The elevator descended swiftly and silently, soon carrying the two of them deep underground. The only regrettable thing was that there was no scenery along the way, only faint friction sounds and the ding when it arrived.
The polished elevator doors opened onto a spacious hall, roughly the size of Hogwarts' Great Hall, though its architectural style was entirely different.
The ceiling and walls resembled deep blue velvet, dotted with gleaming stars, creating an atmosphere both mysterious and luxurious.
At the center of the hall was a circular depression, somewhat like a deeper dance floor and somewhat like an empty swimming pool.
On the far side of the sunken area stood a wall made of blue stained glass, apparently depicting the founding of Hogwarts. Beside the pool stood four massive picture frames. At the moment, only their backgrounds could be seen: a library, a laboratory, likely settings for portraits. The people in the paintings, however, were nowhere to be found.
"This place is quite beautiful, Professor."
Hermione looked up at the starry ceiling, but she did not let down her guard. She already held her shotgun in one hand and her wand in the other.
After all, there was no way to predict what dangers might lurk within the Chamber of Secrets.
"It's fine. I'm here." Su Ming strode forward. The armor on his body shuddered on its own, shaking off droplets like a small animal. "This is the so-called Ancient Magic trial ground. In a moment, four people will appear in those portraits. They'll ask some questions and provide some answers. I want to see whether you can obtain Ancient Magic. Of course, it doesn't matter if you can't. We can keep going down and directly look for those sealed emotions."
"I understand, but Ancient Magic should be a