Caduceus in Slytherin's hand is the same as the one Evan has seen before. The dark golden scepter exudes an imposing manner of formidable oppression, even stronger than Thoth's imposing manner. Two large green snakes wrap around it from bottom to top, and above, wings are spread out. The mouth of one of the large snakes opens wide, revealing menacing fangs. In the middle of the two snakes, there is a circular spheroid. It's not just any spheroid; it's the Eye of Horus! Evan can confirm that there was no such eye on the Caduceus in Slytherin's hand.
Before him, the image of Thoth gently wields Caduceus. With each of his movements, magic runes flash from the eye, one after another, evolving from simplicity to complexity. Some of these runes Evan has seen before in his research notes from Flamel, while others are completely new to him. These runes finally combine together, intricately weaving into a complex light formation. Thoth gently taps the group with Caduceus, infusing it with his final burst of magic power. Suddenly, the Philosopher's Stone appears.
"This is the method of manufacturing the Philosopher's Stone," Evan exclaims as he gazes at the Philosopher's Stone, which shimmers with a green hue. It's unbelievable, almost dreamlike. After a few seconds, he realizes that he has diligently memorized the complex magic runes. These are the foundational elements of alchemy. Evan understands why Nicolas Flamel wanted him to study the "Emerald Tablet" beyond the admonition; it's because of these magic runes. They hold the keys to alchemy's basic framework. Evan intends to record these runes meticulously to gain a deep understanding of alchemy. Once he grasps the methods and sequences of these runes, he can craft various alchemical items using different materials, such as a Pensieve, which requires dozens of intricate magic runes and symbols. While he has seen these runes on the stone basin, he didn't know their specific depictions and had no idea where to begin. However, Thoth has revealed all of these details, creating a clear mental image for Evan. With enough time for research and experimentation, Evan believes he can reproduce these runes and manufacture a Pensieve exactly like the one he's seen.
"With these alchemical runes, I should have no problem with the first part of the "Book of Abraham". It's just a matter of practice, and if I can get my hands on that Time-Turner, time won't be an issue either. It seems my next task is to find Caduceus and uncover the information Slytherin left behind."
Slytherin's Caduceus is essential, and Evan is certain that the vampires hold the key to this mystery. In Aragog's nest, he finally spots Slytherin's wand, locket, ring, and Caduceus, each located at one of the four corners, suppressing some formidable evil gods. This discovery suggests a connection between Slytherin, Herpo the Foul, and the temple in Ancient Greece. Slytherin likely found the evil gods and Caduceus there in the past, possibly during Herpo the Foul's time.
As the incantations from the first part of the "Book of Abraham" near their end, Thoth's form gradually dissipates. Evan returns to the real world but doesn't rush to leave. Instead, he closes his eyes and continues to reflect on what he has just learned. As Evan focuses on recalling the alchemical runes, Zuosey, the goblin, watches him closely. Zuosey has never seen these runes before and notices green glowing inscriptions emanating from the "Emerald Tablet", surrounding Evan before entering his body, seemingly absorbed by him through some mysterious magical force.
At this moment, Evan gazes intently at the massive stone tablet of the "Emerald Tablet", lost in thought. "Mr. Mason!" he attempts to call out but receives no response. Zuosey realizes that Evan has likely acquired some unknown secret from the "Emerald Tablet", possibly the method of creating the Philosopher's Stone. Greed overtakes his face, and he resolves to extract this knowledge from Evan. Controlling Evan's mind with Legilimency, using Veritaserum, or even the Imperius Curse—all these options run through Zuosey's mind.
Zuosey contemplates, "Crucio could be a good choice too. No one can endure that level of pain." A sinister smile appears on Zuosey's face as he extends a long, slender finger, ready to strike Evan. He underestimates the challenges Evan has faced and the strength he now possesses.
The next moment, a green ray darts toward Evan. Sensing Zuosey's malicious intent, Evan opens his eyes just as the goblin raises his finger. In an instant, Evan instinctively raises his right hand, gripping his wand. With silent incantations and swift movements, a magic barrier materializes before him with astonishing speed. Zuosey's spell approaches Evan but quickly reverses its course, heading back towards the goblin.
Zuosey's wicked smile fades as he watches his own spell being reflected. "How is this possible?" he mutters, bewildered, as he tries to dodge the returning spell. He cannot allow Evan to escape, as he must obtain both the Philosopher's Stone's secret and the boy's life.
Before Zuosey can make a move, Evan gracefully swings his wand downward, sending a crimson ray that strikes the goblin. It's the Binding Curse! Bluish-gray chains materialize around Zuosey, rendering him immobile. He can only helplessly witness his own spell rebounding upon him—a painful web of magic.
Desperate to scream, Zuosey finds that no sound escapes his lips under the effects of the Binding Curse. His face contorts in agony as he bears the pain he had intended to inflict on Evan, mixed with regret and shock.
Evan walked away, paying no pity to the fallen Goblin who was trembling on the ground. The Cruciatus Curse had been cast, and this creature had only itself to blame. Evan guessed correctly the reason behind the attack from this greedy Goblin. It had likely seen the response from the "Emerald Tablet" and wanted to control Evan, inflict harm, and extract the tablet's secrets maliciously. Zuosey thought he would succeed, but he hadn't anticipated Evan's extraordinary strength, which far exceeded his imagination.
If he followed through with their agreement, bringing Evan, Hermione, and Gabrielle to the Sun vestige or harming Evan would force Evan to reveal the secrets of the "Emerald Tablet" or give up the Philosopher's Stone. Unfortunately, Zuosey had been too greedy, blind to the fact that he didn't fully understand Evan's capabilities. He had challenged Evan without realizing he was doomed to lose.
"Greedy and foolish Goblin!" Evan gently waved his wand, causing Zuosey to faint instantly. His body ceased twitching. Evan had no qualms about neutralizing a Goblin that posed an active threat to a wizard. Once this incident was revealed, public opinion in the magical world would turn against the Goblins, prompting the Ministry of Magic and the International Confederation of Wizards to tighten their control over Gringotts further. Evan wasn't foolish enough to reveal the secrets of the "Emerald Tablet" or the "Book of Abraham", as he didn't want to become embroiled in a public relations quagmire. The current situation was already unfavorable, with Fudge and the Ministry closely monitoring Dumbledore and his associates. Fudge was searching for any excuse to take action against them, regardless of Evan's justification. If Evan were to kill a Goblin at this time, the Ministry of Magic would undoubtedly issue an arrest warrant, and he would be brought before Wizengamot.
Fudge had no qualms about expelling him from Hogwarts, sending him to Azkaban, or worse. Unable to kill Zuosey, Evan had to consider his next move carefully. Simply releasing the Goblin was not a viable option. The attack had made Evan aware that Goblins were driven solely by their greed for valuables and wealth, with the Philosopher's Stone being an irresistible temptation. As long as Zuosey remembered this incident, he would go to great lengths to obtain the Philosopher's Stone from Evan.
Evan decided to take additional precautions to completely resolve this issue. He muttered an incantation under his breath.
After Evan and Zuosey left, Bill, Fleur, Hermione, Gabrielle, and Laurie remained in the hall. Bill introduced Laurie to the girls, and they exchanged pleasantries.
"Never thought we'd have the chance to cooperate so soon," Laurie said, her gaze shifting between Fleur, Hermione, and Gabrielle. "You and Mr. Weasley are Hogwarts students, right? That's a renowned magical school."
"I'm from Hogwarts, and Gabrielle and Fleur are from Beauxbatons," Hermione replied. "Beauxbatons is one of Europe's three major magical schools."
"Ah, Beauxbatons, a beautiful school," Laurie said with a hint of nostalgia. "I've always loved France, and I've been to Paris. It truly lives up to its romantic reputation. Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to visit Beauxbatons."
"Besides Evan, hardly anyone from our school has visited," Fleur added, recalling last summer's chaos caused by Evan. "That rascal managed to turn the entire school upside down in less than a day."
"Not surprising, considering it's Evan. Most of the time, those fellows provoke him first," Gabrielle chimed in. She suddenly stopped, recalling the incident. "Speaking of which, I remembered that black cat from that night. Afterward, it disappeared, and I wanted to adopt it."
"A black cat?" Hermione looked at Gabrielle, knowing that Evan's Animagus form was a black cat.
"Yes, it was an adorable cat. It suddenly appeared when Evan first came to our school. I gave it some milk, hoping to give it a bath, but it ran away and never returned," Gabrielle explained with concern. "I asked around, but no one had seen it, and no one claimed it as their pet."
"It probably wandered into the woods and was a stray cat," Fleur suggested with a knowing smile.
Hermione nodded, reasonably sure that the black cat Gabrielle described was Evan. She was about to inquire further when Gabrielle mentioned giving it a bath together. Was that really necessary?
"But..." Gabrielle hesitated, "it was a black cat. Your birthday is coming up, so I thought Evan could give you one."
"Wait a minute, let's ask Evan first," Hermione suddenly said. "He's quite wealthy, and you don't need to be so polite with him."
Unbeknownst to Evan, he had just been sold out by Hermione. Yet, Evan had other concerns on his mind, such as what prompted Gabrielle to suggest taking a bath together. Was it because she wanted to see his Animagus form? That would be a disaster.
While the girls were discussing Evan, Laurie observed their interaction with a knowing smile. In her brief encounter with the group, she had already realized that Evan was the core of their team and seemed to be a remarkably strong individual.
"I must say, Evan is quite impressive," Laurie remarked. "I may not be very old, but I've never seen someone so proficient in alchemy. And I've never seen Mr. Zuosey treat anyone with such respect, willingly leading him to the underground vault to view the "Emerald Tablet". This is unprecedented."