Chapter 421: The Four Beasts of Deum

Chapter 421 The Four Beasts of Deum
Karkaroff's office was still shrouded in dim green light, and every piece of furnishing in the room seemed to silently speak of Durmstrang's majesty and coldness.

There were several ancient books with thick covers on the ebony desk, and an ancient metal hourglass on one side. The silver sand in the hourglass flowed quietly, reflecting the surrounding green light, which looked extremely mysterious.

In the corners of the room, there are many transparent glass cabinets, which store all kinds of strange-shaped silver wares, antique seals, old music boxes, and even a magic eye that is knocked into a transparent glass bottle, spinning around and staring at everyone in the room.

The cabinet had convex and concave shapes and the gray-white walls were hung with portraits of unknown people and colorful medals. The moment Sherin and Karkarov came in, it seemed that the sensitive nerves of some objects were touched. A silver box with eight legs kicked up and down in the glass cabinet, making a "pa pa" sound.

There was also a teapot with a spout, which howled "woooo woooo" as if it was boiling. The sound was unpleasant and piercing. Black shadows flashed across the ceiling in an instant. No one knew what they were. They were like shapeless ghosts, parading and dancing.

Sherin sat in a black leather armchair, leaning back slightly, his expression casual yet elegant, his eyes scanning the entire room, finally landing on the two people introduced by Karkaroff.

"This is Professor Helmut, the vice-president of Durmstrang and also the instructor of the Dark Arts class." Karkaroff raised his hand and gestured to the tall and thin man beside him.

Daxil Helmut bowed slightly, and every movement of his was precise and perfect. He was wearing a black slim-fitting tuxedo-like robe and a pair of white gloves. Even when he nodded slightly, his hands gently touched the badge on his chest. The badge was engraved with a double-headed eagle with outstretched wings, symbolizing Durmstrang's academic tradition. Helmut's face was cold and clean, and his eyes under the gold-rimmed glasses revealed a sense of rigor and scrutiny, as if he could see through every disguise of a person.

"I have heard of your great reputation for a long time. It is my honor to see you in person." Helmut said in a low and magnetic voice, his tone was neither humble nor arrogant, and his etiquette was impeccable.

"Professor Helmut's strength and knowledge are enough to make any student feel in awe." Karkaroff added with a smile. Then he looked at the burly man standing on the other side, "As for this one, he is the administrator of Durmstrang, Bass."

Bass's style was completely different from Helmut's. He wore a simple black short robe with his collar slightly open, revealing the wolf tattoos on his neck and shoulders. The tattoos seemed to move under the green light, faintly glowing blood-red. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, and his strong muscles stretched the sleeves of his robe tightly, making him look extremely intimidating. He did not salute like Helmut, but just nodded and grinned with a somewhat wild smile.

"Sir Xie Ling, if there is anything you need to deal with, please let me know. Bass will make sure it is done." His voice was hoarse but full of power, and every word was as heavy as a piece of iron falling to the ground.

"It seems that your men are very impressive, Karkaroff." Sherin smiled slightly, his tone calm, but it was impossible to ignore the deep meaning in his eyes.

"They are my confidants in Durmstrang and my most trusted right-hand men. They will also serve Master Malfoy at his side and follow him until death," said Karkaroff.

Then, Karkaroff waved his hand and cast a small magic, calling a bottle of vodka with ice crystals to the table. The bottle was crystal clear, with a snow lotus pattern engraved on it, and it flashed a cold light blue with the light.

"This is the famous 'Ice Flower Vodka' produced by the famous Nordic winery Catherine. It is as famous as the 'Flame Whisky' of the Ogden Winery in Great Britain." Karkaroff smiled and poured a glass for Sherin himself. The cold wine condensed into delicate ice flowers in the glass. "I hope our future cooperation will be smooth sailing."

Xie Ling took the wine glass and shook it gently. The light blue light reflected a wonderful color in the green light. He took a sip. The cold wine went down his throat, but it brought a hint of warmth, like a little flame burning in the cold winter.

"It's a pleasure working with you." Schelling raised his glass and moved his gaze from Karkaroff to Helmut and Bass, a meaningful smile on his lips.

["Ally" Daxel Helmut obtained! 】

【"Ally" Bass obtained! 】

Long before Sherin arrived, Karkaroff had arranged to convert an unoccupied classroom into a simple but clean and comfortable guest room.

Xie Ling moved into the guest room. In the following days, he stayed here temporarily, exploring Durmstrang Castle freely and experiencing the life of a Durmstrang student.

Sherin's guest room is located on the third floor of Durmstrang Castle, a spacious room. Although Durmstrang tradition does not allow the use of fire, Sherin is obviously an exception. The fireplace in the room burns with warm green magic flames. Although Sherin is not afraid of the cold, this flame makes Sherin live more comfortably.

Looking out the window, you can see mountains covered with snow all year round. The interior furnishings are simple and practical, with an ancient map hanging on the wall, dotted with dark red tapestries and rough wooden furniture, highlighting the simplicity and power of the Nordic wizarding world.

Dining in Durmstrang's Great Hall is a unique feast for the senses.

For the first time, Xie Ling tasted a magical dish called "Golden Salmon". When this fish is grilled, its skin emits a dazzling golden light, which is eye-catching. The fish meat has a smooth texture and a unique pine smoked aroma, which makes people's appetite grow.

There is also a magical barbecue called "Frost Deer Steak". The meat is tender and covered with a layer of light blue magic frost. It tastes cold but has a mellow aftertaste.

The dessert was a "star jelly" made from magical frozen spring water, which glowed like the night sky. When it touched the tip of the tongue, it burst into a cool fruity fragrance like a star. However, what really impressed Sherin was the staff who shuttled through the restaurant - Durmstrang did not have submissive house elves, but chose to hire fierce-looking dwarves. They behaved rudely, often accompanied by shrill laughter when talking, but they were full of fanatical enthusiasm for the preparation of food. The wine brought by the dwarves was particularly outstanding. A strong wine called "frost beer" became Sherin's favorite. The wine was accompanied by ice crystals, clear and strong, which perfectly matched the cold climate of Durmstrang.

(Yes, due to the cold climate, Durmstrang students are allowed to drink low-alcohol beer on campus)

After dinner, Sherin often went to the icy lake in Durmstrang. The lake was as clear as a mirror, reflecting the towering snow-capped mountains surrounding it. In the snow-capped mountains lived the clever white foxes and the ferocious snow wolves. Sometimes you could see the white foxes leaping on the snow slopes, and the low roars of the snow wolves added a touch of wildness.

There were two ghost ships moored by the lake. One was the giant ghost ship that Xie Ling had come on. It was pitch black with a faint green glow, exuding the majesty of time. The other was an unfinished, half-finished ship, much smaller, with a rough hull covered with half-carved rune patterns.

According to Karkaroff, Durmstrang's founder, Narita Vulkanova, originally planned to build two ghost ships, one large ship for large-scale personnel travel, and the other small ship for professors and students to explore and patrol nearby waters.

Unfortunately, she died suddenly and mysteriously before she completed the construction of the second ghost ship. No one knows the cause of her death. To this day, this unfinished ghost ship is still moored here, and has remained unattended for many years, as if it has been forgotten by the world.

Although it was a semi-finished product, this small boat could actually travel short distances on the water using magic power, and even take off and travel in the air if there was enough magic power. The biggest difference from a large ship was that the small boat did not have an accurate magic positioning system, so it could not use water mirror magic to perform space jumps.

After Schelling expressed his interest, Karkarov made the decision to give the boat to Schelling and let Schelling name it "Sleeping Dragon".

[“Space shuttle” Mianlong is obtained! 】

During a walk by the lake, Schelling stumbled upon a huge figure swimming at the bottom of the frozen lake - a ferocious Selma sea snake. This alien sea snake is covered with hard scales that reflect cold light in the lake water. Its body is as graceful as water waves but full of danger. It is said that it is one of the guardians of Durmstrang. Whenever someone tries to cross the frozen lake without permission, Selma will attack without hesitation.

(Note: Selma comes from Pottermore and appeared as the mascot of the Norwegian team in the 2014 Quidditch World Cup)

Although there was also a giant squid in the Black Lake of Hogwarts that was difficult to deal with, this Selma was obviously much more ferocious. Sherin always felt that everything about Durmstrang had the fierce and fierce characteristics of the North.

The hunting ground outside the castle is an even more bizarre world, managed by a white-haired Sami wizard who wears a thick fur robe and holds a curved deer bone staff, taciturn but full of majesty.

There are many rare magical creatures raised in the hunting grounds: the badger (leucrotta) that looks like a deer but has a sharp voice, the two-headed eagle soaring in the sky, showing amazing strength and speed, and the bicorn running on the snowy field like a bison, with its horns emitting a faint magical light, which is breathtaking.

Consistent with Durmstrang's overall style, these creatures are wild and unruly characters -

The badger looks like a giant moose, with extremely long, jagged antlers and a mouth that is almost unbelievably large compared to its head and face.

Although the badger has a bad temper and will attack with its sharp antlers if provoked, it is also quite useful. Its mouth can open very wide, and its stomach can hold the size of an adult. It can run very fast in the snow and has a natural sense of direction that will not get lost, making it a good helper for transportation in the snow.

The double-headed eagle looks similar to an ordinary eagle, but it has two heads. Each head has sharp golden eyes that can observe the surrounding environment independently.

The feathers of the double-headed eagle are dark black, with a faint metallic luster in the sun. When the wings are spread out, they can be up to three meters wide. The ends of the wing feathers have silver-white markings, which exude a sense of oppression when flying. Its beak is like a polished steel blade, sharp and powerful, and its claws are also covered with sharp claws, which can easily tear prey apart.

As a pet, the double-headed eagle is very popular in the Nordic wizarding world, especially in wizarding families who admire power and majesty. The double-headed eagle's two heads make it extremely efficient in performing reconnaissance missions, with one head focusing on observing the front while the other head always keeps an eye on the movement behind. This feature makes them excellent guard pets and they are often used to guard wizards' manors.

The bicorn looks like a sturdy black horse, but it is much larger, up to two meters tall, and covered with inky black hair, exuding a cold luster. Its eyes are deep red, as if burning with dark fire, making people dare not look directly at it. The most conspicuous feature is the two curved and sharp horns growing on its forehead. The two horns are coiled like a spiral, with silver-gray magic patterns faintly flashing on the surface, emitting a faint but disturbing black light.

The horns of bicorns are considered a treasure in the world of potions, especially in complex potions such as Polyjuice Potion, where they are one of the indispensable key ingredients. This horn has extremely strong magical attraction and catalytic effects, which can enhance the stability and effectiveness of potions.

Amazingly, even if the horns are sawed off, they will grow back every year, which makes the bicorn a magical creature that many potion masters dream of. However, the process of collecting the horns is extremely dangerous because the bicorn has a violent temper and is highly aggressive.

In stark contrast to the holy unicorn, the bicorn is often seen as a symbol of dark creatures. They are naturally very sensitive to the negative emotions of wizards and are particularly attracted to corrupt and greedy wizards. It is said that wizards accepted by the bicorn often walk in a gray area of ​​morality, and they will use the bicorn as a symbol of power or a fighting partner.

Despite this, the two-horned beast is not completely evil, and its behavior is more based on instinct than malice. Many researchers believe that this creature is a product of natural balance, used to contrast and counterbalance the unicorn, and symbolizes the philosophical concept of the coexistence of darkness and light.