William's Rhinestone

A strong wind blew, causing William's sleeves to flutter and rustle. He looked at the Lady of the Lake, his eyes now cold and piercing.

William had considered the possibility of being tricked, but he didn't expect it to happen so quickly and so... insidiously.

When William first met Vivian, she discovered the Bronze Ring and must have known about the time loop.

Therefore, she must be aware of William's current special condition.

However, when the two made their deal, Vivian still wanted the Goblin Gems.

William then realized that she must have the ability to prevent certain objects from cycling through time as well.

Otherwise, the precious jewels they've acquired will simply return to William tomorrow.

Vivian's use of the Holy Grail from the outset completely misled William, making him believe that her goal was the Holy Grail!

The Holy Grail can help her escape her cage.

William brought Dumbledore to prevent her from forcibly taking the Holy Grail and the Goblin Gems.

But unexpectedly, her goal wasn't the Holy Grail; it was those two dragons from beginning to end.

Why did William suddenly stop?

Professor Trelawney's seemingly nonsensical Prophecy served as a great reminder to him.

Trelawney said that day that she gazed into the abyss with her Inner Eye... Red and white dragons were circling overhead, getting lower and lower... right above the castle... Many people were going to die...

So, what is the abyss gazing upon?

It couldn't possibly be Professor Trelawney.

The abyss is gazing upon... the red dragon and the white dragon.

The abyss that Professor Trelawney spoke of was Vivian.

Vivian raised an eyebrow and said, "How did you see through it? I'm really curious."

She deliberately mentioned the Holy Grail to mislead William. Her true target, from beginning to end, was the two dragons.

Unexpectedly, the kid suddenly woke up, stopping the whole process.

Strange, Vivian really couldn't figure out how he came up with that. There shouldn't be any loopholes.

"That's none of your business," William said coldly.

"Don't be angry," Vivian said with a gentle laugh.

"We made a fair deal, and I didn't lie to you. As long as those two dragons are released, the Holy Grail can regain the power of the Deathly Hallows."

Using my method, you will indeed leave Hogwarts.

"As for the two dragons..." Vivian crossed her arms and said softly, "They left the Holy Grail and were captured by me; that's my skill, don't you think?"

"If you capture those two dragons, will you be able to get out?" William squinted.

"Let me think... they can take your place inside, right?"

Vivian stared intently at William and smiled, "I'm really surprised, you're very smart."

If I weren't trapped here, I would have taken you back to Avalon.

I suddenly understand why that person chose you.

"What's the meaning?"

Vivian didn't reply. She simply looked up at the sky and said calmly:

"So, do you want to continue? Don't you want to escape the time loop? Or do you want to be trapped inside forever?"

William did not speak.

Is a deal with Vivian inevitable? After all, he can't afford to get caught up in it.

This is why, even knowing there might be a trap, I still went to her.

But William didn't want to continue using the Holy Grail, as that would Vivian.

A witch from the time of Merlin... who lived for at least 1,600 years.

This being is far more difficult to deal with than Voldemort.

Dumbledore suddenly spoke up, "Then let's make a second deal? You must have other methods? Perhaps you could get William out of the school?"

"Hmm?" Vivian looked at Dumbledore. "I do have several methods, but why should I agree to them?"

"Because the Goblin Gems in your hand..." William grinned. "is fake."

Was Vivian trying to trick him? And didn't William also have his own plans to trick her?

So, what he gave her was a rhinestone.

The real Goblin Gems... William definitely wouldn't give it up.

Then let's get a replica.

William first used Doubling Charm to copy the jewel.

But it was no use; the jewels he copied couldn't emit that starlight-like brilliance at all.

It's obviously fake.

In other words, the Goblin Gems is impossible to counterfeit.

So he went to Dumbledore.

The headmaster's wand can even Reparo.

This couldn't possibly be Dumbledore's own power; it could only come from his magic wand.

That wand wasn't an ordinary wand.

William couldn't replicate the Diamond, but Dumbledore might be able to.

Dumbledore succeeded.

Of course, those fake diamonds? They won't last long in terms of brilliance.

Of course, William doesn't need it to last long; just enough to fool Vivian briefly is fine.

Vivian was focused on the Holy Grail and the dragon, and after taking the jewel, she felt that the starlight on it was fine, so she didn't check it.

At this moment, Vivian examined it in astonishment and, after confirming that it was indeed a fake diamond, laughed in anger.

Her gaze fell upon Dumbledore, who was holding an unremarkable wand.

"So that wand was in your possession, which is why you were able to replicate this..."

William asked, "We just tricked each other once, so in a way, I lost and you gained a dragon."

But you only have a white dragon, so you still can't escape... I'll only offer you a precious gem in exchange."

William also had a general idea.

The Merpeople were performing a ritual to gather some kind of power for Vivian, enabling her to escape successfully.

But this process is too slow, otherwise she wouldn't have been trapped for thousands of years.

This process could even continue for thousands of years.

The diamond could probably shorten this process, which is why she wanted it after seeing it.

The Twin Dragons are more direct, allowing her to escape right now.

But William stopped the process; with only one dragon, she had no way to escape.

The Lady of the Lake pondered for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, "Then let's exchange it for the Goblin Gems."

Since she had already failed, she could only seek the Goblin Gems. The Fairy Diamond was also a very attractive magical item to her.

"Provide a solution first, then I'll give you the jewel," William said cautiously.

Vivian smiled and moved stealthily, extending one hand and gently reaching down into the Black Lake.

The trident appeared out of thin air in her hand.

"This trident contains the power I've gathered. It can temporarily replace Hogwarts Castle's power supply, allowing you to leave the school," Vivian explained.

William glanced at her suspiciously.

"Don't worry, I'm honest and fair in my dealings," Vivian said with a smile.

"I can use magic to temporarily transfer the magic needed for the Bronze Ring from Hogwarts Castle to it."

When you go out, just take the trident with you.

Vivian's eyes shone brightly, and she began to cast a spell as she moved slightly.

Suddenly, a series of strange ripples, visible to the naked eye, appeared in the air. Upon closer inspection, they were intricately connected to the ring on William's hand.

Vivian slashed downwards, cleaving the lake as if sliced by a sword. The connection suddenly vanished, instead linking to the trident.

Vivian threw the trident at William.

The entire Black Lake trembled violently, but after William caught it, the surface of the water, which had been ruffled by the wind, gradually calmed down like a mirror.

William's expression changed drastically, and his entire palm turned from white to red.

Vivian gloated, "Hot as a ton of pity? Don't let go. Ravenclaw, that little brat caused this."

William, enduring the stinging pain, snapped, "You keep calling her a little girl, but she should be stronger than you, right? You can't even handle something this simple?"

Vivian chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I was definitely better than her when she left Hogwarts."

But a thousand years have passed, so it's hard to say now.

William fainted from the pain, but instead of wavering, he gripped the trident even tighter.

Vivian sighed inwardly, another Ravenclaw, but said aloud, "If we want to make another trade, we'll have to get that red dragon."

By the way, the book-reading app I've been using recently [APP] allows you to cache books and read them offline!

Otherwise, in your next time loop, you still won't be able to leave Hogwarts even a step.

William tossed out a precious diamond and said with a forced sigh, "Don't worry, you can stay locked up in there for another thousand years!"

Vivian snorted coldly, but there was a subtle, ambiguous smile in her narrow, autumn-like eyes.

After catching the jewel, she floated away.

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