Inside the Trunk (Part 1)

After walking up a flight of stairs, Hermione found herself in a spacious and bright room.

The room has a simple layout: a semi-open kitchen and a living room.

The living room is furnished with a coffee table and a sofa, while the room is decorated with various ornaments. On the wall opposite the sofa hangs Magic Screen and several paintings.

"Bell, that painting..."

Hermione pointed to a painting hanging in the most prominent position, unsure of how to express herself.

From her current position, it's impossible to tell what the painting depicts.

Could this be the legendary Imagist painting?

"Oh, that's a Christmas present Shanna gave me two years ago. Wow~ I never knew my Shanna had such an artistic talent. What do you think? Isn't it amazing!"

Bell proudly showed his girlfriend the Christmas gift his sister had given him.

"Heh... hehe... yes, yes, it really is great."

Seeing Bell's eyes shining, Hermione was too embarrassed to express any different opinion, so she could only awkwardly agree.

Actually, she asked Bell about the painting because she felt it didn't match the style of the room.

But after hearing Bell's explanation, how could she possibly say those words?

"Not just this painting, my Shanna has given me so many other gifts! How about it, Hermione, do you want to see them?"

Bell always carried with him all the gifts Shanna gave Bell, and was always ready to show them off to others.

"Next time, okay? Didn't you say you'd show me around here? I see there's a lot of space outside. Let's go out and take a look."

Hermione politely but tactfully declined Bell's offer.

Although she had met Bell's sister once during a video chat with Bell, and she liked the cute little girl very much at the time.

But for some reason, seeing Bell's eyes light up whenever she mentioned her sister made her feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

"Oh well..."

Finally remembering his original purpose, Bell could only regretfully leave the opportunity for next time.

"Come with me."

Bell opened the door and went out first.

"Besides storing some items, the most important function of this place is to provide me with a place for training and researching magic."

"See those two buildings in the distance? That's my Training Ground. I come here every morning for basic training."

Walking on the lush green grass, Bell introduced Hermione to the animals as they went.

Just then, a group of puppies ran past their feet, chasing and playing as they gradually disappeared into the distance.

"These are puppies of Di Luo Hound and Fang Hound, which my father recently acquired. I brought a few over to make this place feel more lively."

"And those over there too."

Bell pointed to a unicorn grazing leisurely in the distance.

"Those are Azure Ox, which are said to have the bloodline of the Kui ox and can unleash Lightning, making them very powerful. Therefore, although they are relatively gentle, it is best not to approach them casually."

Then, the two passed by a flower bed.

The flower bed is very large and is planted with a variety of plants.

Hermione looked at one of the flowers.

The flower had five petals, and amazingly, each petal was a different color.

Hermione couldn't help but reach out to the flower, wanting to touch its petals.

"Don't touch it, Hermione."

Bell stopped Hermione and took her hand in his.

"This flower is called the Magic Radish. No one knows what the Magic Radish truly looks like; everyone sees only what they perceive as the most beautiful flower. The Magic Radish uses this ability to lure other creatures close and then prey on them. Incidentally, even using props like cameras won't work, as the recorded footage will contain the Magic Radish's magic."

Hermione's face paled slightly upon hearing that she had almost been eaten.

"Bell, are you sure it's okay to leave such a dangerous creature here?"

"What could possibly happen? No one else can get in here anyway. If an outsider were to break in, am I supposed to worry about their safety?"

Bell is not a magnanimous person. He always adheres to the principle of "I won't offend others unless they offend me." So if this person offends me... well...

When it comes to friends, Bell is a very easygoing person. But that doesn't mean Bell 'll just laugh off any offense from others.

"Don't worry, there aren't many Magical Creatures here that are as powerful as the Magic Radish."

Seeing Hermione's hesitant expression, Bell offered some words of comfort.

"Hermione, remember, often plants that can't be moved easily and seem harmless are actually far more dangerous than animals that can move freely and look dangerous. So try not to approach flower beds without someone accompanying you."

Just as Bell was giving Hermione some instructions, a soft "snap" was heard, and a House-elf suddenly appeared beside them.

"Good morning, Young Master. How may I help you?"

Ke Ersha bowed to Bell and asked respectfully.

While focusing most of his attention on his Young Master, Ke Ersha was also keeping an eye on Hermione next to Bell out of the corner of his eye.

Ke Ersha was very curious.

Although our Young Master rarely appears in the suitcase during the day, he does come here occasionally. Young Master once stayed here from morning till night when conducting magic experiments.

However, their Young Master had never brought anyone else here.

The Little Witch in front of us is the only wizard who has come here besides the Young Master.

Even our own Miss Shanna has never been inside this suitcase.

So Ke Ersha was very curious: who exactly was this Little Witch? What was so special about her that made her Young Master treat her differently?

"Good morning, Ke Ersha. I just brought her here for a walk."

Bell pointed to Hermione and introduced her.

"This is Hermione. She'll probably be here often in the future, so please take good care of her."

"Hermione, this is Ke Ersha, one of my House-elf. There are two other House-elf working here with Ke Ersha. If you need anything and I'm not here, you can ask them for help."

"You flatter me, Young Master!"

Ke Ersha tried hard to hide his surprise deep in his eyes; he couldn't let his Young Master lose face in front of outsiders.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Hermione. Please don't hesitate to ask if you need anything."

"Okay, okay."

Hermione said somewhat reservedly.

Hermione, who comes from a middle-class family, has only ever seen butlers and similar figures in TV series and movies.

Now, a Bell Family "butler" appeared before her and was speaking to her in a very polite manner, making Hermione feel quite uncomfortable.

"Alright, Ke Ersha, you can go ahead and get busy."

Noticing his girlfriend's discomfort, Bell let Ke Ersha leave.

Moreover, today is a very important day, and Bell doesn't want a third person present to disturb his and Hermione's time alone.