Chapter 505: A Wizard's Trick
Chapter 505: A Wizard's Trick
On the other side of the two-way mirror, Albert lounged on a sofa, casually chatting with Sierra about how the train would cross the North Sea.
In the plot of the Goblet of Fire, there was a scene where a school ship emerged from the Black Lake, seemingly employing similar magic.
Whether the magic used in the two instances was the same, Albert had no way of knowing.
Despite his diligent studies and absorption of magical knowledge, he often felt that the more he learned, the more he realized how much he didn't know.
Trying to get to the bottom of everything could sometimes be exhausting.
Albert could somewhat understand why the old wizards in novel stories were so formidable.
Those guys had already devoted a lot of time and energy to unraveling the mysteries of magic.
Thinking of his own meager experience, Albert felt that perhaps he should give up on pursuing the so-called magical truths; he didn't have that kind of ambition anyway.
A carefree and happy life was enough for him.
In his past life, he had wanted to make a name for himself in the financial world, but ultimately, it was all for money.
Money was important! That was a belief he had carried over from his previous life.
Later, when Albert agreed to join the Wildsmith family, it wasn't just for the knowledge they offered; it was mainly because their values aligned.
The Wildsmith family was intriguing; they represented a unique interpretation of the interplay between wealth, power, and authority.
"What are you thinking about?" Sierra looked up and asked.
"I'm wondering if I'm being too greedy," Albert said softly.
"Yes, perhaps. Maybe you should give up on something," Sierra replied.
She knew exactly what he meant by "too greedy."
If Albert continued on his current path, he would very likely become the next Nicolas Flamel, a master of many trades.
However, the key difference was that Flamel had achieved his status over centuries of accumulation; age could indeed be an advantage.
But Albert was just a few years old; it was impossible for him to attain such a terrifying level of mastery in a short time.
Most talented wizards, if they followed Albert's approach, would probably be considered outstanding students with exceptional grades.
Being a jack-of-all-trades sometimes meant being mediocre.
However, Albert's situation was unique; he was like a monster, relentlessly absorbing knowledge and growing stronger.
This was why Sierra considered him the most talented wizard in centuries.
Their conversation continued, with Sierra still reluctant to divulge too much information. It seemed that she believed that once she spoke about certain things, Albert would lose the freshness of experiencing them for the first time, just like how most wizards wouldn't tell their children the specifics of how Hogwarts conducted its Sorting Ceremony.
As the night deepened, their conversation came to an end as the train pulled into Hogsmeade Station. They stayed there for half an hour, waiting for supplies to be replenished before the train resumed its journey, heading towards the Marleybone Channel.
Compared to Sierra, Albert's journey was far from boring. Most of the time, he was in contact with Isabelle through the two-way mirror, sharing whispered conversations meant only for the two of them.
Regarding Katrina, Isabelle thought that it was a case of adolescent infatuation, the restlessness of youth.
At Hogwarts, it was common for girls and boys in their fourth and fifth years to start looking for dating partners.
Many girls ended up dating boys and then breaking up with them, or being dumped themselves, not long afterward.
Albert held a certain allure for most of the girls at Hogwarts, and Katrina was no exception. Isabelle attributed Katrina's feelings to youthful crushes, similar to how boys could have their hearts flutter for a particular girl.
In response to Isabelle's words, Albert didn't know what to say. He thought it best to remain quiet and be a listening ear for her.
And so, they chatted until the middle of the night, both marveling at the strangeness of it all.
The train continued its journey, with the windows pitch-black, offering only occasional glimpses of distant lights.
Albert put away the two-way mirror and leaned against the headboard, fiddling with a Rubik's Cube and glancing out the window from time to time, awaiting the moment when the train would cross the channel.
He suddenly understood why Sierra had given him the bed by the window.
Instead of diving directly into the sea, the train entered a downward-sloping tunnel.
"An undersea tunnel?"
As the dark tunnel loomed ahead, Albert immediately thought of this possibility, knowing that it wasn't beyond the capabilities of wizards to create such a passage.
However, the reality was slightly different from his expectation. As the train entered the tunnel, all the windows in the carriage automatically locked, and no amount of effort could open them.
They were clearly about to submerge.
Albert felt a tingle of anticipation as he wondered how the wizards would manage to move the entire train underwater.
His patience wasn't tested for long, as the mystery was soon revealed.
At the end of the dark tunnel, there was a metal ring flashing with magical symbols. The train passed through this ring and descended a ramp into the sea.
"A Bubble-Head Charm? Hard to imagine they managed to pull this off," Albert muttered.
As the train passed through the metal ring, it was coated with a colorless, transparent film, and then it plunged into the water, speeding through the dark depths of the sea.
"Back then, the British Ministry of Magic went to great lengths to create those two underwater passages," Sierra said. He was still awake, sipping a beverage on the sofa, his face showing little sign of fatigue from the long night.
Fairy silver? No, it's fairy steel.
The metal ring, adorned with symbols, was entirely made of fairy steel.
"All that fairy steel cost the Ministry of Magic a fortune in Galleons," Sierra said, stroking his beard. "I recall Bard donating a sum of money and receiving a Third-Class Merlin Order of Merit. But he didn't want it, saying that one was enough."
"The founder of the Merlin Order probably never imagined it would become so valuable!" Albert couldn't help but sneer.
Sierra paid no mind to Albert's sharp remark.
Albert gazed out at the pitch-black window and sighed softly, "It's a shame we can't witness the underwater scenery."
The train had already reached the depths of the sea, and it seemed that Repelling Charms had been used to keep any sea creatures at bay. Outside the windows, it was as dark as if they were passing through a long tunnel.
"If they were willing to put in a little effort, I think many wizards would be willing to pay Galleons to take a tour and appreciate the beauty of the underwater world," Albert said, feeling glum. In his previous life, he hadn't even been to an aquarium, and now, as he passed through the underwater channel for the first time, he was denied the chance to see anything.
Sierra offered no opinion on the matter.
To him, this was merely a means of transportation, and as long as it got him to his destination, that was all that mattered.
The next morning, Albert woke up to find that the train had successfully arrived in Denmark.
According to the original route, the train would pass through Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, Austria, and Italy before finally arriving at the small town of Nicolas in France.
From there, it would make a round trip to Spain and Portugal, passing through Belgium and the Netherlands, crossing the channel between them, and eventually reaching London's King's Cross Station in the UK.
However, Sierra changed his mind. He informed Albert that they would transfer to a different train in Germany and head directly to France. Before that, they would pay a visit to an old friend residing in Germany.
(End of Chapter)
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