dark Apocalypse. The first three are white magic books, and the latter three are Dark Arts books. Of course, I am not criticizing these books; after all, magic ultimately depends on the user, and learning Dark Arts does not necessarily make one a dark wizard."
Skylar asked curiously, "Please allow me to ask, Professor, do you know the origins of these six extraordinary books? And where are they now?"
"The Book of Truth is the pinnacle of alchemy, and my old friend Nicolas Flamel once possessed half of it," Dumbledore smiled. "I have reason to believe that he passed it on to you before he died."
Ah! Skylar couldn't help but think of the locked book he had received from Nico. The book had no title on the cover and was locked with a special alchemical lock that could only be opened with alchemy. Skylar had studied it for so long, but still had no clue about it.
Skylar's alchemy was already quite advanced; with a sample, he could even replicate the Cloak of Invisibility. Yet, he was still helpless against this alchemical lock. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel admiration and longing for Nicolas Flamel's true strength.
At the same time, Skylar thought of another question, "Professor, are you saying that even with Mr. Flamel's amazing alchemy skills, he only learned half of the Book of Truth?"
"Yes," Dumbledore nodded, "That's why Nico's alchemy is flawed—though he's hailed as the most powerful alchemist of his time, only he himself knows the hardships he endured..."
"Because his lineage was incomplete, his successful creation of the Philosopher's Stone was merely an unrepeatable coincidence. He could not create another Philosopher's Stone, nor could he teach this knowledge to others."
"Huh?" Skylar's worldview was completely shattered. So that's why Nicolas Flamel only created one Sorcerer's Stone!
But what does this have to do with taking on apprentices and teaching skills?
Dumbledore saw Skylar's confusion and explained, "Nicole meant well; he didn't actually want the lineage to end. But he was more worried that if the lineage fell into the wrong hands, and that person couldn't resist the temptation of endless life and unlimited wealth, and tried to forge Sorcerer's Stone, but didn't have Nicole's luck—failing to forge it and wasting materials would be a minor matter; it could very well trigger a series of unknown disasters..."
"I see. So, what about the other half of this book?" Skylar asked.
Dumbledore fell silent, gazing meaningfully at Skylar, his eyes flashing with uncertainty.
After a long silence, Dumbledore slowly spoke, "Speaking of which, do you know anything about the Hohenheim Family?"
A glint of light flashed in Skylar's eyes. So it really was related to the Hohenheim Family?
Skylar said, "I know a little. They are a famous Pure-blood families in Germany, renowned for their family's healing magic and alchemy. Their ancestors were probably the mysterious Paracelsus."
Dumbledore laughed. "You probably know more than that... Don't you know the main focus of their alchemy?"
Skylar pretended to be deep in thought, remaining silent for a long while before finally saying, "Human Transmutation?"
Dumbledore's gaze deepened, and he said in a low voice, "This is my guess—as everyone knows, the purpose of alchemy is first 'immortality,' then 'resurrection,' and finally 'transcending eternity.' Nico has barely reached the first step, I guess..."
"The reason Nico remained at this level, even relying on luck to get by, was because his inheritance only included the part about 'immortality.' As a result, although he could barely maintain the immortality of his soul and body, he inevitably faced aging. This aging was not only reflected in his body but also in his soul, leading to a lack of emotion and a numbness of the mind..."
"I suspect that the second half of the Book of Truth contains the secret to overcoming the flaws of the Philosopher's Stone," Dumbledore's eyes suddenly lit up. "And the Hohenheim Family, who are so dedicated to the study of human and soul transmutation, have become the subjects of my suspicion..."
"The professor suspects they possess the second half of the Book of Truth?" Skylar roughly understood Dumbledore's meaning; after all, what in this world could resist aging more than reforging a body and soul?