He discovered that the physical laws here were noticeably different from those elsewhere—a few floating rocks defied gravity, suspended ten feet above the ground.
On them grew luminescent ferns.
In the distance lay a verdant forest, with trees towering beyond imagination, their trunks entwined with glowing vines. Several small creatures resembling lizards, but with transparent wings, peeked out cautiously from the rock crevices, their eyes sparkling with curiosity and wariness.
"Interesting," Dumbledore murmured softly.
He too had briefly surveyed the surroundings here.
All kinds of bizarre and fantastic beasts strolled leisurely on the beach, between the rocks, and in the grass. They had bright colors and unusual shapes, species Dumbledore had never seen before. A small blue-winged lizard basked lazily in the sunlight, a fluffy, ball-like creature rolled on the beach, and a few antennaed fish frolicked in the shallow water.
"Newt's Marvelous Island." Albus Dumbledore had a slight smile on his face; he wasn't tense, and instead had the mindset to joke a little with an old friend from afar.
Of course.
Newt obviously couldn't hear. It was clear that both Albus Dumbledore and Ian immediately thought Newt would certainly love this island.
Fawkes flapped its wings, letting out a clear cry, and started to appear slightly uneasy. Understandably so, as Phoenixes have very keen senses; although this island was beautiful, every form of life seemed to be narrating a story that had been rewritten.
The life created by alchemy made Phoenix, a symbol of life, understandably uncomfortable—this may also be related to the huge Phoenix that had previously taken Ian away.
Unfortunately, Fawkes couldn't speak, nor could it foresee what had happened here beforehand, making it unclear even when communicating with Dumbledore.
It was merely expressing its lingering unease.
"Don't worry, I'm here... yes, we can only return if we find Ian—if we can return at all."
Dumbledore gently stroked Phoenix's wings.
He took out his wand from his robe, slowly raised it, closed his eyes, and whispered an ancient spell. A faint blue light emerged from the tip of the wand, spreading out like ripples; it was a tracking magic, trying to capture traces of Ian's residual magical aura.
No way.
Trying to capture Ian's trail was still too difficult for Dumbledore—if Ian were simply acting as a human wizard, it would be easy.
But Ian frequently transformed into Animagus form in this world, and Albus Dumbledore couldn't track a Raven.
Ravens were not only immune to normal attack spells, but also entirely immune to similar tracking and divination magic, even rendering the legendary rank headmaster powerless.
His ability to track Ian here relied solely on his flexibility, choosing instead to pursue the magical traces Ian left behind.
To be precise.
It was the magic traces left by future magic structures, directly bypassing the target Ian. You could say, it was definitely an excellent method.
After all.
For this era, aside from Albus Dumbledore, only Ian would use future magic to achieve goals.
Even though the place was home to many fantastic beasts, the magic of wizards differed from that of fantastic beasts and all other superhuman powers.
Especially conspicuous.
While Dumbledore was casting the spell.
Fawkes suddenly let out a warning scream. Dumbledore turned his head towards the jungle, slightly raising his wand. At that moment, a round stone ball rolled out from the bushes, stopping right by his boot, exuding a magical aura.
"It seems there are inhabitants here."
The old man bent down to pick up the smooth stone ball, finding its surface covered with tiny runes. As he was about to examine it with his wand, a rustling sound emerged from the bushes.
"Ah! I missed!" A little girl with pigtails dashed out, her face flushed with a few leaves sticking to her forehead.
She wore a simple garment woven from fibers of some luminous plant, with a few empty pouches hanging at her waist. Upon seeing the stone ball in Dumbledore's hand, she looked a bit embarrassed.
Although Albus Dumbledore couldn't understand the girl's words, he was no novice; moving through different eras had honed a good habit in him.
Legilimency discreetly read the girl's emotions and language structure.
This was an extremely advanced magic technique, hardly detectable. Within a few seconds, he had grasped the basic language structure.
And the girl hadn't noticed a thing.
This magic was something Albus Dumbledore was more adept at using than Ian.
"It seems to be a misunderstanding." After acquiring the language information, Albus Dumbledore also understood what the girl meant previously.
He then adeptly began speaking in her language.
The little girl grew even more embarrassed.
"I originally wanted to capture them as my companions." This little girl was naturally Xiao Ya, whom Ian had encountered. Even after Ian left, she was still tirelessly searching for companions.
Of course.
Xiao Ya wasn't trying to capture Dumbledore. Following the direction of her finger, Albus Dumbledore could see several oddly shaped creatures.
They looked like a crossbreed between a Niffler and a Tree-dwelling Leprechaun.
But judging by the timing,
They might also be their ancestors.
These little creatures had round, plump bodies covered in silver scales, and their front claws branched like twigs. They were building nests with some kind of glowing seaweed, and feeling Dumbledore's gaze, all the little creatures raised their heads simultaneously, eyes like black beans flashing with a wary gleam.
"Is that so?"
Albus Dumbledore didn't mind; he wasn't hit by anything. He returned the stone ball to the girl in front of him, knowing the magic on it wasn't something that had to be studied.
"Thank you." Xiao Ya quickly said thanks, scrutinizing the unfamiliar elder in front of her with a pensive expression: "Are you also a trainer from outside?"
The girl remained polite.
Albus Dumbledore nodded gently in response.
"I am a wizard." He answered kindly.
"Wizard?" The girl blinked, and before she could say anything else, a boy suddenly emerged from the bushes, his voice firm and excited:
"He's a wizard! Just like Brother Ian, he also has that little stick!"
Dumbledore's gaze shifted to the boy. The little boy was small and wore simple clothes, but his eyes burned with intense curiosity and admiration.
"The Ian you mentioned..." Dumbledore smiled slightly, his tone calm, "Is it this boy?"
As he spoke, he gently waved his magic wand, and a vivid image of Ian appeared in the air—running, smiling, waving, emitting strange energy waves. The image was lifelike, as if Ian were really right in front of them.
The two children instantly widened their eyes, their mouths forming an "O" shape.
"Oh, it's magic!" the boy shouted excitedly, "It's the kind of magic Brother Ian talked about!"
"Amazing!" The little girl couldn't help but clap and cheer.
The boy then ran up to Dumbledore, looking at him eagerly: "Can you teach me magic? I want to learn too!"
Dumbledore's expression remained gentle, but he shook his head: "I'm sorry, child. Learning magic first requires talent—you need to have magic power."
He paused, adding: "I'm afraid, neither you nor your sister possess this power."
The boy's smile instantly faded, and he mumbled: "I guess wizards are more powerful when they're younger... Brother Ian clearly said I could learn magic in the future."
"Perhaps." Dumbledore smiled slightly, a thoughtful glint in his eyes, "But Ian... he indeed always has some magical means."
At this moment, the little girl tugged her brother's hand, smiling as she said: "Odin, as mom taught you, don't lose your manners in front of others."
Xiao Ya was admonishing her brother.
However.
This sentence directly caused Albus Dumbledore's pupils to dilate wildly; he heard a syllable that was very familiar to him.
Yes.
A syllable.
"Wait a minute."
Dumbledore suddenly spoke, his expression becoming somewhat serious. He watched the little girl, slowly asking: "Just now... what did you call your brother?"
The little girl tilted her head, looking innocent.
"Odin."
She gave the answer.
"I see~"
It's unknown what Albus Dumbledore understood at that moment.
He looked up at the sky.
His gaze deep and profound.