While Hogwarts in the north was covered in snow, it was still drizzling in Somerset in the south.

The rain was very cold, and it would make people feel irritated for some reason, and there were not many pedestrians on the street except for the hurried vehicles. After all, this kind of weather is more suitable for hiding at home.

So, even during the Christmas holidays, there's not much festive atmosphere here, only a few of them can be seen from the furnishings and lamps in the shops and squares.

Ike didn't care, since he left Hogwarts, the holidays didn't mean much to him, and he didn't have much time to think about these things, the study of magic and his career took up too much time.

If it were last year or the year before that, this bleak atmosphere would not have caused his mood to fluctuate, but this year is different.

Maybe it's because of what I saw in Gloucester?

Perhaps......

Ike raised his head, looked at the thin lines of rain in the air, listened to the sound of raindrops falling on the ground, and finally came to his senses at the sound of the closing doors of the nearby shop.

It was a man in a long coat holding an umbrella, and holding a box wrapped in pink wrapping paper in his arms. Judging by his hurried appearance, he should have forgotten to buy gifts for his children in advance.

The man walked briskly past Ike, fumbling in his pockets as he went. Walking up to a Prius, I finally found the car keys.

Then open the door, get in the car, and hurry away.

"Heh......"

Ike smiled, his fingers moved slightly, and the wet clothes on his body instantly became dry, and the dense raindrops could no longer fall on him. As soon as the figure turned, it disappeared in place.

Apple Island, Godless Island, and Avalon all refer to a place, a mysterious place older than the Tower of Babel. In the records of wizards, only Merlin and King Arthur actually reached there.

Apart from them, no definite person has set foot there, at least not in the literature that has been handed down.

So, for years, there have been people in the wizarding world who have doubted the authenticity of Avalon, just as they doubted the existence of the druids in the ancient wizarding world.

In the logic of the skeptics, since Avalon is false, then the druids who are the inheritance of Avalon naturally do not exist. Such an equation, in turn, holds true in their logic.

For supporters, Merlin is a great testament to Avalon's existence, which is now a common recognition in the wizarding world.

This cognition has to be said to be very unscientific, but it is very magical.

Ike knew a little more, and he was sure that Avalon was a real place, as it was clearly documented in both Ravenclaw and Slytherin manuscripts.

“…… On the eve of the crescent moon, the fog outside the island will lift......"

“…… We didn't see all nine goddesses, in fact, there was nothing else here except endless forests and muddy swamps......"

“…… Godric wanted to take on the legendary Green Knight, but during our time in the lull he could only use that sword to fight the monstrous thorns......"

This is the part mentioned in the Ravenclaw manuscript, and as for Slytherin, it is only a short sentence.

"That's where magic curses."

It's clueless, and there's no explanation of the exact way to enter, but for Ike, it's enough.

There are two locations in Avalon that have been handed down today, and Ike had already searched for the place in France when he escorted the giants back, and it could have been ruled out just in case he had gone there once a few months ago.

So, that's all that's left here is Somerset.

It's just that unfortunately, he needs to wait here for half a month. Yesterday I saw it in the clear night sky of Gloucester, but it was a full moon.

After all, it is the legendary Gensokyo, which is far away from the world, and it is also the magical cursed land in Slytherin's mouth, and it will not appear so abruptly in front of Ike's eyes.

Therefore, the necessary preparations still have to be made.

So, for the next ten days, Ike kept walking in the field, dropping a round glass ball every other distance. It was a gadget he had specially refined for the trip, inspired by a speculum, inexpensive to build, and had only one function: to sense nearby magical fluctuations.

Hundreds of small balls were dropped, like stones sinking into the sea, and there were no waves at all, but they were barely enough, and the rest was to check them one by one.

After dozens of false positives, Ike finally waited for the eve of the new moon as described in the Ravenclaw manuscript.

He stood quietly on the surface of the sea, holding a piece of parchment in his hand, which was covered with dense green dots of light. It was a reflection of the glass ball that had been dropped earlier, and it was rare that there was not a single trace of red at this time.

Slowly, the time came to midnight.

Suddenly, several green dots that were close together disappeared, and the circle of light around them turned green and red in an instant. Even though it's just a blink of an eye, red turns back to green, but it's enough!

Without the slightest hesitation, Ike immediately moved to the location of a red dot. When I looked closely, I already found a trace of weirdness.

The dark sea in the distance is too calm!

Putting away the parchment and holding his wand in his hand, Ike cautiously walked forward. As he went deeper, the sounds around him became quieter and quieter, and there was nothing but his breathing.

The sea was as calm as a mirror, black as an abyss that could swallow everything, and Ike threw out a light spell, but the ball of light could only illuminate the distance of two or three meters around him.

After a few more moments of walking, Ike suddenly stopped, and then took a few steps back.

He threw out another dazzling ball of light, but only floated forward to where he had stopped.

Then, it disappeared suddenly!

It's as if there's an invisible barrier there.

"Giants appear!"

Ike said a spell in his mouth, his wand pointed downward, and then flicked upward, and the calm water under his feet tumbled violently in the next second. Then, a large hand made of water suddenly stretched out and pressed straight to the surface of the water.

Then the other hand, then the head, until finally, a water giant ten meters tall appeared in front of Ike. The huge body just moved, as if it was raining.

The wand pointed forward again, and the water giant immediately moved his legs and walked forward with the water that fell like rain. With another wave, the water giant immediately stopped.

Just right, half on the inside and half on the outside.

Ike took two steps forward, looking forward through the transparent body of the water giant, and the boulder in his heart finally fell.

It turned out to be just an ordinary barrier, but it was very similar to the one Gloucester saw.

Ike no longer hesitated, raised his leg and took a step forward, and at the same time waved the wand in his right hand, and in the next second, the whole person disappeared in place.

Behind him, the huge water giant dispersed with a bang.

(End of chapter)