Chapter 790
Reporters and Photos
Chapter 790 Reporters and Photos
The dimly lit room was filled with the smell of old parchment and developing chemicals. The walls and stringed ropes were covered with photographs, marked with illegible symbols that only the writer could decipher.
Each of the photos is related to the recently concluded alchemy competition:
The moment the werewolf puppet appeared, terrified screams erupted from the audience, and people fled their seats. A terrified face was frozen in the photo.
The next photo centers on Wade Gray and Modigliani Graves staring at each other, their gazes brimming with an undeniable power, while the judges at the edge of the photo wear intriguing expressions.
Corbitt and Graves shook hands. The businessmen around them, driven by greed and ambition, looked on with greed, envy, longing, and jealousy. The two men shaking hands had remarkably similar expressions, a half-smile on their faces.
In the corner of the wall, Karl Kleist is frantically trying to pull his puppet up. Even when the photo is still, it has the power to make people burst into laughter.
But it's clear that it's been ruled out of the series by its own photographer—humorous news is naturally less important than big news that can stir people's hearts.
A hand bearing fresh scars removed another photograph from the wall. The silver-haired girl, Dalia, was intently waving her wand, her exquisite features seemingly radiant. Even Veela might not be able to surpass the girl's charm at this moment.
"Pity……"
The man muttered, "Normally, I could make a lot of money from just this one photo."
Despite saying that, he still placed the photo on the table and put it in the box along with the photo of Carl Kleist.
The man at the center of the photo vortex—a scruffy-bearded Tom Heck with deep eye bags, wearing an old jacket, an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth, his hands in his dusty pockets, his gaze sweeping back and forth across the photos like a searchlight.
“Wade Gray…this kid is actually a real alchemist…what a pity, what a pity…proving how good he is, this kind of news isn’t very sensational.”
Tom Heck muttered under his breath, "There's a rumor that this kid inherited Nick Lemaître's fortune?"
His eyes gleamed as he mentally calculated how to write the report to maximize public discussion.
However, after a moment's thought, Tom Heck shook his head again:
"It seems that Lemaître's estate was divided among quite a few people... and the old man may not even be dead. Announcing how much Wade Grey inherited will only cause a stir for a couple of days at most... If you think about it carefully, there's nothing strange about this kind of thing."
"But this one..."
His hunting gaze was fixed on another photograph, sometimes he would grin like he had found his prey, and sometimes he would fall into deep thought, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table.
"That's right...that's right...that's how it should be written..."
"The deals behind the alchemy competition, the government's security department's attempt to introduce hollow magic puppets... What dangerous signals does the violent organization's preference for 'absolute force' send? Why is the Magic Security Department ignoring warnings from several authoritative judges...?"
As Tom Heck whispered, the brand-new quill pen glided swiftly across the paper, writing line after line of text.
Tom Heck reached out and took two photos, placing them into a potion that would make them move, a smile on his face a mixture of exhaustion and extreme excitement.
"You're the ones!" he muttered to himself. "Get hyped, darlings! Let's give those rats who think they can hide behind the glamorous stage a good pat on the back!"
Tom Heck snapped his fingers, and the photograph flew out of the potion. The quill pen next to it seemed to be injected with stimulants, and the writing pen almost left afterimages as it wrote.
……
Early in the morning, Wade and the others went downstairs for breakfast. He had just greeted the Michael family across the hall when he heard the Weasleys rushing out of their room in a noisy commotion. Fred shouted:
"What?! You finally made it to the American wizarding world, and all you bring back is a toy Thunderbird? Ronald, are you still my brother Ronald?"
Ron's face darkened: "Of course I want to buy back my 'Do-It-Yourself' umbrella and the Ghost Pepper chocolate beans, but I don't have that much pocket money! If you'd be willing to help reimburse me..."
"Don't even think about it!" Fred refused flatly. "I'll buy what I like myself!"
"Hey, Wade! Michael!" George waved and said, "Fred and I are thinking of popping into the prank shop over here. Want to come along?"
“Of course!” Michael said with great interest. “I heard they even have invisibility spray in their stores?”
"That's a scam!" Ron said angrily. "It's ridiculously expensive, only lasts for a very short time, and only the areas sprayed with the drug become invisible!"
"So you bought it, right?" Fred said loudly, clicking his tongue. "No wonder you've spent all your allowance... Ron, tell me—what are you trying to do by hiding?"
A group of people walked down the stairs noisily. The morning sunlight shone on the long dining table, making the blonde hair of the girl by the window even more dazzling.
"Good morning, Wade!" Elsie, the blonde girl, waved and greeted him from afar.
Today she was wearing a light green robe, a vibrant color reminiscent of newly sprouting green shoots in spring, giving off an exceptionally fresh and refreshing feeling.
Before Wade could speak, Fred and George next to him exchanged a glance, and then simultaneously reached out and pushed Wade forward!
“Ah, you should keep this beautiful lady company, Mr. Gray,” Fred said, feigning seriousness.
“We’re going to have our meal now,” George said, straightening his back and mimicking Percy’s tone. “See you later, Mr. Gray.”
The two turned around at the same time, and then started winking at each other, their faces full of undisguised teasing.
The group of people quickly abandoned Wade and headed to the other table with remarkable coordination. Hermione shook her head helplessly, and just as Harry was about to say something, Ron swiftly pulled him away.
"Ha ha!"
Michael burst out laughing, then pulled his somewhat bewildered parents past Wade and headed towards the dining table by the door.
Only Moody, with a gloomy expression, chose to sit at the table with his back to this side, but in reality, his eyes had been rolled 180 degrees, fixedly staring at this side.
Wade: "..."
Although it's already autumn, these guys seem to be just entering spring. The slightest breeze can trigger thoughts of love and reproduction, and they seem eager to step into this swamp, even wanting to push everyone around them in as well.
Wade shook his head, showing no embarrassment, but rather adjusting his sleeves with a hint of helplessness before calmly walking towards Elsie.
"Good morning, Vander... no, Elsie."
Under the other person's smiling yet cautionary gaze, Wade changed his form of address.
Elsie's smile became even more genuine.
Good morning, Wade.
The girl pointed her long, slender fingers at the New York Ghost newspaper on the table and said, "I guess you haven't seen this before?"
“Of course,” Wade said, sitting across from him. “I haven’t had time to subscribe to the magazines and newspapers here yet.”
“Then you can take a look.” Elsie handed the neatly folded newspaper to Wade and smiled, “The contents are quite interesting.”
"Hello, Mr. Gray." The hotel clerk approached with paper and pen and asked, "What would you like this morning?"
Wade flipped through the newspaper and casually said, "Scrambled eggs...toast, coffee. Thank you."
"No problem, I'll bring it to you right away!"
The waiter deftly tore and shook the paper, turning it into a paper airplane that whooshed towards the kitchen, while the busy waiter headed towards Harry and his friends' table.
Lines of text in the newspaper fell into Wade's eyes—
Just as the judges were questioning the potential risks of the puppets, Mr. Aldridge Corbett, the Senior Vice Minister of Magical Safety, eagerly extended an olive branch.
This makes me worry whether the Magic Congress will adjust its governance strategy. ...It seems our Security Department prefers a cold, hard war machine to humane management...
But I have to ask, are werewolf puppets really safe? Are they reliable? If they go berserk like werewolves, who can subdue such terrifying beasts? Several judges have expressed their opinions on this... Wade Gray, the inventor of the puppets, also stated...
The front-page headline featured a recurring, almost continuous image of Corbett and Graves shaking hands. As they mechanically repeated the handshake, the smiles on their faces grew increasingly eerie, as if they were truly plotting a shocking conspiracy.
(End of this chapter)