Chapter 62: Poseidon
After Alexander used fiery red magic to outline the reply letter, he handed it over to Jack to handle the mailing.
As for the Lord God, Alexander's thoughts remained linked to it—there was no need for any other form of communication.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world in India, on a lounge chair atop a stone platform in the middle of the zombie trail lake, Alexander opened his eyes. His phoenix incarnation vanished from the scene.
The little devil nearby had already dashed back into the forest. According to Alexander's perception, it still had some flying insects in its mouth, biting them from time to time as if chewing on sugarcane.
Kate had returned to the stone platform, now sitting with her back to him, flipping through an unfamiliar book in silence.
In the awkward stillness, Alexander pretended to enjoy the scenery until lunchtime finally arrived.
Lunch, once again, was curry with Indian rice as the staple. Fortunately, there were various types of curry. The drink, however, had changed to fruit tea—though it looked unappetizing, with colorful, stick-like fruit pieces that resembled soaked cigarette butts, its taste was unexpectedly delightful.
"Kate, look!" Alexander used magic to pluck the fruits from the tea one by one, freezing the water into the shape of a bird. He arranged the fruit pieces by color to create stunning feathers. A delicate sculpture emerged in the form of a mythical bird.
"Huh? What is this?" Kate asked, hopping off the recliner, stretching after a long, idle morning.
"The Irish Phoenix—an Augurey," Alexander replied.
"Aha! You're wrong!"
"The Augurey looks more like a malnourished vulture," Kate said with a grin, "with dark green feathers and a sharp beak."
Seeing Alexander's 'mistake', she smiled brightly.
"What can Augurey feathers be used for? A. Potion material, or B. Quills?" Kate turned to quiz him, holding a curry chicken drumstick like a wand.
"Feathers, obviously!" Alexander answered confidently, pretending to be clueless.
"Oh-ho! Wrong!" Kate announced triumphantly. "Augurey feathers repel ink, so they can't be used to make quills!"
Standing on the recliner with mock authority, she began to lecture:
"Classmate Alexander, let Professor Kate enlighten you."
"The Augurey is a shy magical bird that builds teardrop-shaped nests from thorns. It's a registered magical creature classified as dangerous in XXXX. Its diet includes insects, fairies, and flies. It only takes flight during heavy rain."
"Oh, and Augureys are native to the United Kingdom and Ireland, though some are found in Northern Europe."
"For ages, wizards thought their eerie cries foretold death. But research shows they only cry when rain is coming. That's why some wizards keep them as weather predictors. Though in winter, they need a Silencing Charm—otherwise, the non-stop howling will drive you crazy!"
"Did you know," she continued excitedly, "that your most hated historical figure—Yurik the Oddball—once thought he had died and become a ghost because of the Augureys' moaning?"
"Then something hilarious happened: he walked straight into a wall thinking he could pass through it. A neighbor found him unconscious and sent him to the wizarding hospital. Rumor says he had a concussion for ten days."
"But he deserved it—he raised fifty Augureys at once without researching their habits." Kate crossed her arms and gave a mock-serious nod. "So, Classmate Alexander, what did we learn from this lesson?"
"That we should do our homework before raising magical creatures?" Alexander replied obediently.
"Yes, exactly! Children can be taught!"
"But it's not just about pets," she added, widening her eyes to emphasize the point. "Whatever you do, prepare in advance, got it?"
"Yes, Professor Kate," Alexander said, playing along.
With that, the mood lightened, and things finally returned to calm.
After lunch, Alexander quietly asked Kate to reaffirm her earlier "confession"—that she had stayed home during the holidays, just like him. Most importantly, she mustn't let Penelope find out.
The conversation spiraled into more teasing, and as they bantered, the sky slowly began to darken.
"Huh? It's almost night—why hasn't anything happened?" Kate asked as she stood atop the stone platform table, scanning the surroundings, her belongings gathered.
Then, the platform began to tremble. The stone table, which had automatically cleared their meal, began to sink slowly. Kate nimbly leapt aside, while Alexander casually stowed their things in his magically expanded pockets.
As the table sank fully, a staircase leading downward was revealed—pitch black and seemingly bottomless.
"Kate, let's go. This is our new mode of transport to the Bermuda Triangle—an underwater palace called Poseidon."
"Poseidon?" Kate echoed, following him. "Like a magical submarine?"
"Exactly," Alexander replied.
Perhaps for ritualistic flair, Poseidon didn't use any sliding magic. They had to descend manually, two steps at a time, through the dark corridor.
Without warning, the darkness vanished, revealing a stunning view of the lakebed.
Poseidon's walls and floors were transparent. Aquatic plants swayed gently beneath the water's ripples, and fish darted through the currents. The most mesmerizing of them was the luminous silver La Morra fish.
The shimmering lake and the soft, scattered sunlight mesmerized them.
It felt like they had stepped into a giant underwater aquarium. The staircase behind them disappeared, and a door appeared out of thin air, slowly opening.
Out stepped a short dwarf wizard, likely of goblin heritage.
"Mr. Smith, Miss Kate—welcome to Poseidon," the dwarf greeted them warmly.
He gave a quick tour. When they wished to view the outside world, they simply had to say Thetis, the name of a Greek sea goddess. The walls and floors would become transparent again. The default rooms—living room, bathroom, and bedroom—would appear otherwise.
Each room featured a window for aquatic views, but the dwarf warned against transparency in the bedroom due to possible thalassophobia—fear of deep water—highlighted by Muggle psychology.
As they tested the command, the layout transformed. A stylish living room emerged, decorated in ocean blues with wave motifs. The coral-shaped sofa was surprisingly soft.
Alexander and Kate each received a sleek hand card engraved with "Thetis" as a password reminder.
"It kind of feels like we've checked into a magical spa," Kate muttered.
After finishing his tour, the dwarf stepped through the floating door and vanished.
Horror Journey certainly knew how to maximize privacy. From the vampire castle, to the zombie trail, and now Poseidon—Alexander noticed there were no visible surveillance spells. Staff only appeared when absolutely necessary.
But perhaps that made sense. In a world where every wand-wielding wizard was a walking arsenal, no one dared to assume innocence based on appearances alone.
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