John was holding the subway ticket and didn't know what to do. He looked at Xing Ze, who had already passed the ticket gate and was waiting for him with a frown.
"Why do we have to take the subway?" He finally passed the ticket gate with Xing Ze's help.
"We are in London, which is in the countryside." Xing Ze explained, "Seven of the twelve floo sites in London have been closed due to the plague. Apparition requires you to imagine the destination in your mind, and we have never been anywhere before.
."
"Hell, we could take the Knight Bus."
"Not on the route." Xing Ze denied again, "Shuyoulian must have thought carefully before arranging the meeting location in such a remote countryside."
They got on the crowded train, and John was forced to squeeze together with a plump lady. He looked bitter, and the latter covered her nose with a handkerchief.
The two of them rolled their eyes at each other, and then started to sway along with the subway.
As time passed, there were fewer and fewer people on the subway, and John was finally able to free himself from the woman's strong back. He found a seat and sat down, panting like a drowning dog.
Xing Ze looked at the subway map and saw that there were still three stops before they got off.
"I really don't know how these Muggles can do things if they don't know magic." John complained softly after regaining his breath.
"Technology." Xing Ze said, "For ordinary people, technology is magic."
John curled his lips. He didn't know why Xing Ze knew so much about the lives of Muggles. After they left Knockturn Alley, he planned a route to the abandoned winery.
"Let's continue the previous topic. You said Bill went to see the prostitute before he disappeared, ah, no, Lily?"
"Yes, Eric must have exchanged letters with him after he got the fragment. I have read Eric's letter to Snape.
"Bill must have sensed something was wrong from the letter. It's not difficult to see. So, he planned to flee to the United States with Lily. Unfortunately, he failed."
"What an infatuated man." John said with emotion, "He could have left on his own, as long as he applied for an exit procedure from the Ministry of Magic."
"It's not that easy to go through exit procedures now because of the plague." Xing Ze retorted, "The ticket he got was a stowaway ship. However, even if Eric hadn't been in trouble, Bill had already planned to leave.
lane."
"kindness?"
"Charlie wanted him to sell red candy in the store, but he refused."
"It seems that he is not bad to the core. I mean, compared to most people in Knockturn Alley, he has a conscience. What I am confused about is that since this love saint fell into the hands of the Oil Gang,
Why is that girl okay?"
Xing Ze thought for a moment, and he couldn't understand this. The Oil Gang would definitely use all means to pry Bill's mouth open. He had seen what happened to Naya.
"Who knows, maybe he also prepared the Forgotten Water, maybe the Oil Gang is only interested in Eric's hiding place in London, maybe he has survived those inhuman tortures." Xing Ze speculated, "It doesn't matter.
What's up, nothing happened to Lily."
John sighed, "You know what, boy? Good people don't live long. This damn world is constantly killing conscience. If you do a good thing, people will smile, but in their hearts they will call you hypocritical.
"It would be more interesting if you saved someone another day. The newspapers will dig into your motives. Politicians will try their best to shake your hand and take a photo. Conspiracy theorists will question you for showing off.
"Racists will focus on whether you saved a white person, a yellow person, or a black person. But the worst thing is those who have no conscience. They will call you a holy mother. For Merlin's sake, just fucking
I just saved someone."
"The world is not as dark as you think, J." Xing Ze did not agree with his words, "There are always people who are carrying the burden forward, there are always people who are paying silently, and there are always people who are doing kind things without asking for anything in return."
"Yes, there are always people, but they are becoming less and less." John shook his head, "Times have changed, boy. The world no longer needs heroes, because everyone is slowly turning into a monster."
"I really didn't see that you were still a pessimist." Xing Ze sighed in surprise.
"Damn it, I started talking nonsense again." John frowned, took out the flask and took a sip, "It's better now, let's get back to business."
He took out Naya's diary from his arms: "As you suspected before, if Naya didn't drink the forgotten water, this is likely to be another trap."
"No, she must drink."
"Why?"
"Her child." Xing Ze paused, "She has a son in the hands of Big Daddy."
"Okay, even if she loves the child. But we gave the information to Tonks and you heard her words. The Ministry of Magic has been infiltrated. I'm afraid..."
"What do you think the chances are that R will send someone to support us?"
John glanced at Xing Ze and chuckled: "If it were anyone else, I think he would send some help, but for you, I don't think so. You have to understand, Xing Ze, if you drown, he will
Throwing a side bar helps you sink more completely."
I had guessed this, and it seemed that it was right to give the information to the church. Xing Ze murmured in his heart, "I just don't understand why he hates me so much. You should know something, right?"
John's eyes narrowed, showing alertness, "Are you trying to trick me, kid? It's so funny. It took so long for you to start doubting me."
"Doubt you?"
"Then why did you choose to investigate with me, just because you are unfamiliar with Knockturn Alley? Oh, come on, even though that damn place is full of people, it's not enough to trouble you.
"You should have frequented places like this before. I can smell the smell of Knockturn Alley on you. At most, it will have some impact on your investigation. No matter what, you will eventually reach this point."
"I took this as a compliment to me," Xing Ze said. "I was more or less wary of you, but I gave up the idea after I found out that you were 'John of Thousand Rods'."
"Why? Was my name so magical?"
"Of course not. When we first met, I took away your wand, but you didn't choose to kill me. That was a great opportunity.
"Although I don't naively think that a wizard loses his fighting power if he loses his wand, I don't think you can cast spells without a wand. So, I was lax at that time, and you could have killed me on the spot, but you didn't.
"What happened next also proves that you have no evil intentions towards me. Although I don't know what your real purpose is, I am at least sure that our goals are the same."
"Okay, okay, it's really terrible." John shrugged, "I do have a purpose, but we have the same goal now."
As he spoke, he raised the wine bottle and said, "I can't wait to make those bastards pay the price."