Chapter 856
Morning Light and Light Rain
Chapter 856 Morning Light and Light Rain
"I'm sorry, Miss Elsie, we didn't notice this gap when we were cleaning."
The house-elf hurriedly said, "I'll take care of this insect right away."
"No... no need..."
Elsie chuckled, holding the tiny ant in her palm, and lightly returned to her bedroom, where she placed the ant in a delicate mug.
The little black creature seemed to know it was in dire straits; instead of trying to escape, it lay motionless at the bottom of the cup.
Elsie pulled a long feather from the hat hanging beside her and gently nudged the ant with its soft tip.
"If you can understand me, could you answer one question for me?"
Elsie asked with a smile, "Where does the magic in your body come from?"
The ant was frozen in place, unresponsive. If it weren't for the slight trembling of its antennae, it would have looked as if it were dead.
Elsie chuckled, resting her chin on her hand.
"Hmm? Could it be that I've discovered a new magical creature? But if that were the case, you would have already formed a race, instead of just being discovered by me today."
The ant didn't react, but Elsie wasn't bored anymore and continued her analysis to the little guy:
"Of course, it could also be that a wizard cast a spell on you, and the spell's effects are still going on."
It is said that there was a person who liked to cast an amplification spell on insects that happened to appear nearby, causing these enlarged and terrifying creatures to "hunt down" his classmates, and even scared many girls to tears, as well as boys.
“But if that’s the case… your magic should be gradually weakening, not this very stable feeling.”
Elsie poked at the ants a couple more times and whispered, "So, is my guess... correct? You're Vader's puppet?"
She recalled a video she had watched repeatedly: countless puppets poured out of a small space like a flood, densely packed and overwhelming, looking absolutely terrifying.
The boy at the center of them... or rather, the "boy"... despite being shrunk, was calm and composed, very confident, and his small body seemed to contain extremely powerful strength.
Later events proved that he was indeed right.
Elsie's cheeks were slightly flushed, her eyes were hazy, and her heart was pounding hard.
She remembered clearly that among the puppets that were released at the time were a large number of ants.
She looked at the glass again and asked softly, "So? Are you one?"
The ants did not react.
Elsie really wanted to take it apart to see... to see if the internal organs beneath the shell were structured exactly like those of a real ant.
But after extending her hand, she paused for a moment and then slowly withdrew it.
"The puppet is just a tool"—that was the idea of Modish Graves.
It is said that the guy has been arrested and imprisoned by the British Ministry of Magic for allegedly assassinating Wade Grey.
As for Vader Grey's view... the puppet should be like his own child... or a partner, right?
Elsie withdrew her hand, abandoning her idea of dismembering the ant.
She thought: There can't be many people who can precisely interfere with the signal played by the streaming mirror, right?
The alchemists of the Vanderbilt family had been trying to crack the technology of the Stream Mirror, but they had never been able to do so.
Elsie chuckled softly, picked up the tiny ant, placed it on the windowsill, and said gently:
"Go back and tell your master that I would like to meet with him if I have time."
She thought for a moment, then said, "He's investigating the Purgers, right? Tell him—I have a way to deal with the Purgers, but I don't know if he'd like to hear it?"
The little ant didn't seem to understand or respond at all. It lay blankly on the windowsill for a moment, turned left and right, and then, as if it had finally found its way, quickly climbed up the wall.
Elsie smiled faintly, closed her eyes, and felt the weak but steady magic flow down the manor. Soon it blended with the magical aura of the various magical plants, animals, utensils, and guests at the banquet, becoming indistinguishable from the rest.
When there are many people, that tiny bit of breath is like a few grains of sand in the desert; no one would notice it, right?
She looked up at the first hint of dawn on the horizon and thought to herself.
……
The last candlelight flickered weakly in the dawn light. As the heavy, carved wooden door was slowly pushed open, the exhausted officials dragged their leaden legs and sluggishly left the conference room.
The footsteps gradually faded away, until finally only two people remained in the war room. Nicklo Hawthorne stood before the enormous floor-to-ceiling window, his back to the door, gazing at the gradually awakening New York City outside.
Ezra Hughes sat in the third seat on the right side of the long table, his eyes slightly closed.
When he spoke again, his voice was low and tinged with a hint of frustration:
"We laid a trap to test the venomous snake lurking in the shadows."
He gazed into the distance and said with a wry smile, "The result was... the venomous snake didn't leave a trace, but our true colors were exposed."
Although everyone praised his handling and composure, this was only the initial reaction.
Hawthorne knew that in a few days, mockery and doubt would come from all directions.
What worried him even more was that even though they had arranged a lot of work, the hope of catching the other party was extremely slim.
—The purgers?
Hawthorne knew perfectly well that this was not their doing.
When Ezra Hughes spoke, he made the same assessment: "Not the Purifiers."
They didn't publicly mention this idea in the meeting room just now, but repeatedly reminded everyone—
Ambitious people and those who hate the magical world are not all purges; we must not underestimate the enemies lurking in the shadows.
When everyone is in a state of high alert, hastily rejecting the most suspicious person could easily make you appear as an "accomplice" of the enemy.
Only with the two of them at that moment could Ezra Hughes openly express his thoughts:
"The Purifiers of today have long since changed. Most of them are actually more interested in the practical benefits that magic can bring than in exposing the magical world and eliminating wizards."
"That kind of frenzied, destructive performance doesn't fit their current logic of doing things; it's more like a frame-up."
Hawthorne nodded, then shook his head, and said in a hoarse voice:
"But right now... all we can say is that the enemy is the Purifiers. Having a specific target is better than groping around in the dark."
“I understand.” Hughes nodded slightly.
Hawthorne reached out and opened the window, letting the cool air in to dispel the fatigue of staying up all night.
The sky was a somber pale gray, with low-hanging clouds shrouding the vast city.
As Hawthorne looked at the countless buildings of varying heights, he wondered: How many treacherous individuals are hiding in this behemoth of a city?
……
Wade and Antoine emerged from the revolving door one after the other, followed by Victor and Vilan.
Behind them, the gold lettering of FMC gleamed, like flowing gold.
The puppets didn't greet any of the others, quickly crossed the street, and soon blended into the crowd of people going to work in the morning.
"Clap!"
Wade felt a chill on his forehead. He tilted his head back and caught a few drops of icy water.
"It's raining."
“Hmm.” Antoine hesitated for a moment, then said, “Ved…”
"Ok?"
"Mr. Grindelwald is coming to America... Are you ready to meet him?"
……
The not-so-wide window was pushed open, and Moody greedily took a deep breath, instantly feeling his dazed mind clear up.
The pattering raindrops on the windowsill sounded peaceful and tranquil.
He turned his head, looked at Kingsley whose face showed both fatigue and a hint of relief, and grinned:
"Not planning to drag the Magic Congress into this? They're way richer than us!"
"This is Minister Sinknis's opinion."
Even though he had also stayed up all night, Kingsley's tone remained calm and soothing:
He believes that... it would be more beneficial to... strengthen the relationship between the two sides if we waited until the American purgers really started to make a fuss before coming up with a solution.
Moody looked at Kingsley and forced a short, snicker from deep in his throat: "Ha!"
(End of this chapter)