There are all kinds of peculiar plants everywhere.
Many are specialties within the Misty Illusion Realm.
After smelling the extremely rare Other Shore Flower, Ian slowly returned to the castle.
He continued exploring, and at the corner of the corridor stood a broom that swept on its own. As Ian passed by, the broom suddenly sprang up and chased him with a series of fierce beats.
"Newcomer! No running or jumping in the hallway!" the broom bellowed sternly, sounding much like a strict old steward. In response, Ian directly used a Transformation Technique to turn it into a broom the size of a slug.
However.
It still chased Ian relentlessly.
There was no way out.
He couldn't really destroy Teacher Morgan's belongings.
"What a hot temper."
Ian fled in a panic, until he crashed into a room full of mirrors, finally evading pursuit. Each mirror in this room could talk, and every single one was a chatterbox.
"Oh my, isn't it Little Ian?"
"Lady Morgan's apprentice!"
"His hair is even messier than last time!"
"I bet he hasn't been combing his hair properly again!"
Ian covered his ears as he escaped, still hearing the mirrors echoing "remember to use conditioner!" behind him.
"What on earth, Teacher Morgan loves mirrors this much." Ian arrived at the "Mirror Hall No. 2," marked outside the main door, still a room with mirrored walls.
But these mirrors did not speak; each one reflected different scenes: some from the past, some fragments of the future, and some purely fantastical.
Ian stood before one mirror, seeing himself under a starry sky, holding a glowing sword, with a mysterious figure in a black robe standing beside him.
He tried to approach the reflection of himself in the mirror, but the surface rippled like water.
"Is this... a Fate Observer?"
He whispered.
The mirror did not answer, leaving behind endless reflections.
"Looks like Teacher Morgan has been trying to replicate the Magic Mirror." Ian contemplated as he departed, starting to explore the higher floors.
The study on the third floor was strangely quiet. Ian cautiously opened the door, discovering the entire room's bookshelves rotating slowly, books flying around like birds, automatically returning to their places. Just as he was about to take out a copy of "High Tier Curse Analysis," the book snapped shut, painfully pinching his finger.
"No touching without permission."
A line of gold-embossed letters emerged on the spine.
Every book here seemed locked.
Ian's attempts to unlock them failed.
He could only leave.
He knew violent means, but it seemed rather disrespectful.
The castle was filled with extraordinarily odd things, the kitchen being the most peculiar. Ian originally just wanted to find something to eat but saw a knife on a cutting board engaged in a life-or-death battle with a carrot.
Meanwhile, the teapot cheered from the side. As he entered, all the kitchenware instantly froze, pretending to be ordinary items—if one ignored the knife stuck in the carrot.
"Sorry to interrupt, carry on." Ian prudently retreated.
Upon reaching the observatory on the top floor, he finally discovered something intriguing. A gigantic brass astronomical instrument was operating automatically, projecting a star map a hundred times more detailed than those in Hogwarts' Astronomy Class. Even more marvelously, several crystal balls lay piled in the corner, each sealing inside miniature storms, volcanoes, and even small galaxies.
Ian was about to move closer for a look when suddenly he heard a "click" from behind. He turned sharply, seeing a mechanical owl poking its head out from a hidden compartment, its ruby eyes sparkling.
"Password," the owl said in a mechanical voice.
"Uh... Dragon biscuit?" Ian ventured, naming Teacher Morgan's favorite snack.
"Incorrect. Remaining attempts: 2."
"Shadow Wings are ticklish?"
"Incorrect. Last chance."
Ian took a deep breath and uttered a phrase he had once seen in Teacher Morgan's notebook: "Knowledge is boundless, truth is eternal."
The hidden compartment silently slid open, revealing a thin black notebook within. As Ian reached out for it, the notebook floated to him, flipping to a particular page with a rustle.
[For the little rascal who rummages through things:
I knew you would find this place.
Remember to put it back after reading.
—M]
Then.
The writing slowly disappeared.
The black notebook began transforming into a book.
"Mystery of Fairy Tales"
A line of gold letters appeared prominently on the cover.