Chapter 72: Grindylow
On the breathtaking ocean floor, Mermaid Penelope and Mermaid Kate held two gray Loba worms, giving the impression that they were vacuuming the seabed.
Penelope didn't fully come back to her senses until Alexander started shouting.
The sea floor was covered with snow-like white gravel, and vibrant coral in red, blue, purple, and other colors grew wildly. Within the coral holes, small green monsters kept poking their heads out.
Good grief, they had green teeth, long fingers, and pointed horns on their heads.
"Hmph, Grindylows aren't simple creatures. They primarily use their very long fingers to attack fish—and even sneak up on Muggles or wizards swimming by. But while their fingers are their strength, they're also their weakness," Kate explained confidently. Her black hair clung to her body in the water, and though her fair skin contrasted beautifully, her now much longer hair conveniently covered the more private areas.
"Exactly. Grindylow fingers are strong but fragile! The best way to defeat them is to prevent them from grabbing anything and force them to overextend. A simple Summoning Charm works great," she added proudly.
"No, the Summoning Charm just becomes a hot water jet underwater. It works, but not very well," Penelope corrected with a frown. "And our mission is to shoot as many Grindylows as possible using the Loba worms." Her voice was calm and focused. Strangely, even though she could feel the warm water surrounding them, speaking and breathing still felt as natural as on land.
But the only awkward thing was their appearance. If not for her now-lengthened hair covering her modesty, she would've been thoroughly embarrassed. She shot Alexander a sharp glare while Kate excitedly chattered about tactics.
"Hey, hey, hey! Aren't you curious?" Alexander called out, grinning. "Why is this game a shooter and scored like a contest? Why is the prize a pronunciation of a mermaid word? This is clearly a competition!"
He casually mentioned a mysterious bonus reward, clearly hoping to distract Penelope.
But Penelope wasn't swayed. From the brief movements she'd made earlier, she noticed that her speed and mobility underwater differed drastically from land. She really did seem to have grown a fish tail. All she had to do was think of a direction, and her tail would glide that way. Even if this was one of Alexander's strange simulations, she knew there had to be a point. No wand meant the Loba worm was key. Her next step: test the venom and adjust her strategy accordingly.
Now it was Kate's turn to shine.
What followed was a brutal, if repetitive, underwater shootout—boring to Alexander but thrilling in its own way. Kate used her height advantage to strike first from the coral jungle, while Penelope followed closely, picking off stragglers Kate missed. Based on how long it took for the venom to take effect, Penelope counted silently in her head. One, three, four, five...
A woman full of intelligence and strategy truly was fascinating.
As expected, the sea monster Jinka soon arrived. Accompanied by huge waves that swept everything aside, the horse-headed, fish-tailed beast emerged, bowing its massive head. At Penelope's signal, Kate leapt up, and Penelope positioned herself strategically.
With Jinka's help, the game ended quickly.
"Alexander, what's the special reward you mentioned?" Penelope asked smugly, her head held high as she and Kate circled him on Jinka's back.
Alexander, still savoring the view, looked disappointed the game had ended. Penelope blushed under his gaze, while Kate, oblivious, clung to his arm and asked curiously.
"Alright, alright. One of the game's rewards is this." As he spoke, golden and black notes fell around them, forming two books—one for Penelope and one for Kate. As they absorbed the wave of knowledge, their eyes glazed over.
In the dreamlike realm of consciousness, time passed differently. Penelope and Kate struggled to memorize the mermaid language's pronunciation and meanings. Then Alexander's voice returned, its soothing tone calming their overstimulated minds.
"And the winner is... Kate! And her reward is—" Alexander deliberately paused.
"What is it?" Kate couldn't wait, smacking him playfully with a floating tablet. Penelope tried to stop her, but Kate didn't notice.
"Okay, okay! The reward is—ding ding ding!" Just as he spoke, their consciousness returned to reality. Alexander held out a beautifully wrapped box and handed it to Kate.
Kate quickly opened it to reveal a wristband with a small knob at the base.
"This wristband absorbs and stores sunlight during the day. At night—or in darkness—just twist the knob, and it will dispel the darkness," Alexander explained.
"What, it's just a portable magic lamp?" Kate scoffed, but she was clearly pleased, fiddling with it and showing it off to Penelope.
"Kate Lewinster! You cheeky imp!" Penelope finally snapped and pinched Kate.
"Wait, wait. This light isn't ordinary," Alexander added. "Even the Hand of Glory, which blinds ordinary eyes, can't overpower this light."
Despite his usual lack of interest in alchemy, Alexander had trained rigorously before his transmigration, mastering Smith family techniques passed down for thousands of years. This trinket, though casually made, was no ordinary item.
Later, with the game over, Alexander ordered three scoops of walnut ice cream and began discussing his trip to France with Penelope at the center.
Strangely, whenever they reached a crucial topic, Penelope would change the subject, and Kate would play along.
Nearby, Florin Fusco, the shopkeeper, was baffled. The three odd young wizards who'd been completely silent earlier were now chatting away. One of them even gave a gift to one of the girls—leading to what looked like a slap fight?
Is the younger generation really this weird?
Alexander caught Florin's glance and couldn't help but mutter, "Isn't this the poor bloke who got captured by Death Eaters and killed for knowing the secrets of Ravenclaw's diadem and the Elder Wand?"
"And how did the Death Eaters learn those secrets? Probably because this guy couldn't help bragging about his knowledge to every customer."
At last, after helping Penelope and Kate buy their textbooks and supplies for the next semester, Alexander quickly took his leave.
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