The cruel reality told Maka that rowing is a very tiring thing.
With his small yet undeveloped body, it didn't take long for him to put down the oars and let the escape boat float leisurely on the sea, drifting toward the shore little by little with the waves.
In areas closer to the coast, the waves always rush perpendicular to the shore, so there is no need to worry about drifting to other places.
When the rising sun tore away the darkness of the night with its first ray of light, everything seemed to become clear—they could see the land in the distance...
When Maka was down to earth again, his efficient mobility came into play again.
He discussed it with Sarah, and after asking for some moderate benefits, the only thing he had to do was send her back - to destroy the trafficker's business and ask for some reward. Although he didn't do this kind of thing often, he still wanted to do it. This isn't the first time either.
Along the way, they asked about the location, planned the route, and then changed their clothes... With the convenience of "having money and easy things to do", they returned to Sarah's home in the fastest and most popular way.
A little girl who was kidnapped was rescued by another younger boy - this kind of thing is really rare, but for the parents of the child, it is a great thing that their daughter can return home safe and sound. Nothing could be better.
Maka revealed the news about Alger to Sarah's father, and what happened after that had nothing to do with him.
When he said goodbye to Sarah and her family and left Sarah's big house, he accidentally turned back and saw an owl flying from a distance passing by the door of Sarah's house...
"Owl? Is there Harry Potter or something..." He joked subconsciously.
However, Maka, who didn't pay much attention at first and was about to continue leaving, suddenly stopped. He turned back again and stared at the direction the owl had left for a long time, as if he felt something was wrong.
After a while, Maka came back to her senses and walked quickly towards the door of Sarah's house.
"Dong dong dong"
The door was opened, and Sarah's servant looked at him strangely.
"Mr. McClain, is there anything else you can do?"
"Was there a letter for Miss Sarah just now?" Maka asked bluntly.
"Oh—" The servant turned sideways and looked at the built-in mailbox next to the door, and sure enough he found a strange envelope lying quietly inside.
"... There is indeed a... um, strange letter..." He looked over it in confusion.
"Can you let me see the envelope? Just look at the envelope!" Maka asked hurriedly.
"Oh, I think... Of course, as long as it's just an envelope, it's no problem." The servant handed the letter to Maka.
Just on the envelope, a coat of arms consisting of a lion, a badger, an eagle, a snake, and a capital "H" was clearly printed on it, making Maka's mind confused.
The inexplicable sense of familiarity and dissonance that he had when he woke up in the attic made him feel anxious again.
Maka looked at the envelope in her hand again, then raised her head and looked around, trying to find the source of all the uneasiness he felt.
However, he kept looking around for a long time, but he didn't gain anything.
"What's going on? This feeling... It's like I forgot something important... "
"What?" The servant looked at him with confusion on his face.
"Oh... no, it's nothing," Maka handed the envelope back to him. "When the postman came over just now, I saw this letter—I thought I knew the sender, but it seems I was wrong."
He explained a few words casually and left again.
But this time, he changed his original plan - he felt that he had to go to London.
…
Facts have proved that even if a Muggle has some guesses about the existence of the wizarding world, it is still very difficult to find them.
Fortunately, Maka is not a pure Muggle - he had already experienced a magic runaway in the car accident a few years ago.
To put it bluntly, the magic power in Maka's body had long been awakened by this time, and the Muggle Exorcism Curse was no longer effective on him.
However, it is still quite a time-consuming task to find a shabby bar in London that does not know its specific location and may not even exist.
After Maca wandered around London for a few days, he finally discovered a small, shabby and suspicious bar on Charing Cross Road in Westminster, between a large bookstore and a record store.
"Um… "
Maka, who stepped into the bar, could no longer hide her surprise. With his mouth half open, he looked at the dirty decorations in the bar and the customers wearing strange costumes, and his surprise was palpable.
"...Are you surprised?" Just as he was shocked to see all the things in the bar, a voice suddenly came out from behind him.
Maka suddenly turned around, only to see an old man with a lot of silver-white hair and beard, and a long hooked nose looking at him curiously.
Hidden behind the old man's half-moon-shaped lenses are a pair of bright blue eyes full of wisdom.
"D-Dumbledore?" Maka exclaimed.
"Yes, that's right," Dumbledore nodded, but kept staring at Maka, "To be honest, I might be more surprised than you..."
As he spoke, he suddenly put his slightly skinny but slender and broad hand on Maka's shoulder.
Suddenly, Maka felt dizzy. When he regained consciousness, he found that he was sitting on the ground at the door of the seventh greenhouse, and Dumbledore was squatting next to him, his hands equally steady. Put it on his shoulder.
"Oh - thank Merlin -" Professor Sprout clapped his hands happily at the side, "You finally woke up!"
Maka stared at Dumbledore and Sprout blankly, and it took a while to calm down her chaotic mind.
"... What a terrifying plant." Maka murmured, "Can people be immersed in the world of memories...?"
At this time, Dumbledore smiled at him.
"It's just that you're special..." He said calmly, "This kind of flower should have been completely extinct... Well, it's called 'Mystery Crystal', and it was very rare in ancient times."
"They usually just make the minds of ordinary wizards go blank. Only creatures with powerful souls can enter a world where memories and subconscious are combined like you did."
Having said this, Dumbledore looked at Maka curiously and said, "It seems that your soul is very special."
When Maka heard this, she shook her head in confusion.
"Professor, how did you do that just now..." Halfway through the words, Maka said subconsciously, "Oh! Is it some kind of application of Legilimency?"
"Hmm... Actually, there is a slight difference." Dumbledore said calmly, "Of course, it's not that far off - by the way, Occlumency has some effect on that flower."
"…Okay, so, what time is it now?"
"It's only been a few minutes." Dumbledore tapped his head with his slender finger, "For the spiritual world, time is meaningless."
As he spoke, he waved to Maka, "Maka, how about taking a few steps with me?"
On the breezy lawn, Dumbledore and Maka walked forward casually. Dumbledore talked about some trivial matters in life from time to time, and occasionally talked about his favorite desserts and drinks.
It was as if he really just wanted to take a walk with Maka.
"... Speaking of which, since I became the principal, I haven't had much time." He shrugged slightly and said playfully, "When I was just a teacher in the past, I was always busy with my work enthusiastically - until now I I feel that sometimes, frequently chatting with students about studies, thoughts, etc., is actually not as useful as taking a casual walk... "
"In this case, both parties will be more relaxed and comfortable, right?"
"... Maybe the method of treating different people will change accordingly." Maka said casually.
"People's hearts are complicated. No one can make choices for others, and I am the same." Dumbledore shook his head, "Because when we don't know the answer, we may always choose the wrong option."
Maka nodded as if she had some realization.
"We should go back... You see, the principal is still very busy at work." Dumbledore spread his hands, "If you are willing, let's take a walk next time!"
Maka looked at Dumbledore's back walking towards the castle, and sincerely admired the greatest white wizard today.
Just now, in the so-called "spiritual world", Dumbledore must have seen some clues - Maka already knew about the existence of wizards before receiving the Hogwarts admission notice.
But Dumbledore didn't ask any more questions, even though he was already surprised.
After teaching students like Voldemort, this wise white wizard has changed his educational philosophy. He no longer interferes too much with each of his students, but silently observes, guides, and protects them. And pay for every step they take.
This is not something that ordinary good people can do. At least Maka feels that he will never be able to do this in his life.
The flowers called "mystery crystals" in the greenhouse have been separated by Professor Sprout. The "no approach" label will not be removed until the relevant problems are solved, and Professor Sprout has been busy with this for a long time.
As for Maka, his previous experiences gave him a lot of insights. More importantly, he seemed to feel that he could faintly feel some emotional fluctuations.
Even if the feeling is still very vague, at least there is hope for a solution. This is the biggest gain.