Chapter 12: The Awakening of the Soil Veins in the Greenhouse Nursery
The Hufflepuff greenhouse, on a morning when the first snow had fallen, exuded a damp Warmth. Leonard Norton was kneeling before a flowerbed cultivating giant Mandrakes, his amulet's Hydro Crest resonating subtly with the starsilver particles in the soil. His fingertips traced the dew-kissed earth, and suddenly he'saw' the element Veins deep within the soil—a steady rhythm entirely different from the Geo God's ley lines or the Dendro Archon's root systems, a profound beat like a mother's lullaby.
"According to 'Hufflepuff Elemental Cultivation Notes,'" Hermione's voice came from behind a pumpkin-laden trellis, as she measured the Mandrake's growth frequency with her wand tip, "the core of the earth element is 'tolerance and nurturing.' Helga Hufflepuff, the first Dean of Hufflepuff, once signed a'soil symbiosis contract' with a Troll. The soil in these flowerbeds is mixed with Troll saliva—which activates the earth element nerves within plants."
Ron Weasley suddenly tripped over an overgrown dandelion, scattering his Honeyduke's Chocolate Frog on the ground: "Merlin's beard, these plants are livelier than the garden gnomes at my house!" His commotion startled the Mandrakes, and the seedlings' shrieks made the glass ceiling hum. The starsilver particles in the soil even began to jump erratically.
"Frequency disturbance!" Hermione's scanner showed the earth element frequency soaring from a stable 140Hz to 185Hz. "Leonard, use your amulet to construct a'soil resonance field'—imagine yourself as the guardian of the flowerbed, just as Hufflepuff patiently treats every seed!"
Leonard closed his eyes, and the Hydro Crest on his amulet gradually transformed into an earthy yellow, with Hufflepuff's badger crest appearing within the septagram. He reached out and pressed his hand to the base of a Mandrake. The starsilver particles in the soil automatically arranged themselves into a miniature honeycomb structure, the seedlings' shrieks turned into gentle hums, and small yellow flowers even bloomed on their leaves.
"Earth element Awakening!" Hermione's quick-quotes quill blotted ink on the parchment. "The amulet resonates with the earth element in the Troll saliva, forming a 'Nurturing Nest' structure—the soil's carrying capacity increases by 300%, and even the Mandrake's petrifying effect is weakened by 25%!"
Harry Potter suddenly pointed to the bronze cauldron in the center of the flowerbed, a Hufflepuff heirloom engraved with the same septagram pattern as the amulet: "I hear the cauldron whispering, like a variant of Parseltongue, but more muddled... like the soil telling the story of seeds." His lightning scar tingled slightly. "The soil in the cauldron is the 'primordial soil' buried five hundred years ago when Hogwarts was founded."
The moment Leonard touched the cauldron, his amulet erupted in golden-green light. teyvat script appeared on the inner wall of the cauldron, which Hermione quickly translated: "The Geo God's Vision is hidden in the roots; when the sweat of the Four Houses permeates the soil, a World Tree connecting two realms will be born in the nursery." Deeper still, a fragment of starsilver embedded in the bottom of the cauldron perfectly fit the gap in his amulet's earth god rune.
The soil in the greenhouse suddenly boiled, and giant poisonous tentacles burst from the flowerbeds—these were magical plants contaminated by abyss energy. Ron's Slingshot fired stones soaked in "growth accelerator," but this unexpectedly caused the poisonous tentacles to split into more branches. Harry's Parseltongue had no effect on the plants, so he could only use Incendio to temporarily scorch the roots, which stirred up residual lightning element in the soil.
"Don't use destructive spells!" Hermione shouted. "The earth element's tolerance can purify pollution—Leonard, like cultivating Mandrakes, use the 'Nurturing Nest' to envelop the poisonous tentacles!"
Leonard activated the earth god rune, and a honeycomb-like golden membrane appeared on the amulet's surface. When the membrane touched the poisonous tentacles, the black decaying patterns gradually transformed into a healthy emerald green, and small white flowers even bloomed at the tips of the tentacles. Hermione's scanner showed that the abyss energy was being broken down into minerals needed for plant growth.
"Symbiotic purification successful!" Her voice was filled with elation. "The earth element can not only stabilize ley lines but also transform abyss pollution—this is the essence of Hufflepuff's 'embracing all things'! Ron, sprinkle your honey on the purified soil; the sugar will enhance the earth element's nurturing power."
Ron did as he was told. The moment the honey permeated the soil, all the plants in the greenhouse began to grow wildly. Pumpkin vines wrapped around the glass ceiling, blooming with golden flowers, and the Mandrake seedlings transformed into adorable tap-dancing plants. Harry's Parseltongue suddenly resonated with the soil, and he understood the plants' "gratitude": "They say this is the first time in a hundred years they've tasted pure nutrients."
In the corner of the greenhouse, Hufflepuff prefect Cedric Diggory smiled and applauded: "Norton, your magic is very much like Hufflepuff's 'gentle protection.' You know, our House founder once used the earth element to heal injured Trolls, and what you just did was heal contaminated nature."
Hermione suddenly pointed to the soil in the cauldron, where the totems of the Four Houses were appearing: badger (Hufflepuff), snake (Slytherin), lion (Gryffindor), and eagle (Ravenclaw). As the four totems intertwined in the soil, the amulet's earth god rune formed a closed loop with the other element runes, and the septagram's gap shrunk by another third.
"The elemental resonance of the Four Houses," Leonard said softly, "is like how soil needs the nourishment of water, the flow of wind, and the Warmth of fire to nurture life. Cedric, your House's'sweat' is actually the patient cultivation of every life, isn't it?"
Cedric nodded, pulling a badger-shaped badge from his robes: "This is a relic of Helga Hufflepuff, and it can open the 'Geo God's Grotto' deep within the nursery. Legend has it that the roots of Hogwarts' first magical plant are hidden there, as well as an anchor point connecting to Teyvat's 'Dust God.'"
The stone door at the grotto's entrance was engraved with the same teyvat script as the cauldron. Leonard pressed his amulet into the badger-shaped indentation, and the earth god rune resonated with the stone door, revealing a staircase leading underground. On the stone walls on either side of the staircase, bas-reliefs depicted Trolls and humans working together, and the farm tools in each Troll's hand matched the earth god rune on Leonard's amulet.
"Be careful," Cedric warned. "The soil in the grotto can amplify emotions. When Grindelwald tried to steal the Geo God's authority back then, he was buried by a collapse triggered by his own greed."
The moment Leonard stepped into the grotto, his amulet's earth god rune resonated with the starsilver at the earth's core. He'saw' Teyvat's The Chasm—the ore there was resonating with Hogwarts' soil. Deeper still, a Geo God statue entwined with vines was glowing, and the starsilver fragment in its chest perfectly fit the gap in his amulet.
"The true meaning of the Geo God contract," Hermione translated the magic script on the stone wall, "is not control, but protection. Just as Hufflepuff accepts every student, the earth element accepts every speck of dust." She suddenly pointed to the seed in the Geo God statue's hand. "That's a World Tree seedling, and it needs the elemental resonance of the Four Houses to grow."
As he left the greenhouse, Leonard noticed that the earth god rune and the grass god rune on his wrist were merging, forming a root-like pattern. The amulet's septagram now had only two gaps remaining, corresponding to Gryffindor's fire and Ravenclaw's wisdom. He knew that the next challenge would be to ignite Gryffindor's flame and resonate with Ravenclaw's wisdom.
On Hermione's notebook, a new page read: "Geo God Resonance Formula: f_earth = (f_rock × f_grass) ÷ √(f_water × f_lightning) + C_tolerance (C_tolerance is Hufflepuff's patience coefficient). Experimental Conclusion: Ron's honey accelerated elemental transformation by 37%, proving that 'disordered nourishment' is an important supplement to the earth element."
Meanwhile, in the Slytherin dungeon, Draco Malfoy stared at the earth god rune appearing in the black gemstone, a cold sneer playing on his lips: "Hufflepuff's gentleness is, after all, the weakest soft spot in the Seven Gods' contract. Norton, when the World Tree's roots pierce through Hogwarts' foundations, you will find that some soils bury not only seeds, but also ancient curses."
The Mandrakes in the greenhouse were still dancing merrily. Leonard looked at them and suddenly understood: Hufflepuff's earth element was never hard rock, but a warm embrace that could encompass everything. And this embrace was the most powerful force against the abyss—because the abyss could never devour those who were willing to patiently wait for seeds to sprout.