Early the next morning, Ian stood in front of an ancient castle located in Scotland.
The mist shrouded the air, and dense magic flowed in the air. He could feel that the castle was surrounded by complex magic barriers - those talisman formations could both defend and kill intruders instantly.
Ian did not break in rashly, but stood quietly outside waiting.
A few minutes later, the castle door slowly opened, and a woman wearing a blue robe and a crown came out. She had fair skin, black hair like night, and a cold and dignified temperament.
Ian was stunned for a moment - not because of her beauty, but because she had a very similar face to someone.
Realizing that he had lost his composure, he immediately bent over to greet you, "I'm sorry, madam, for taking the liberty of visiting you. My name is Ian·Alvin·Bones. I come from a far away place, and I came here specifically to visit you."
The woman nodded slightly and returned the greeting gracefully. "I am Rowena·Ravenclaw. I have met many powerful wizards, but I have never heard of your name."
Her eyes were slightly probing - in her Magic Sensing, the depth of this strange man's magic was almost unbelievable, far exceeding any wizard she knew.
Ian said calmly, "That's because I'm not from this world. I'm from a parallel universe."
Rowena's expression changed slightly and his eyes flashed. "Parallel universe? Do you mean the branch of the world mentioned by the scholar who proposed 'Many-Worlds Theory'? Each person's choice will lead to a new reality?"
Ian smiled slightly, "Yes, you are indeed the most outstanding witch of this era, and you can understand what I mean immediately."
"Has this concept been proven in your time?" she asked curiously.
"Yes, we not only confirmed it, but we can also travel through it."
Ian's tone was calm, but Rowena could hear the confidence in that confidence.
She sighed softly, "It's amazing. Maybe my research direction is not wrong."
She suddenly raised her head with a serious expression. "You said you came from the future, is there any evidence?"
Ian smiled slightly and took out an ancient and exquisite Diadem from his arms.
"This is your relic in my world--Ravenclaw's Diadem."
Rowena took it, holding it with both hands and looking at it carefully. The magic texture flowing on it was almost exactly the same as her own Diadem, except that the spell was more complex and the structure was more precise.
She pondered for a moment and whispered, "The craftsmanship, shape, and materials are almost the same, except that the magic spell is slightly rougher, and there are traces of being contaminated by Dark Magic... It seems that the life of 'me' is not peaceful."
"Indeed," Ian nodded, "In my timeline, you co-founded a school with three other great wizards - Hogwarts. You married your lover and have a daughter."
Rowena was stunned, with a complicated expression.
"A few years ago, my family also forced me to get married... I refused." She smiled bitterly, "There was also a witch named Helga·Hufflepuff who came to me and said that he wanted to start a school to teach young wizards. Unfortunately, at that time I was only focusing on research and did not agree."
After a moment of silence, she turned to Ian: "Wizard from a parallel world, why did you come all the way?"
Ian smiled slightly, "Of course - the exchange of knowledge."
Rowena showed a smile at the corner of his mouth, and immediately made a gesture of invitation. "Then come in."
--
They talked in the castle for three days and three nights.
There was no banquet or chat, just endless academic debates and deductions of magic formulas.
On the third day, Ian drank a bottle of Hunger-Quenching Potion and sighed, "This is the first time I have met someone who can be on par with me academically."
Rowena chuckled, a trace of relief flashed in his eyes. "To each other. In this era, there are only a handful of wizards who can talk to me on an equal footing. Especially men - they are more afraid of losing to a woman."
Ian smiled, "It seems that we are indeed the same kind."
"In that case," Rowena raised his head, "We can communicate more efficiently. I propose that we use Mind Link magic to share knowledge. What do you think?"
Ian nodded. "That's what I meant."
After the two cast the spell, their consciousness instantly entered each other's Mind Stone world.
In that piece of Void, half is Rowena the vast sea of magic the Library, and the other half is the Mind Stone academy built by Ian - including spells, formations, mechanical structures and formula symbols.
Rowena looked at the blueprints filled with calculations and energy structures, and was shocked. "These... are not pure magic, but another system?"
"That's technology." Ian explained with a smile, "Humans use logical and mechanical methods to analyze the world. It's different from magic, but it leads to the same goal through different paths."
"It's amazing." Rowena sighed softly, "In just one thousand years, Muggles can develop to such an extent, while Wizarding World is regressing."
"It's not all their fault." Ian said lightly, "In my era, there is almost no natural magic power in the environment, and the birth rate of strong Grand Wizard has dropped significantly."
"This is not enough to explain your stagnation." Rowena shook his head and his eyes became sharp, "But... you seem to be hiding something."
Ian was silent for a moment and said slowly, "When I was studying your crown, I discovered that its design was inspired by a room in 'Brain Chamber' - Department of Mysteries. But during our knowledge exchange, I did not see that part of the information."
Rowena was stunned. Ian's tone was calm but to the point.
"More importantly," he continued, "I also found that you are weakening and your soul is being eroded by some kind of power."
Rowena was silent for a long time and sighed, "I know I can't hide it from you. Come with me."
She led Ian through a deep corridor, her steps slow and steady.
"Don't mind it too much." She said calmly, "I know there are things you haven't told me - it's just... you have shown more trust in me than I expected."
Ian smiled faintly, "It is also the instinct of researchers to keep some secrets from each other."
At the end, a black stone door slowly opened.
It was a huge underground palace - its layout was almost exactly the same as the "Department of Mysteries" Ian had seen in his own world: Time Chamber, Space Chamber, Love Chamber, Brain Chamber, Death Chamber... There is even a long corridor filled with Prophecy Orb.
Ian murmured softly, "Sure enough... my senior Ravenclaw also discovered these miracles during his lifetime and brought them back to England."
He quickly deduced in his mind. "After her death, these ruins were discovered by later wizards. In 1672 AD, the earliest record of 'Department of Mysteries' appeared, and Ministry of Magic was established in 1707 - it seems that they deliberately built the department here to protect these rooms."
Ian came back to his senses and looked at Rowena: "Are these... related to your physical failure?"
Rowena looked dim and nodded. "Yes. I had an accident while recycling 'Chamber of Time and Space'."
"Where did you find it?" Ian asked.
Rowena looked into the distance and slowly spit out three words--
"Bermuda Triangle."