Severus noticed Manus's movements, but did not disturb him, but watched carefully.
As a result, he didn't see any clues until the last chess piece was placed.
"What is this?"
"This is Cokeworth."
Manus pointed at a chess piece near the center of the chessboard:
"This is my home."
Manus pointed to the next chess piece near the edge of the chessboard:
"This is your home."
With two points as reference objects, if you have a map of Cokeworth, you can actually determine the position represented by each chess piece.
Although Severus has actually not been to many areas of Cokeworth in recent years except for his home and Manus's home, he still recognized the symbols of certain chess pieces.
Such as that chimney, such as that forest...
Severus wanted to ask what these chess pieces were used for, but seeing Manus's serious expression, he suppressed his curiosity first and concentrated on watching Manus's movements.
After Manus finished explaining to Severus, he stood up and went to the bookshelf and took out something from a certain shelf. From this point of view, it was impossible to tell what Manus took. Severus suspected that the space hidden in Manus's bookshelf was actually larger than his home.
Not long after, Manus came back:
"Severus, reach out and spread your palms flat."
Although Severus didn't know why, he still did as he was told. Then he saw Manus's palm covering it and put something into his palm, which made him feel itchy.
When Manus moved his palm away, Severus lowered his head and saw an insect with extremely long tentacles and a black and yellow body lying in the palm of his hand, and the two tentacles were still moving.
Longhorn beetle? Still alive?
Although after studying Potions and Severus over the years I am not afraid of a longhorned beetle, I still couldn't help but feel my brain overloaded for a few seconds, wondering what Manus was doing.
"The beetle's keen antennae will sense the dangerous atmosphere that you are not aware of but have been exposed to, and then respond to its children."
Manus explained, but Severus became even more confused and could only understand one sentence. He seemed to be in danger, but he didn't know it.
It's okay if you don't understand it. In fact, Manus doesn't understand it very well. From the beginning of research on this Qi Magic Manus, I'm still at the stage where I don't know why.
In a sense, this kind of magic is also related to concepts, but the requirements for concepts in this kind of magic are extremely abstract.
When it is strict, it even needs to be accurate to individuals of a specific species who were born at a certain time, of a certain gender, and with certain characteristics. But when it is loose, it is not picky at all. Vegetable seasonings and clothing decorations, as long as they are generally reliable.
However, abstraction is abstraction, and there is no doubt about the advantages of this magic system. The materials can be found almost everywhere, and the effects are particularly good in some application scenarios.
For example, now, a beetle, the eggs it lays, and some materials taken from the destination you want to perceive can achieve the effect of Fifth Ring magic Question Nature without even spending a First-Circle Magic magic power.
Even on some issues, this magic is more accurate than Question Nature.
"Don't move... the monsters and monsters leave quickly..."
Manus held Severus's wrist and recited a difficult-to-speak incantation. As he recited the incantation, Severus saw the beetle tentacles in his palm light up green.
After the beetle tentacles lit up with green light, Manus stopped chanting the incantation and let go of his hand, looked at Severus and said:
"Hold the beetle and slowly move it over the chessboard, letting the beetle stay directly above each chess piece for at least one second."
Severus followed suit, starting with the chess piece closest to him, but after doing this for half of the chess pieces, there were still no other changes.
My hands are a bit sore after holding on like this. Can you switch to another hand...
Just when Severus was thinking this, his hand moved over a new chess piece, and this time there was a reaction that had never happened before.
"Buzz--"
The chess pieces on the chessboard suddenly shook, and then flew out from the place with a loud explosion, flying directly out of the chessboard and falling to the ground.
Severus's eyes widened slightly, and he didn't dare to move. He only turned his eyes to look at Manus:
"This situation... should be abnormal, right?"
"Um... right."
There is some trouble. The source of the danger has not left. I don't know if it is a coincidence or another purpose.
Manus stretched out his hand, and the chess piece on the ground flew into his hand. It was a wooden chess piece. Due to the size of the material, it was slimmer than other chess pieces. The top was a natural branch.
This chess piece was made from branches of a small forest in the suburbs, and it corresponds to that area.
It's very close to Snape's home.
Looking at Severus, Manus said:
"Continue."
"Oh... okay."
Severus did as he was told, but no other chess pieces had a similar situation again.
"Okay."
After staying above the last chess piece, Severus handed the beetle back to Manus.
"Well, thank you for your hard work."
Manus stretched out his hand, and the beetle flapped its wings and flew into Manus's palm. The green light on the two tentacles also dimmed as it left Severus's palm.
Although the requirements for beetle materials in Qi Magic are as low as using specimens, as long as it is sensed that live beetle eggs are buried at the destination.
The so-called passing on danger to children is just a symbolic meaning in magic. This ordinary beetle does not have such complex intelligence. At this moment, after leaving the magical state, it has returned to the state of a domestic beetle pet.
But Manus still didn't kill the beetle. Now he touched the beetle's back armor with his fingertips and said:
"Don't worry, your child will be fine."
After saying that, Manus put the beetle back into the box where it was raised.
Some things don't make sense in the world where Qi Magic comes from, but they may not be meaningless in this world. It doesn't take much effort anyway, so why narrow the road.
After letting the beetle go home, Manus looked at Severus:
"Let's go to Secret Base!"
Severus There is no ink mark, just open the door and go downstairs:
"So what did you see just now? And where did you find out that there was something dangerous... that Wiggentree tree?"
"Hmm."
Manus was just about to explain that he found that the source of the danger had not left, but was still in the small woods on the outskirts, when he heard Severus say:
"Then you just lied to me and said that it was my sleepwalking that cut it off?"
"..."
Manus's open mouth was unable to speak for a while. He was shocked that Severus was focusing on the key point at this time, and at the same time, he was also a little speechless that he had actually seriously considered this possibility.