Chapter 656
Tide
Chapter 656 Tide
These days, Hogsmeade's wizarding village is much more lively than before, with vendors from all over flocking to the small village whenever students are allowed to leave campus.
In a land inhabited entirely by wizards, Apparition was unrestricted. As Vader walked along the road, he would occasionally see vendors with carts descending from the sky, their calls blaring from magical loudspeakers before they could even get their footing.
Just like the Quidditch World Cup camp, many tents have been added to the open space around the village, and the wind chimes hanging on the tents tinkle when the spring breeze blows.
On some tents, Wade saw slowly rotating "holographic versions" of Viktor Krum, Harry Potter, Natalia Petrova, and others... and of course, himself.
It could even be said that the images of "Wade Grey" occupied half of the camp, two-thirds of which depicted him as a mermaid.
“Look at you,” Michael nudged Wade and chuckled teasingly, “You’re a big star now, Wade!”
Wade rolled his eyes at him speechlessly, then touched the badge on his chest with some unease. Only after confirming that it was still in place did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Hogwarts is like a closed ivory tower, keeping all the conflicts, disputes, struggles for interests and noise outside the walls, allowing students to study and learn quietly in the school.
Even after the Eleven Schools League was held and students from several other magic schools joined the campus, things quickly returned to calm after the initial period of curiosity and excitement.
None of the three champions of Hogwarts were the type to show off. After the second project ended, Harry and Cedric were surrounded by people from their respective houses for a while, but Wade hid away for a week, leaving early and returning late. The students who wanted to discuss the second project with him quickly lost their enthusiasm, and everything seemed to be the same as before, with no change.
But once they left school, the impact of the two competitions became clear.
The entire competition was broadcast live, with every detail unfolding under the watchful eyes of millions of viewers. Every subtle magical fluctuation and every perfectly timed spell was displayed without reservation to audiences worldwide.
There is no falsehood, no luck; strength is the only language that matters.
Under these circumstances, the audience naturally developed a great deal of enthusiasm for the league. However, after the first event was completed, it happened to be Christmas, a cold winter day, and people stayed at home, so this enthusiasm wasn't fully realized.
But now that the second project has ended and the temperature has warmed up, many people are taking advantage of the Hogsmeade weekend to "chase stars." Some tabloid reporters are holding cameras and staring intently at every little wizard walking through the crowd.
Krum seemed unaware of the change in his popularity. He casually went out, only to be surrounded by a crowd, unable to move an inch, and his face grew even more gloomy.
"Excuse me! I have an appointment, please move aside!"
Krum was so angry that he wanted to get rid of everyone around him.
But the reporters became even more enthusiastic: "You have an appointment? Is she a girl? Mr. Krum, did you meet a girl you like during this competition? Would you like to introduce her to us?"
Krum wanted to get angry, but his ears turned red without him even realizing it.
"Hey! What are you doing surrounding the students? Dumbledore didn't give you permission to do this!"
Hagrid charged in like a tank, quickly driving away the reporters and rescuing the troubled Krum.
Some of the eliminated warriors also received some attention. Especially Furong, she was practically the center of attention; even though she looked unwell, people were eager to capture her angry expression.
Of course, many people are eager to find Wade, not just journalists, but also his newly minted fans.
Compared to the warriors who participated in the competition, the audience recognized Vader's strength more. Vader saw that many wizards from other countries had their portraits hanging on their tents or small statues of Vader hanging from their waists.
The little wooden figures would walk around, gracefully waving their magic wands.
—Who turned his personal image into a statue?
Just as anger and embarrassment were rising in Wade's heart, a sentence seemed to suddenly flash past his ear:
"I might need to use your image to help with publicity... Don't worry, I won't skimp on the fees..."
—Who said that?
Is there a second choice? Of course, it's Marchionni!
I remember that when we finished discussing the details of building Lilliput, Marchionni casually said something like this.
At the time, Vader thought that he was going to put on the "invented and certified by Vader Gray" label as usual as a guarantee of product quality, and nodded without asking any questions—after all, Marchionni always did that.
Thinking about it carefully, the financial reports recently have indeed increased by a strange amount, but after confirming that Remus had been reviewed, Wade did not spend much time on it.
However, the night before he was to leave, Wade received a message from Antoine—
"If you don't want to be stared at like a monkey the moment you step out, I suggest you disguise your face. Of course, if you like being the center of attention, then remember to dress up nicely. By the way, the gown you wore to the ball last time was quite nice."
Wade: ...?
Although he didn't understand the reason, he still followed the advice based on the simple idea that "listening to advice leads to a full stomach".
There was no need to use compound potions or shapeshifting techniques for such a trivial matter; Vader simply modified the Softlight Badge.
Proper lighting and filters can elevate a person's appearance significantly; conversely, doing the opposite can make someone look ordinary, and even alter their eye color.
Wade had arranged to go out with his friends that morning, but after standing there for several minutes, they didn't recognize him and were whispering among themselves:
"Why hasn't Wade come out yet?"
"Could it be that he got so engrossed in his research that he forgot about the time again?"
……
Vader then picked up a palm-sized "Mermaid Vader" from the cart and examined it, discovering that it did indeed bear the distinctive magical markings commonly used by the Aslan Magic Workshop.
He raised an eyebrow imperceptibly, thinking to himself, "Just as I thought."
Marchionni really knows how to seize every opportunity to make money!
The vendor, wearing a brown felt hat, enthusiastically called out, "Want to buy a merman named Wade? He's the most popular right now! Buy a statue and I'll give you a water amulet as a bonus!"
Michael chuckled beside him, and Wade's face flushed as if he'd been burned. He threw the statue back and said, "No need."
"Wait, I'll buy one!" Theo immediately pulled out his wallet and happily accepted the item amidst Wade's shocked gaze: "This is a rare souvenir..."
"Hey! Theo!" Wade shouted. "They're really well-made." Ryan took one "Mermaid Wade" and another "Wizard Wade" with a scorpion puppet beside him, nodded in satisfaction, and said, "I'll take them both. How much?"
Michael laughed so hard he was shaking. He couldn't say a word, he just left Galon behind and reached out to take one of each of the two "Wade" designs.
The stall owner packed the items with a broad smile, while winking at them and saying, "You students have excellent taste—you're all Hogwarts students, right? Wade Grey is a top contender for the championship right now. Go over there and place your bets; if you win, you can make a small fortune."
"Huh?" Theo, who was picking out a dragon wand at the stall, was taken aback and looked up, saying, "Why isn't it 'a big profit'?"
"Oh, didn't you know? The higher a player's chances of winning, the lower their odds."
The stall owner spoke rapidly: "If you want to bet on an upset, then it's Hope Cruz from Salem. But seriously, Cedric from Hogwarts isn't bad either."
After leaving the booth, Michael said, "It's a shame about Cedric; his injury in the first game really dragged down his reputation."
“What’s the big deal?” Theo, also a Hufflepuff, was more objective: “The outcome of a match isn’t determined by the opinions of the audience. Besides…”
He glanced at Wade and said, "Cedric's chances of winning are indeed not high."
The group then went to check out the betting area. The numerous and varied tents had turned the open space outside the village into a maze. Michael had to ask several classmates before he could lead them to the location.
It was a round tent with portraits of all the warriors who continued to participate hanging outside. After lifting the curtain and going inside, I saw that there were actually more than a dozen students inside, sneaking around a table.
"This is all my allowance... If I lose, I won't even be able to afford a quill pen..."
The student speaking, while feeling sorry for the money, slammed the money bag onto the table with a generous gesture.
The others discussed various betting options, and although their voices were not loud, they created a buzzing noise, as if dozens of mosquitoes were swarming inside.
The tent smelled unpleasant, with a spice scent similar to that of a divination classroom.
Wade stopped at the door, while the other three excitedly went inside.
It was quite a while before Wade saw them come out of the tent, with Michael stuffing the money bag back in as he walked.
"You placed a bet?" Wade asked.
Michael and Theo nodded at the same time, but Ryan shook his head and said, "I promised my mother I wouldn't get involved in this."
Although he didn't participate, he didn't stop his friends from joining in the fun.
Theo said confidently, "Anyway, you're sure to win, and I'm not betting much."
Michael walked over briskly and laughed, "You know what? They bet on all sorts of things, you alone have more than a dozen options!"
"Some people bet on how long it will take you to finish the match, some bet on how many opponents you will personally eliminate, and some bet on whether you will continue to use the puppet!"
"Are you really not going to bet, Wade? You could easily manipulate the outcome of the match and get the highest odds."
"Didn't you guys ask around?" Wade said speechlessly, "Last time, Bagman paid for the World Cup betting with the goblin's magic coins!"
Michael thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll take you with me. I don't believe he can fool your eyes!"
……
Hogsmeade is more chaotic and more interesting than ever before. The four of them wandered around, bought some necessities, and then went their separate ways before lunch.
Michael and Daphne have an appointment, Theo's parents seem to have come to Hogsmeade to do business, and Ryan has an appointment with some Hufflepuff classmates.
As for Wade, he naturally had his own appointment to keep.
Following the direction of the magic, Vader found a tent on the edge of the camp. It looked drab, with old and faded canvas and a few inconspicuous patches along the edges.
A copper weathervane was stuck diagonally at the top of the tent, its rusty needle turning slowly in the wind, making a soft creaking sound.
Wade stood at the door and looked around carefully for a few moments before lifting the curtain and going inside.
The interior is dazzlingly luxurious, completely different from the exterior. It is fully furnished, spacious and bright, with silver candlesticks floating in the air, burning with an inextinguishable flame.
A serious-looking figure sat at the table, flipping through a stack of documents. Antoine leaned lazily to one side, holding a kettle in his hand, a thin stream of water slowly flowing into the filter cup, and as the steam rose, the aroma of coffee filled the air.
Hearing the wind chimes by the door ring, he looked up and smiled, "You've come at the perfect time. Would you like sugar and milk in your coffee?"
“Of course, thank you.” Wade sat down in the only empty chair, looked at the other person at the table, and smiled, “Long time no see, Derain.”
Günther d'Aleen—Grindelwald's right-hand man—put away the documents, looked at Wade, and said bluntly:
“Your last letter gave Mr. Grindelwald a lot to think about. Since some things are difficult to convey clearly through letters, I’ve come to explain them to you in person.”
Wade leaned back in his chair, his fingers lightly tracing the armrest, and asked, "So, what is Mr. Grindelwald's opinion?"
De Laine leaned forward slightly and said in a low voice, "He admires your vision and your idea of peacefully reconciling the two worlds. But he also asked me to remind you—Wade—that history does not change its nature because of goodwill."
He sat up straight, picked up the small silver spoon, stirred the coffee that Antoine had just added a few times, placed it in front of Wade, and then continued:
“Muggles have a deep-seated fear of wizards… or we could call it greed, of course. Honey may soften their guard, but it cannot eliminate their desires, much less change the human nature’s passion for killing and plunder.”
Wade took the coffee, blew on the steam, and looked at Derain through the rising steam, asking, "So... Mr. Grindelwald thinks my idea is unacceptable, is that right?"
De Laine shook his head: "No... he thinks what you're saying is the right direction, but to achieve the ultimate goal, bloodshed and conflict are inevitable."
"He hopes you're mentally prepared and don't have overly naive fantasies. Muggles can be driven by profit and emotion, but sometimes they can be incredibly stupid."
“I know,” Wade nodded. “With billions of people, there are naturally countless smart people and countless idiots. Muggle society is not a whole; their interests are only more complicated than ours.”
“That’s it.” Derain said, his eyes slightly narrowed. “As for the improved potion you proposed, Mr. Grindelwald has already had people begin working on it. In any case, it’s a very good starting point…”
(End of this chapter)