"Raise it a bit higher, pull down the garment, there, don't move. Why are your eyes closed?"
"I'm a bit scared. Mr. Murphy, please be gentle."
"Don't worry, it'll be over soon."
Holding a syringe, Murphy looked amusedly at Sophia with her eyes tightly shut, turning her head away, "Such a grown-up, still afraid of injections?"
"Being afraid of injections has nothing to do with age!" The queen desperately turned her head, wishing the shoulder about to be injected wasn't hers, "Please, make it quick…"
Murphy chuckled, wiped Sophia's pale shoulder with a cotton ball for disinfection, and then swiftly pushed the syringe against it.
The high-pressure injection instantly administered the liquid into the muscle. The queen barely hummed before Murphy had already withdrawn the syringe.
"There, it's done."
"That quick?" The queen was surprised, "I hardly felt anything."
"...Though that implies my injection technique is superb, somehow, Murphy found it a bit displeasing to hear.
"Hmph, you're happy too soon," Murphy said. "It requires a weekly injection for six weeks to be permanently effective, but you should start seeing effects now."
Murphy took Sophia's hand, pulled out an ultraviolet flashlight, and shone it on the back of her hand, "How does it feel? Notice anything?"
The queen shook her head.
"Normal activation wouldn't be this quick, but we added some potion ingredients."
"Alright, Your Majesty, you can go for a walk now."
...
At noon, Sophia walked on Heaven Street, still holding an umbrella, but now she cautiously extended her hand out of its shade, then tossed the umbrella aside, bathing in the sunlight, took a deep breath, and smiled happily, "It feels like I haven't been out in a long time. How wonderful, the taste of sunlight. Thank you, Murphy."
They approached an arch with green flames burning along its inner edge.
"What's this?" Sophia was curious; such an arch hadn't been there before on Heaven Street.
"Take a look across." Murphy prompted.
Approaching the arch and looking through, Sophia expected to see the other end of Heaven Street but saw instead a bustling street filled with wizards and witches, shops lining both sides, and at the street's end stood a milky-white building with "Wizards' Central Bank" inscribed above.
Sophia gaped in surprise, knowing Murphy had transformed Gringotts into the Central Bank, "Is this Diagon Alley?!"
Murphy smiled, "Correct, this is an Anywhere Door, one of the achievements of the Space Magic Technology group."
"They studied the Floo Network and discovered it's a basic application based on the mana web system. Theoretically, as long as it's within the mana web's coverage, movement through the Floo Network is possible, even Apparition and Portkeys are advanced applications based on the Floo Network."
"Floo Network fireplaces require bi-directional authorization, offering the highest security and stability. We thought using it for single-point transfers was a waste. After some adjustments to the Floo Network technology, we modified the Floo protocol, adding a private line, and what you see is the result."
"Are those green flames Floo powder?" Sophia asked.
"Yes, Floo powder is the key to direction and maintaining the passage. We've embedded it into the arch, which continuously burns, making this arch essentially a permanently open Floo Network fireplace."
"There's a Floo powder storage device under the arch. In a resting state with no people or objects passing through, it consumes about 0.1 grams of Floo powder per hour. The consumption increases when someone passes through. The Space Technology Research Group is still exploring ways to operate without Floo powder. However, this is a private line, only my magic can open it, and not many can travel through."
With that, Murphy extended his hand, "Let's go, let's visit Diagon Alley, you've never been, right?"
Stepping through the arch, Sophia looked back and saw they had emerged from the entrance of a potion shop. Murphy naturally took her hand, making them appear like a normal couple strolling the streets.
Yet, with their remarkable appearance and demeanor, they attracted many gazes, and even some who recognized Murphy whispered among themselves.
This made Sophia somewhat embarrassed, hesitating to let go of Murphy's hand yet reluctant to do so. Just as she wavered, Murphy let go of her hand, making her feel a momentary loss.
In an instant, however, Murphy returned from a nearby sweet shop with two ice creams, handing one to Sophia and then naturally took her hand again.
Before, holding hands could be explained as guiding her to prevent getting lost, but now Murphy's actions bore no other intentions.
Sophia stole a glance at Murphy, who was expressionlessly enjoying his ice cream. Though he noticed her gaze, he didn't engage in an aggressive eye contact as before but looked elsewhere, feigning interest in something amusing, though clearly, there was nothing.
Could he be shy too?
This was Sophia's first time seeing Murphy in such a light, not as the overpoweringly invincible figure but also without his unapproachable aura, making her find the situation amusing and slightly funny.
And this Murphy was so adorable!
The queen, initially tense, felt much more relaxed, and the hand that was being held now clasped back.
Humph, don't worry, little Murphy, big sister's got you covered!
"Hm?" Murphy felt the gentle force in his palm, glanced at the girl, seeing her eyes twinkling with a kind of affectionate glow, puzzled.
Why did she suddenly become bold?
But it was good too; making her happy was today's goal.
He glanced again at the suspicious figure in the distance through his raven's vision, notified Hagrid directly via the mind network, and then let it be.
...
Elsewhere, three Hagrids arrived at a secluded alley Murphy had informed them about, only to hear a low scream from afar. They exchanged looks, drew their wands, and chased toward the source of the sound.
Turning a corner, they found only a deserted alley with a person squatting, and it seemed someone was lying at their feet.
The air was filled with a stench reminiscent of a seafood market.
"What are you doing?! Raise your hands, stand up!" one Hagrid reprimanded with a frown.
The squatting figure stiffened, then slowly turned around in a grotesquely awkward manner. The Hagrids finally saw the figure's appearance, startling them.
The "person" had a disproportionately large head and frail limbs, fins on its face and joints resembling a fish person from the sea. Unlike normal fish people, its lower limbs weren't fishtails but two long-finned legs.
But what shocked the Hagrids more was the fish person's blood-stained ragged clothing and its large mouth filled with serrated teeth, even holding a piece resembling intestines.
The person beneath it was gutted, blood smeared everywhere.
"What the hell is that!" A Hagrid, startled, raised his wand, but the fish person lunged at them.
A scream echoed in the alley.
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