The streets of London at 2 a. m. are anything but quiet.
Bars open all night, trendy young men and women, clandestine transactions that can't be brought to light...
Vincent, with Hermione by his side, appeared in a dimly lit alley.
Perhaps unable to bear the noise outside, they quickly disappeared into the black and white vortex.
Charing Cross Road was unusually quiet, though a few shops were still open.
Leaky Cauldron is one of them.
Vincent didn't intend to go through the main entrance, but instead revealed himself again with Hermione Side-Along Apparition.
This time, they appeared at the end of Knockturn Alley.
At the end of the dirty and chaotic street, a pyramid-shaped building about 60 feet high, nearly six stories tall, can be vaguely seen.
Its exterior walls are made of a mysterious obsidian-like material, engraved with many symbols commonly used in Alchemy.
The lines are white, making them particularly noticeable under the night sky.
Vincent released his grip. "We've arrived."
Hermione gave a soft "hmm" and quietly followed behind him.
Fallen Paradise is, after all, a group of dark wizards, so it would be a lie to say I wasn't nervous.
As they approached the Alchemy Shop, the spire suddenly split open from the middle, opening like a gate to the left and right.
A graceful figure appeared above.
"Clatter--"
She "stepped" on the air outside the pyramid and hurriedly "walked" down.
Dressed in a black business suit, Cheshire stopped in front of Vincent, her tone full of respect. "You've arrived, Chairman."
Is everyone here?
"Here I am."
Vincent turned to the side. "Hermione, this is my shop's accountant, the Enchantress Cheshire."
"The chairman is too kind," Cheshire nodded to Hermione.
"I'm not some seductive angel, that's just my code name."
Hermione felt much more at ease with the kindness she showed.
Based on the previous explanation, Cheshire guessed who the anonymous person was and connected it to Yamamoto's side.
Not only is he highly intelligent, but he is also very emotionally intelligent.
"Hello, Miss Cheshire." Hermione extended her hand to her.
Cheshire shook hands politely, "Hello, Miss Granger."
You know me?
"Of course." She smiled. "My brother is a second-year student at Hogwarts, and he says you are the second best girl after the chairman of the board."
Her brother is likely a Slytherin student, and probably a recent member of the Owl Court Club.
A name instantly flashed through Hermione's mind, "Is it Cody?"
Cheshire was a little surprised. "Cody is right, you really are excellent."
"No," Hermione said modestly.
"Our club's vice president is in seventh grade this year. He said he didn't have time to process membership applications, so I just happened to take over his job."
Keenly detect inconspicuous clues and deduce the correct answer based on them.
They all share the same thought process, so they seem to have a lot in common.
Although I'd love to learn more about it, now is clearly not the time.
"Chairman, Miss Granger, please come with me."
Vincent shrugged at Hermione and followed her to the pyramid-shaped Alchemy Shop.
Cheshire lifted her foot and "stepped" on the air, then turned to explain to Hermione looked completely bewildered:
"Miss Granger, this is actually a magical staircase with detection capabilities."
The chairman wanted the Alchemy Shop to have a unique way of opening, so Bo Ye and Sassm racked their brains to create it..."
Area-of-effect spells often interfere with each other.
Without compromising the overall effect, the maximum number they can set up is three.
First, detect whether the visitor is hostile;
Second, decide whether to generate an invisible magical barrier to act as stair steps;
Third, maintain and repeatedly operate the two effects mentioned above.
Hermione was initially a little apprehensive as she stepped onto the invisible magical barrier, worried that it might collapse under the weight, or that she wouldn't have time to react to her next step.
However, after walking a short distance, she realized that these seemingly complex spells were actually far more robust than she had imagined.
Fallen Paradise is indeed a group of black wizards who do things for money, but that doesn't mean they only destroy and kill.
With a faint smile on her face, she quickly caught up with Vincent.
Beneath the spires of the pyramids, which separate to the left and right, lies a short, equally invisible magical staircase.
Vincent stood outside for a short while.
The platinum-gold corridor, imbued with the Undetectable Extension Charm, was somewhat monotonous; what he wanted to create was a sense of mystery with a unique allure.
"Chairman?" Cheshire's expression was extremely tense.
"If you are not satisfied with the renovation here, we will tear it down and rebuild it immediately!"
"No need for all that trouble." Vincent continued walking down. "Just put some disassembled parts of alchemical products in picture frames."
Alchemy was always shrouded in mystery in the eyes of ordinary wizards.
Instead of hiding them, it's better to proactively showcase some of them to increase their appeal.
Cheshire understood his intention almost instantly. "Chairman, this idea is brilliant!"
This isn't flattery; it's genuine admiration.
At such a young age, he has such a precise grasp of human nature.
Working under him seems to be quite good?
Just as Cheshire's thought arose, she suddenly realized something even more terrifying.
The attitude of the seven men, including their former leader Lucifer, has gradually changed from initial fear to a degree of admiration.
Mass-produce alchemical tools on a large scale, lower the barrier to entry, and make them affordable for ordinary wizards.
She didn't believe Vincent was unaware that the emergence of alchemical products would put him in opposition to countless Alchemists.
But he did it anyway, and he was full of confidence.
"Chairman, Miss Granger, please come in." Cheshire pushed open the door at the end of the platinum-colored corridor.
Inside was an empty exhibition hall, with the remaining six members of Fallen Paradise standing respectfully on either side.
"Good evening, Chairman." Lucifer, dressed in a black suit, bowed along with them.
Hermione paused for a moment, then tentatively looked them over.
Not only does he not look like a dark wizard at all, but he wouldn't look out of place even if you threw him on the streets of London.
They were made to live on Oxford Street before, presumably so that they wouldn't be so conspicuous anymore.
Clearly, Vincent succeeded.
"Good evening, everyone." He smiled and walked forward.
"Very nice hairstyle, Abraham."
Abraham, who used to have the most opinions, cut his long hair and combed it into a particularly neat slicked-back style.
"Thank you for the praise, Chairman." Abraham puffed out his chest.
Maya Mi and Xi La seemed to secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
As a working person, you should have the awareness of a working person.
The leader is always wise, and what the leader says is always right.
Since the goal is for them to be less conspicuous, then they should do everything they can to become more ordinary.
Eyes, expression, movements, clothing...
Let alone a dark wizard, he looks like Muggle if you don't look closely.