Chapter 457: Time Flies

It seemed everyone was happy; before Dumbledore spoke to Professor McGonagall and the Weasleys left with Ginny, Bai Lang spoke first. "Since the matter is settled, allow me to go first." Bai Lang stretched his arm. "In fact, when I smashed that thing's dog head, I found it softer than I expected—after all, it isn't a real human head, right? So I think I also need to see Madam Pomfrey; perhaps she has some medicine that can ease a muscle strain."

Bai Lang looked up at the Headmaster and the professor, bowed, and then left together with the Weasleys and Ginny—what Dumbledore would do with the trio afterward? Oh, they would certainly not be expelled, because Professor McGonagall briskly stepped out right behind Bai Lang. "Mr. Lang En," Professor McGonagall said. "Yes, I'm here. Professor." Bai Lang looked at his dean.

"Well done," Professor McGonagall said. "However, because you violated school rules, I cannot give you extra points. Still, I must say, well done."

"Thank you, Dean," Bai Lang nodded, watching the professor turn and walk elsewhere, while he continued following the Weasleys to Madam Pomfrey's infirmary. In the infirmary, Pomfrey first tended to Ginny, giving her a large cup of hot chocolate and having her parents seat her on a curtained bed. As for Bai Lang, Madam Pomfrey was a bit stiff—perhaps she still couldn't forget the time Bai Lang brought in so many broken‑wristed young wizards at once.

She examined Bai Lang and found nothing wrong; although Bai Lang insisted it was a muscle strain, there was nothing she could do, so she gave him a cup of nutrient tonic to drink and then sent him back.

When Bai Lang returned to the dormitory, Harry and the others hadn't come back yet. But soon, a joyous banquet began—the trio had brought back a full six hundred house points, making this year's House Cup a sure thing. "Hey, you contributed too! You earned fifty points for the house, Bai," Harry Potter laughed, and they also talked about old Draco Malfoy's embarrassment and his loss of a servant, as well as Dumbledore's and Hagrid's return.

The professors were also delighted and decided to raise the difficulty of the exams… The banquet lasted almost through the night, especially after the petrified students returned, the festive atmosphere peaked. Bai Lang had already slipped away earlier; he slipped back to his dormitory and fell asleep. After lowering the curtain, the soundproofing was quite good, and he slept soundly.

The exams were the same; anyway, Bai Lang skimmed through with grades similar to last year. Relieved, he noticed that Draco Malfoy was listless; his father's removal from the board seemed to hit him hard. Seeing the pitiful state, even Bai Lang felt sympathetic and decided not to beat him up before leaving school. This summer, Bai Lang has decided to visit magical worlds in other countries—especially the United States and Europe.

So he boarded the Hogwarts Express—by the way, Bai Lang still didn't bring Dio, because he thought Dio foraging in the Forbidden Forest would lessen his own financial burden, and also because Hagrid "couldn't live without" the mighty Dio—who had even shyly asked Bai Lang if he could transfer Dio to him. Bai Lang obtained permission from his guardian to go to the United States, so he flew across the Atlantic.

He landed in New York, needing to go immediately to the American Wizarding Congress to obtain a wand permit—otherwise he'd be arrested, and the American Wizarding Congress is stricter about controlling wizards. Yet it seems there are more dark wizards here? The number of American wizards far exceeds that of Britain. The Congress building Bai Lang visited, the Woolworth Building, is in New York and shared with Muggles—though visitors are directed to different sections depending on who they are.

Although the building is only 55 stories, the Wizarding Congress has carved out hundreds of floors within it; the department Bai Lang went to issues wand permits—essentially the Immigration Office. One should know that wizards in South America, Africa, or other continents don't use wands. After Bai Lang registered his information, he tapped the sphere with his wand, and the middle‑aged witch in charge said, "Welcome to the United States."

The American wizarding shopping district was a bit more modern, just as their Wizarding Congress operated in a New York skyscraper. Bai Lang sold a quarter of his stock at several potion shops—he carefully gauged the market size and thought that after selling this amount, his goods wouldn't depreciate. "Is this the magical American currency?" Bai Lang looked at the money, then went to the Gringotts US branch to exchange it for Galleons.

After that, he roamed around the United States, visiting a Thunderbird—a very famous Magical Creature—but he didn't make a large purchase there. He then managed to fly with American Airlines to Ri Ben, where the venom of the Eight‑Eyed Spider was in high demand—because of its proximity to the source in Dong Nan Ya, the uses of this magical material were studied more deeply, though the price was relatively low.

Bai Lang sold all the venom—though he wasn't a major vendor, the Japanese magical shops easily took the whole batch, and of course he exchanged it for gold Galleons. After traveling around, Bai Lang returned to Britain, and the first thing he did was head straight to Gringotts. "Open a vault for me; I want to deposit money," he told the elf before him. The elf looked at him through a monocle, had him register, and said, "No problem, welcome to Gringotts vault service, Mr. Bai Lang."

The elf could even speak fluent Chinese, which was far better than most British wizards. "We have recorded your magical signature; unless you come in person, no one can open your vault. Gringotts guarantees its reputation." It gestured for another elf to take Bai Lang to the vault; they boarded a carriage that wound along the tracks downwards. "If you plan to rob Gringotts, descending to the underground vaults is certainly not a good idea!" Bai Lang thought.

The tracks twisted and spiraled, occasionally branching, and finally stopped before a small platform. "Please follow me," the elf said, taking down the chandelier hanging in front of the carriage and hanging it by the vault door. It produced a key, slipped it into the lock of the stone door. "Vault 4077, please remember this number." After opening the stone door, the elf stood respectfully aside.

Bai Lang entered the empty stone room of about twenty square meters, where magical light shone from above onto the bare floor. He turned his bag upside down, shaking out gold Galleons… The clinking gold coins piled on the floor, and Bai Lang occasionally used his wand to push the accumulating coins aside—this time he had borrowed over ten thousand gold Galleons from the spider. After emptying the bag, Bai Lang looked satisfied at the coins covering roughly a third of the floor, stacked as high as a person. "If possible, could someone arrange the coins neatly?"

The elf bowed, "As you wish, sir. Next time you come, you will certainly see your gold Galleons placed neatly."