Chapter 68: Mysterious Contract
When you arrive in a strange city, what should you do first?
Survey the terrain and stay alert?
No, no, no. Alexander Smith had no intention of exploring this so-called underwater city just yet.
From the moment he entered Poseidon, Alexander sensed something was wrong—he felt bound. It was a hidden contract, discreetly embedded when he had initially signed the "menu" and selected the service options.
The only purpose of this contract was to condition wizards into silence. Once they left the city, they would be unable to disclose anything about it.
Alexander had fallen into the trap because of his overconfidence. At the time, he had just mastered the power of the Level 6 Death Curse and was feeling invincible, believing that no place in the world could restrain him.
Besides, the contract itself wasn't overtly harmful. It had minimal requirements, low costs, and even promised the safety of its clients. This balance made the contract legally binding.
If the contract had been malicious or unfair, Alexander's magical intuition would have warned him, and it wouldn't have taken effect.
After arriving in the underwater city, Alexander was shocked to realize that even magical creatures like phoenixes or house-elves might not be able to Apparate in or out.
It wasn't that Apparition was entirely blocked—after all, phoenixes shouldn't be restrained. But the distance from the surface was too great. Phoenixes could only teleport within the city, and their magical senses were limited by range.
For a phoenix to escape, it would need to teleport directly to the seafloor, withstand the crushing pressure, die, and then resurrect on the surface.
This whole setup was likely meant to keep such creatures out. Interestingly, there seemed to be fewer restrictions on leaving the city. Alexander suspected most residents, knowingly or not, were already bound by the same kind of contract.
But in his case, the contract held no real power—he possessed Phoenix magic. He had simply overlooked it, or perhaps the contract hadn't "activated" yet.
When it did activate, Alexander immediately and unilaterally dissolved it.
However, he realized something even more unsettling. Even if someone were subjected to Legilimency, the masterminds behind the Horror Tours didn't mind—in fact, they welcomed it.
Why?
Because the contract's carrier was memory.
The moment someone accessed memories of the underwater city, they themselves became bound by the contract. It ensured secrecy through thought alone.
It was brilliant. So intricate, it rivaled the infamous Fidelius Charm.
But Alexander dug deeper. This contract didn't just enforce silence. It had slowly shaped the residents' behavior over time. Most couldn't even harm each other.
It was like an enormous web—a shared vision of utopia binding every wizard in the city. A magical spiderweb with no clear origin, created by collective belief and intent.
This realization left Alexander shaken. Not even the lavish seafood feast in the waiting hall could lift his mood.
"Kate, I need to leave temporarily. Be careful not to touch me and interrupt the spell," Alexander's voice echoed in Kate's mind as she was enjoying her meal.
To the ordinary eye, he appeared to be resting on a nearby sofa. But a flicker of light revealed the phoenix incarnation silently leaving his body.
And once again, Castle Smith welcomed its master.
Jack, who had already been informed by Alexander via the Divine System, appeared in Diagon Alley moments after Alexander left the underwater city.
Jack had donned a magical hat and transformed into George Smith. Meanwhile, Alexander had merged into the back of Jack's head in spirit form—similar to Voldemort and Quirrell, but without the need for Jack to turn around. Alexander's phoenix-enhanced perspective gave him a full 365-degree view.
Jack walked directly to No. 59 Diagon Alley—a destination full of dark implications.
The travel agency, designed by the same architect who built Ollivander's Wand Shop, still looked mundane. It was open even at 7 PM. The receptionist was still seated on the right side, high on a marble desk, lazily pointing at wands while a two-foot-tall pear tap-danced across the surface.
But as Jack—disguised as George Smith—entered, the receptionist's demeanor changed. Perhaps because it was late, or because Jack was an adult wizard, the smile was gone. There was no warm greeting. With a flick of his wand, the menu turned into a paper bird, flew to Jack, and transformed back into its original form.
The receptionist now seemed like a stereotypical shopkeeper trying to take advantage of customers.
Alexander didn't need Jack to physically turn like Quirrell—his phoenix eyes could scan everything.
He closely examined the menu. On the surface, it looked identical to the one he had seen before—except now, a private tour cost 1,000 Galleons, ten times the previous price.
And this time, there was no sign of a contract. No enchantments except the animated figure guiding the user to fill in details.
"It's exactly the same… except for the time—and the fact that the client is an adult," Alexander thought.
"Jack, relax," he whispered telepathically.
From the receptionist's perspective, the middle-aged man briefly looked directly at him—then suddenly, the receptionist blinked in confusion.
He scratched his head, wondering why he had zoned out.
Jack quickly acted disinterested and left.
Inside Jack's mind, Alexander was shocked:
"Impossible... Something was definitely wrong with the previous 'menu.'"
The truth hit him like a thunderclap.
As long as the customer was a young wizard, the receptionist would personally hand over a "menu" with enticing discounts—and an imperceptible contract embedded within.
Their goal was obvious: recruit new blood.
As Muggle society advanced, most wizarding communities grew increasingly secretive. Outside of Britain, wizards were already creating hidden sanctuaries away from Muggle eyes. Drindwall's plan was just one of many.
More wizards were carving out secret realms in places Muggles couldn't access. While modern magical defenses against Muggle technology had improved, the sheer scale of Muggle firepower—from missiles to nuclear weapons—terrified many older wizards.
Thus, Poseidon had been established.
After discovering remnants of an ancient civilization under the sea, these wizards kept it secret. Then they opened travel agencies around the world under the brand Horror Tours.
They targeted young wizards, luring them into the city to show them a utopian vision. Even if the youth rejected their ideals, the binding contract ensured secrecy—and any breach only resulted in one more wizard unwillingly trapped by the web.
Generation after generation, under the sea in the Bermuda Triangle, a hidden city of wizards thrived in silence.
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