Boarding, Setting Sail

London, Southampton Port.

This is a large commercial port located on the outskirts of London in southern England.

A giant white cruise ship, the Queen Elizabeth II, is moored along the harbor. With a gross tonnage exceeding 70,000 tons and a length of 294 meters, its main funnel is black, flanked by orange-red protective panels with two black horizontal stripes. The ship's hull is predominantly black and white, but thanks to its simple structure and lack of protrusions, the black and white color scheme doesn't appear monotonous; instead, it conveys a sense of solemnity.

Of course, at this weight, it's impossible not to look heavy.

It is said that this cruise ship is older than Loren and Hermione, and has survived several wars and terrorist attacks along the way, and even has been the subject of some vague ghost stories.

These legendary experiences justify the price of the ticket.

After Grandpa Bates led the group to the waiting room to have their tickets checked, they crossed a transparent bridge, stepped over a carpet with the words "Queen Chess Piece Elizabeth" written on it, and entered the luxurious interior of the ship, which resembled a hotel. Mozart's Sonata No. 1 was being played in the lobby.

With the help of the staff, the group quickly found their room.

The family suite, in addition to the living room, balcony, and private bathroom, has four bedrooms: one for the Mr. and Mrs. Granger and one for each of the other three people.

After moving their luggage and toiletries into the house, the group gathered again in the living room. Grandpa Bates and Monica flipped through the cruise ship's brochure, Wendell anxiously wanted to go outside for a walk but couldn't find a suitable excuse.

Loren held a bag of Chips and ate them expressionlessly.

"I just saw portraits of many celebrities in the hallway, like Walt Disney, Charles Chaplin... I heard they all boarded this ship."

As Hermione spoke, she pushed open the white glass window, and the humid air from the sea rushed in.

Before the cruise ship set sail, bold seagulls frolicked on the railings, but when people approached, they would flap their wings and fly away, landing again a short distance away, their cawing seeming to mock the two-legged creatures for not being able to fly.

Wendell peeked over, and after realizing the spot wasn't suitable for fishing, he pursed his lips in disappointment and withdrew.

"Click... click..."

Loren was expressionless, like an emotionless Chips -eating machine.

Hermione leaned on the railing, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled, revealing a contented smile in the sunlight, "It is said that this ship was requisitioned as a troop transport during the Falklands War."

Upon hearing this, Bates, who was sitting on the sofa, paused for a moment, and then began flipping through the historical information on the back of the brochure.

"Click... click..."

Loren continued eating Chips.

Hermione looked at him amusedly, reached into the bag of Chips and grabbed a handful of crunchy Chips, then started crunching them with him.

Loren's expression softened a bit. He frowned and pleaded guilty, "I crushed the Chips to warn consumers. Why did you buy them and make me eat them?"

"Final verdict, no changes."

Hermione said coldly and resolutely.

"Damn it!" Loren gritted his teeth and angrily rebuked, "This is a dictatorship! If you become the Minister for Magic, you'll be a dictator too! I'll be the first to rebel against your rule!"

"..."

Hermione grabbed another handful of Chips chips from his hand and crunched them.

I couldn't be bothered with him. He could play this childish game all day long, and he might even enthusiastically fabricate charges against her and discuss how to rebel against the evil Minister for Magic's rule.

In the end, he sacrificed himself to reform himself.

Boring and childish.

Loren muttered to himself for a while, then slowly finished his Chips, popped the last crumbs into his mouth, threw the wrapper into the trash can, and leaned against the railing with Hermione.

Watching the seagulls leisurely swaying, Loren suddenly asked, "Tell me, what is the meaning of a seagull's life?"

Hermione looked at him questioningly. "What is it?"

"Let's go to the dock and get some fries."

"Ah?"

Loren shook his head in disappointment. "Forget it, you don't understand seagulls at all, you only care about yourself."

Hermione turned her head away expressionlessly.

Why are you even paying attention to him?

The weather was clear and the sea was calm. The Queen Elizabeth II slowly sailed out of the harbor and gradually accelerated along the Atlantic Ocean route. The bow of the ship broke through the dark blue sea, stirring up snow-white foam.

The cruise ship was so large that it was as stable as if it were on land, with almost no swaying.

After the voyage officially began, Loren and the others rested in their rooms for half an hour, and then began to wander around the cruise ship, Monica said was to check out the restaurants.

The first floor is the crew level, filled with staff. The Second Floor is the atrium, surrounded by entertainment venues such as theaters and casinos, as well as luxury and art shops. Further up are themed restaurants and bars, with an open space in between that looks like a stage.

There are 15 restaurants on the cruise ship, offering both complimentary buffets and lavish meals for a fee. The open counters offer Italian pizza, bacon, fried rice, sashimi, and more...

After passing the accommodation area, the deck is just above.

"Monica, Hermione ..." Wendell said to the two of them with a serious expression, "You two go check the restaurant first. Bates Loren, and I will go check the situation around the ship, so we can be prepared in case of an emergency."

Loren and Bates were taken aback, then seemed to remember something, exchanged a silent glance, and said nothing.

Hermione held her mother's hand, staring at them with her beautiful eyes, not blinking.

"..."

Monica looked at the eager expression on his face and pursed her lips. "Don't bother looking. The cruise ship won't stop during the voyage, and tourists aren't allowed to fish."

Wendell frowned at her. "What fishing? Don't you understand what you're talking about?"

Monica sighed helplessly, "Go ahead, but remember to come back to your room in an hour. We'll go have dinner together."

"Knew."

Wendell, holding Bates' hand in one hand and Loren's hand in the other, walked away without looking back.

"Wendell, didn't they say fishing is prohibited? What are you looking for?" Bates asked curiously.

Loren also looked at him curiously.

"You guys don't understand... No wonder, this is something only seasoned anglers know."

Wendell wore a mysterious expression. "Just because it's not allowed by the rules doesn't mean it's not allowed. Some sailors also fish, and we might be able to join them."

The three of them went up onto the deck.

The cruise ship had been sailing for some time, and there was no land in sight anymore. Looking around, there was nothing but the endless blue sky and sea. Fortunately, the sky blue and the sea blue were different, so it was not impossible to distinguish between the sky and the sea.

The sun hung brightly overhead, casting a dappled, dazzling gold light onto the ripples and scales of the waves.

It is radiant and dazzling.

In such an environment, it seems that one's heart becomes boundless, recklessly opening up to connect with the sky and the ocean, making one want to lean back and merge into the endless blue.

Loren and Bates loved the view and leaned on the railing for a long time.

Wendell was ultimately disappointed; the cruise ship was strictly managed, and there were no fishing spots around.

"In that case, we might as well take a plane!" Wendell muttered indignantly.

"Don't worry..." Bates looked at him with a smile, "Once the ship docks, Wendell, you can fish for as long as you want."

"How can that be the same..." Wendell muttered. "They say you can encounter migrating schools of fish far from the coast, and you can catch fish anywhere without bait. I can't experience that anymore..."

"It's not that I really want to go fishing, I just want to try out my new fishing reel..."

"..."

Loren turned his head to avoid laughing out loud. "You bought a new fishing reel so you could fish, didn't you?"

Leaving Grandpa Bates behind to comfort Wendell, Loren strolled around, checking on the cruise ship.

It's said that the cruise ship is older than him and has even been involved in real wars, so I'm still quite curious.

As a massive cruise ship with a capacity of tens of thousands of tons, the Queen Elizabeth II's hull is made of special steel. The spherical bow abandons the traditional riveting method and uses welding technology to overlap the steel plates. The orange-red protective plate outside the black funnel was a later modification for wartime use, and the original steam turbine engine was replaced with diesel power.

It is said that the hull was reinforced with steel plates, so it was unharmed even if it was hit directly by a mine.

The ship has two helicopter landing pads on the deck, and can be fitted with cannons, allowing it to be converted from a civilian cruise ship into a military combat vessel at any time.

Loren examined the giant ship with great interest.

Such a massive creation of industrial excellence—even if Hogwarts built Express Train, Loren felt that the Wizarding World would never build a magical behemoth again.

The effort and the reward are not proportional.

The Wizarding World doesn't have such a large demand for transportation, and even if it did, wizards prefer to use Portkey, storing goods in storage devices. This is indeed a more convenient and faster method, but it also means that wizards who do this lose the opportunity to explore the ocean.

History books record some wizard explorers who could travel the world on broomsticks, but they would always get lost, and their explorations depended entirely on Merlin's protection.

In terms of military capability, such a cumbersome behemoth is even less effective against wizards; an elite Aurors who understands the basic principles of radar could destroy it with just a Fiendfyre or a precision strike on its engine.

Magic is just that unreasonable.

Having circled back to Grandpa Bates, Wendell had accepted the fact that he couldn't fish for the next five days. He leaned against the railing, gazing affectionately at the sea.

Bates stood nearby, leisurely watching the sea.

As soon as the three returned to their room, Wendell plopped down on the sofa and began to sigh deeply, his tone utterly disappointed. "If only we had booked a flight! A plane only takes a few hours, while a cruise takes five days..."

"Now look what's happened, we're going to be adrift on the ship for five days..."

"It's all my fault. If I hadn't insisted on going on a cruise..."

Loren's eyebrows furrowed tightly. He couldn't understand why the person who was fine outside had become depressed as soon as they came back.

Bates picked up the brochure again and began reading it intently.

Just as Loren was filled with doubt, Monica sat down on the sofa, put her arm around her husband's shoulder, and began to comfort him, "It's okay, we agreed to choose a cruise ship... and cruise ships are more convenient than airplanes..."

Her soft-spoken manner was even gentler than usual.

Loren's eyes widened. "I never expected you to be like this, Wendell!"

After listening for a few minutes and confirming he wasn't learning anything, Loren found Hermione reading the newspaper on the balcony and casually remarked, "Sigh, we're about to spend five boring days on this cruise ship..."

"You can do your homework if you're bored." Hermione, holding a thick stack of newspapers without looking up. "I also have some Chips here, do you want some?"

"..."

It seems there are differences between mother and daughter.

Loren remained silent, glancing discreetly at Hermione, but then noticed the constantly swaying image of Dumbledore on the newspaper. Looking at the heading, he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise:

"The New York Spectator?"

"United States wizarding newspaper." Hermione shook the newspaper and handed him a small stack from her hand. "I thought I should check out the latest news in the United States Wizarding World, so I asked the manager of Flourish and Blotts to buy me a bound volume before I left."

Loren took the newspaper, first looked at the page with Dumbledore, and read it aloud in a low voice:

"Albus Dumbledore, the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, has arrived in New York. The International Confederation of Wizards is about to convene..."

The report briefly introduced Dumbledore, and highlighted the key information, including the date of the International Confederation of Wizards meeting, the participating countries, the intelligent Magical Creatures present, and the topics that the conference might discuss.

The newspapers that followed reported on some recent major events in the international Wizarding World.

The British Ministry of Magic's stance on Werewolf is ambiguous: the "Anti-Werewolf Law" may trigger a war between Werewolf and wizards, and a modified version of Wolfsbane Potion may appear...

The risk level of exposure in the Wizarding World reached a new high in 1994.

A pro-wizard Muggle community is rising; should we step forward?

Historians urge everyone to remain calm.

[30th Anniversary of the "Ban on Private Breeding and Keeping of Fantastic Beasts" Act: A Retrospective of the Newt Scamander disaster incident]

[The Wizard's Dilemma: Is the FIFA World Cup a copy of the Quidditch World Cup...?]

The New York Spectator is far superior to the Daily Prophet, and its subsequent pages garnered significant attention.

By the time Loren had finished reading a small stack of newspapers, Hermione had already finished reading the rest. Loren looked up at the sky outside; the sun was setting in the west, and it would still be some time before it sank into the sea.

The sun is slowly turning orange, and the horizon is also tinged with orange.

Hermione leaned against the small table, one hand supporting her chin, which was also tinged with orange. She said softly, "Do you think Professor Lupin is doing well now?"

"I don't know either."

Loren saw the top page of the newspaper in front of her, which featured a report about the Werewolf community.

Hermione sighed softly, "Voldemort is definitely plotting something to harm people, but our Minister for Magic simply doesn't believe he's still alive..."

"If Voldemort incites the Werewolf to cause chaos during the International Confederation of Wizards, the entire Wizarding World will ostracize Werewolf, and Professor Lupin's situation will be even worse."

"Have more faith in our old headmaster, Hermione ..." Loren flicked her nose. "You know, Voldemort hasn't come back to life yet, but Dumbledore is alive and well."

Hermione wrinkled her nose and glared at him, her eyes reflecting the glow of the sunset, sparkling brightly.

Monica's voice came from inside the room. "Loren, Hermione! Come in quickly, we're going to have dinner!"

"They're here!"

Before entering the house, Loren glanced back at the sea.

The setting sun casts a golden glow.