The Grandfather Clock Journey and the North Sea Trip

"See you later," Andrew said with a chuckle, waving goodbye to Thomas. He then patted Zheng Qing's shoulder and, with a poof, disappeared without a trace.

That sound was just like a fart, Zheng Qing thought maliciously, feeling a pang of regret for his talisman.

The Trident Sword ultimately refused to compensate Zheng Qing for the lost Calming Talisman.

According to Andrew's explanation, Zheng Qing's use of the talisman was an act of self-defense, not a requisition by the Trident Sword. Therefore, theoretically, the Investigation Bureau would not be responsible for such losses.

However, before leaving, Andrew had requested Zheng Qing's identification materials from Thomas, intending to apply for an honorary certificate for him.

"Regardless, you stopped that Wild Demon from causing further harm, and the Bureau will definitely acknowledge that," the stout, black-robed wizard said, patting Zheng Qing's shoulder vigorously as he left, a brilliant smile on his face. "You might even get a Merlin Bronze Medal, or at the very least, an 'Advanced Individual for Courageous Action.' This will be a great boost to your year-end evaluation."

Zheng Qing was completely oblivious to these honorary titles.

He only felt heartache for the talisman hanging on the pig's nose.

"Good luck, you weren't injured and still got to witness such an exciting scene," Thomas remarked, watching Zheng Qing bid farewell to the Treant Sapling. "Getting an honorary certificate before even enrolling in school."

"Will you get into trouble for casting that spell?" Zheng Qing asked, recalling the words of the Trident Sword's specialists, a hint of unease in his voice. "I basically did nothing; you're the real hero who stopped that monster. It would be incredibly unfair if the school punished you for this."

"Who says I'll be punished?" Thomas raised an eyebrow, a smile playing at the corners of his eyes. "It's just that using high-risk magic requires filing a report. Such magic can usually cause some impact on the temporal and spatial stability of the area where it's used, requiring further observation and repair by the relevant departments."

Zheng Qing stuffed the remaining handful of rat feed into the Treant Sapling's claws.

He stood up and sighed deeply.

He felt a bit disheartened.

It turned out the magical world wasn't as free as he had imagined.

Perhaps it was because Thomas had to fill out an accident report after casting a spell.

Perhaps it was the bewildering array of organizations like the Wizard Alliance, various councils, the Trident Sword, the Public Security Bureau, and the Management Committee.

Zheng Qing felt like he had merely jumped from one circle to another.

The circle might have become more flashy, but it was still a circle at its core.

In his imagination, wizards should wear long robes, spend their lives guarding their laboratories, and have house-elves clean and manage their homes. When bored, they'd keep a three-headed dog for amusement; on a whim, they'd slaughter a dragon for a side dish; if they saw injustice, they'd draw their wands and cast spells; and for minor grudges, they'd draw circles and curse their enemies.

If you can't do as you please and have your wishes granted, what's the point of magic!

"The magical real world is no different from the outside," Zheng Qing said glumly. "I used to think magic could be used freely, that you could open a spellbook and turn someone you disliked into a pig."

"Of course not," Thomas replied, frowning slightly. His emerald eyes swept over Zheng Qing sternly. "Perhaps you should get a copy of the 'Encyclopedia of the Wizarding World,' published by the Quality Education Office of the Wizard Alliance Education Committee. It would be very useful for you. Casually flipping through another wizard's spellbook is a serious act of provocation and can result in a fine of one hundred copper coins to ten gold beans; in severe cases, you could be detained by the Public Security Bureau for fifteen days!"

Zheng Qing sighed again.

Thomas didn't lead Zheng Qing very far.

After turning two corners, they stopped in front of a massive grandfather clock.

The clock stood about two meters tall, with simple lines and no superfluous ornamentation. Its deep red lacquer finish gave it a sturdy and imposing appearance. The clock face was white, with Roman numerals reinforced by black copper casings. Unlike other mechanical clocks, there were no weights hanging below the dial, only a very fine thread suspending a polished copper pendulum.

As soon as they stopped, the highly polished copper pendulum began to swing, and simultaneously, the grandfather clock chimed with the melodious Westminster Chimes.

Zheng Qing was very familiar with this chime.

His grandfather's study had an old walnut grandfather clock that played this music every hour.

According to his grandfather, this chime was the sound of Big Ben in London, and it was used in many grandfather clocks due to its elegance and solemnity.

"Isn't that music from our side?" Zheng Qing asked in surprise.

"That is the prayer music of the Cistercians. It became popular on your side because the Cistercians wished to offer blessings to more people," Thomas said. He took out his phone-like instrument and looked at it for a long time, finally nodding. "Time's up."

Zheng Qing glanced at the grandfather clock. It was afternoon, exactly 5:00 PM.

After a moment's thought, he took out his pocket watch and checked the time. It was perfectly accurate.

"A good habit," Thomas nodded. "For wizards, nothing is more important than time."

Zheng Qing quietly put away his pocket watch.

His teacher had said the same thing to him.

Thomas opened the glass door of the grandfather clock and gestured for Zheng Qing to go inside.

"What is this?" Zheng Qing asked, parting the fine threads holding the copper pendulum and peering inside.

It was quiet inside the grandfather clock, and the pendulum was not swinging.

"Wizards generally just call it a 'grandfather clock'," Thomas said, squeezing in behind Zheng Qing and closing the glass door behind him with a muffled voice. "You can think of it as a rapid transit tool, or a solidified 'Teleportation' from alchemy."

"So, I can go back to my home from here?" Zheng Qing began to understand.

Thomas didn't reply. He was squinting, looking at the silver-white clock face.

"This is the 17:00 Station," he murmured. He reached behind the clock face and found a brass key, inserted it into the slot at the bottom of the dial, and turned it twice.

Zheng Qing heard a creak from the grandfather clock, followed by the ticking sound of the clock.

"Touch it. Is there a doorknob on the wall behind you!" Thomas's voice trembled slightly amidst the ticking of the clock.

Zheng Qing fumbled in the darkness and grasped a round doorknob.

"Found it!" his voice echoed loudly in the cramped clock casing.

"Twist it, then push the door open," Thomas urged from behind. "We only have a minute, if we don't get out quickly, the Westminster Chimes will deafen us."

Pushing the door open, a pitch-black corridor greeted him, with a faint light visible in the distance.

The air in the corridor felt somewhat damp and stuffy, but Zheng Qing found the smell very familiar.

The sound of Thomas closing the door came from behind him.

Zheng Qing faintly heard the Westminster Chimes ringing again.

"What did you mean by the 17:00 Station just now?" Zheng Qing disliked the dark environment. He tried to focus on the light ahead, making his voice sound less nervous.

"The Grandfather Clocks are fixed points established by the Wizard Alliance around the world. The dial has twelve hours, seven hundred and twenty minutes, with one station per minute, making a total of seven hundred and twenty Grandfather Clocks. We just passed through the 17:00 station."

"Sounds complicated," Zheng Qing mumbled.

Feeling his way along the light source in the darkness for a distance, he turned a corner and saw a familiar flight of stairs.

"Were we in the basement just now!" he exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't even know my basement had a place like this!"

"Your basement certainly doesn't," Thomas said, following behind him to the entrance of the stairs. He brushed dust off his head and spiderwebs from his robes, complaining, "I originally intended to go directly to your bedroom, but it seems all the doors in your house were locked, so the basement was the only option."

Zheng Qing blinked, then remembered.

He had previously, in his spare time, affixed many talismans to the doorways, window frames, walls, and corners of his house.

Perhaps these talismans had interfered with the Grandfather Clock's positioning.

"I'm going north to check things out now, and I might not have time to contact you for a while," Thomas cautioned him repeatedly. "Remember to take the flight to Chang'an Airport on August 31st. Remember, that's the only flight. If you miss it, you won't be able to go. Don't expect the school to violate Article 37 of the Basic Wizard Management Regulations for a freshman, nor expect them to open the Guardian Formation twice in one year."

"You still haven't bought me that Standard Timer," Zheng Qing called out as Thomas's figure was about to disappear, suddenly remembering the book list.

"The pocket watch you're wearing around your neck is quite good..." Thomas's voice grew fainter as his figure faded, until he vanished.

Zheng Qing sighed and pulled out the pocket watch hanging around his neck.

Afternoon, 17:01:38.