With everything prepared, Vizette and his group officially embarked on their journey.
They used the Floo Network, transiting through the Leaky Cauldron to reach London, and then took a Muggle bus to the vicinity of the Port of Thames.
After several days of travel, Xenophilius had become extremely proficient at using the Muggle bus, casually tossing in enough pennies for three people to ride.
The Thames was the "mother" river of England. Downstream from London, it widened to form an estuary of about 29 kilometers, emptying into the North Sea.
As a wide river mouth, a port had naturally been built here, which was the starting point for Vizette and his team—the Port of Thames.
This port was one of the world's largest ports, with ships of all sizes either docked here or heading to destinations all over the world.
The Thames rippled with silver waves, and sunlight shone through the almost vanished mist, casting a golden glow on its surface.
The silver and gold colors on the river surface shimmered and sparkled, creating a dazzling spectacle.
Even in the early morning, the Port of Thames was already bustling with activity.
Led by Xenophilius, the three walked through the crowd until he pointed and called out, "We're here." Vizette and Luna looked in the direction he was pointing.
Similar to the Leaky Cauldron, the magical port here was hidden in the dock buildings, and only wizards could see the high-hanging plaque: Port of Thames.
Below the plaque was a tall, rustic wooden door, exquisitely carved, with gemstones inlaid in the recessed areas.
Seemingly to attract the wizard's attention, the gem emitted a beautiful sea-blue light when Vizette and the others focused their gaze on it.
The doorknob was a silver dragon claw, with fine scales and sharp claws, as if it could move at any moment.
The wooden door stood on a ring of ancient stone steps, and the Muggles around it avoided it before they came into contact with the steps.
As the three ascended the stone steps, the dragon's claws indeed moved, assuming a handshake gesture.
Xenophilius grasped the dragon's claw, and the wooden door opened, revealing a wide stone path.
The moment Vizette stepped onto the stone path, The Wizarding Guide to Combat opened, revealing a new map of the fog.
He naturally wouldn't let the opportunity slip by, and immediately used his Magia Revelio to begin collecting ancient magical power.
"They're all lavender, growing so vigorously. The person who watered them must have put a lot of care into it!" Luna bent down and praised the plants on both sides of the road.
The lavender seemed to respond to her words, swaying gently and joyfully in the breeze, releasing a delightful fragrance.
...
At the end of the stone road was an open-air dock, where not many boats were moored and there were far fewer pedestrians than at the Port of Thames outside.
A magnificent fire dragon head stood on the dock, its wide-open eyes always gazing at the sea, as if guarding every ship that entered or left this place.
As far as the dragon's head could see was a wide expanse of water.
There seemed to be magic here; the water's surface was like a mirror, without the slightest ripple, only reflecting the azure sky, making it as dazzling as a jewel.
"Mr. Lovegood! Mr. Lovegood!"
Someone was calling to them from afar; it was a tall, dark-skinned sorcerer wearing a woolen robe.
"You must be the first ones to arrive." The wizard shook hands with Xenophilius. "I just got here."
The wizard was a staff member of the "Viking House" and also the guide for this journey.
His skin was rough and cracked, and he looked very robust, like a Viking warrior from a movie.
Xenophilius shrugged. "Since we're already awake, we might as well come over sooner."
"It should be another half hour. We'll set off once everyone's here." The wizard nodded. "You can wander around here, or you can go sit in the bar over there!"
He stretched out his hand and pointed to another road at the dock, "If you forget to buy souvenirs on your way back, you can buy Swedish vodka there."
At the end of the road stood a small hut, its windows closed, a dark, murky mess that looked even more dilapidated than the Leaky Cauldron.
"A bar…" Xenophilius shook his head. "Never mind! Never mind! I have two kids with me!"
"Then so be it!" the wizard grinned. "Our magical ship will appear soon, a magnificent, heavily carved three-masted sailing ship, easy to spot."
"Come and assemble after you appear?"
"right!"
...
This was Luna's first time seeing the sea, and she was very excited.
She wore a large sun hat and skipped and hopped all the way, her smile never stopping.
Now that Vizette was proficient in using the Levitation Charm, he leisurely followed behind her, helping her pull her suitcase.
Xenophilius walked at the very back, yawning constantly, and didn't look very well; he must have gone to bed late last night.
Luna's long, pale blonde hair fluttered gently in the breeze, and her eyes were filled with a dreamlike light.
She laughed as she dodged a wave that flew onto the shore. "These rolling waves are probably just sea monsters yawning nearby, which is why there are bubbles coming out."
Vizette glanced behind her before nodding and saying, "It must be very comfortable underwater. With so many waves, you must have yawned a lot."
Luna's eyes lit up as she nodded in agreement.
She opened her arms and closed her eyes, as if listening to something. "The little sea monsters might not be so well-behaved, so the big sea monster would pick them up and hum a bedtime story, just like the sea breeze now..."
Vizette smiled slightly and walked over to Xenophilius, who was rubbing his eyes. "Mr. Lovegood, why don't you rest here for a bit? There's not much further to go."
"Um... be careful, don't fall into the water... drink..." Xenophilius yawned a long yawn.
"It took me a while to pack last night... I'll sit here for a bit, and you can call me when the boat arrives..."
Before he could finish speaking, he sat on the suitcase, his body rising and falling, emitting low, faint snores.
Vizette smiled and shook his head, then slowly walked towards Luna.
In the map in his mind, the fog surrounding this road had completely dissipated.
He gathered the remaining ancient magical power and infused it into "The Wizard's Practical Guide."
The pages of "The Wizarding Guide to Combat" were flipped through quickly, and a new page soon appeared.
Ancient Magic: Potion Balance Conversion: Master the power of ancient magic... Using ancient magic as a medium, convert the proportions of soul properties and potion effects...
"Change the ratio of soul properties to potion effects?" Vizette frowned, immediately thinking of a soul-soothing agent.
If this magic was cast, did it mean that even without a soul labyrinth, he could make the soul-soothing potion pure?
Going further afield, perhaps this magic could be used to transform the properties of a soul into the potion's properties, and vice versa...