great-warnovel Chapter 83 Malfoy Castle
Chapter 83 Malfoy Castle
Chapter 83 Malfoy Castle (Ninth update since release)
Malfoy Castle, situated on the flat plains of Wiltshire, was originally just a private manor owned by the Malfoy family. However, through the collective efforts of a generation of nobles after the war, a small hill was artificially built up here.
The flat land on the upper part of the hillside is the inner city, which is covered by a mist-like barrier. It is also the residential area of pure-blood nobles. It is enchanted with the same magic as the ceiling of Hogwarts Great Hall and has the most beautiful sky, lawns and water sources.
Down the hillside, there are all sorts of strange houses scattered about. This is the outer city of Malfoy Castle, protected by a long, circular stone wall, about one person high, built with magic. Don't be fooled by the wall's seemingly simple appearance; it is actually infused with many ancient curses. Anyone who enters the city's perimeter without permission will die a painful death under the curse.
These stone walls are also part of the barrier. During the war with Muggles, Malfoy Castle withstood the saturation bombardment of Muggles with these stone walls and fought back fiercely. This is why this castle without high walls has become one of the world's leading large settlements.
In fact, only those who are qualified to live within the stone walls, or at least as members of the outer city, can be considered citizens of Malfoy and enjoy the right to be protected. Of course, this comes with a considerable tax, and the closer a piece of land is to the inner city, the higher its value.
After all, the areas where the nobles lived were all watered with anti-radiation potions, so it's no exaggeration to say that every inch of land was incredibly valuable. The closer to the inner city, the lower the radiation level, and the better it is for people's health. Of course, this also means that Draco, who grew up in the inner city, has extremely weak resistance to radiation and was easily knocked out by Hermione.
The outer city is arguably the liveliest part of Malfoy Castle, where almost half of the European wizarding world gathers.
Numerous shops handle an astonishing amount of goods every day, accumulating enormous wealth for the nobles of the inner city. Today, the outer city of Malfoy Castle is no less impressive than Diagon Alley in London in its heyday, and may even surpass it. After all, Gringotts has moved here, and they have even replicated a street that is exactly the same as the original Diagon Alley!
Further out from the outer city's stone walls, there are many houses, but they are all dilapidated shacks made of stone and wood. Some down-on-their-luck wizards who cannot afford the city's entrance fee and Muggles who yearn to join Malfoy Castle live here. Although there is no protection outside the city, here they are spared from attacks by aberrant beasts, Muggles, and werewolves, which is a form of protection. However, people are treacherous, and no one cares if you are robbed, go missing, or die here.
Yes, Muggles can also join Malfoy Castle. Being a slave is better than being carried off by wild beasts or starving to death in the wasteland.
The climate of the entire Malfoy Castle is controlled by a dozen wizards who are proficient in weather spells. They can keep blizzards and acid rain away from the city and keep the outside temperature within a range that living things can tolerate year-round. However, this requires considerable magical power, and only Malfoy Castle has the financial and human resources to allow the people of the city to live on the surface.
Even though they could buy so many powerful wizards with money, they still couldn't dispel the thick dust clouds in the sky. The fairy curse within was too stubborn, and could only clear the sky for a short time. Even if all the wizards took turns using their powers, this situation couldn't last long.
There's also the issue of cost-effectiveness. Malfoy Castle wasn't originally a radiation hotspot and was relatively livable after the war, so the cost of renovation wasn't high. What was truly expensive was the Eco Dome in the inner city. It's sunny there, with clean water and air. The uncontaminated healthy food and magical animal ingredients all come from there. The area inside isn't as small as it looks from the outside, but outsiders don't know exactly how big it is.
Cliff Street connects to the fireplace of Malfoy Castle, located at the city gate of the outer city—a stone archway. There are four or five such archways to facilitate people's entry and exit. Even if it is a gathering place of wizards, they cannot directly enter the stone walls. After arriving through the fireplace, they must be checked at the entrance of the outer city, registered, and pay the city tax before they can be let in.
Of course, someone like Mr. James, with a sour face, could turn anyone who dared to stand in his way into a chair and still break in. As for the curse of the stone wall? It could only deal with Muggles and foot wizards.
When Hermione and her group emerged from the fireplace, the expected lively atmosphere did not materialize. The city gate, which should have been bustling and lively, now appeared solemn and chaotic.
"What happened?" Mr. Potter stood up and looked ahead.
Lily held her four children close to her to prevent them from being separated by the crowd.
Inside the archway, the city was in chaos, and the faint sound of women crying could be heard. Two male wizards dressed in standard guard robes stood at the entrance, solemnly checking each person entering the city. If they encountered someone who was a little slow-witted, they would shout and curse loudly.
"They're said to be the Green Flame Party," a wizard dressed as a merchant remarked from the group.
He was dressed in a fairly fine suit, carrying a briefcase that was clearly enchanted with an expansion spell, and wearing a top hat. He looked travel-worn, probably a merchant traveling from somewhere else.
Perhaps noticing that Hermione and her group were dressed quite well, he was very polite, nodding to James and explaining in a low voice, "Voldemort's men have infiltrated Malfoy Castle and kidnapped many of the children who are going to Hogwarts this year."
He pointed to a stone wall not far away, where a section had collapsed, and a dozen fully armed wizards were surrounding it, with several male wizards specializing in construction and spellcasting repairing the wall in the middle.
"A gigantic serpent monster charged out from the outer city, smashing through a stone wall, and fled with the kidnapped children right before everyone's eyes!"
"It is said that more than a dozen people died, but most of them were Muggle servants."
"The Green Flame Party is getting more and more arrogant."
"Last year it was just clandestine kidnapping, this year it's outright robbery! If Malfoy Castle can't protect us, can't protect our children, then what's the point of paying so many taxes every year!"
People were talking amongst themselves, but when the sharp gaze of the city gate guards swept over them, they quickly shut their mouths. The most important thing right now was to get into the city, and no one knew if that giant serpent monster would come back to kill them.
"The start of the school year is almost here," Hermione said softly.
The Pen of Acceptance, stolen by Voldemort, has begun to work again, but how many of this year's children will be lucky enough to escape the clutches of this devil?
"But they actually sent out the Basilisk this time?" Hermione remembered that the one who had been pursuing her was just a Death Eater from the Green Flame Party. But maybe she was just lucky. There was only one Basilisk, and it didn't know how to create clones.
"The professors will rescue them! Just like last year!" Harry said firmly.
Neville, who was beside him, moved his lips but didn't say anything. Only he knew how many of the children who were kidnapped with him had actually been rescued.
The Potters waited in line for ages with their children before it was finally their turn to be checked.
"Name! Is this your first time here? Has your wand been registered?" the wizard, who was scribbling in his notebook with his head down, said impatiently.
"If you are a Muggle or Muggle wizard, you have to pay an extra fee. If you don't have the money, you can sign a contract of servitude."
But soon, his companion bumped into him hard. He angrily raised his head, only to be met with Lily and James's emotionless eyes.
He recognized both of them. The former was a renowned potion master in the wizarding world, and the latter was the nemesis who had recently turned him into half a stool. The appearance of this couple immediately made the male wizard in charge of registration weak in the knees.
He immediately put on a fawning smile, propped himself up on the table, and said, "Oh my, it's Mr. Potter and Master Lily! Please come in, please come in!"
"Lift the fence up now! Do you think you can take money from the Potions Master?!"
Even though he could tell at a glance that the brown-haired girl who looked around like a country bumpkin was obviously a Mudman, he didn't dare to cause trouble in front of the two of them. He didn't even charge them the city entrance tax and readily let the group into the city.
Just like outside the city, the city was in chaos. Many families who had lost their children were in a state of panic, and the houses that had been crushed and destroyed by the basilisk were slowly being repaired under the influence of the curse.
But when Hermione looked up, the inner city perched on the hillside remained as peaceful as ever. Through the misty magical barrier, she could see the evergreen scenery, the white peacocks, and the noble children riding toy brooms on the lawn.