The Secrets of the Department of Mysteries

Dumbledore slowly descended the stairs, gazing at the waterfall-framed doorway in the distance, the smile on his face fading significantly.

To be able to employ both goblins and trolls as guards was enough to speak to the gravity of the situation.

"It seems... the Department of Mysteries has lost something of vital importance." Dumbledore looked at the phoenix beside him. "Fawkes, you worked hard to bring me aboard the ship earlier. Go and take a good rest!"

Fawkes, hovering in mid-air, tilted his head, a questioning look gleaming in his eyes.

"I'm afraid it won't be possible for the time being; after all, they are on a trip!" Dumbledore smiled faintly. "But I think, perhaps later, you will need to go find him."

Fawkes nodded with human-like intelligence, flapped his wings, and soared into the high sky, vanishing amidst the layers of clouds.

After watching Fawkes depart, Dumbledore took out a piece of paper to examine it, his body subsequently sinking into a whirlpool of water...

The water vortex reappeared, and he arrived in a spacious living room. The paper in his hand had burned to ash, and he had already forgotten the address written upon it.

The floor was made of light-colored raw wood, covered by a hand-woven jute rug. The walls were white as frost and snow, and solid wooden chairs with soft cushions featured elegant, supple curves...

Simple and practical, yet the craftsmanship of the jute rug was evident; this was a living room steeped in Nordic style.

Most importantly, the beautiful semi-circular wooden guest table was laid out with all sorts of sweets.

An Unspeakable spoke: "Mr. Dumbledore, we are pleased you could find the time amidst your busy schedule to come here."

Regardless of the country's Ministry of Magic, the Department of Mysteries held extremely high autonomy, capable of ignoring the interference of the Minister for Magic.

The wizards who worked here were also extremely mysterious, known as "Unspeakables."

Unless they passed away, they were not permitted to disclose any details of their work to the outside world.

Dumbledore smiled and shook hands. "It seems this matter is not simple at all. How should I address you?"

"Just call me Björn," the Unspeakable said with a serious expression. "Mr. Dumbledore, shall we begin immediately?"

Dumbledore sat down accordingly and picked up a piece of candy. "The Swedish Aurors were once famous for their swift actions. Why is there... such panic this time?"

Björn immediately looked a bit awkward, coughed lightly, and said, "Mr. Dumbledore, since you have signed the magical secrecy contract, I will speak plainly..."

"The lost magical artifact is the 'Eye of Odin.' It is the very thing that ensures the swift actions of the Aurors... It can, to a certain extent, provide accurate short-term prophecies."

Dumbledore showed understanding. "In other words, you cast short-term prophecies to stay one step ahead and ambush at the corresponding locations, thereby increasing the efficiency of solving cases. A very familiar method, isn't it?"

He was very well-versed in this method of using prophecy; years ago, the army led by Gellert had also utilized similar techniques.

"Exactly!" Björn nodded and said, "The British Department of Mysteries actually possesses a similar artifact. From what I know, it can... collect and record true prophecies."

"Its range of influence is even greater than the 'Eye of Odin,' capable of collecting prophecies from all over the world. However, those prophecies come from true seers; the content is very vague, and the practicality isn't very high."

Dumbledore made no comment, looking through the photographs before asking, "How did you determine that the 'Eye of Odin' is still within Swedish territory?"

Björn explained, "Once it leaves Swedish territory, the 'Eye of Odin' will immediately return to the Ministry of Magic. This is a protective measure that has existed since the Department of Mysteries was founded."

"If the 'Eye of Odin' is used again, we can also lock onto its position." He took out several pieces of parchment. "Mr. Dumbledore, you may look at these."

"The most difficult point currently is that the 'Eye of Odin' remains unresponsive, leaving us in a passive position, making it hard to grasp its specific direction."

Dumbledore finished reviewing the documents. "The opponent seems to understand the 'Eye of Odin' very well. Is it possible it's... an insider?"

Björn said decisively, "Impossible! We have conducted internal investigations of the Unspeakables; they have all passed through the Thief's Downfall, and none have shown symptoms of neurological disorder."

"I see." Dumbledore had also signed the magical secrecy contract, so he naturally understood what "neurological disorder" meant.

It was a penalty of the contract, one even he could not avoid, and could only be recovered from through a long period of recuperation.

This indicated that the Unspeakables had not committed any act of betrayal, meaning another force had intervened.

Dumbledore's eyes were clear, his ten fingers interlaced in front of him. "He enjoys playing 'games' with you; this is not a good sign."

"What about the function of the 'Gungnir Spear'? The documents don't go into detail, only mentioning it briefly. It seems you don't value it much?"

Björn replied, "Although the 'Gungnir Spear' has many secrets, everything that could be researched has already been applied in practice."

"Its function is similar to a wand, capable of easily controlling lightning and water currents. Spells like the Aguamenti Charm and early weather-modifying charms were developed based on research into it."

"To uncover more of its secrets, the help of 'Ancient Magic' is required. Therefore, our focus is primarily on the 'Eye of Odin'."

"It seems I've just heard a formidable truth." There was no trace of surprise in Dumbledore's eyes. "Can you elaborate on 'Ancient Magic'?"

"This is an eternal and confidential subject." Björn's expression was extremely grave. "The ultimate research direction for all Departments of Mysteries is 'Ancient Magic'."

"According to historical records, all magical artifacts in the Department of Mysteries can exert power far beyond the ordinary through Ancient Magic."

"This kind of power is too ancient... it can even be traced back to the dawn of wizardkind! But those who possess it are incredibly few. Mr. Dumbledore, you surely understand what I mean?"

Dumbledore blinked. "I have searched the records; wizards who possessed 'Ancient Magic' have indeed appeared at Hogwarts."

"Perhaps because of the miraculous nature of this power, they hid their tracks very well." He extended his index finger and thumb. "I can be certain that what I know is very little."

"I am truly curious, why do you understand 'Ancient Magic' so well? Could it be that within the Department of Mysteries... a possessor of this power once appeared?"

"You haven't guessed wrong," Björn confirmed. "The history of the Department of Mysteries is very long. Mr. Dumbledore, you are likely aware of this."

"Of course, much older than the Ministry of Magic... or the previous 'Wizards' Council'."

"That is because the founders of the Department of Mysteries in various countries were a group of wizards who possessed this power! They wanted to understand it more deeply, which is why this organization exists."

Real surprise appeared in Dumbledore's eyes, and he couldn't help but sigh, "So that's how it is. No wonder the status of the Department of Mysteries is so special..."

"By the way, are there any records of similar ancient organizations? Perhaps some interesting clues can be found there."

Björn replied, "We have been searching... Not just the British Department of Mysteries, we have also sent requests for assistance to the Departments of Mysteries in other countries."

Dumbledore nodded. "That couldn't be better."

Björn stood up. "Mr. Dumbledore, shall we begin our move? If the situation continues, I fear the Swedish Ministry of Magic will adopt harsh measures."

He took out several more photos of a pale white man's corpse. "This is the body discovered earlier. There are traces of the Imperius Curse on him, and his hair shows signs of a Severing Charm."

"Is it Polyjuice Potion?" Dumbledore also stood up. "If I wish to examine the body myself, will the Ministry of Magic interfere?"

Björn said helplessly, "Not for now, but in a few days... I fear they will be even less cooperative. After all, we have never collaborated with them."

Dumbledore stroked his beard; the situation of the entire matter was very clear.

Due to the special nature of the Department of Mysteries, they could not disclose the actual situation to the Ministry of Magic.

The loss of the "Eye of Odin" had left the Swedish Ministry of Magic like a snake without a head, unable to quickly identify the attacker.

The Obscurial was also an important clue, which was why the Swedish Ministry had sought out Newt, hoping to start from this lead to catch the attacker early.

"Searching for an Obscurial again... Newt, you must be quite familiar with this by now, aren't you?" Dumbledore shook his head gently and left the living room with Björn...