great-warnovel Chapter 382 Audience with the Black King
Chapter 382 Audience with the Black King
Chapter 382 Audience with the Black King
The carriage was moving very fast. The wizard driving it remained silent, and Hermione, sitting inside, had lost interest in chatting with Krum.
They sped along the wide, flat road, and she could feel the carriage passing through layers of magical barriers.
They passed through checkpoints and scrutinizing gazes, but the badges hanging on their carriages allowed them to travel without hindrance.
She discovered that the further west she drove towards the Eiffel Tower, the better the urban environment became on both sides of the road. The houses were no longer confined to a copycat style; villas with gardens and magical domes appeared, as well as sizable manors.
However, under the blazing sun, all of these appeared dark and pale.
"This is the district of military nobles," Krum said at the opportune moment.
"We have a clear system of rewards and punishments. As long as you accumulate merits, you can achieve upward mobility in your social class. Wealth and power should belong only to those who are capable."
"Here you'll find both pure-blood nobles like the Black family and wild wizards who grew up among Muggles. It's not just about military merit; outstanding contributors in various fields will receive corresponding rewards."
He paused for a moment, then said meaningfully, "The Grigovich family used to live here."
Mikhail now owns his own wand shop in Hogsmeade. His shop isn't big; the backyard is his workshop, and his bedroom is on the second floor. If he's looking for comfort, he'd much rather live in a big house here and be waited on.
Hermione didn't comment; Krum's words and actions were probably at Grindelwald's behest, and arguing with the boy was pointless.
Finally, the carriage came to a stop beneath the towering Eiffel Tower. Hermione stepped down and looked up at the steel tower, which was over three hundred meters high. Now, black flames were quietly burning on its surface, gradually converging at the top to form a sun, an eyeball.
"I read in Professor Figg's book that it was built by Muggles for the World's Fair and to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution."
She looked at Krum: "How do we get up? Using the Muggle elevators?" (The Malay Party is destroying technology.)
If Grindelwald denies Muggle civilization, he probably would have removed the elevator from the tower long ago. There's no generator to power it either, but surely Grindelwald wouldn't make her climb the stairs?
Krum led her to the base of the Eiffel Tower, tapped his wand lightly, and a delicate little door appeared out of thin air.
"Although there's no elevator, we have other alternatives," Krum said, pushing open the small door as an invitation.
The first thing you see is a sedan chair made entirely of wood, inside which are brightly lit magic candlesticks, soft calfskin sofas and coffee tables, viewing windows, and moving oil paintings.
Once both of them were inside, the sedan door closed, and the cabin floated lightly upwards.
But Hermione immediately sensed something was wrong: "This isn't wizarding magic, it's the scent of fairies!" Having become familiar with Gornuk, she was highly acquainted with fairy magic, and with the great wizard's perception, she almost instantly discerned the power of the carriage's flight.
Krum didn't hide anything. He nodded and said, "Fairies are a scourge of this world. We can't easily kill any fairy we capture. They must atone for the sins of this world."
"My Lord will personally curse them, turning them into various conveniences in the city, serving wizards for all eternity."
Therefore, the wooden floor underfoot is actually the spine of the fairy, and being in the sedan chair is actually being wrapped in the flesh of another.
The thought flashed through Hermione's mind like an electric shock, and she barely managed to suppress her nausea so as not to break through the wall and fly straight out.
"The Eiffel Tower has three levels." Perhaps noticing Hermione's less-than-pleasant expression, Krum chose to change the subject.
"The first floor is a meeting place for UMNO elites and is not open to the public at normal times."
"The second floor is my Lord's library, collections, and research rooms, where outsiders are not allowed to enter."
"The third level is where my lord's throne and bedchamber are located."
Hermione scoffed, "He really thinks he's Pharaoh."
The more she saw of the city, the more she felt that Grindelwald was truly a madman. He was powerful, wise, and charismatic, but at the same time, he was insane, violent, extreme, and cruel.
The "Fairy Elevator" ascended smoothly and swiftly, passing over the first floor, through the second, and continuing upwards.
The closer we get to that scorching, fiery sun.
From this height, Hermione could also see across the Seine, at the ruins of old Paris that had been reduced to ashes.
On that scorched and desolate land, sporadic flames still occasionally surged from the ruins, as if even the ground had been burned clean. She saw the collapsed Arc de Triomphe, the Sacred Heart Cathedral that had stood for so long in the distance, and the monument broken into pieces. "We've arrived," Krum said. The carriage came to a stop, the doors opened, and Hermione stepped out without wanting to linger for a moment.
The scorching wind was blowing in our faces, like a scene from the end of the world. A huge black fireball was suspended just a few meters above our heads. Tiny humans faced the flames that destroyed everything, and endless light and heat radiated throughout the city.
Under the black sun, there was a flat, round house, its outer sheet metal softened and deformed by the scorching heat.
"Hurry inside, you can't stay here too long!" With this high temperature and brightness, you'll be dried out in no time.
Krum hurried a few steps to the door carved with wands and flames, raised his wand in salute, and cried out, "For the greater good!"
The door slowly opened.
As the two stepped through the door, a wave of coolness washed over them, as if the heat from before had been an illusion.
It was much larger than it appeared from the outside, with a long, dark corridor leading to the main hall ahead. There, a circular atrium opened in the dome, allowing the greyish-white light of the Fiery Blaze to shine down, but the heat did not spread out.
Standing at the entrance, Hermione could see the throne in the center of the hall, bathed in that beam of light.
It looked like a jumble of iron blocks piled up haphazardly, which solidified into countless corpses after melting, with the flames of an unextinguished furnace still flickering from the cracks.
Grindelwald sat on the half-solidified iron throne, leaning back as if he couldn't feel the temperature beneath him. His outstretched metal limbs supported his arms, allowing him to think in a comfortable position.
"My lord, Miss Granger has arrived." Krum did not step forward, but spoke respectfully at the door.
"You can go back now." Grindelwald's voice was hoarse, but he didn't seem tired. He gave the order in the only light source in the dark hall.
"Child, come forward and let me see you."
Krum nodded to Hermione one last time, then pushed open the door and went out again.
The Finger Witch was not afraid. She walked slowly forward, scanning her surroundings.
If the conversation doesn't go well, we might end up fighting right here.