Firenze grabbed one of the Acromantula's legs, stomped his hoof on the spider's body, and with a forceful pull, tore off the spider's leg.
He set the leg aside, took out a handful of herbs from the pouch at his waist, and sprinkled them on the corpse of the Acromantula.
"#@*?%&!*?%#@*%&!*?%..."
Firenze spoke in an ancient, weathered tone, raising his arms high and making gesture after gesture, his hooves stomping on the ground in a strange yet melodious rhythm.
As he brought his palms together in front of him and then crossed them over his shoulders, a verdant magical energy field appeared, enveloping the corpse of the Acromantula.
Firenze suddenly knelt down, prostrated himself on the ground, gently tapped his forehead, and uttered a low, hoarse call, "*?%#@*%&!*..."
The emerald green magical energy field brightened, rippling out in concentric circles.
Each time a ripple fell to the ground, the Acromantula dried out a little more until it disappeared completely, as if it had melted into the soil.
Before long, several small grasses sprouted from the soil, looking lush and vibrant.
Firenze picked up the Acromantula leg, smiled, and waved to Vizette, inviting him to ride on his back.
"We should go now, which will naturally absolve some of the evil of the Acromantula."
Vizette's understanding of centaurs mainly came from the book "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them".
These were highly intelligent magical creatures, yet the British Ministry of Magic, based on a certain decree, described the centaurs' intelligence level as "close to human intelligence."
When the centaurs learned of this, they considered it a great insult to them from the British Ministry of Magic and even from the wizards themselves.
When defining magical creatures, the British Ministry of Magic categorized centaurs, vampires, hags, mermaids, and other magical beings under the definition of "being".
Centaurs disdained associating with vampires and hags, so they protested and hoped to continue living as "beasts."
Regarding the centaurs, Newt Scamander left an interesting comment:
The arrogance of the British Ministry of Magic has driven wizards and centaurs further apart. Today, centaurs live far away in the forests, becoming their guardians. Wizards have paid a price for this, losing many opportunities to exchange knowledge about magical healing, divination, astronomy, and other magical subjects.
In conclusion, due to historical reasons and the arrogance of their wizards, centaurs were not very friendly to any human beings.
Whether they encountered wizards or Muggles, they would use their unique talents to actively avoid them.
However, Firenze, who was carrying Vizette forward at this moment, was clearly not that kind of "traditional" centaur.
Firenze was very talkative, but his speech was very casual.
He would point to a herb and gently explain its uses;
Or perhaps he would look up at the gaps in the tree canopy and say in a heavy tone, "Mars is always so bright, and that's not a good thing, you understand?"
"Is war about to break out?" Vizette asked tentatively.
Humans had had the habit of observing Mars since ancient times; for example, the conjunction of Mars and Antares (or Mars in conjunction with Antares) was believed to foreshadow great upheavals.
It could even be said that most civilizations, upon observing celestial phenomena, would place great importance on the omens of Mars, regarding them as ominous signs of disaster, war, death, and other misfortunes.
Firenze nodded and said softly, "Yes, very few wizards enjoy studying astronomy, and their understanding of astronomy is often inferior to that of some Muggles."
"Mr. Firenze, I have a question... Why were you there? Was it because you sensed the movement of the Acromantula?" Vizette asked.
"Of course not, we rarely go into the areas inhabited by the Acromantulas." Firenze's tone was somewhat pained. "They have already grown to a considerable size and are difficult to eradicate."
"Actually, I went there because I was guided by a unicorn. I could feel it telling me that someone on the other side of the forest needed help."
The two chatted casually, with Firenze continuously introducing the various aspects of the Forbidden Forest's ecology.
Following Firenze's guidance, Vizette's understanding of the Forbidden Forest deepened.
Just then, the map in his mind automatically opened, guiding Vizette to look at the bushes to the side, where several moss-covered stone pillars stood.
Vizette quickly asked, "Mr. Firenze, what are those stone pillars?"
"Want to go take a look?" Firenze lifted his hoof and led Vizette to the stone pillar.
It was only then that Vizette realized that this was an ancient altar.
The altar was made up of several stone slabs pieced together to form a sun pattern, with stone pillars surrounding it like stars.
What caught his attention most was the center of the Sun Altar, where there was a spiraling cyclone pattern.
"This altar is extremely ancient," Firenze explained. "It may have existed since the founding of Hogwarts."
Looking at the cyclone pattern, Vizette felt that the altar was connected to ancient magic. "Mr. Firenze, if it is an altar... can it be used?"
Firenze murmured softly, then hesitated before confirming, "Do you want to use it?"
"Firenze! You've truly fallen!" A furious roar suddenly erupted. "You actually let someone ride on your back? Don't you feel ashamed? Don't you think you're nothing but a lowly mule?"
Another centaur leaped out of the bushes. He was extremely robust, with black fur all over his body, somewhat resembling a combination of a gorilla and a horse.
Firenze sighed softly, "Bane, why are you so agitated?"
"I'm agitated?" Bane laughed angrily. "You let a wizard get close to the altar, and even want him to use it? That's betraying the centaurs!"
"Bane, you should know that these altars belong to wizards." Firenze's tone remained calm.
"Even though we have always been the ones using the altars, you have to admit one thing: these altars were built by wizards."
"You…" Bane's eyes flickered, and he grinned as he argued, "I can't let a little foal defile the altar! You've betrayed your destiny!"
Firenze smiled slightly, "Vizette gained the favor of the unicorn, and when he was in danger, it was the unicorn that sent me to save him."
"If following the unicorn's guidance to save a child attacked by an Acromantula is considered betraying fate... then I certainly am!"
"Firenze, you went to deal with the Acromantula?" Bane's eyes flickered. "Are you alright?"
"The child killed the Acromantula. I just went to the scene and then let the Acromantula return to nature."
"A foal can deal with an Acromantula? He can even kill an Acromantula?"
Bane approached with a suspicious look, circling around Vizette again and again. "Are you really a foal?"
"I'm a first-year student at Hogwarts," Vizette corrected. "That Acromantula wasn't an adult either."
He gestured, "It was only a little over a meter... three or four feet tall. I managed to kill it by a trick."
Bane looked to the side for confirmation, "By Mercury above! Is what he said true, Firenze?"