The Other William
William wasn't sure if he could handle Babbling, but he soon found himself losing control.
Because the water was really deep, and the waves were really big.
This is the literal meaning; the Horned Serpent swam around once and then approached a large river.
The riverbanks are lined with steep, massive rocks, and the river narrows at its mouth like a slender waist, where the turbulent waters converge and plunge into a horseshoe-shaped canyon.
Due to the treacherous terrain, the river surface is turbulent, with waves crashing fiercely against both banks.
The wooden water snake thus entered the waterfall and swam underwater.
Fortunately, William had plenty of Gillyweed on him, which enabled him to cope with the situation.
After diving several hundred meters, the wooden sculpture entered a cave, and William and Babbling followed.
Outside the cave, the river continues to flow. Inside, however, lies a completely different world.
The cave is filled with a dazzling array of gems, which illuminate it.
This is certainly not a hidden treasure vault, nor does it contain the legendary treasure of the Pirate King—One Piece.
Instead, the cave was filled with the skeletons of Horned Serpent.
This creature has a gemstone on its forehead, which falls off automatically after it dies.
In other words, this cave was a snake burial pit.
Only that Snakewood could attract snakes so effectively, so we definitely didn't choose the wrong location this time.
Of course, William is now even more interested in these gems.
The gemstone of the Horned Serpent is said to grant wizards the abilities of invisibility and flight.
William's Flying Cloak contained a component of this gemstone.
To prolong the invisibility effect of the Invisibility Cloak made by the Demiguise, it can be soaked in Potions brewed from gemstones.
Most importantly, with the number of Horned Serpent decreasing, these things are really expensive!
This trip to Ilvermorny is a sure way for me to Laozi a fortune!
The two continued deeper into the passage, and at first they could hear the sound of DiDi falling from the cave ceiling into the water.
As they went deeper, the temperature inside the cave rose sharply, as if a fire was burning intensely underground.
This isn't the set of "Journey to the Center of the Earth," at least the two of them are quite far from the Earth's core.
Even with William's limited scientific knowledge, such a drastic temperature change shouldn't have occurred!
But then again, we're in a magical world now... Scientist Newton? No good! Alchemist Newton? Yes, he'll do!
So it's not scientifically sound, but that's not a problem.
But if it doesn't conform to science, then it must conform to magic.
Could the temperature rise be caused by the Snakewood roots? Or is there something else burning underground?
Could there be a Godzilla sleeping underground?
The two walked along the winding passage for about half an hour, and the temperature kept rising.
If it weren't for Babbling, William would have wanted to run there naked.
The remains of the Horned Serpent around them gradually decreased, and the light grew dimmer and dimmer.
William took out Potion of Night Vision and gave one bottle to Babbling and one to her.
After taking it, one can clearly see the environment inside the cave in the dark.
Finally, the two reached the depths of the passage.
Surprisingly, the heatwave disappeared, and the cool air that rushed towards him made William feel refreshed.
William could still feel a powerful life force.
The leaves of the Snakewood possess powerful healing properties; this plant, which grows from a wand, also possesses tremendous vitality.
This indicates that the Snakewood was inside the cave.
Moreover, the heat probably didn't come from the Snakewood; something else underground was burning.
After William and Babbling used the Disillusionment Charm, they quietly entered the cave and were stunned by the sight before them.
The cave was carved out to be very large and filled with the roots and stems of Snakewood.
Those roots are still only a part; in most places, they are rooted in the rock face.
What surprised William most was that he saw stone pillars carved with coiled and intertwined snakes, towering and supporting the cave.
Beside the stone pillar, a statue suddenly appeared:
An old, monkey-like face, with a sparse, long beard that almost reached the hem of a wizard's robe carved from stone, and two Padfoot standing on smooth stones.
This is a statue of Slytherin, and it's almost identical to the statue in the Chamber of Chamber of Secrets!
William looked incredulous, as if he sensed something was amiss.
Just then, a sound leaped into his ears, sounding like water boiling and bubbling, along with a hissing sound like a snake.
That's the snorting sound of Horned Serpent!
William turned his head and saw a huge python, hidden in the roots of the Snakewood, sleeping undisturbed.
Spittles of water gushed from its sharp teeth and nostrils, irrigating the roots of the Snakewood.
On its head was a huge gem, the size of Quaffle, and its two horns were broken off.
This is the very white snake that Isolt Iser dreamed of three hundred years ago.
It was indeed intentionally sending a message to Isolt in his dream, and fortunately, after Isolt's death, the Snakewood was successfully found.
This is understandable, as it's not only wizards who possess the ability to Prophecy.
Horned Serpent can receive warning sounds in advance and see parts of the future.
But here's the problem...
This giant python, even thicker than the Basilisk, has been guarding the roots of the Snakewood for three hundred years.
William didn't believe that the Snakewood Snakewood obediently hand it over to him after its death.
However, now is not the time to disturb it; William and Babbling just need to find their place smoothly.
Just as they were about to quietly retreat, the snake that was sleeping suddenly twitched its tail, scratched its belly, and changed the rhythm of its snoring.
It didn't wake up; it just changed position, as if it were having a nightmare.
Just when William thought it was a false alarm, the water snake suddenly opened its eyes, revealing a pair of bright green snake pupils.
Snakes have poor eyesight; they rely more on heat sensing to detect prey.
Even if William and Babbling use the Disillusionment Charm, it can still lock onto the two of them.
But it wasn't William and Babbling who awakened it.
Babbling seemed to sense something as well; she suddenly grabbed William and pulled him to one side.
Just over ten seconds later, an old Magical Creatures appeared where William had been standing.
The Magical Creatures was short, with gray skin and long ears; it was... Pukwudgie.
Pukwudgie is a distant relative of the Europe Goblin, and like the misers of Gringotts, he can also use powerful magic.
Pukwudgie rushed into the cave and confronted the snake.
This inexplicably reminded William of Yang Guo seeing the serpent eagles confronting each other.
If he helps the snake, will he become the Snake Hero or Xu Xian?
Babbling clearly didn't want to help either side; she pulled William along and quietly slipped out.
On the way back, William asked curiously:
"What's with that Pukwudgie? How did it find its way here?"
"The branch's wooden carving is lost; it must have been searching for it along the way," Babbling sighed.
"He found this place; this is getting tricky. I was too careless; I didn't expect him to still be alive."
"How did he know we took the wood carving?" William asked.
"Of course he knows," Babbling explained. "Because the wooden carvings of the Four Houses were made by him with the help of Isolt Iser."
That's right, this Pukwudgie has lived for hundreds of years!
Babbling glanced at William, then suddenly a smile appeared on her lips.
"Speaking of which, this Pukwudgie is actually Isolt Isser's godfather."
He has the same name as you, also called... William!
Holy crap! (A magical ritual)
William was speechless. At that moment, he finally understood Tom's troubles.
The name is too common!