Might it be a preservation facility?
Ian felt like he was turning into one of his classmates who were utterly clueless in facing magic knowledge. After all, he's only studied for a year; naturally, it's impossible to learn all the knowledge in the Wizarding World. In fact, even with renowned teachers, learning all the magic knowledge of the world would not be attainable within ten or twenty years.
Just like Muggle science.
The era of wizarding magic has been around much longer than the era of scientific development. Though it has stagnated somewhat in recent years, it has evolved countless branches over long, bygone ages. A wizard, no matter how much he dedicates his life, cannot learn all these branches, just like a scientist, no matter how powerful, cannot master all fields of science.
Humans have limits.
Even geniuses like Ian and Einstein are subject to this. Even if one doesn't remain human, individual learning pace would take a very long time, even if one doesn't eat or sleep while devouring all wizard knowledge.
Knowledge laid out before us, learning it is already such; not to mention, some knowledge has been lost for many years, almost impossible to recover and study.
Therefore.
Ian wasn't troubled.
Not knowing is simply not knowing.
He is still young.
With a promising future left to explore, Ian continued deeper along the crack, encountering more and more runes in sight. Some he recognized – "binding," "cycle," "time" in Rune Language; others were completely unfamiliar, as if an older magic language, even with bizarre graffiti seemingly out of place in this world.
"That's quite a masterpiece..."
A glimmer of awe flashed in Ian's eyes. Being able to transform the entire valley into an alchemy creation and inscribe such complex sealing structures – the level of alchemy here far exceeded his imagination.
Even Nicolas Flamel probably couldn't achieve this. Hmm, if the real old professor were here, he'd likely be thrilled; after all, it's experts who truly understand the dull loneliness of being a master.
And just at this moment.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, a familiar Dragon's Roar sounded from behind.
Turning back, Ian saw the Chaos Vortex inside the Bronze Gate stirring again, as the head of an Ancient Giant Dragon snapped forward, its fierce eyes flashing with a mix of madness and fear.
"Got brains, but not too many?"
Ian saw the dragon, and the dragon saw Ian, but once again chose to flee, albeit in a direction opposite to last time.
Perhaps it thought.
Going the opposite direction could avoid the previous outcome?
Ian didn't think so at all.
As proven.
He was the smartest being in this valley – the dragon's massive body swept past the treetops, yet in the next second, it stopped again at an edge.
Its scales began to peel.
Falling like dry leaves.
Exposed flesh visibly withered into decay. The dragon's wings still struggled to flap, but its bones began to crack, finally shattering in a sharp howl of anguish. The entire dragon once again seemed swept away by an invisible torrent of time, turning into scattered ashes in a matter of seconds, drifting on the night breeze.
"Just as expected."
Based on previous observations, Ian suspected that around the Bronze Gate, there's an invisible force field that confines creatures emerging from it to only operate within its bounds.
Straying even slightly outside its protection is not an option.
"Imprisoning the immortal is crueler than death."
The Little Wizard sighed gently.
After circling around.
With a light tap of his magic wand, Ian began transcribing the runes on the rock wall one by one. Pale blue threads of magic flowed from his wand tip, climbing onto the runes like living things.
Etching them fully into Ian's memory. Skilled wizards have their own memory techniques, and Ian chose to employ magic for memorization, taking this shortcut.
When there's magic to use.
Why waste brain cells?
How self-punishing!
As he organized these runes.
Ian discovered runes related to the God of Death.
Could this be coincidence?
Of course, it's unlikely.
"So? Was this gate created by the God of Death?" Ian couldn't help but unleash his imagination, which wasn't without reason, considering the God of Death had indeed crafted the Three Sacred Artifacts of Death.
He also could perform alchemy.
And as a deity.
Creating works beyond the human scope of alchemy is also quite plausible.
Of course.
This was Ian's speculation.
Runes related to the God of Death might not necessarily be his handiwork; they could be from someone who reveres the God of Death, or perhaps, the operation of this Bronze Gate might need to harness the power of the God of Death.
"Roar!"
Here it comes again.
Looking back at the endlessly repeating, reappearing dragon, Ian thought the latter's possibility was also significant. But regardless, the appearance of the God of Death's runes here was certainly not without purpose.
The dragon attempted a third flight in a different direction.
This time.
The result was the same.
Ian even grew a bit tired of watching.
Once he copied the last set of runes, Ian put away his magic wand, having largely memorized all the runes within the mountain. Only then did he turn and fly towards the location of the Bronze Gate.
"Who on earth created this? Could it be crafted by the God of Death?" Ian stared at the runes related to the God of Death, uncertain if this truly had a connection.
Before the Little Wizard, the colossal door still stood silently, with chaotic fog leisurely flowing in its gap, as if silently mocking his ignorance.
Just as he pondered, the vortex on the Bronze Door suddenly spun violently, and the chaotic fog began turbulent swirling, as if something behind the door struggled for release.
"Here we go again!"
Ian sighed helplessly, instantly raising his magic wand, tip glowing with a dazzling blue light.
In the next moment, a gigantic dragon head fiercely emerged from the vortex, its fierce eyes fixed on him, though as it attempted to emerge, Ian stuffed its nostrils with his magic wand.
"Get back!"
Ian unhesitatingly swung his magic wand, triggering a violent surge of magic power that burst forth, crashing directly into the dragon's skull. The dragon let out a painful roar, flipping backward.
This forced its massive body, poised to break free, to collapse back into the Bronze Gate—the vortex engulfed it completely, and as Ian thought this might be the quickest way to deal with the dragon.
"Rumble~"
The vortex inside the Bronze Gate suddenly accelerated its rotation, unleashing a terrifying suction! It left stones untouched, drawing nothing else, but solely focused its wild sucking on Ian right before it.
Perhaps it wasn't because Ian studied it, but his disrupting its normal function—his action of forcing the dragon back seemingly triggered some mechanism of the Bronze Gate.
"Hmm?!"
Ian's body abruptly leaned forward, his feet carving two deep trenches in the ground, yet still failed to resist this force. He immediately waved his magic wand, trying to use magic to stabilize his stance.
"Gravity Anchor!"
Magic barely formed.
And instantly dissolved by the vortex's force. Not only that, but each spell Ian cast failed to counter the suction, as every magic conjured would collapse.
"Damn..." Ian's expression finally changed. His body was dragged by irresistible force, inching toward the Bronze Door. Various spells erupted from his mouth in succession.
The magical glow burst into brilliant sparks in the suction, yet swiftly swallowed.
"Damn it! Never act recklessly again!"
The Little Wizard felt some regret.
Even with seven or eight flying cloaks donned, he couldn't offset the Bronze Gate's suction entirely, being drawn ever closer and swallowed by the vortex.
"Hopefully it's not the Jurassic Era inside..." Ian couldn't help but pray silently, and before the words left his mouth, his figure vanished completely within the vortex. The Bronze Gate slowly closed, the vortex subsided, and the Forbidden Forest returned to its tranquil state, except for the ruins scattered about and the lingering magic ripples in the air.
Everything seemed as if it never happened.