New York, Bronx, Arthur Avenue.
This is the most Italian-flavored avenue in the United States, and also a charming, comprehensive scenic avenue that integrates tourism, leisure, and gourmet food.
During the day, it is bustling, with a constant stream of tourists and foodies.
They are either attracted by the charming scenery or come to taste the authentic Italian cuisine.
The streets and alleys are filled with laughter, and the sounds of people talking and vendors hawking intertwine, forming a vivid and prosperous picture.
However, at night, as the various shops close and turn off their lights, the once noisy street gradually quiets down.
Only rows of streetlights standing by the roadside provide dim light, and that light seems to carry fatigue, trying hard to illuminate this space.
The entire street is plunged into darkness, shrouded in a mysterious veil.
Only the apartments in the tall buildings light up one after another, like scattered stars, bringing a touch of warmth and vitality to this darkness.
Buildings 6 and 8 on Arthur Avenue were originally closely connected.
No one knows when a small house suddenly appeared on the street.
The number on it read Arthur Avenue 7, and this sudden house and the string of numbers on its designation seemed particularly out of place.
A sign hung prominently on the house, with the large characters "Hogwarts Potion Shop" written on it.
In the dim environment, the sign of the small house exuded a mysterious and strange aura.
People who had been monitoring this place all made phone calls.
"Boss, the Potion Shop is open for business."
"Good job, I'll be right there."
"BOSS!"
"Understood."
"Officer, the target has appeared."
"I'll be right there."
In less than 10 minutes, several luxury cars sped to the street.
The screeching brakes broke the silence of the night, and the smoke from the friction between the tires and the ground filled the air.
A group of extremely wealthy people got out of the cars.
"Mr. Karl, I didn't expect you to be here too."
A man with a full beard greeted him warmly.
"Stephen, you're very well-informed."
Karl responded with a smile, but his eyes held a hint of scrutiny.
The two embraced like old friends, but each had their own thoughts.
"You guys are really tight-lipped, not telling me about such good news."
Stephen complained, a look of dissatisfaction on his face.
"Stephen, although you can be said to be all-powerful on Wall Street, you're just a nouveau riche."
Karl's tone seemed to mock Stephen's wealth for coming too easily, lacking depth.
Stephen's face was a little red, and just as he was about to retort,
"Vroom~"
"Vroom~"
The roar of an engine suddenly sounded, and powerful sound waves impacted people's eardrums.
A silver Audi R8 sped from the street corner, its body gleaming brightly under the streetlights.
The license plate read Tony Stark in a fancy script, which was particularly eye-catching.
"Trouble, why is this playboy here too?" someone muttered in a low voice.
Tony Stark got out of the car, his movements free and easy, exuding confidence and rebelliousness in every gesture.
Walking to the other side of the car, he gently opened the door and bowed like a gentleman.
A tall blonde woman got out of the passenger seat, her skirt fluttering in the wind, like a star walking out of a movie scene.
"Tony, where is this?" Pepper Potts asked curiously, her beautiful eyes surveying the surroundings.
"Pepper, this is a great place. Today is your birthday, and sure enough, good luck always comes when I'm with you." Tony Stark's face was full of confident smiles, and his eyes were full of tenderness.
Pepper Potts was a little displeased: "Today is my birthday, I wanted to see a Broadway show, not come to this place." Her tone carried a hint of complaint.
Tony Stark quickly reached out and put his arm around Pepper Potts's waist, his movements practiced and natural.
Pepper Potts tried to struggle free, a blush rising on her face.
"With so many people here, give your boss some face," Tony Stark winked playfully, "Don't embarrass me."
Only then did Pepper Potts notice that many people had already arrived. And everyone's identity was not simple.
They were basically all important figures who would only appear on television, and her heart grew even more curious.
"What's going on, what exactly is this place?" Pepper Potts asked again.
"Sec-ret~" Tony Stark deliberately kept them in suspense, a mysterious smile on his face.
Happy Hogan, a fat man with a full beard, looked very intimidating.
He was Tony Stark's bodyguard and driver.
He carried a box in his hand, and from Happy's flushed cheeks, it was clear that the contents were heavy.
Tony Stark snapped his fingers gracefully.
"What are we waiting for?"
Then, with gentle yet possessive movements, he put his arm around Pepper's slender waist, a confident smile on his face, and walked with unhurried steps towards the mysterious little shop.
At the same time, others also began to move.
One of the men, with a slightly receding hairline, had a focused and cautious look in his eyes, seemingly making a tense report to his superior through an earpiece.
"Officer, they are all going to enter that magical Potion Shop."
His voice was very low, but the urgency within it was hard to conceal.
"Go in, Phil." A calm and decisive command came through the earpiece.
"Okay, Officer." Phil Coulson quickly replied, "But I might come back empty-handed today."
His brows furrowed slightly, and his face was full of helplessness, "The lowest-ranking people who came tonight are billionaires with a net worth of at least 1 billion, and the amount of money I brought is simply not enough."
As he spoke, he unconsciously shook his head.
"Do your best." A brief and firm answer came from the other end of the earpiece.
Coulson shrugged and sighed softly, saying, "Okay."
"Hogwarts?" Pepper looked at the shop sign and asked curiously, "Is that a place name?"
Stark said indifferently, "Who knows."
Then, Pepper's gaze was drawn to the two stone statues at the entrance.
The two stone statues were carved so lifelike, with the expressions of horror and despair of the figures depicted extremely vividly.
One could feel the deep fear and helplessness within them.
Their struggling movements were displayed to the fullest, every detail handled perfectly.
Even the subtle wrinkles on their clothes were clearly visible, as if these were not cold statues, but two living souls frozen in time.
They were simply masterpieces.
However, Pepper did not feel appreciative because of this; instead, she felt a wave of discomfort, and her body trembled slightly.
The two statues seemed to suddenly move at some point and pounce on her.
"The aesthetic of this shop owner seems a bit twisted; why put two such scary statues at the entrance?"
Pepper couldn't help but complain, instinctively leaning closer to Stark.
Stark couldn't bear to tell Pepper the truth, fearing to scare her.
He changed the subject.
"Let's go in first and find a place to sit."
Stark said, gently pulling Pepper's hand, leading her into the shop.
As soon as the two entered the shop, they felt a wave of warmth wash over them.
Pepper, dressed in a gown, couldn't help but exhale a puff of cold air, which instantly dissipated in the warm air, and she immediately felt released from the cold, warming up all over.
"Have the guests arrived?"
A gender-neutral voice drifted over, ethereal and illusory, as if passing through layers of mist.
"The usual, find a seat anywhere you like."
A person wearing a pale mask and a robe that was out of place in this era stood behind the counter, intently preparing something.
After saying this, he no longer paid attention to Stark and Pepper, fully engrossed in his own tasks.
Stark seemed accustomed to this, calmly sitting in the middle of the first row facing the counter, then gently pulling Pepper to sit on his left.
Pepper stared at the mask for a while and felt a little dizzy; although she had just seen the mask, she couldn't remember what it looked like.
"Strange mask," Pepper muttered softly.
What she found strange was not just that.
This person's peculiar attire, the mysterious patterns embroidered on the robe, the ancient and unique style.
And also his indifferent attitude towards Stark.
One must know, Tony Stark was a world-renowned billionaire, arms dealer, and scientist.
In the eyes of ordinary people, even meeting him once was as difficult as ascending to heaven, and if one could establish a connection with him, one would be well-off for life.
However, this strangely dressed person paid no attention to Stark, leaving him aside and ignoring him.
She was about to ask Stark when others started coming in one after another.
Pepper had to temporarily abandon the thought.
When the last seat was filled, the shop door suddenly slammed shut with a "bang."
Ruthlessly blocking those outside who still wanted to enter.
Only then did the mysterious person slowly speak: "Everyone is here, so let's begin."
Everyone present involuntarily focused their attention.
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