Slipping through the door, Allen was astonished to discover that it was not a room at all, but a spiral stairwell. The Murals hanging on both sides of the stairwell emitted all sorts of sounds—perhaps pained groans, terrifying wails, or cries of someone suffering the torments of Hell, along with the shrill screech of fingernails scraping across a blackboard. The sounds blended together with the dim, ghostly green light, making his heart pound with fear.
Allen lightened his steps as much as possible and followed Mr. Borgin up the creaking old wooden stairs. At the top, he saw a heavy vermilion wooden door. The hunched Mr. Borgin pushed it open. Before Allen could take a closer look, there was a click, and the space before him brightened. Everything became clearly visible.
Cold, ghastly white light filled the entire room. It was a storage room with no windows. Directly opposite the door, Allen immediately saw all kinds of strange creature specimens, mummies, and jars filled with animal and plant organs preserved in formalin.
Storage Slots covered the entire left wall up to the ceiling. In the right corner, several antique bronze chests were neatly stacked. Beside them stood a long silver table. On a cushion inside a Glass case lay a withered human hand, a stack of bloodstained cards, and a lifeless Glass eyeball. Several differently colored potions and Glass instruments were arranged on an iron rack on the table. As his gaze swept over one corner of the table, Allen's heart skipped a beat. A creamy yellow sphere had been casually placed on a wooden shelf amid a pile of Prophecy Orbs. The Scholar System chimed in his mind, and Allen knew that the unremarkable sphere was the Magic Orb of Goddess of Luck Fols he had come for.
After turning on the lights, Mr. Borgin sat before the long table, gently placed the tray on it, pulled open a drawer, took out Gloves and put them on, then selected a bottle of purple potion from the rack. It seemed he was about to carefully study the necklace's power.
Allen's mind raced. How could he get the Magic Orb? Pretend to be a customer and buy it? Steal it while Mr. Borgin was distracted? Or, more safely, wait until Mr. Borgin finished his research and then take it?
Just as Allen desperately considered these options, the worst thing happened. The Miao Miao Wizard Robe could only maintain invisibility for half an hour, three times a day. Now, the half hour was up! Allen's figure suddenly appeared in the storage room without any concealment. Mr. Borgin immediately noticed something unusual. He drew his wand, turned, and pointed it at the empty space where Allen stood. Allen only had time to conjure a mask over his face.
"Stupefy! Stupefy!" Allen nimbly dodged the spells Mr. Borgin fired in rapid succession. The spells struck the shelf behind Allen, shattering bottles and jars as liquid splashed everywhere. A skeleton skull rolled onto the floor with a clatter, its large mouth opening and closing.
With lightning speed, Allen lunged at Mr. Borgin. Mr. Borgin turned pale and scrambled away. Allen did not want to hurt him, and Mr. Borgin was not his target. His target was the Magic Orb on the table. Allen snatched the Magic Orb from the shelf and darted toward the door.
Mr. Borgin extended his wand and desperately fired spells from behind. "Impedimenta! Impedimenta! Stupefy! Stupefy!" In the narrow spiral stairwell, Allen moved as nimbly as a monkey, leaping up and down to evade the attacks. But even the best could make mistakes. Allen failed to notice the vines suddenly shooting out from the stair railing. Though he jumped away in time and avoided being entangled, the Stunning Spell from behind struck him squarely.
Fortunately, Allen's Miao Miao Wizard Robe rebounded Mr. Borgin's Stunning Spell. Mr. Borgin had no choice but to protect himself with the Shield Charm. At that moment, Allen seized the opportunity and instantly activated the Miao Miao Wizard Robe's invisibility function, escaping outside.
"I actually forgot about that. Otherwise, the fight would have ended long ago. Seeking advantage and avoiding harm is human instinct!" Allen smiled, activated his invisibility skill again, and left the shop.
After quickly leaving Knockturn Alley, Allen was bathed in dazzling sunlight, warm and comforting. He happily basked in the sun, leaving the gloomy Diagon Alley behind as he walked farther and farther away.
"Ding dong. Congratulations, Host, on obtaining the Magic Orb of Goddess of Luck Fols. The Magic Orb can remove all negative statuses and is especially effective against curses. Time remaining before mission termination: 13 hours and 43 minutes."
Time was pressing. Allen checked the map in his mind and was surprised to discover that the Lizard-man was in the Muggle world, in central London—Baker Street Station.
Allen immediately took a taxi to the nearest Underground station, then transferred his way to Baker Street Station. There, he found a copper plaque the size of a poster, bearing the words: "This platform formed part of the world's first Underground railway in 1863, hereby commemorated." Generally speaking, advertisements lined both sides of London Underground platforms, but Baker Street Station was different. Above every platform seat was space for promotional posters. These posters vividly depicted the station when it first opened in 1863, making it a museum of London Underground history. But Allen had no time to admire them, because he discovered that the icon which had just shown the Lizard-man here was rapidly moving elsewhere.
Allen felt somewhat at a loss. Was he supposed to keep chasing its trail? As he stood there uncertainly, he saw the Underground map he had just picked up. In London, passengers could freely take a small Underground map slightly longer than B5 paper at every station. Comparing it with the Lizard-man's route in his mind, Allen was astonished to discover—the Lizard-man's movement route matched the Underground lines perfectly!
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