"Why are you coming up with a 'perhaps' explanation?"
Nicolas Flamel was somewhat puzzled by Ian's wording.
"I found a guy bound by chains inside... but it told me it has amnesia, so I couldn't gather much information from it."
Ian answered honestly.
His words shocked Nicolas Flamel.
"A living entity? Alive for at least a few thousand years?" Nicolas Flamel's gaze returned to the Magic Stone; he must have thought that the creature Ian encountered survived due to the power of the Magic Stone.
"It should count as still alive? I've placed it in the Room of Requirement, maybe you can have a look when you have time? I'm too scared to carry it around and can't fit it in here."
Ian pulled out his Money Bag again, and upon closer inspection, one could see stitches from a repair where it had been damaged.
The reason for this was that Ian tried to stuff the Black-robed Skeleton inside. Yet, as soon as he pressed the skeleton's head in, the bag cracked open.
If Ian hadn't swiftly pulled the skeleton back out, the bag––expanded after much effort to hold more than half of Hogwarts––would have been ruined.
"You even brought that ancient thing back to school..." Nicolas Flamel's wrinkled throat moved a few times, and he couldn't help but feel the same doubt shared by many school professors.
So audacious, why didn't this guy go to Gryffindor?!
"That's one of the reasons I'm consulting you." Ian finally seized the chance, rolling up his sleeve, revealing the hidden inscription of a contract on his arm.
"This..."
Nicolas Flamel leaned in for a closer look, the inscription completely different from the Ancient Tower Magic Rune made him instinctively grasp Ian's arm.
His grip was tight, but not forceful; after all, as a six-hundred-year-old man, his body's decline meant he couldn't exert much strength despite any emotional surge.
"It seems to be a type of Magic Oath, similar to our Wizard's Unbreakable Curse but more complex, intricate, and significantly stronger in binding power and effectiveness." After observing Ian's concealed inscription for a long while, Nicolas Flamel finally spoke in a raspy voice.
"Many ancient priests' remains have similar marks, but yours differs from any sample I've seen, it seems more like a..."
Nicolas Flamel stopped mid-sentence and didn't continue speaking. His eyes flickered, gripping Ian's arm tightly for quite some time without any intention of letting go.
"Like what?"
As ten minutes passed.
Ian couldn't resist his curiosity.
But his inquiry still went unanswered by Nicolas Flamel. This super alchemist who lived over six hundred years merely touched Ian's arm inscription carefully.
"No, in fact, I haven't figured it out either." He released Ian's hand, smiled with an embarrassed feeling, even scratching his head like a child.
"Huh?"
Ian never expected to wait so long for such an answer.
He looked up at Nicolas Flamel's head carefully, finding no sharp shape, feeling confused about how Nicolas Flamel seemed as if he was exhibiting signs of dementia.
"I'm ultimately just a mortal, living long enough, and possibly understanding less than Albus; you can't expect me to have answers for everything."
Nicolas Flamel appeared resigned, spreading his hands.
And indeed, that was the truth.
"Alright, can you at least help research this a bit?" Ian asked as he pulled out another piece of paper, his prior sketch of the mysterious contract inscription.
"Of course, no problem." Nicolas Flamel didn't take Ian's parchment but pushed it back, his tone showing some dissatisfaction.
"Are you doubting my memory as an alchemist?" Clearly, his point was he had memorized Ian's arm inscription accurately.
"No, no, I would never doubt your memory." Ian promptly retracted the parchment, but heaven knows if he really had confidence in Nicolas Flamel's memory.
After all, he was more than six hundred years old...
"Don't worry, I know what you're worried about. From my perspective, this oath contract poses no downside to you, as you're the dominant party in it."
Nicolas Flamel, full of meaning, glanced at the Little Wizard, his cloudy pupils trembling lightly, eyeing the office clock, sparking another thought in Ian.
"I also found this thing inside." To give Nicolas Flamel a clearer understanding of the tower's era, Ian pulled out the Big Ben he had packed earlier from the tower.
The Big Ben, larger than several Ians combined, appeared extremely old, making a muffled sound when placed on the ground, its pointer-less dial showing the effects of time's erosion.
"???????"
Nicolas Flamel was once again bewildered.
What has been happening recently! Why do people keep coming to him with damaged Time Converters? And they're all ancient relics? Wasn't it said all ancient Time Converters were long confiscated and destroyed by the Mysterious Affairs Department?