After their trip to Stockholm, the three boarded a magic boat prepared by their guide and headed towards Midgard Island.
Unbeknownst to them, a cloud appeared overhead, blocking the bright sunlight and instantly dimming the surroundings, as if shrouded in a thin mist.
Those were the strangest clouds Vizette had ever seen, not only drifting down snowflakes but also shedding shimmering, flickering ash.
Moreover, strong winds swept in from high above, mixing snowflakes and ash together, eventually turning them into colorful dust.
These specks of light, like dancing fireflies, would linger in the air for a while, resembling a rainbow, before slowly drifting into the lake and disappearing without a trace.
Xenophilius had clearly done a lot of research for this trip, and he began to describe the strange sights in the sky:
"Long ago, Muggles called the clouds that never dispersed the 'World Tree,' and the light dust that drifted down from the clouds was the so-called Rainbow Bridge."
"Muggles believe that if they can grasp the Rainbow Bridge, they can reach Asgard and become gods. But what gods are there?"
"It's just magic left behind by a powerful wizard. The wizards living here discovered the corresponding ruins and thought the magic was very beautiful, so they have preserved it until now."
Vizette reached out to catch the light dust, but it passed through his palm and floated into the lake, disappearing from his sight.
He suddenly realized that the magic possessed by wizards might have seemed to Muggles in the past to be similar to the miracles of gods.
Wizards like Dumbledore can even make clouds and mist fill an entire city; in some ways, they might really be considered gods.
Although the surroundings became dim, the presence of light dust created a dreamlike and enchanting feeling.
Especially since they had just left the bustling modern city, they could feel the stark contrast.
The small boat swayed and rocked as it moved forward, seemingly intentionally, so that passengers could fully appreciate this unique scenery.
Vizette looked around and suddenly saw a blurry, lonely figure standing on the distant lake.
This was the figure of a woman, dressed in a solemn black robe, with a pointed hat worn at an angle that covered most of her face. Only the exposed skin on her cheeks revealed that the woman was very old.
She was holding a bouquet of flowers, probably white lilies, and her head was slightly bowed, as if she were mourning something.
Then, she threw the white lily in her hand into the lake and watched it slowly sink into the water.
A moment later, seemingly noticing Vizette's gaze, the woman suddenly looked up.
Just as Vizette had expected, it was indeed the face of an old woman.
The two exchanged a glance across the light, and the woman nodded.
A cloud of white mist suddenly spread out, covering the woman's figure before quickly dissipating.
The woman left nothing behind; not even a ripple appeared on the lake's surface. Only the light dust continued to sink into the lake.
If Vizette had seen this scene in his past life, he would probably have thought he was seeing a ghost, with an old woman standing on the lake and then disappearing into a puff of white smoke.
Luna noticed that Vizette was acting strangely and leaned closer to whisper, "What's wrong?"
"I think I saw something…" Vizette rubbed his eyes, "but it disappeared in an instant."
Luna glanced back at the empty lake and asked doubtfully, "Perhaps it was disturbed by the Wrackspurts?"
She reached out and fanned herself near Vizette's ears. "Is that better?"
Seeing Luna's earnest and concerned expression, Vizette smiled and nodded. "Yes, he's in good shape now!"
...
The small boat moved quickly and soon reached the shore.
The island had dense forests, rolling hills, and ruins that appeared and disappeared among them.
Even though a Muggle-repelling charm had been cast here, magic capable of creating illusions would still be added as a precaution.
"Magia Revelio!" The guide drew his wand and tapped it three times in the air.
A faint white light emanated from the tip of his wand, and as if drawing back curtains, he pulled back the outermost illusion to reveal the wizard village inside.
Time seemed to stand still here. The wizard village still retained its medieval architectural style, and they were greeted by a cobblestone road and several houses built of stacked stones.
These houses were very similar to the Weasleys' Burrow; although they looked tall and crooked, they showed no signs of collapsing at all, but rather were very stable and sturdy.
What attracted the most attention was the tall tent erected in the center of the village, its surface covered with red, yellow, and blue stripes, making it particularly eye-catching.
The entrance to the tent was a tall archway, adorned with colorful, fluttering flags. Bright orbs of light around the flags were constantly flashing, creating a lively atmosphere.
At the very top of the archway hung an even brighter sign that read: Fantasy Circus.
Just then, a shark head appeared in front of Vizette.
In a muffled yet menacing voice, it said: "If you're interested in... a circus, you absolutely must come... come and take a look!"
Vizette instinctively took a step back, his wand already drawn.
"Cough cough cough... Sorry, I'm just a blood... werewolf." The shark head suddenly disappeared, turning into a short man.
The man was covered in thick paint, dressed like a clown, and his short stature made him look particularly comical.
Even his gait was like this; every step he took was unsteady, as if he hadn't yet gotten used to walking on his feet.
"Here you go, as my compensation... my apology." The clown man opened his palm, revealing a small, cute shark plush toy.
He gently tossed the shark plush toy into the air, and it immediately floated up, circling around Vizette as if swimming in the air.
Hearing those somewhat familiar stuttering words, Vizette looked embarrassed. "I overreacted. Thank you for your gift."
"It's what I…should do," the clown man stammered, shoving a flyer into Vizette's arms.
"We'll be staying here for two more days, and the last day's program will be especially amazing, and it's free! We hope you can come!"
Vizette picked up the flyer, which featured animated pictures and described various magically enhanced circus performances, the most spectacular of which was a shark show.
The performer must be the clown man in front of Vizette. He could transform into a giant shark and swim back and forth in the air, which was quite novel.
In his previous life, Vizette had never seen a circus performance live, so now he was genuinely intrigued.
Luna and her friends did the same, planning to spend two days exploring the village before watching the final circus performance.
After putting away the flyers, the guide led them to the hotel. When Vizette saw the hotel owner who came out to greet them, his eyes widened in surprise.
That was the old woman he saw on the lake.
The elderly woman smiled slightly at Vizette and said softly, "Welcome to Midgard. I am Anne Saru, the owner of this inn."
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