Chapter 52: Professor Moriarity's Party
Chapter 52: Professor Moriarity's Party
Steven, likely tasked by his father to host a guest—in this case, Wade—at the party, remained patiently by the young wizard's side. The stark contrast in their heights, however, provided much amusement to the guests, who often glanced their way and stifled giggles.
Undeterred, Steven escorted Wade through the lush cycad garden.
The garden was immaculately maintained, with a long, pale yellow table laden with an assortment of food and drinks for guests to help themselves to.
The party was centered around a fountain, featuring a statue of a mermaid—the enchanting kind from legends, with a curvaceous figure, a shimmering tail, and a voice that sang melodiously.
Adorning the surrounding stone balustrade were tiny dancer statues, tirelessly performing with golden orbs that scattered sparkles as they spun. Wade reached out and gently touched one of these orbs; it popped like a bubble, leaving a slight chill on his fingertip.
The surrounding grass was freshly trimmed, resembling a lush green carpet. A variety of vibrant, colorful flowers bloomed in abundance around the fountain and flower beds, their clusters creating a dazzling display. Even flowers typically seen only in spring and summer were in full bloom here, defying the seasons.
Lining the paths were tall trees with umbrella-like canopies—the cycads, from which the garden derived its name. Steven proudly explained that these plants dated back over 200 million years, predating even the dinosaurs, and were truly living fossils. He added that the Moriarity family had a house-elf dedicated to tending to these ancient trees.
Midway through their tour, a paper crane flew over and suddenly spoke in Professor Moriarity's voice: "Steven, bring Wade to the little stone terrace."
"Okay," Steven replied, and the paper crane landed on his shoulder, tilting its head as if to look at Wade beside him.
Noticing Wade's gaze on the paper crane, Steven smiled and said, "This is one of my father's creations. During an exchange with Japan's Magic Institute, he found that students there enjoyed folding these little paper cranes. After he returned, he started using them to send messages. Later, they were adopted by the Ministry of Magic, but they found the cranes troublesome and switched to paper airplanes—lacking in flexibility, speech, and aesthetics, though they are cheap."
"The Ministry of Magic?" Wade wondered, then asked, "So what did they use before paper airplanes?"
It couldn't have been the Floo Network, and a two-way mirror would be too expensive.
"Owls," Steven said, struggling to suppress a laugh. "Imagine dozens of owls flying around an office or cramming into elevators, leaving feathers and droppings everywhere. I saw it once when I was little; it was a disaster."
Wade now understood why Steven couldn't help but sound disdainful when referring to the Ministry—anyone who had seen those officials dealing with owl droppings would likely struggle to view them with respect.
The little stone terrace was a small garden raised about two to three feet above the ground, featuring white marble steps, pale purple fuchsias swaying in the wind, and larkspurs and geraniums arranged in an alternating pattern. Moss climbed the brick walls, and the air was especially fresh and pleasant.
In addition to Professor Moriarity, there were only about five or six other people in the garden, each dressed elegantly and appearing to be of significant status. They turned as one at the sound of the newcomers, their movements synchronized.
Their gazes first fell on the towering Steven, then unanimously dropped to locate Wade, who appeared diminutive in comparison.
"Oh, Wade, my boy!" Professor Moriarty exclaimed delightedly as he strode over, completely disregarding his actual children and placing a hand on Wade's shoulder. With a proud glint in his eye, he guided Wade towards the crowd. "Let me introduce my newest student—a true student—Wade Gray!"
The guests nodded and smiled at Wade, and a man with brown curly hair flattered, "This young man must be exceptionally gifted for Professor Moriarty to hold him in such high regard at such a young age."
Professor Moriarty nodded. "He has already surpassed your level of alchemy from when you graduated, Machiavelli."
The others laughed, clearly aware that while Machiavelli had taken alchemy as an elective, his skills left much to be desired and he had likely been a headache for Professor Moriarty during his time at school.
Machiavelli chuckled along, unembarrassed, and gave Wade a considering look.
Apparently feeling that his previous statement lacked impact, Professor Moriarty quickly added, "This boy has memorized the entire 'Phonetic Spellbook of Magic', 'Magic Symbol Collection', 'Runic Dictionary', and 'A Beginner's Guide to Ancient Magical Scripts'—all in just two months of self-study!"
"Whoa—"
Only now did the guests truly understand the extent of Wade's "exceptional gift". Most of them had taken the ancient magical scripts class or even alchemy, and they knew firsthand how difficult it was to memorize those twisted symbols and bizarre syllables.
Aside from that, this boy clearly possessed a memory and work ethic superior to ninety-nine percent of the population.
"And that's not all—"
Professor Moriarty drew out the words, relishing the moment as he intentionally saved the best for last. Several of the guests struck poses of feigned interest, hanging on to the professor's every word.
Wade quietly observed the scene, unsure of these people's identities but certain of one thing—Professor Moriarty's status was undeniably lofty.
"After just over a month of studying with me, he has already created his first piece! I swear, he did it entirely on his own without any guidance from me, not even a hint!"
Professor Moriarty boasted loudly, drawing out the suspense as he would when revealing lottery winning numbers. He slowly produced a brand-new Book of Friends and held it suspended in the air between them, his smile mischievous. "Can you guess its purpose?"
"Book of Friends?"
The guests exchanged glances and orderly gathered around the book, each taking out their wand to inspect it. The Book of Friends was enveloped in a succession of luminous spells, one after another.
However, Professor Moriarty had cast a protective charm on the book, and these standard detection spells were unable to penetrate its magical structure.
Soon, two of the guests gave up. They had never been genuinely interested in a child and didn't believe he could create anything impressive. They had only been flattering Professor Moriarty.
The remaining guests inspected the book for a while longer, and then Machiavelli's eyes lit up. He plucked a leaf from a nearby tree, transfigured it into a quill, and wrote a line on the paper.
['Money is an endless ocean, and I wish to swim in it.']
He flipped through the pages rapidly, and as he did so, his expression grew more and more fervent. The others, who had initially paid little attention, gradually widened their eyes and began to salivate, unable to look away.
Professor Moriarty wore a smile that said, "I've got it all under control."
(End of Chapter)
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