St Mark's Basilica Hasn't Rung Its Bells Yet!

Santa Lucia train station is the only train station on the main island of Venice.

It is a low-rise building, made of gray stone and concrete, exuding a unique elegance.

The train station features a minimalist design; its beautiful facade has no signage, only a single symbol.

--The two letters FS for flying.

This is the logo representing the Italy national railway system.

The rain was torrential.

William and Hermione, holding an umbrella, walked out of the train station and entered the misty water city.

First, the strong, salty smell hit him. William instantly sensed... the smell of the sea.

This salty and humid environment isn't found in shallow seas, but rather in deep seas!

Even with such heavy rain, the plaza at the station exit was still filled with all sorts of vendors selling strange and unusual souvenirs.

Like most tourist cities, these items are likely all sourced wholesale from the same place.

The air was also filled with the pungent smell of diesel fuel, the odor emitted by the engines of the boats idling.

They lined up in a long queue on the Grand Canal as the tide rose, just like the taxi drivers at the exit of a train station in the previous Celestial Empire.

Even the actions and lines are the same: dozens of captains wave and shout to tourists in Italy and other languages.

The Doge's Palace is one position short! Hurry, just one more! Hey, get in the car and let's go!

Once you get up there, you might find that it's not just one spot short, but that you're the only one left.

It's not like we'll just get on the bus and leave; we'll wait "one more minute"... and then we'll go.

The "one" here is a function word, generally indicating a number greater than ten.

So, even though Venice may not have cars or unlicensed taxi drivers, there are plenty of unlicensed boat captains blocking the waterways.

There were many tourists queuing up; the city is mostly filled not with Venice, but with foreign tourists.

Too lazy to wait in the pouring rain, William spent a large sum of money to rent a beautifully designed gondola.

A gondola is a black, flat-bottomed boat, ornately decorated, with high, crescent-shaped prows and a hooked bow that allows for easy exploration of the height of bridge arches.

These distinctive Venice gondolas have a history of over a thousand years. They have always been the means of transportation for Venice living on the lagoon.

The ship's helmsman was a woman in her early twenties. She looked very cool, completely covered in a black leather jacket.

She was tall and slender, with dark spiky hair, exuding a wild and untamed beauty.

"My name is Trene Sand!" she said, giving William a wink as she welcomed William and Hermione aboard.

William is fifteen years old and has used the Time-Turner for a few months; he is very tall.

But the woman in front of him was actually a head taller than him.

Wine? Limonite? Champagne?

Realizing the two were probably underage, Trene added, "Or iced cola?"

"No need, thank you," William said in Italy.

He is fluent in French, while Italy, French, Spain, Portugal... these languages all belong to the Romance language family.

Although the pronunciation and overall language are completely different, even opposite, the grammatical system is basically the same, and many words have a very high similarity.

While fluency in French may not guarantee quick mastery of Italy, it is ultimately quite easy to grasp some everyday phrases.

"Are you from France?" Trene asked in French. "I went to Paris last year, and I could hear a slight Paris accent."

No, United Kingdom.

"Then your French must be very good," Trene said again in English.

William stared at her in surprise—a boatman fluent in three languages?

"Just a little bit." Trene tossed her spiky hair and laughed.

"That's nothing. Venice is full of foreign tourists. You can only attract customers if you know a little bit about everything."

William nodded slightly, but still found it unbelievable.

"Hey, if you don't mind, can I be your tour guide in Venice?" Trene licked her sexy lips.

"I know this city inside and out... it's free, and I'm just killing time anyway."

Seeing her staring at William, Hermione rolled her eyes and couldn't help but interrupt:

"Excuse me, could you please get us to St Mark's Basilica as soon as possible?"

This wasn't the first time I'd seen this; girls would strike up conversations along the way, even wanting to travel with me.

"Of course, let's go!" Trene finally turned her gaze away from William.

She looked Hermione up and down, and chuckled softly:

"My gondola is the fastest boat in Venice!"

She skillfully backed the boat away from the shore. Then, she turned the steering wheel to the right, stepped on the gas, and weaved through a group of gondolas.

William then realized that Trene had actually added an engine to the boat instead of relying on oars.

"We have to keep up with the times, otherwise we'll be left behind." She stepped on the gas.

The gondola accelerated suddenly, splashing water all over the gondola drivers, who were wearing striped shirts.

They rudely gave Trene the middle finger.

"Sorry!" Trene laughed, whistling defiantly.

A few seconds later, they left the crowded waterway in front of the train station and sped south along the Grand Canal.

St Mark's Square is located at the southernmost end of the Grand Canal in Venice.

This is also one of the most famous buildings in the city.

William, sitting at the stern, looked up at the coastline ahead, where there was a small park with lush trees by the water.

Above the treetops, against the backdrop of the azure sky, the red brick spire of St Mark's Campanile soars into the clouds.

At the top is a golden archangel Gabriel, looking down from a dazzling height of three hundred feet.

Napoleon's description of St Mark's Square as "the drawing room of Europe" was not without reason.

William asked Trene, "Could we stop the boat as close to St Mark's Square as possible?"

"No problem!" Trene waved her hand and, like a seasoned driver, weaved through the densely packed ships.

As the ship approached its mooring, a crowd gathered in front of the palace. They were all crammed onto a bridge, pointing to the narrow canal that bisected the Doge's Palace.

"It's the Bridge of Sighs!" Hermione's eyes Winky up.

The Bridge of Sighs is one of Venice's most famous attractions and a must-visit for couples.

According to Venice legend:

If two lovers kiss under this bridge when the bells of St Mark's Basilica ring, they will love each other forever.

"Do you need to go, miss?" Trene, her voice laced with a hint of teasing.

"No!" Hermione shook her head firmly without even thinking.

"Why not?" Trene teased. "I thought you two were a couple."

William also looked at the girl.

Hermione rested her chin on her hand, gazing at the bridge, lost in thought. After a moment, blushing, she muttered softly:

St Mark's Basilica... hasn't rung its bells yet.

The ship slowly approached the shore.

William jumped over first, and Hermione followed. He reached out and caught her, and they stood firmly on the shore.

"Sir, I've been waiting for you here?" Trene said warmly.

"No need, we can't get out for now, goodbye."

William took Hermione's hand and walked towards St Mark's Basilica.

This year's International Confederation of Wizards Conference will be held here. However, the conference will not begin for several days.

They need to retrieve something for Dumbledore first.

Trene watched the two leave, then leaned back, lay flat on the chair, crossed her legs, and pulled a newspaper from her pocket.

She squinted and looked closely.

The newspaper's front page featured a photo of the event:

It was William and Hermione.

(Please give me your recommendation votes and monthly tickets, everyone.)

Thank you to "Ace101" and "Jimo Piaoxue A745" for their generous donations.