Chapter 283 281. Arctic Journey (two in one)
This time the sea voyage did not have so many disturbances.
After playing the "pirate game" with Gabriel for a few days, the Hogwarts, which was manually controlled by Jon, has entered the Arctic Ocean.
As the temperature drops further, they can already occasionally see some scattered ice floes on the sea surface.
As ghosts, Nick and Gabriel are of course not afraid of the cold. After seeing the ice floe, the two ghosts became excited.
Even if Nick has survived for such a long time, he has not seen all the scenery in this world. The Arctic Circle is the place where he arrived for the first time in nearly a thousand years.
And after entering the sea area with ice floes, the Hogwarts sailing speed also slowed down. After all, although this old wooden ship is protected by magic, it is not a professional icebreaker. Be careful to avoid those Hard ice.
Taking advantage of this time, Nick took Gabriel to roam around in the waters around the Hogwarts. Poor Jon was the only one left on board, wearing a thick robe and a bearskin coat. Blow the cold wind and watch them fly back and forth.
It's not that he can't fly, but that the temperature is ten to twenty degrees below zero, and it's really unbearable for people to go into the air without any measures to keep warm.
Jon didn't mean to let himself suffer this kind of crime just to look at the scenery.
Besides, he still has a lot of things to do even if he is going out.
During the period when Durmstrang was studying with Grindelwald, he had basically mastered the three Unforgivable Curses, and at the same time consolidated the two commonly used "curses", the Blasting Curse and the Shadowless God's Edge.
Before departure, I also learned from Grindelwald his unique secret skill "Fire Shield". But it can barely be used to form a circle of fire around the side, not to mention Grindelwald's overwhelming ability to burn a city, even if it is used in actual combat, it is still far away.
So Jon did not waste the time on the ship. In addition to being familiar with the black magic learned from Grindelwald, he has also been studying various forbidden books in the second gem of the ring. This trip is not only for Grindelwald. Wo said that he himself always felt that it would not be so safe, and there must be nothing wrong with having more means.
This kind of voyage lasted for about a week. With more and more large ice floes around, the Hogwarts finally had no way to go.
There was a group of continuous ice floes blocking the way in front of them. If they wanted to move on, they had to disembark and rely on other methods.
As for the disembarkation, this is something that Jon has anticipated from the very beginning of coming out of Durmstrang. In August and September, when the temperature is the highest, or in mid-March, which is at the end of winter, the ice floes will become their biggest obstacle.
Fortunately, as early as in Durmstrang, he was ready. To be precise, Grindelwald helped him prepare.
When getting off the boat, Jon didn't seem to bring much. When he first sneaked into Hogwarts Castle in the second year, Jon kept the robe that Dumbledore prepared for him that was cast with the traceless stretching spell. Some necessary supplies like food, fresh water can be stored in the pockets of this garment.
Besides that, the biggest thing he brought was the brand new broomstick in his hand.
Firebolt—a special broom for all kinds of official Quidditch matches, representing the highest level of craftsmanship. The broom handle is refined from ash wood, streamlined and exquisite, and treated with a polish as hard as diamonds.
It is said that every broom twig in the tail of this broom has been screened to ensure its streamlines are perfect, so it is unmatched in balance and precision. In terms of speed, it can accelerate up to 150 miles per hour in less than ten seconds, and its braking device is so charming that it is the first choice for any Quidditch player.
Such a perfect broom made by goblins, including pedals, racks and branch hoops, is a travel gift from Grindelwald to Jon before he goes out.
With it, Jon can safely cross these unsafe ice floes under the cold air currents and harsh snowstorms of the Arctic Ocean, and reach the ice field where people can walk.
As for the Hogwarts, which is no longer piloted, it can return by itself and return to the lake behind Durmstrang Castle, and when Jon and the others want to go back, naturally they don’t need to take this boat anymore .
Standing on an ice floe the size of a football field, Jon watched the return voyage of the Hogwarts, which brought them from England to Norway, and then from Norway to the Arctic Ocean.
But although the ship, which is equivalent to the home of all Hogwarts students, has returned, Jon and his journey are far from over.
After watching the Hogwarts disappear from sight, Jon brought Nick Gabriel to the very center of the ice floe. He took off the protective cover on the Firebolt, and finally checked the tip of the ice floes. The state of the broom.
Gabriel took advantage of this time to fly high, looking at this magnificent group of ice floes under the cloudless sky.
"Look! There's a white whale over there!"
Far away, Nick Jon heard her exclamation above his head.
They looked in the direction that Gabriel pointed, and they saw a protruding and smooth forehead, a short beak, and a very light-colored, almost white whale jumping out of the sea with its head and tail up. .
This whale is very beautiful, and it is not afraid of people at all, just wandering on the edge of the ice floe where Jon and the others are.
Gabriel floated down from the midair decisively, and flew towards the whale.
Jon has already prepared the Firebolt, and before riding on the broomstick, he has to keep wrapping a scarf around his neck and head.
Even if the Firebolt is attached with a powerful wind protection magic, it is impossible to completely allow the wizard riding it to avoid the temperature and snow. Jon must add multiple layers of protection to himself, so as to avoid being frozen in the sky. stiff body.
"Xiaobai, Xiaobai, if you want to go with me, you just nod, I beg Jon to take you with me."
When Jon had wrapped himself tightly, he heard Gabriel whispering to the white whale.
Jon took the broom, walked up to Gabriel, and rolled his eyes.
"Even if it turns into a chicken and pecks rice in the sea today, I can't catch a whale and fly in the sky."
Hearing Jon's criticism, the white whale didn't have the slightest intention to respond to her nodding. Gabriel was full of disappointment, and drifted away from the white whale reluctantly.
Jon rode on the Firebolt and skillfully manipulated it into the air.
Gabriel just grabbed one side of his scarf, and she could always follow Jon without floating by herself.
It's not that she thinks it's fun, but that Jon and Nick specifically asked her to do this. After a while, the Firebolt will accelerate and fly, and a ghost like Nick who has lived for hundreds of years can control it flexibly. Gabriel This kind of "little ghost" is not necessarily the case.
Jon didn’t have the serious illness to rush over the Arctic Ocean at the highest speed of the Firebolt. He had enough time. As long as he can go back before September this year, there is no other time limit for this trip.
The ice floes under them were very large, and Jon had been flying all afternoon, but he hadn't seen a large ice sheet that connected into one piece.
Now it is not long before March 21st, around the vernal equinox, and at this time, the pole of the North Pole will begin to enter the polar day, and it will be bright for 24 hours, and the scope of the polar day will continue to decrease as time goes by spread in low latitudes.
Jon and the others are obviously still on the outskirts of the Arctic Ocean, so when it was close to six or seven o'clock in the evening, the sky began to darken.
There was no intention of rushing overnight, Jon found a suitable place to land, took out the folding tent from his pocket, and built a temporary nest for himself on a huge ice floe.
After preparing the sleeping place, he started to cook some hot water again, so that he could have some hot food by the way.
Of course Nick and Gabriel didn't need him to work. The two of them went around to help Jon explore the ice floe as soon as he landed.
Just as Jon boiled the water, Nick and Gabriel came back together, but they brought a living creature with them when they came back.
It was an arctic walrus, which seemed to be attracted by the fluorescence emitted by Gabriel and Nick, broke away from the group, and came to Jon's tent.
"Look! Jon, this is my new friend, Tusk!"
Gabrielle floated triumphantly above the walrus.
Jon looked at the walrus' beard with interest while pouring boiling hot water from the pot into the cup.
"Don't name people blindly, this animal is called a walrus."
He fumbled out a bag of raw meat from his pocket, took out a piece from it, and threw it over to the walrus, who was neither afraid of ghosts nor people.
Seeing that there was something to eat, the walrus also slapped its hind legs and slid over the ice.
"The whale you saw during the day is called the white whale, and the bear you call Xiaobai No. 2 is a polar bear."
When he was free, Jon did not forget to teach Gabriel earnestly and teach her some common sense about common animals.
Gabriel shook her head.
"It's better to call it Xiaobai No. 1 and Xiaobai No. 2. The long-toothed beast sounds nice!"
"When people call you a stupid girl in the future, don't mention that you know me, it's too embarrassing."
"No! When I meet people in the future, I will say that I was taught by Jon Green!"
Among other things, at least Gabriel brought Jon a lot of fun during the journey.
After teasing the little girl for a while, Gabriel and Nick went around to look for other novel animals.
Jon was holding the hot cocoa in the teacup, seeing that the walrus hadn't left yet, he stretched out his hand and waved to it.
I don't know if it's because Jon fed it just now, or the walrus itself is not afraid of life. After seeing Jon beckoning, it moved forward with a grunt and came to Jon.
Jon bought him another piece of raw meat, and then wiped its beard while it was chewing.
"Aha! Teacher, I actually wanted to touch it a long time ago."
He whispered something that outsiders could not understand, and his low voice was hidden in the wind and snow.
The walrus did not resist, as if it knew that it had taken good care of the person in front of it, and there must be no shortage of food in the back, so Jon patted its long teeth and thick skin and whispered some irrelevant words alone.
At dawn the next day, Jon got out of the tent. While re-igniting the fire and preparing to boil hot water for washing, he looked around. The walrus that he had been talking about for several hours as an undercover agent to be careful had long since disappeared. It is estimated that they returned to their own group in the middle of the night.
Of course Gabriel and Nick don’t need to sleep. They play the role of night watchmen at night, which just allows Jon to have a good night’s sleep.
After a simple breakfast, Jon rode on the Firebolt and continued on the road.
In this way, he has been flying for three or four days, and finally came to an extremely wide ice field with almost no end in sight.
After confirming their current position, Jon controlled the broomstick to land, and re-delineated the next target point.
After this trip, Jon's goal was not to go directly to the pre-planned end point at Hogwarts, but Grindelwald marked him a new location.
According to him, there are still Death Eaters stationed in this area of the North Pole, so it is best for Jon to meet up with the people he stayed in the North Pole first, and then decide on the next step after knowing the number of enemies and the general situation. plan and strategy.
According to the marking points recorded by Grindelwald for them, Jon stood his wand on the ice, and then said softly while letting go.
"Show me the way."
The next moment, his wand fell to the northwest.
After re-locating, Jon rode the Firebolt into the air again without hesitation, and flew towards the direction pointed by the wand with Nick and Gabriel.
The voyage time this time was not as long as before. Jon deliberately stuck to the height not far from the ground. After flying for about four or five hours, he finally saw a fortress carved out of ice!
There is also a small black flag hanging on the fortress, with the emblem of Durmstrang's double-headed eagle and deer head tattooed on it, which is very conspicuous in the white ice field.
Jon circled the ice castle for a week, found the location of its gate, and then landed slowly.
Falling to the ground, he finally confirmed the information on the map, and then knocked heavily on the door of the ice castle.
It’s two o’clock and I finally finished writing, 12,000. I asked for leave yesterday and made up for it. It’s all calculated at 6,000 characters. Let me reward you with a monthly pass (˙▽˙)
(end of this chapter)