San Bakar Tower (Thanks to Bodhi Patriarch and His Little Monkey for the Flowers!)

The next morning, because he had almost worked all night again, Su Yu didn't get up until late morning. Since he was planning to skip class anyway, he wasn't in a hurry to get up. It wasn't until almost noon that he finished washing up and changing his clothes, and put his wand in the inside pocket of his robe. Kurama was lying on the table watching him pack, looking even more sleepy than Su Yu.

"Where is Ginny?" Kurama asked.

"Let's go find her." Su Yu slung her bag over her shoulder. "We agreed to go together today."

Su Yu found Ginny in the corridor outside the Gryffindor Tower. Ginny had just crawled out of the hole behind the portrait of the Fat Lady and was getting ready to go to lunch. Her red hair was tied into a neat ponytail.

"Su Yu!" Ginny Earth Flow, her steps quick. "I thought you'd forgotten to bring me and went off by yourself!"

Su Yu chuckled. "What? Do you think I'm that kind of person? Let's go eat first, and then we'll set off."

Ginny happily followed behind Su Yu. After dinner, they went out through the side gate of the castle, mounted their flying brooms, flew across the lawn and over the Black Lake, and followed the map to fly northwest along a path almost completely overgrown with weeds.

After flying for about half an hour, the road below changed from grass to gravel, and then from gravel to mud. They had reached the edge of the North Ford Bog. Su Yu told Kurama Kurama stay still in his arms, afraid that it might wriggle and fall into a mud pit in the swamp. Kurama didn't struggle and buried its face in his arms.

"This place feels so eerie." Ginny pulled her scarf tighter, covering half her face.

"Hmm." Su Yu slowed down his flight speed, his eyes scanning the surroundings. The water plants in the swamp were taller than a person, their withered yellow color mixed with some blackened leaves. The air was filled with the smell of rotting vegetation, mixed with a faint sulfur smell.

"Can you smell it?" Su Yu asked.

"I smell it," Ginny's voice came from behind the scarf, muffled. "Like burnt rubber, or rotten eggs."

"It smells like Hell," Su Yu said, frowning. "Someone has used a lot of Hell power here."

They flew along the barely visible path at the edge of the swamp, and after nearly ten more minutes, the swamp mist finally thinned out. Su Yu looked up and saw the tower.

It stands on a high ground deep in the swamp, its gray-black stone walls mostly covered by moss and vines. The tower is covered with cracks, from which a dark blue light emanates. The top of the tower is flat, and several blurry outlines can be vaguely seen on it, but the fog is too thick for Su Yu to see clearly.

"Is that the tower?" Ginny asked in a low voice.

"Hmm." Su Yu and Ginny slowly descended. Su Yu also put Kurama down from his arms. Kurama squatted on the ground, her ears perked up. She stared at the tower, her amber eyes reflecting the blue light patterns on the tower.

"Stay close to me," Su Yu said.

Ginny nodded.

The tower had no door. Su Yu looked around and found that the only entrance was on the second floor, a stone cave covered by vines, at least seven or eight feet above the ground.

He leaped up, his toes pushing off the wall, and easily jumped up. Ginny looked up at him from below. Kurama jumped and landed steadily at the cave entrance. She turned and squatted down at the entrance, looking down at Ginny, her tail held high, as if to say, "Hurry up, don't dawdle."

After checking that there were no problems, Su Yu turned around and tapped Kurama Fox on the head, then picked up Ginny.

Inside the cave was a narrow passage, barely wide enough for one person to pass sideways. The cracks in the stone slabs on both sides of the passage were covered with moss. There were no torches on the walls, but a dark blue light shone through the texture of the stone, barely enough to make out the path. Su Yu walked in front, his left hand behind him, and Ginny nervously grabbed his hand from behind.

Kurama walked at the front, her eyes glowing in the darkness, her golden vertical pupils reflecting the blue light on the wall, making her look somewhat frightening.

At the end of the corridor was a circular stone door, engraved with Ancient Magic runes. Su Yu placed his hand on it, and the door opened by itself. Behind the door was a spiral staircase. The staircase was very narrow, and each stone step had been worn smooth and shiny by countless people, with its edges heavily worn—it must have been built at least hundreds of years ago.

Su Yu lowered his body and walked upstairs, with Kurama at his feet and Ginny behind him. The higher they went, the stronger the Hell atmosphere in the air became. By the time they reached the middle of the stairs, Su Yu could feel the sticky sensation pressing against his skin, as if someone had covered him with a layer of soaked cotton blanket.

Ginny's hand tightened in his palm.

Su Yu turned around. Ginny's expression was calm, but the strength with which she held his hand betrayed her. Su Yu gently squeezed her fingers, said nothing, and continued walking upstairs.

At the end of the stairs was a half-open wooden door, orange light shining through the crack. Su Yu nudged Kurama back, letting her squat behind him. Kurama glanced at him, but didn't move, nor did she move forward. Su Yu gently pushed the door with one hand, and it slid open silently.

The top of the tower is a circular open-air platform.

A huge blue crystal floats in the very center of the platform, its light illuminating the entire top of the tower as if it were daytime. Below the crystal is a complex magic circle, the patterns of which spread from the bottom of the crystal to the entire platform, filling all the engravings.

The platform was surrounded by a low stone wall, the top of which was covered with withered vines that swayed gently in the wind, making a soft sound.

Two people were standing next to the crystal.

One was Goblin, dressed in dark leather armor, with a short sword and dagger hanging from his belt. He had a thin face and narrow eyes.

Another wizard, dressed in a long black robe, had his hood pulled low, obscuring his face.

"The Ancient Magic power within the tower is right before our eyes! How long are you going to keep delaying?!" The Goblin's voice was rough and urgent, like sandpaper scraping against a stone slab. "Once we obtain this power, our plan can move forward further, and the wizards' rule will be nothing to fear!" He gestured in the air, pointing at the blue crystal, his eyes gleaming with greed.

The black-robed man's voice was the opposite of his, low and calm. "Acting rashly will only lead to failure. The ancient barrier of this tower has not yet been broken. Taking action now will only invite trouble. Wait as I said, or I will terminate the cooperation immediately."

His hands were tucked into his sleeves, and his posture appeared unhurried.

"Wait, wait, wait! You've made me wait three months!" the Goblin roared in fury. "What are you afraid of? Dumbledore? The Ministry of Magic? Or those greenhorn students?"

The man in black robes slowly turned around, the shadow under his hood obscuring most of his face. He stepped forward, raised his hand, and precisely grabbed the Goblin leader by the neck, forcefully lifting him off the ground.

The Goblin leader kicked and thrashed about in vain, his throat emitting hoarse hoarse sounds, his face filled with panic, unable to utter a complete threat. The black-robed man's fingers tightened slightly, his body exuding a chilling aura, his eyes coldly fixed on the struggling Goblin leader.

"Ranrok, if you wish to disobey Lord Asmodeus's orders, then so be it. But don't forget who gave you this power! You filthy thing!"