"Only one card?" Dudley asked with surprise, pressing for more details. "What card was it?"
"It was the Fool card," the store manager replied quickly.
"The Fool?" Dudley's expression flickered momentarily before returning to normal.
"The tarot deck I purchased was missing the Emperor and Judgment cards, not the Fool," Dudley clarified with a shake of his head.
Hearing this, the store manager considered the situation briefly before offering, "How about this? We're willing to compensate you with a completely new tarot deck. Would that be acceptable?"
"That works perfectly," Dudley agreed, deciding not to pursue the matter further.
Since this incident didn't involve supernatural events or that otherworldly realm he'd encountered, there was no need for deeper investigation.
"Duddy is absolutely amazing!" Petunia couldn't help giving Dudley an enthusiastic thumbs up.
She had been arguing herself hoarse for thirty minutes with no results, but the moment Dudley arrived and spoke calmly, the store manager immediately agreed to provide a replacement deck. This success was entirely due to Dudley's approach.
Harry smirked knowingly from the sidelines. At Hogwarts, even dragons obeyed Dudley without question, so a simple Muggle store manager posed no challenge whatsoever.
Soon, the store manager returned with a brand new tarot deck and presented it to Dudley. Dudley opened the package to inspect the contents carefully. No problems, no abnormalities, and no missing cards. The Judgment and Emperor cards lay peacefully within the complete set.
At this point, Dudley and the others didn't linger and departed the shop promptly.
For the remainder of the day, Dudley and Harry experienced every attraction the amusement park offered. Although many rides required lengthy waits in queues, nothing could diminish their enthusiasm.
For some mysterious reason, perhaps they were simply having exceptional luck, every time they joined a line, people ahead of them would suddenly remember urgent matters and hurriedly leave the queue, significantly reducing their waiting times.
Moreover, Dudley frequently offered candy and chocolate to fellow visitors waiting in front of them. Whether due to Dudley's genuine kindness or his naturally charming demeanor, these people would happily surrender their positions and allow Dudley and Harry to move forward.
All of this made Petunia and Vernon so proud they were nearly moved to tears. Their beloved Dudley had truly matured into such a considerate young man!
When night fell and they finished watching the amusement park's spectacular fireworks display, the hour had grown quite late. Vernon decided they wouldn't return home that evening and located a themed hotel near the park for an overnight stay.
Originally they had planned to share a single room, but Dudley felt he had grown too old to sleep with his parents anymore, so Vernon secured an additional room. Although this increased their expenses, this was Dudley's birthday celebration after all, and his happiness took priority above everything else.
While Vernon and Petunia handled the check-in process, Harry spoke to Dudley as they waited in the hotel lobby. "Dudley, I've been thinking. Maybe I should withdraw some Galleons from Gringotts and exchange them for pounds so I can contribute to my living expenses."
Previously Harry had possessed no money, but now he had substantial funds available at the wizarding bank. Under these circumstances, not contributing financially seemed unreasonable.
"That's unnecessary for now. You'll need that money for many years to come, until you graduate and begin living independently. If you convert it to pounds now, you'll just have to exchange it back later when you run short," Dudley explained logically.
"But..." Harry began to protest, but Dudley cut him off gently but firmly.
"Let's leave it at that. If you genuinely want to pay for your upkeep, wait until you're earning your own income. We're not pressed for time," Dudley stated decisively.
"Alright," Harry finally accepted Dudley's reasoning.
"Actually, Dumbledore has essentially covered the living expenses already," Dudley thought privately.
After all, the Philosopher's Stone now rested in his possession. As long as he was willing to use it, he could transmute any metal into gold. This had become remarkably simple for Dudley now.
Since Dumbledore had given him the Philosopher's Stone as payment and he hadn't refused the gift, it meant Dudley could legitimately utilize its powers going forward. As long as his applications weren't excessive, Dumbledore probably wouldn't interfere.
Using the Philosopher's Stone to create modest amounts of gold represented a completely trivial matter.
"After we return home, I'll use the Philosopher's Stone to generate some gold and study the Elixir of Life while I'm at it," Dudley planned silently.
Soon, Vernon and Petunia completed the registration process and escorted them to the third floor.
"Now, which room was ours? Let me check these numbers," Vernon muttered, comparing door numbers while searching for their assigned accommodations.
Dudley glanced around briefly to survey their surroundings. This appeared to be a standard hotel. After climbing the stairs, the corridors extended in both directions with numerous branching pathways.
Many rooms lined these hallways, so no wonder Vernon couldn't locate their specific rooms immediately.
"Big brother, come look! There's a funny mirror here, it's so entertaining!" In the corridor, a little girl stood before a somewhat dirty mirror, making exaggerated faces at her reflection.
"Let me see!" A little boy nearby immediately rushed over, delighted as if he'd discovered hidden treasure.
"Haha, look! I appear taller than Dad!" "Me too! My legs look longer than Mom's!" The two children played enthusiastically in front of the mirror, striking various poses and having wonderful fun.
Harry wandered over curiously to observe and discovered that the mirror's surface indeed had problems. The reflections appeared severely distorted.
"If we were still little kids, we'd probably play exactly like this too," Dudley observed with amusement.
"No way, you would have shoved me aside!" Harry replied with complete seriousness.
Dudley raised his leg in mock threat. "Ah!" Harry cried out and ran away laughing.
"Found them! Over there!" Vernon finally located their rooms and led everyone toward the corridor's far end.
When passing the peculiar mirror, Dudley glanced at it casually. The figures within were indeed quite distorted and strange-looking.
After entering their room, Dudley and Harry each took refreshing showers. Since they were exhausted from the day's activities, they didn't chat extensively and quickly fell into deep sleep.
Some unknown time later, Dudley groggily opened his eyes. Everything around remained dim and shadowy, obviously still deep in the night hours, with no light filtering through the window.
From the other bed nearby came Harry's steady, rhythmic breathing.
Dudley rolled over, preparing to return to sleep. But soon, his eyes snapped open again.
"Something seems... wrong," he realized.
Dudley's somewhat foggy mind instantly became crystal clear.
"This feeling... a dream..." The next moment, Dudley sat up abruptly, scanning their surroundings with grave concern.
This scene felt somewhat familiar, as if he'd encountered something similar before. He thought carefully for a moment, then suddenly understood the truth.
"This is inside a dream! An ability from the Darkness pathway?"
Dudley's expression immediately shifted to alarm. He was no longer in that bizarre otherworld. How could he possibly encounter a Beyonder from the Darkness pathway who had silently infiltrated his dreams?