A Deception!
The Washington Monument in the United States emits a dazzling white light, shining like a precious jewel in the darkness.
Whether you're Muggle or a wizard, anyone in Washington, D.C.. can sense this power.
They looked up... gazing blankly at that dazzling light.
A gentle breeze blows, and countless characters rise and sway slightly, creating a scene otherworldly that compels one to bow in reverence.
Soon, people saw three figures appear on the spire.
The light was too bright, casting shadows that obscured her features.
Standing atop the obelisk, William looked around.
As the tallest building in Washington., the view from this vantage point is exceptionally spectacular.
He didn't observe for long before looking down. At his feet was the tip of an obelisk, still wrapped in a small ring of aluminum foil.
This is normal; in those days, aluminum was more precious than gold.
Back then, Napoleon III had a special aluminum crown made. In fact, only Napoleon III, his royal family members, noble ministers, and other high-ranking officials were entitled to use aluminum cutlery.
On that small piece of metal, there was also an inscription:
Laus Deo!
"Laus Deo..."
Hermione had studied Latin. After a moment's thought, she muttered, "Praise God?"
As a wizard, she actually preferred to translate it as: Praise Merlin.
William, however, felt that... this "god" did not refer to the Muggle "God," nor to the wizard Merlin.
Rather, it is Death, which is omnipresent yet omnipresent.
Praise be to Death!
After all... the Prehistoric Mysteries are hidden here.
Of course, William's certainty that the lost power was hidden here was not based on this inscription.
Rather, it was because, earlier that evening, while standing atop the Capitol, he inadvertently spotted something familiar.
William's gaze moved down from the spire and quickly found the statue on the wall of the obelisk:
He had an old, monkey-like face with a sparse, long beard that almost reached the hem of his wizard's robe.
Another Slytherin statue!
This was the third Slytherin Statue William had seen, following the Chamber of Secrets and the cave at the base of the Snakewood.
It was because of this that he was basically certain that the power was hidden here.
Yes, that's the only place we can hide.
The Washington Monument marks the origin of the crossroads in Washington, D.C..
The entire square revolves around it, with its four arms extending outwards like the four cardinal directions on a compass.
It is both the center of the capital and the undisputed center of power in the United States!
If he had to choose a place to store that power, William would also choose this obelisk.
"Are we taking it with us?" Hermione looked down at the monument and said matter-of-factly, "Pack up the whole monument and take it back to the United Kingdom?"
Trene, who was standing nearby, was stunned.
This is the Washington Monument, one of the most important buildings in the United States.
Putting aside its importance, its height alone is a staggering 169 meters.
Why did Hermione's tone sound more like she was picking up some insignificant trash from the street?
Well, Hermione's good habit of "disc operation" is clearly something she picked up from William.
In the past, William would have agreed and simply packed up the obelisk and brought it back to the United Kingdom.
But at this moment, he remained silent for a long time, and finally shook his head:
"We're not taking this power with us; it's probably just a scam."
"A hoax?!" Hermione exclaimed in disbelief. "Isn't this the power left behind by Slytherin?"
William gazed at the distant night sky and said softly, "Perhaps, perhaps not, but there's definitely something wrong with this power."
Hermione tilted her head, looking bewildered, as she pondered what detail she had overlooked.
William quickly explained:
"It's normal that you don't remember. That was five years ago, when I first met Professor Babbling..."
At that time, William entered the time loop for the second time.
He wanted to learn the Ancient Runes, so he went to find Babbling.
William whispered, "At the time, Babbling told me that the original meaning of the Ancient Runes was important, not its translation."
A single word, a single mistranslation, is enough to rewrite history.
for example..."
William's expression was unusually serious.
The image of Slytherin was initially only recorded in the Slytherin family, but those were in the form of Ancient Runes.
Later, Corvinus Gaunt translated this part into Latin.
However, he incorrectly translated "Slytherin's face seemed to glow" as "his face looked like a monkey's."
From then on, all Slytherin characters had a monkey face.
At that time, William was not very involved in the Wizarding World and did not pay much attention to the mistake, thinking it was just a minor academic issue.
But as William encountered the Slytherin Statue multiple times, he gradually realized something was wrong.
Something's not right!
Hearing his words, Hermione keenly realized something and said with a look of astonishment:
"If Slytherin didn't look like that, then the Slytherin Statue in the Chamber of Secrets, and that Chamber of Chamber of Secrets Sanctuary..."
"That's right!" William stared into Hermione's eyes and nodded.
"The Chamber of Secrets is real, Basilisk is real too."
But the Chamber of Secrets Sanctuary Tom discovered Chamber of Secrets was probably a fake.
Years ago, after Tom was resurrected from the diary, he found the so-called Chamber of Secrets Sanctuary within the Slytherin Statue in the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets.
And... Slytherin's notes.
It was thanks to his notes that he came to United States in search of the Slytherin's Wand and Prehistoric Mysteries.
The problem is that if the statue is fake, then the so-called Chamber of Secrets Sanctuary must also be fake.
At least, it wasn't left by Slytherin.
It's even less likely that he would, as Tom claimed, have spent his time studying magic, contemplating life, observing the universe and time, or even reflecting on death in that room.
And... left behind thick notebooks.
It's all a scam!
So, who set this up?
Numerous pieces of evidence suggest that Corvinus Gaunt discovered the Chamber of Secrets much earlier.
He not only repaired Hogwarts ' plumbing system, but also concealed it.
He was also one of the first people to mistake Slytherin's appearance.
That statue, and the room inside it, were very likely left behind by him.
Of course, Slytherin may indeed have left notes.
After all, Tom dispelled the Horcrux community using the magic in the notebook; that can't be faked...
But Gaunt was able to discover the Chamber of Secrets and the notes, yet he didn't take them with him.
They even deliberately created a so-called Chamber of Secrets Sanctuary, posing it as a place for Slytherin students to study, and left their notes inside...
This is clearly malicious.
The most reasonable explanation:
He deliberately altered the content to lure later generations into searching for Prehistoric Mysteries and magic wands.
The notes are a mix of truth and falsehood... that's how you fool people!
The evidence is that both the wand and the obelisk bear statues of Slytherin.
It can only be said that he originally wanted to enhance the realism, but a small detail went wrong, which gave William reason to be suspicious.
No matter how you look at it, there's a conspiracy involved!
Although this Gaunt is Babbling's father, and William would probably have to call him "uncle" when they meet... let's keep things separate.
In any case, this powerful force, seemingly tempting, is actually laced with poison.
William wouldn't dare touch it!
Let whoever wants to touch it touch it!
On the other hand, Tom had been searching all along, so this force was probably deliberately left for him.
Unfortunately, Tom not only went to the wrong place, but he also died.
William felt a pang of regret: this tool died too quickly.
Brother, I'll definitely buy a paper copy of the Washington Monument and burn it for you on the seventh day after your death!
If you want to hate, then be like Voldemort, and just don't come looking for me again.