Hyperion's temporary repair base.

Unlike the desolate islands nearby, this magical island located somewhere in the Shetland Islands is significantly more prosperous.

While the outer perimeter of the island maintains its original natural ecology, the area spreading out from the Hyperion's dock is a luxurious entertainment district resembling a miniature Las Vegas. Casinos, restaurants, nightclubs, lounges, arcades... Unlike the chaotic and disorganized layout of Diagon Alley, this "entertainment paradise" meticulously planned and built by Gringotts represents the pinnacle of entertainment in the world today.

Even the legendary Las Vegas cannot compare—after all, this place has magic.

In fact, most people who know this island prefer another name for it.

"Succubus City—"

Aileen gently introduced the city to Hermione, Luna, and Hannah as they walked along the silent granite streets.

Sparse sunlight filtered through the clouds, projecting beams of light into the sky. The air after the rain was filled with the refreshing fragrance of flowers and plants. After a night of revelry, most places were still asleep, with only the magical lights at the entrances still flickering and rotating.

Hermione, Hannah, and Luna curiously looked around. The entire city was as silent as if it were asleep, yet it also seemed to be hiding.

As they passed an intersection, they clearly heard the low voices of several foreign women, as well as the rustling sound like that of the owls in the school's owlery. But when they turned around, they saw nothing. Luna struggled to resist the urge to take a closer look and continued to follow Aileen forward. She knew that the most important thing for them to do at that moment was to leave as quickly as possible.

Out of their sight, dozens of Ukrainian women stood nervously side by side against the wall, clutching unmailed envelopes.

Two wizards, holding wands, watched them expressionlessly, waiting for the signal that the lockdown was over.

As newly appointed probationary Great Arcana, Hermione, Hannah, and Luna's names, appearances, and even whereabouts were among the highest levels of classified information. Not to mention, among them was a formal Great Arcana member, the true owner of this island.

"Magician, can we mail our letters now?"

A woman with a flaxen ponytail asked cautiously.

In her hand, she held a thick parchment envelope, containing two months' worth of savings and a letter home.

After a long wait, she finally received the approval notification from the reviewer.

"Is that person here again? Will the owl post office be open today?"

"So, I'll say it one last time," a relatively young wizard said, "This is the magical world, and there are many things you shouldn't touch or understand. If you want to continue working here, don't be curious and ask questions. Of course, you're not prisoners imprisoned here. When the lockdown ends, you can live normally as before. Okay, stay quiet—and don't get any ideas. You know the rules of Succubus City, right?"

"But, Donny, the last lockdown lasted almost half a day." The woman with the flaxen ponytail was a little anxious.

"Christina," the young wizard frowned, speaking seriously, "This is Succubus City. Everyone knows what the most important rule of this city is. Do you want me to lower your security clearance by one level? Don't ask too many questions."

"Okay, Donny, you're talking too much today—"

The older wizard glanced at Donny, frowned slightly, and said coldly.

"You can spend your time however you want after work, but now is during the mission. Spells are more efficient than explanations."

"But we're not goblins, right—take the best path, not the shortest."

Donny shrugged, waving his wand absentmindedly, not continuing to argue.

This was the philosophy of the old-school wizards, even if it didn't align with the Destiny Group's recommendations… As a newcomer who had recently joined the Destiny Group, he could only restrain his behavior, trying not to use convenient spells to solve problems, but instead trying to communicate and understand first.

If he hadn't been here to co-execute the mission, perhaps his partner would have cleared the area with a few Stunning Spells long ago.

Even in the strictly regulated Succubus City, the frequency of spell usage by wizards during missions was only slightly lower than "outside."

"Don't play word games and act smart, kid."

The older wizard glanced at the busty, pretty-faced women not far away and snorted softly.

"You're a wizard, one of the top three in the Destiny Group this year. Maybe in the eyes of those big shots, you're a new star with endless potential, but I must remind you—" He grabbed Donny's collar, bringing his face close to the young man's. The yellow teeth in his mouth bared dangerously, "From my past experience, stars rarely live to the end, not because they're not good enough, but because you're too soft and indecisive—"

"As your commanding officer, I don't want to receive the order to execute you one day, understand?"

The old wizard released his right hand, glancing contemptuously at the somewhat flustered women not far away.

As the old wizard's gaze slowly swept over them, Christina and the others subconsciously shrank back.

"People are different, kid," the old man said coldly, "Maybe you think they're beautiful, considerate, and hot, but you have to understand one thing: that's just their job. Even if you want to play a love game with a Muggle, at least don't find these dirty bi—"

*Slap.*

Just then, the old man suddenly raised his hand and flicked his wand.

Donny's wand flew high into the air, far over their heads.

A red swollen mark was forming on the young wizard's wrist, and judging from his expression of sucking in cold air, it was clearly not comfortable.

"—You were trying to cast a Silencing Charm on me? Kid?"

The old wizard narrowed his eyes, shaking his head contemptuously, slowly retracting the wand in his hand.

"Next time, be smarter. If this were wartime, you'd already be a corpse. You should remember the rules of the Destiny Group, right? The side that initiates the attack receives double the punishment if they lose—of course, you can try to persuade the committee, after all, you didn't even have time to say the spell. If there's a next time, you better apply for a leave of absence yourself, so I don't have to do it."

"I could cast nonverbal spells by fifth year." He rubbed his wrist, saying with a wry smile.

"I thought so." The old wizard said contemptuously, "After all, you're a straight-A student. Your exam scores should be good. Never been in love?"

"Broke up after graduation, because of some… family reasons."

Donny silently picked up his wand, obviously not wanting to talk about these issues.

"Too bad," the old wizard said, clicking his tongue, "Now, give me a reason to be satisfied? Is this your current girlfriend?"

As he spoke, he pointed with a strange expression at Christina, who was pale not far away, with a playful look on his face.

"No," Donny shook his head, "But her father died in Pripyat, and she has two younger brothers to support."

"A wizard?"

"Muggles."

"Oh, that's really pitiful." The old wizard said coldly, "Cheap, disgusting sympathy, I mean, you. Are you planning to be a savior? Your salary might be far from enough—there are too many Muggles like that in this city."

"Or are you planning to… not pay afterwards?"

The old wizard turned his head, looking at the Muggle women who were trying to calm themselves, and sneered.

"Let me give you some advice. Don't think about falling in love. Think about why you came here?"

"But—"

Donny opened his mouth rather weakly, just about to say something.

Just then, a voice came from their earpieces—[Area C lockdown lifted, Areas A and B maintained]

"Okay, you can go mail your letters. Don't take the central avenue on the way back."

The old wizard waved his hand, saying without any emotion, his gaze lingering on the young wizard who wanted to say something for a few seconds.

"Thanks to you, our duty for today ends here. Go to the detention room and receive your punishment—you are the guardian of order here. You need to understand who you should be protecting. Without them, there would be none of this… Do you understand? Idiot."

As the lockdown was lifted, the Ukrainian women breathed a sigh of relief, running past them towards the owl post office next door.

The woman with the flaxen ponytail, named Christina, walked at the back of the group, looking uneasily at the two wizards, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something. In the end, she said nothing, bowed slightly, and merged into her group of friends.

"Sorry, I will report truthfully to the committee, even if it means being demoted to a D-level member. It's my own fault."

Donny watched Christina and the others disappear into the owl post office, sighing helplessly.

"But if there's a next time, I'll try my best to win—it's basic respect."

"Ha, in your next life, kid."

The old wizard shook his head disdainfully. He was fed up with these naive, stupid kids.

If it weren't for the requests from both the young lady and Grindelwald, he wouldn't be doing this boring work here.

But, come to think of it—

The old wizard subconsciously glanced towards the main road not far away.

That man didn't seem to be this playful back then. How did he suddenly become so powerful after hiding in Nurmengard for decades? They, his old subordinates, almost thought Grindelwald had been possessed, or that he had been out partying all these years.

After all, so many "adult-friendly" games couldn't possibly have come from the young lady's hand, right?

…………

Meanwhile, on the other side.

The interlude in the alley had no effect on Aileen and the others.

The only thing Luna, Hannah, and Hermione knew was that, for safety and security reasons, there would be a full lockdown wherever they went.

No unauthorized members could see any trace of them entering or leaving here, which was their first experience of Great Arcana-level privilege.

As for the purpose of the surrounding buildings and industries, Aileen also frankly introduced them to them in detail.

In any case, as probationary Great Arcana, they already had the authority. Instead of hiding it and making them think it was some amazing secret, it was better to give them a few frank sex education lessons. Girls around the age of twelve should learn some relevant knowledge anyway.

Therefore, by the time they reached their destination, even Luna, who was usually calm, had a light pink blush on her cheeks.

"We're here, the Black Gate," Aileen said.

From the Hyperion's bridge exit to the final destination was a straight avenue.

Ahead was a towering white castle, with two goblins in dark red armor standing on either side of the gleaming bronze gate.

Unlike ordinary goblins, these two goblins were nearly half the size of Hagrid. Their skin was particularly dark, and they seemed to be surrounded by a burning aura of sulfur. In their hands, they held giant scythes stained with black and red traces.

"Heliopath! Did they defect from the Ministry of Magic?!"

Before Aileen could speak, Luna said in surprise, examining the two guards.

"Black… what?" Hannah blinked.

"Cornelius Fudge's secret army, they are Fire Goblins," Luna said, her bulging eyes wide open, saying solemnly, "They transform into fire-breathing monsters when enraged, running across the land, burning everything that stands in their way—"

"They can't be some secret army of the Ministry of Magic, Luna."

Hermione shrugged, analyzing calmly, "Besides, rather than defecting or something, you might as well say Aileen secretly manipulated the Ministry of Magic."

"Ahem, Luna, as a senior among the Great Arcana, I must say something from an objective point of view."

Aileen coughed lightly, her expression sincere and serious, looking into Luna's eyes and saying softly.

"Perhaps before this, Mr. Hermit has told you many secrets, but they are not entirely accurate—you have to understand this. He had to keep you at a delicate distance from the truth of the world, while still trying to make you understand… some well-intentioned lies, and some small hints. This is inevitable. This is what's called a generation gap and the helplessness of adults. Unlike me, I will only feel sorry—"

"Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty!"

Just then, the two Heliopaths hammered their chests, kneeling on one knee.

As a type of goblin unlike any other, in exchange for intelligence and cunning, the Heliopath possessed strength far exceeding that of ordinary goblins.

However, this did not mean that they were mentally impaired. They were at least equivalent to normal human levels.

Especially after being taught by several goblin managers and elders, they had understood the new empress's preferences—for example, when Her Majesty arrived, they had to kneel on one knee and greet loudly if conditions allowed. They must not bow their heads or pretend they didn't see her.

However…

Aileen raised her eyebrows, her mouth twitching.

Oh well, looks like today is not a good day for romance.

"Welcome to the Dark Gate—"

Aileen stood at the entrance, glanced at the tightly closed bronze gate, and nodded slightly.

The two Heliopaths stood up, serving respectfully on both sides, working together to push open the closed bronze gate.

As the bronze gate slowly opened, a swirling, dazzling black nebula appeared in front of them.

"This is the only entrance to the Inner World. Valkyria's research base is behind this gate… Don't resist, put your hands in those swirling nebulae, it will automatically resonate with your permission qualifications and guide you to your destination."