"Wow, this place of yours is really nice!" Wade eagerly toured Tom's new house.
It had complete facilities, and outside there was even a huge garden for growing magical plants.
After planting, there was still a large open space left for practicing spells.
And this whole place was just a tiny patch of land in an otherwise dispensable part of the manor's woods.
So this was what being a rich kid was like?
Wade couldn't help feeling a bit envious.
Tom watched expressionlessly as Wade wandered around inspecting everything on his own.
In truth, this was his secret base! He absolutely didn't want Wade to find it!
But when that guy had first arrived at the Riddle Manor, he immediately noticed some of the protective charms Tom had set up, and then… it was exposed!
Tom had tried to stop him before, but… he never seemed able to prevent Wade from doing anything.
Including now—it seemed he wouldn't be able to stop himself from ending up back at St Mungo's again…
"Tom! Come on, didn't you say you wanted to spar with me?" Wade, while checking out the training ground, pulled out his wand and looked at Tom with eager anticipation.
"I admit I spoke a little too loudly earlier… but I still can't beat you right now…" Tom surrendered very straightforwardly.
It really had been a moment of brain lapse.
In truth, he had absolutely no confidence in facing Wade at this point!
He'd been too cocky and completely overlooked one thing—that if Wade could, with just a few words, make his strength grow…
Then how strong must Wade himself actually be?
Without powerful strength and experience as a foundation, how could anyone casually guide others to improve?
Even Dumbledore had been able to gain enlightenment from Wade's words!
What had he been thinking? To dare challenge him after just a little progress?!
Sure enough, the side effect of sudden power growth was getting carried away…
Wade had even warned him about this before.
And yet, he had forgotten…
"It's not a big deal, Tom. It's not like I'd go all out on you," Wade said, giving his wand a little wave.
It had been some time since he last used his wand, and as Wade swung it, he actually felt a faint trace of emotion coming from it.
Hmm… almost like it was sulking from being neglected.
That discovery amused Wade greatly.
Could it be that what Ollivander had said was true? That wands really did have their own spirit?
So dragging Tom into a fight was also a way to test whether his wand felt any different now.
"To be honest, Wade, I just made a little progress with my family in terms of kinship… so… so please don't send me to St Mungo's just yet. Let me spend a bit more time with them, alright?" Tom said miserably.
"Sigh, fine… what a pity," Wade said helplessly.
Tom lit up with joy. Could it be that this dark overlord was actually letting him off this time?
"Then let's switch from sparring mode to practice mode… Tom, attack me with everything you've got! I'll help you see where you need improvement!" Wade lifted his wand to the bridge of his nose, carefully sensing the subtle emotions coming from it.
"Uh…" Tom's heart sank all over again. In the end, wasn't he still going to get beaten?
So this was what people meant when they said disaster comes from the mouth… Tom resolved that from now on, he'd avoid talking whenever possible.
As for now… he'd just have to take the beating.
A moment later, Tom's classic screams echoed through the woods…
…
Wade only stayed at the Riddle household for a few hours before leaving as dusk settled.
He declined Lord Riddle's carriage, picked up his suitcase, and stepped into the dim night at the manor gates.
In the blink of an eye, his figure vanished.
"You wizards really are… here one moment, gone the next," Lord Riddle sighed as he leaned on his cane, gazing in the direction Wade had disappeared.
"Someone like him… there aren't many even among wizards. At the very least, what he can do, I still can't," Tom said with meaning.
"Really? But he looks about your age. And aren't you classmates?" Lord Riddle asked curiously.
"A wizard's ability can't be judged just by age… Some people are born already standing at the finish line," Tom said bitterly.
He still believed Wade came from some ancient pure-blood family in the East, inheriting countless old spells and techniques…
Otherwise, how could he possibly manage so many things that even adult wizards couldn't?
"No matter what, we should be grateful to him. He saved our lives…" Lord Riddle sighed. "The wizard who treated me said that if Wade hadn't removed some of my painful memories, even if I had woken up, I would've gone mad…"
"Mm… truly fortunate…" Tom said sincerely.
"I thought you'd go traveling with him," Lord Riddle said.
Tom shook his head. "This time, I want to stay… I've realized something, and it's something that only exists here…"
"And what's that?" Lord Riddle asked.
Tom thought for a moment, then showed a slightly embarrassed expression. "…Maybe it's called… love?"
"Ha… then you made the right choice. If you had to leave with him to understand love, that would be a real problem!"
Tom: ???
…
Creak!
An ear-piercing screech of brakes sounded as Wade jumped off a bizarre-looking bus, immediately crouching by the roadside to throw up.
"Hope you ride the Knight Bus again next time! Goodbye!"
Beep beep!
The bus roared off and vanished in a flash…
Wade took quite a while to recover before finally standing up at the roadside.
Today, on a whim, Wade decided to try the legendary Knight Bus. The result… was an indescribable riding experience from this bus that had officially begun operating back in 1865!
Ride again next time? No way!
Still, the bus did have one good thing going for it—it took you straight to your destination.
Now, he was standing on the land of Dorset…
After all, Wade had never been to Dorset before, so he couldn't Apparate.
Once he had fully recovered, Wade looked at the road sign by the roadside to confirm his location.
In this era without Google Maps navigation, finding your way was quite troublesome.
"I told you long ago, buy a broom. Traveling would be much easier that way." A gentle voice suddenly sounded in Wade's ear.
Wade jolted in shock and quickly looked around, but there wasn't a single person nearby!
"Senior?" Wade asked in surprise.
"It's me."
"You… you don't need to rely on little animals to transmit your thoughts anymore?!" Wade asked excitedly.
"Yes… thanks to my research lately, I can already wield more magic… Within the range of Britain, my consciousness can now talk directly with anyone at any time."
"Damn…" Wade drew in a sharp breath.
Before this, she could already spread her consciousness across all of Britain. Now, just by being able to channel a little more power, she could actually speak to him directly through thought?
It was unimaginable—when the day came that she truly emerged, just how powerful would she be…
As if seeing through Wade's thoughts, the gentle voice sounded in his mind again.
"Even if I do come out, I won't be as strong as you imagine. Because if I don't disperse all the 'residuals' clinging to me, I won't be able to leave. But once I scatter those remnants, I won't be that strong anymore. Relatively speaking, it's you—the one who absorbed that power—who will be stronger. So, you really don't need to worry."
"I'm not worried, only impressed," Wade said. "And besides, once you've mastered the correct conversion method, won't your power surely return to what it once was?"
_________
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