Chapter 435: Fourth Hundred Thirty‑Sixth Chapter: Touring Part Two

It was an entire pack of three‑headed dogs; Bai Lang could easily count at least five or six of them, though most were a little smaller than Liu Heita. These massive, three‑headed feral dogs, reeking of a sulfur‑like stench, barked and charged—blame Bai Lang himself for standing so carelessly, even perching on a small tree to get a clearer view. "Hmm, I can't kill them; that would be a bit troublesome."

Bai Lang thought fighting the dog pack was doable; with a staff in hand, would he fear those five or six three‑headed dogs? Joke!

If these dogs were half their size, their threat to him would be considerable, but given their huge stature, they were actually easier to handle. At most only three dogs could surround him, and because the nine heads interfered with each other, perhaps only two or three heads could launch an effective attack. In that case, constantly darting about with agile footwork isn't the best choice; the best choice is to stay near the center and smash the dogs' noses directly.

Bai Lang unfolded his body within the cramped space, brandishing his own Skull‑Breaker wand, and without hesitation hammered each advancing dog nose with the copper‑capped lightning‑fast strike. Each blow elicited a long, mournful wail; Bai Lang swung his staff in all directions, and after twenty or so smashes the dogs, tails between their legs, fled… Bai Lang crossed his arms and laughed heartily. Then he slipped away—if he were surrounded by other dog packs, fighting nonstop wouldn't be a solution.

Bai Lang also traveled to southern Greece, where a pride of lions lived among the mountains—the only lion pride protected by the Magical Union Council. These lions possessed terrifying anti‑magic ability and abnormally huge bodies, at least three times larger than the ordinary muggle‑known lion. The leading male was virtually impervious to blades and spears and could resist most spells. Their claw‑blood is a rare material used to craft magical artifacts and potions involving keywords like "courage."

Facing these lions, Bai Lang truly had to be far more cautious than when confronting the three‑headed dogs; the lions' combat power was indeed far greater. However, in the following places, Bai Lang found no corresponding magical beasts—this can be blamed on luck. On the final stop, Sicily, Bai Lang, hidden inside a magically concealed volcano, did not encounter the large fire lizards; instead he only retrieved an egg from a cave near the crater—certainly not a Ke Mai La Shou egg, but the area is indeed part of the Ke Mai La Shou's range.

He hid the egg, snapped off his last thumb, and amid a whirl of sky and earth returned outside the little stone cottage. The three‑day tour ended, and Wizard Bu Lai De waited for them at the door. His smile carried an awkward expression—once inside the hut, it was clear the witch was the first to return, wrapped head‑to‑toe in bandages yet still able to move. He couldn't put it into words, but Bu Lai De said he would later send them to Sheng Mang Ge Hospital.

As for the middle‑aged male witch, he still hasn't returned… Later that day, Bu Lai De vanished briefly with magic, and when he came back he was accompanied by Witch Qie Li and took Bai Lang, the young wizard, back via the Floo Network. Bai Lang didn't need to ask; most likely that wizard lost his life during the journey… just unknown where he fell, Bai Lang didn't see it.

But that's normal; a terrifying tour isn't liable for compensating wizards for injuries or deaths incurred on the trip… On the way back, Bai Lang was inspected on Parthenon Temple Street, merely passing through a stone gate. It is said that this stone gate can automatically identify "prohibited items" on a wizard's person and in their magic pockets, though only for products and raw materials of these protected magical creatures.

At first Bai Lang thought he might have broken the rules and be fined, but it seems the egg he picked up isn't a prohibited item, so he happily rode a Flying Car back to England. After returning to England, the Christmas holiday was nearly over, and it was time to take the Hogwarts Express back to school.

Back at Hogwarts, Bai Lang didn't receive any Christmas gifts—well, actually he did; Neville Longbottom and Seamus Finnigan gave him gifts, and Slytherin's Bu Lei Si and several other young wizards also gave him gifts—so Bai Lang quickly bought a batch of candies produced by the Duke of Honey to give in return. "It's basically a legal candy swap, right?" Bai Lang said, chewing chocolate, his words slurred.

After returning to Hogwarts, Bai Lang slipped out during a break to Hai Ge's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. "Hey! Hai Ge!" he shouted, and the half‑giant Hai Ge, seeing Bai Lang, greeted him cheerfully, "Hey, how's it going, Bai Lang." For Bai Lang, who shares the same aesthetic for creatures, Hai Ge was very welcoming—though he clearly has a better relationship with the Harry Potter trio, they seem to have a slight gripe about his taste in beasts.

"How's Liu Heita doing lately? I spent this Christmas holiday in Greece and saw many of his kind," Bai Lang said to Hai Ge, and Hai Ge replied happily that everything was fine. "Did you see the nine‑headed serpent Xu De La in Greece? I'm not really fond of them, but you must have seen the Nemea lion pride, right? Those cute little kittens, though Scotland's climate isn't great for them…"

Bai Lang cheerfully shared his travel spoils with Hai Ge, including the terrifying man‑eating monster bird with iron beak and iron claws, and the copper‑skinned bull of Crete—the bull's hide is like copper, its mouth bristling with fangs, it feeds on flesh rather than grass, and it even can petrify prey with its eyes. Hai Ge was delighted to discuss, and at the end Bai Lang pulled the egg from his leather pouch, "I found this egg in a Sicilian volcano; do you know what species it is? How should I incubate it?"

Hai Ge took the egg, about the size of a washbasin, and together they examined its leather‑like shell; the shell felt like leather, the kind used for armor. Its surface bore rough, mottled dark‑brown patterns. "Hmm, I'm not sure. It looks like the egg of some humanoid beast? Ah, you should know most of these creatures don't lay eggs but give birth directly…" Hai Ge said, stroking the egg up and down.

"How to incubate it? You've stumped me… we need to first identify what it is." Hai Ge clutched his thick‑haired face, and Bai Lang slipped the egg back into his leather bag, "Maybe I should find a fire and place it inside? After all, I discovered it in a cave inside a volcano, where the temperature isn't low." In the end Bai Lang decided to keep it that way, because Hai Ge said the thing actually doesn't need high heat to hatch.