If Dumbledore had not thought of this method, Vaughn would have completed the Ether-Wandering Ritual after some time. Once he had mastered the basics of alchemy, he planned to spend Reputation Points to improve his alchemy before restarting the experiment.
Of course, his cold look was not because old Dumbledore had beaten him to it, but because—
"What are you trying to do, Albus?"
Vaughn suddenly asked, "By letting the notebook approach the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets and record Parseltongue, are you planning to kill the Basilisk? Or do you have some other purpose?"
Though he was asking, Vaughn's tone clearly indicated that he leaned toward the latter.
The way he looked at Dumbledore was filled with suspicion.
Vaughn knew Dumbledore well. If old Dumbledore merely wanted to kill the Basilisk, he would not have specifically brought Vaughn along. The old man could solve it alone with Fawkes. After all, the Basilisk could kill with a glance; too many people might instead become a hindrance.
Unless Dumbledore had never intended to kill it at all!
Dumbledore did not answer Vaughn's question. He fell silent in the pipe for a moment, then sighed. "Vaughn, come down with me. I want to take a look below first, then talk to you."
Vaughn stared into the old man's eyes for a long time before finally nodding. "All right!"
The entrance pipe was thick enough to accommodate an adult. Dumbledore went in first, with Vaughn following behind.
By Vaughn's subjective assessment, the feeling after crawling inside was awful. He felt as though he had crawled into the pitch-black, slimy throat of some enormous creature, then slid endlessly downward along a steep slope.
In the darkness, they slid down for who knew how long. Vaughn silently calculated along the way. Judging by the