Chapter 433: Travel

Harry Potter and his little companions, since the day of the competition, the three of them have been cooped up in the library, and it wasn't only Harry during class—Hermione even asked Bai Lang whether he had heard of Ni Ke Le Mei. Bai Lang knew who that was, but out of some twisted amusement he still didn't tell them that the person was actually an alchemist. Still, Bai Lang thought of the magic stone that this person had forged.

"A magic stone that can grant immortality, and can turn iron into gold—though it can't keep one forever youthful, it could be called a sort of incomplete Philosopher's Stone. I recall it requires human souls, forged with the inexhaustible fifth element…" At that moment Bai Lang recalled anime he had watched before, and thought that Ni Ke Le Mei's magic stone was probably still a bit far from those wondrous fifth elements.

With the magic stone on his mind, Bai Lang was leafing through the big book *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them*—the volume even had moving pictures, the prose was very elegant, and the introductions were quite detailed. Yet Bai Lang saw a flaw: the taxonomic orders, families, genera and species of these creatures were unspecified, their evolutionary origins unknown; as a popular‑science work it was fine, but as a serious scientific paper it fell short.

But it was truly enjoyable, and Bai Lang felt he needed to own a copy, as well as the *Magical Herb Compendium*—no matter how pricey, he would keep a copy. Among the magical creatures, Bai Lang selected a few as candidates for future pets—predictably, most of them were some kind of large cat, since cats groom themselves and don't spew slobbery saliva.

"The current problem is finding a chance to obtain these animals—let's see, this winter break should be an opportunity." The winter break hadn't arrived yet, but the Christmas holiday was already here—by British tradition the break runs from before Christmas until New Year's Day. Bai Lang had a ticket to go home for Christmas, and he planned to vacation in Greece, since several beautiful magical creatures live in that region.

Poor Harry and Ron had to stay at Hogwarts, which didn't bother Harry at all; after all, his aunt's house was practically hell for him. Draco Malfoy and his cronies, of course, mocked Harry Potter from every angle, trying hard to make him upset, but seeing Bai Lang stay at Hogwarts for Christmas instead of going home made Harry feel so joyous he could soar, rendering Malfoy's taunts completely futile.

Malfoy and his henchmen were hesitant to appear before Bai Lang; Malfoy wasn't a fool, he knew when to press his advantage—just as he could bring up Ron's father to embarrass the Weasley family. But against Bai Lang? He knew Bai Lang was an orphan like Harry, yet Bai Lang's ferocity wasn't something his own father could withstand—before his father could manage to have Bai Lang expelled, he might be killed by this guy. The broken bones of his classmates attest to that.

As for after the expulsion, Malfoy didn't know that Bai Lang would still not starve; his income was decent and he would likely, like the magical marauders of the New World, become a British magical super‑criminal, with Azkaban coming and going as if it were home—Bai Lang felt that Akehanmu seemed more fitting for him… He couldn't understand why, despite his righteous, chivalrous appearance and dignified bearing, he now thought he might go to Akehanmu. Perhaps it was the chivalrous use of force…

Bai Lang had just alighted from the Hogwarts Express at Platform 9¾; as soon as he stepped out, he booked a taxi at the station's service desk—he was heading to Diagon Alley, with loot to fence. The taxi stopped, and Bai Lang entered the Leaky Cauldron, ignoring the useless wizards idling inside and the old man Tom, and went straight to the back courtyard, tapping a brick with the tip of his wand.

The gate of Diagon Alley opened, and Bai Lang strode in, heading straight for the apothecary. The wizard inside was a witch; Bai Lang said nothing and placed the four shrunken poisonous claws from his bag on the counter—yes, he had later killed another spider in the Forbidden Forest, this one twice the size of the first. He set the claws down and said, "You buy potions, right? This is the venom of an eight‑eyed giant spider; you can test it and give me a price."

The witch, visibly surprised, took the four claws for inspection, and Bai Lang walked away with three hundred galleons—eight‑eyed giant spider venom is extremely pricey and rare. "So that whole nest of spiders in the Forbidden Forest is a galleon mine, and they even reproduce," Bai Lang tossed his money bag cheerfully, thinking, "Hagrid really is a great guy!" He then went to the Terror Travel Company and booked the "Peloponnese Hydra Tour," a famous small‑scale itinerary that showcases magical creatures native to the Peloponnese, such as three‑headed dogs and hydras, with a disclaimer that casualties are at one's own risk.

Bai Lang rented a room for the night at the Leaky Cauldron, and the next day he would board the Terror Travel's dedicated flying car bound for Greece. Only three wizards signed up for this vacation tour; Bai Lang was the youngest, the other two were a middle‑aged wizard named Ha Gen and a young witch named Qie Li, while the guide was a man in his thirties, "Just call me Bu Lai De."

The flying car looked half‑new, half‑old, like the horse‑drawn taxis common in early‑19th‑century London, and the draft horse was a creature called Ye Qi—Bai Lang had killed many, so he could see these skeletal, winged beasts. Stepping into the carriage, the interior was warm yellow upholstery, the space far larger than it appeared from outside. There was a corridor with four rooms; Bai Lang chose one and found it quite comfortable.

It was comparable to the luxury train compartments of the early 20th century, and Bai Lang felt the money was well spent. The flying car's speed wasn't slower than an airplane; it took roughly the same time as a Boeing or Airbus flight, and Bai Lang was already at the Peloponnese. The car landed just outside the Parthenon—"Muggles can't see it," Bu Lai De said. "Let's go; the next three days we have many magical sights to see. After three days we'll return here and take the flying car back."

He tapped a rolling boulder outside the temple with his wand, and the stone shifted, revealing a descending staircase. Bai Lang followed the guide and the two companions down; as soon as they descended, the overhead stone snapped back, plunging the scene into darkness, but then bright lights flared, unveiling a wizarding street reminiscent of Diagon Alley. Bai Lang looked up: blue sky and white clouds stretched overhead, not underground—there was a breeze and various scents, just as if they were on the surface near the Parthenon.

"We'll set off from here using the special door key; please take care of yourselves," Bu Lai De said.