Lucien was also studying the person before him. He looked completely different from the Slytherin statue.
Legend claimed that Slytherin's excessive involvement with the Dark Arts had caused physical distortions, leaving him with a face resembling an ancient monkey... Could this be Salazar's appearance when he was younger?
Dong.
A faint sound rang out within Lucien's mind, causing him to frown.
The Wall of Intellect had been disturbed.
This was an Ancient Magic Lucien had discovered within Nicolas Flamel's library. It condensed one's knowledge and magical power into a barrier protecting the mind, preventing spells targeting memory or the soul, such as the Memory Charm or Legilimency, from taking effect.
Its function resembled Occlumency, but the characteristics of the Wall of Intellect suited Lucien far better.
Back then, Lucien had even used the branches and leaves of the Whomping Willow as materials to perfect the construction of the Wall of Intellect.
The "attack" against the Wall of Intellect immediately heightened the vigilance in Lucien's eyes.
Legilimency?
Slytherin had been an exceptionally skilled Legilimens, and the Sorting Hat's ability to perceive the traits of young witches and wizards had been granted by him.
"What strange knowledge has a wizard like you been studying?"
Suddenly, the silver-haired middle-aged man spoke again. His ancient voice was extremely inconsistent with his youthful appearance.
"What is this about mass and energy not being two independent concepts, but two different manifestations of the same entity? The Mass-Energy Equation..."
Hearing this, Lucien's expression became slightly strange. Using a large amount of Muggle knowledge to construct the Wall of Intellect truly had a miraculous effect.
One of the characteristics of the Wall of Intellect was that the more unfamiliar the contained knowledge was to the intruder, the harder it became for them to understand, and the stronger the barrier's defensive effect would be.
Although an intruder could still force their way through violently, doing so would require several times more magical power and time, which was more than enough for Lucien to notice and react.
Very few wizards genuinely understood Muggle knowledge. Even those who were friendly toward or curious about Muggles would rarely take the initiative to study the many forms of knowledge within the Muggle world.
The middle-aged man's gaze settled on the House crest on Lucien's chest. At some point, two orbs of light had appeared in his hand, one red and one blue. As he gently rubbed the blue orb, he spoke thoughtfully:
"Is that Muggle knowledge? You are quite similar to Rowena. Willing to learn anything, so long as it is knowledge."
Lucien believed the "Rowena" he referred to was Rowena Ravenclaw, the founder of his House and one of the Four Founders of Hogwarts.
The familiarity in Salazar's tone when mentioning Rowena almost completely confirmed his identity.
But an even greater question arose in Lucien's mind.
Why had Slytherin not saved Tom? Instead, he had pulled Lucien into this space and spoken about an heir.
"You have already guessed correctly. I am Salazar Slytherin."
"As for what happened outside, there is no need to worry. It has already been resolved. You are Lucien, a second-year Ravenclaw student?"
Did his Legilimency break through the Wall of Intellect?
The thought flashed through Lucien's mind.
No. The Wall of Intellect had not given any feedback at all.
Or was Salazar's mastery of Legilimency simply too advanced? After all, he was a legendary wizard from a thousand years ago...
Seeing the subtle changes in Lucien's expression, Salazar curled his lips slightly.
"Relax. I was not looking through your memories, but those of this Gilderoy Lockhart."
Salazar lightly weighed the blue orb of light in his hand.
Lockhart's memories?
Lucien's gaze was drawn toward the blue orb, and he immediately understood.
After a moment of silence, Lucien carefully said:
"Head of House Slytherin, I actually have some matters I need to deal with first. Could we continue this after I've finished them..."
But Salazar waved his hand dismissively.
"It doesn't matter. This can be considered a Consciousness Space. The flow of time here differs from that of the outside world."
Consciousness Space?
Lucien was slightly surprised. Everything felt incomparably real, and even his magical power functioned normally, yet this was not the real world... Was that why Lumen had not responded when he called for it earlier?
Thinking of testing something first, Lucien moved his mind.
The Sword of Gryffindor in his hand suddenly vanished, but not because he had stored it inside a Spatium Extendere container.
Lucien had merely willed it to disappear.
Seeing Lucien's action, Salazar nodded lightly, his tone carrying clear satisfaction.
"Very perceptive."
"'Head of House Slytherin.' What a nostalgic title."
"Well? Will you accept my inheritance? A Ravenclaw like you must thirst for knowledge. There is no reason to refuse, is there?"
Lucien felt that after the Sword of Gryffindor disappeared, Salazar's attitude had softened somewhat.
Accepting Slytherin's inheritance... honestly, Lucien was deeply tempted.
Salazar was a legendary wizard from a thousand years ago. The inheritance and knowledge he had left behind were unquestionably priceless.
"I would very much like to study under you, but may I first ask what your criteria are for choosing an heir?"
Lucien ultimately chose to voice the doubt in his heart first.
Tom had clearly opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago and could still control the Basilisk today. On top of that, he possessed extraordinary talent, immense ambition for power and authority, and the bloodline of the Gaunt family directly descended from Salazar himself... No matter how one looked at it, Tom seemed far more suited to be Slytherin's ideal heir.
So why choose him instead?
"Talent."
Salazar answered as though it were the most natural thing in the world. His pair of emerald vertical pupils flickered with almost arrogant confidence.
"My inheritance is naturally not something mediocre people are qualified to touch."
Salazar's answer and expression did not surprise Lucien in the slightest. It was perfectly fitting for the founder of Slytherin House. That temperament had truly been inherited by later generations.
Unfortunately, most Slytherins lacked the strength and talent necessary to match such arrogance.
"Secondly, the purity and integrity of the soul. The soul is paramount."
As expected, there were additional requirements.
Soul... Lucien instantly grasped the key point: the integrity of the soul.
Perhaps fifty years ago, Tom might have met Salazar's standards, before creating a Horcrux.
But certainly not now.
Voldemort had created multiple Horcruxes, and a soul that had been torn apart so many times could hardly be called complete.
Moreover, what stood there had only been a soul fragment from the very beginning. Fundamentally, it could never satisfy Slytherin's requirements.
"Lucien, your talent is superior. I awakened because of the eruption of magical power from the two of you. Talent is not only reflected in magical circuits. Magical power itself also contains relevant information. Hmm, you will naturally understand once you inherit my legacy."
After speaking, Salazar let out a faint sigh.
"Horcruxes are ultimately the wrong path."
Salazar was extraordinarily proficient in the Dark Arts, so he naturally saw through the essence of the Diary at a glance.
The creation of Horcruxes was far too evil. Even Dark Wizards found the act of splitting the soul unacceptable. Most would rather die than compromise the integrity of their souls.
Suddenly, Salazar tossed the faint red orb of light balanced on his fingertip into his mouth and chewed it with a crisp crunch, as though it were candy.
Lucien raised an eyebrow slightly. That red orb seemed to contain vitality.
"Catch."
After speaking, Salazar tossed the pale blue orb of light toward Lucien.
"Inside are Gilderoy Lockhart's memories, along with his understanding of the Memory Charm. That young man's research into the Memory Charm is rather unique."
Lucien immediately became more interested. He had not expected Salazar to hold such a favorable opinion of Lockhart's Memory Charm.
Lucien had originally planned to find an opportunity to learn the skill from Lockhart himself. Now that trouble had been saved.
Snap.
Salazar snapped his fingers, and the surrounding scene instantly changed.
"Before inheriting my legacy, take a test. Let me see what you're capable of."
________
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