The scenery outside the windshield rapidly flew by, constantly switching between fields, rivers, ponds, and villages.
With the help of magic, obstacles like trash cans, lampposts, and mailboxes would jump out of the way as the Knight Bus passed.
About twenty minutes later, the Knight Bus finally stopped in this alley.
A wide bus shrinking to the size of a wooden crate and stopping in a narrow alley—only in the magic World, where magic exists, could this be done.
Hagrid shakily got off the bus, holding onto the wall at the corner of the alley as he dry-heaved.
Beyond the alley was a commercial street lined with signs.
However, they had arrived too early; none of the shops were open, and there were only hurried pedestrians on the road.
"This is too much!" Hagrid's face was pale, and he still walked unsteadily. "Wizet, could you help me look for a place called the Leaky Cauldron?"
Various shops could be seen on the commercial street: fast-food restaurants, clothing stores, jewelry shops, and cinemas were all there, but the Leaky Cauldron that Hagrid mentioned was nowhere to be found.
It wasn't until Wizet passed a bookstore that a sign appeared out of thin air.
The sign was very old, forming a stark contrast with the bright signs around it.
This sign was full of smoke and fire marks, and it had a pattern of a broken-bottomed black cauldron.
"Hagrid, is that it?" Wizet asked, pointing at the sign.
Hagrid dry-heaved, then nodded and said, "That's right! You'll never guess when this pub was established."
"When?" Wizet showed strong curiosity about everything in the magic World.
"I remember it was early sixteenth century..." Hagrid frowned in thought. "Anyway, it's earlier than the promulgation of the secrecy law! Let's go in!"
Four centuries of establishment didn't bring much historical accumulation to the Leaky Cauldron; instead, it allowed enough grime to accumulate on its walls and floors.
Hagrid must have been a regular here; as soon as he entered the Leaky Cauldron, the place immediately became boisterous, and customers waved and smiled at him.
Compared to the deserted commercial street in the morning, the extremely dim Leaky Cauldron was exceptionally lively.
"Still the same as before?" A bald old man came to the bar, took out two beer mugs, and tapped them together, producing a pleasant sound.
Hagrid waved his hands repeatedly. "Tom, not today, I have important business to do! Get me a travel sickness Potion... Wizet, what would You like to eat?"
Wizet, thinking of Luna's family's financial situation, raised the pastry in his hand. "No need, Luna gave me this!"
The pub suddenly fell silent; the customers' expressions were a bit awkward, even showing some caution.
Tom took a step back and cautiously asked, "Is he Wizet? The Obscurial?"
"My fault!" Hagrid understood what these customers were wary of, and he slapped his forehead hard, letting out a thunderous sound. "He's a good kid! Why didn't You react like that just now?"
"Sorry..." Tom looked a bit embarrassed. "Indeed, I overreacted."
"Alright, we should go!" Hagrid dropped a silver coin and downed the travel sickness Potion.
He led Wizet through the pub to the small patio in the back.
This place was much cleaner than the inside of the Leaky Cauldron, with only a few tufts of weeds and a trash can.
"Wizet, You must remember this..." Hagrid raised the umbrella he carried. "Count three up from the trash can, then two across..."
The umbrella tapping on the wall bricks made a crisp sound, and the entire wall vibrated and reassembled until a wide archway appeared.
"Welcome to Diagon Alley!"
The morning sun was very soft, hitting the various signs in Diagon Alley and illuminating the names of the shops.
There were many Wizards in Diagon Alley, and the shops displayed a variety of novel items, giving Wizet the illusion of attending a fair in his previous life.
Hagrid pointed to a snow-white marble building and said, "This is Gringotts Bank; we need to withdraw your scholarship."
In the middle of a row of shops stood a towering building, its entirely white exterior particularly striking.
Wizet looked towards Gringotts and asked, "Hagrid, is that doorman... a Goblin?"
"That's right!" Hagrid smiled and nodded. "Currency made by Goblins cannot be counterfeited, which is why Gringotts is run by them."
Gringotts' decor was very grand; the two outermost bronze doors were open, and inside were two gleaming silver doors.
As Wizet and Hagrid approached, the welcoming Goblin immediately bowed, gesturing for them to continue inside.
The silver doors were engraved with a long string of words: Enter, stranger, but be warned... Thieves, You have been warned, beware of finding not treasure, but retribution.
The words were all warnings, reminding Wizet of a famous warning from his previous life—the warning of Tutankhamun's tomb.
It was said that the first people to enter Tutankhamun's tomb were all killed by the curse it contained.
Wizet was somewhat curious about the so-called "retribution." "Hagrid, if a thief really breaks in, what methods do Goblins use to deal with them?"
"There are so many methods!" Hagrid lowered his voice, pulling Wizet a few steps further inside. "Besides Hogwarts, this is the safest place in the magic World!"
"If a thief touches the door, they'll be sucked inside and won't be able to get out! As for the vaults deep underground, the Goblins have trained Trolls and Dragons to protect them."
Wizet asked curiously, "Dragons? Are there Dragons here too?"
"Of course! You can legally own Dragons here! It's fantastic!" Hagrid's eyes lit up. "I also want to raise a Dragon; those little darlings are simply too charming..."
Hagrid had an in-depth study of Dragons and could describe the characteristics of various breeds.
However, Wizet found it hard to imagine why those dangerous magic creatures, at least five meters long, could be called "little darlings."
All the way, Hagrid talked animatedly, showing extreme fanaticism for Dragons.
They made their way to the deepest part of the hall, where Hagrid handed the application to the reception Goblin. "We are here to collect the scholarship."
"Alright!" The reception Goblin extended a finger, and a wisp of flame emerged from his sharp, long fingernail, directly igniting the application.
After burning, the application left no ashes, only a beautiful calligraphic signature floating in the air.
"Please wait!" After confirming everything was correct, the reception Goblin jumped down from the counter and disappeared into the shadows.
Wizet asked, "Hagrid, if I have Muggle currency, can it be exchanged for Wizard currency?"
"Of course!" Hagrid continued to fumble in his pockets. "Underage Wizards can only exchange fifty Galleons a year, while adult Wizards can exchange one hundred Galleons a year."
"Why is there still a limit?"
"Because Muggle currency is too easy to obtain, and their banks are not safe at all. So, a limit must be placed to avoid affecting the magic World."
"Finally found them! These are good things!" Hagrid suddenly laughed and extended his hand towards Wizet.
In Hagrid's hand lay more than a dozen handball-sized eggs, their surfaces covered with orange-red patterns.
Wizet looked at the eggs before him, finding them somewhat familiar. "Could these be... Runespoor eggs?"
