Besides food and potion ingredients, the trunk was mostly filled with the various clothes Wenxiu Lord had bought over the past month or so—some from Muggle society, some from the Wizarding World. Though not an overwhelming amount, they totaled more than twenty outfits altogether.
Fortunately, this was a magical world. With household magic, the clothes bounced up, lined up to fold themselves neatly, and stacked themselves into a tidy pile.
Yet Wenxiu Lord still underestimated his own shopping stamina; he was still squatting by the trunk, not having gotten up even when Severus emerged from the bathroom.
Hearing the sound of wet slippers slapping against the floor, Wenxiu Lord called out without turning his head, "Severus, hurry up and pack your things too, so we can put them in the trunk together."
Upon seeing Wenxiu Lord packing, Severus's dark eyes dimmed for a fraction of a second, and when he heard what was said, a flash of confusion crossed his face. "Pack my things?"
"Yeah. I've stayed at your place for so long, so as my friend, you're obviously coming to stay at my place for a while too. It'll be just in time for us to receive our admission letters together, and then we can go find Lily in Diagon Alley."
Receiving no reply for a long time, Wenxiu Lord turned back in confusion to look at Severus, only to find him standing frozen in place, staring blankly at him.
Wenxiu Lord walked up to him and waved a hand in front of his face. "Severus? Sev?!"
"Hmm? Oh, right." Still dazed, Severus thus muddled his way into becoming one of the people packing luggage.
Having regained his wits, Severus ultimately did not go home with Wenxiu Lord. After agonizing over it the entire night, he declined the invitation the next morning.
"Wenxiu, you'd better not." Severus avoided Wenxiu Lord's gaze. Although he had long since regarded Wenxiu as a "closest friend," a deep-seated, subtle sense of inferiority still made him subconsciously want to run away, even though this person had already fully accepted his entire past.
Watching Severus's evasive eyes, Wenxiu Lord thought about it and decided it was fine—after all, the first day back would probably be busy with quite a few matters.
He could just coax Severus over once he was completely settled in, and he would even be able to show him around properly. Besides, he could always go to Diagon Alley to buy a few more potion ingredients in the next couple of days.
Then, as if remembering something, he tossed a small bronze sculpture about the size of a doorknob to Severus.
Severus caught the small sculpture in a panic, only to hear Wenxiu Lord tell him, "This sculpture is a Portkey. As long as you twist the base, it can take you straight to my house. You're welcome to bring the Evans sisters to come play with me too~" With that, he smiled and gave a wink.
"Mm."
Severus looked down at the silvery-white baby dragon statue in his hand and gripped it tightly.
The one who had come to pick Wenxiu Lord up and take him home was Sebastian, whom they had met yesterday, only this time he had driven a carriage.
Though the interior decoration of the carriage was not yet visible, the exterior was exquisite and magnificent, carved with intricate golden patterns. Atop the roof was a massive three-dimensional totem. The whole vehicle looked remarkably grand, leading one to imagine that the interior would be even more luxurious and comfortable.
Before boarding the carriage, Wenxiu Lord lowered his voice and gave Sebastian a few instructions. Severus didn't catch what was said; he only saw Sebastian nod as he looked at him.
Severus and Wenxiu Lord waved goodbye to each other. Severus watched as Sebastian flicked the hovering reins, and the carriage slowly accelerated and vanished into the sky.
Wenxiu Lord could actually see the creatures pulling the carriage: they were pitch-black, skin-and-bones, with bat-like wings, looking very much like fierce beasts that had walked out of hell. They were Thestrals.
Wenxiu Lord's eyes dimmed. He wasn't surprised that he could see them. Taking a few deep breaths to calm the emotions in his heart, he put a smile back on his face.
The space inside the carriage must have had an Undetectable Extension Charm cast on it. The overall interior didn't look like a carriage at all; it resembled a small, upscale reception room instead.
The dominant color scheme was silver-white, surrounded by platinum drapes, creating a luxurious and grand atmosphere.
Two servants stood by the door inside the carriage, waiting for orders. Seeing Wenxiu Lord enter, they bowed to him in unison, and one of them stepped forward to take the suitcase from his hand.
Wenxiu Lord walked over to the table and sat down. The servant who had remained in place immediately stepped forward to serve him a dazzling array of small pastries, alongside a pot of extremely fragrant hot tea.
Inhaling the rich, fragrant aroma, Wenxiu Lord took a sip. Although the tea was red in color, it didn't taste like black tea; it had a slight bitterness upon first contact with the tongue, followed by a natural, lingering sweetness from the plants.
He liked the tea very much, narrowed his eyes leisurely, set down his teacup, and looked at the respectfully waiting servant standing to the side. "What tea is this?"
The servant bowed slightly. "Answering the Lord, according to your dietary preferences, this is a flower tea we have blended for you."
Hearing this, Wenxiu Lord was a little surprised. He hadn't expected that the servants provided by the System would also know his dietary preferences.
"You know all my preferences?"
The servant answered respectfully, "Yes, Lord. Your diet, daily routine, and lifestyle habits are fully known to all the servants in the manor—including your favorite Chinese cuisine, which the house-elves in the manor are also quite expert at preparing."
"There are house-elves too?"
"Yes, Lord. There are currently five house-elves in the manor. Once you return and bestow names upon them, the contract will take effect, and they will officially become your exclusive house-elves. Even if you leave the manor, as long as you call their names, they will appear before you."
Wenxiu Lord was utterly satisfied with this system. It was single-player, yet it let him reach the peak of life right from the start. He felt that if he didn't want to meddle in the original plot, he could completely live an extraordinarily carefree life all by himself.
Yet, thinking of how the people of the Marauder era in the original work died or were injured, and counting carefully, not a single one of them truly found lasting happiness, he couldn't bear it.
Especially Severus. Whether watching the movie or reading the original books, he was a tragic character through and through. Although his actions often made people grind their teeth in frustration, if possible, Wenxiu Lord hoped even more that he could run from the darkness toward the light, rather than forever standing in the dark to act as a guiding beacon for others.
These past few days, he could distinctly feel the young Severus slowly walking toward the light from the gray boundary. Thinking of how the two of them had spent time together recently, a "motherly smile" appeared on Wenxiu Lord's face.
There was no help for it; the young Severus was simply too adorable, and his interactions with Lily Evans made it hard not to wear a motherly smile.
The carriage's pace was both fast and smooth; Wenxiu Lord didn't feel any jolting at all, and he guessed that some sort of spatial magic and stabilization magic must have been cast upon the carriage.
By the time the carriage arrived at the manor gates, Wenxiu Lord had just finished his second cup of tea.
Sebastian knocked on the carriage door, paused for a few seconds, and opened it just as Wenxiu Lord walked up to the exit.
Sensing Wenxiu Lord's return, the manor gates automatically swung open to welcome their master.
In front of the castle's main doors, a massive fountain constantly churned its waters, and the path leading to the castle was lined with champagne-colored and pure white roses.
A gentle breeze swept across the rose bushes, and the morning dew reflected the sunlight like diamonds, sliding across the delicate petals before dripping into the soil.
The air carried a crisp, fragrant scent—the exact same aroma as the pot of tea Wenxiu Lord had just drunk in the carriage.
Wenxiu Lord admired the beautiful scenery all the way. The glazed-tile window paintings appeared dazzling and resplendent under the sunlight, and the various decorations inside the gilded hall were dizzying. Everything was so magnificent, so dazzling.
Walking into the castle lobby, Sebastian—who had been following behind him—clapped his hands, and a dozen or so servants walked out and stood in a row before him.
Everyone bowed, lowering their heads respectfully as they waited for the Lord to speak.
After briefly familiarizing himself with the roles of these servants, Wenxiu Lord waved a hand. "You may all withdraw. Sebastian, show me around the layout of the castle."
Hearing the order, the group bowed once more and quickly departed.
Sebastian walked up to Wenxiu Lord. "Please follow me, I will take you to your bedroom."
Wenxiu Lord nodded and followed him all the way to the fifth floor.
The castle had a total of six floors. According to Sebastian's introduction, the topmost floor was the training room and laboratory; besides the visible area of the castle above ground, there were also two levels below.
The first underground level was used for servant quarters and holding prisoners, while the second underground level was a vault-like existence akin to Gringotts, which no one could open except the Head of the Lord family.
Hearing this, Wenxiu Lord instantly lost interest in touring his bedroom and directly instructed Sebastian to lead him to the second underground level instead.
Sebastian bowed slightly. "Very well, Lord. Please follow me."
The staircase leading to the second underground level was extremely concealed. It required entering the secret room behind the wardrobe in his bedroom first, and only behind the mural at the very back of the secret room was the passage leading straight to the second underground level.
Wenxiu Lord opened the vault to take a look, and for now, there was still nothing inside.
He decided that the next time he went to Gringotts, he would take everything that might be useful out of his vault there and put it into this one. That way, whenever he needed anything in the future, he could just ask Severus for the Portkey to come back and retrieve it, saving him from having to ride the cold-buffed roller coaster to Gringotts every single time.
Once he learned Apparition, he wouldn't even need a Portkey to come back. Nodding in satisfaction, Wenxiu Lord felt he was truly brilliant.