Chapter 864
Cut off the sounds that shouldn't be made
Chapter 864 Cut off the sounds that shouldn't be made
Vader noticed that these skeletons... were all unusually slender, and the pale white skulls didn't look very big.
DeLaine turned her head, her voice still clear and cold despite the downpour:
“We found this place; this church was also a stronghold of Prometheus.”
“In the past, churches used the pretense of adopting war orphans to search for children with magical powers... and ultimately, they all ended up here.”
In the rain, within the deep pit, the skeletons seemed to be silently accusing themselves of their tragic fate.
“Where are the people in the church?” Wade asked.
“Look,” Antoine pointed, “they’re all over there.”
Not far from the deep pit, a patch of freshly turned soil covered the ground, forming a low mound. Torrential rain washed over the area, and murky yellow water flowed freely, creating a muddy puddle on the ground.
Wade withdrew his gaze and stared at the tiny bones crisscrossing in the pit.
After a moment, he spoke softly, his voice unusually calm: "Bury it."
Antoine breathed a heavy sigh of relief, raised his wand, and the surrounding earth churned up, covering the skeleton again and concealing the gruesome scene.
"Damn it!" Antoine wiped his face and said through gritted teeth, "If only we could go back in time! I'd kill those guys! Kill them all!"
Wade asked, "Didn't you find out from the priest at the church who else was involved in this?"
Derain shook his head: "The most recent skeleton has been buried for at least ten years. The residents around here are all newcomers from the last ten years, and nobody knows what happened before... The Muggles also destroyed all the records."
"Where's the guy inside?" Wade gestured to the rough "grave" next to him, which was soaked by the rain.
“He was the guard who was left behind,” De Laine said. “Although he was involved in the imprisonment and abuse, he was a idiot and only remembered that the priest at the time was called ‘Joe King.’”
“Joking?” Wade frowned. “Sounds like a pseudonym.”
Derain's expression darkened further, and he slowly nodded: "It is indeed a pseudonym... a malicious mockery."
“All the leads have gone cold,” Antoine said, frustrated and dejected. “That organization knew we were hunting them, and they cut off their tentacles even faster than we expected! All that’s left are clueless guys!”
Looking at the rain, Wade said in a deep voice, "If magic can't help us find clues, then let's use a simpler method... to force them out!"
"What method?" Antoine asked.
“A thorough search,” Vader said. “But first… I need to create more puppets, and I need a gust of wind!”
……
"Boom boom boom!"
Just as the knocking sounded, Elsie had cut a flower branch and placed it in an exquisite porcelain vase.
"Please come in!" Elsie called out.
An assistant wearing gold-rimmed glasses strode in and said with a smile, "Elsie, just as you predicted, our newspaper received several submissions today, all mentioning that recent incident!"
She placed a stack of documents on the table, and Elsie wiped her hands and picked up the top submission.
Last Friday evening, a shocking "prank" occurred at a banquet hosted by parliamentary officials to welcome their colleagues from the British Ministry of Magic...
...Congress couldn't even trace the source of the signal! Nobody knew when that terrible scene would become a reality!
We are like fireflies trapped in a glass bottle, with everything about us clearly visible to the enemy, while we know nothing about the hunter lurking in the dark!
...We can't help but ask, when Congress is helpless, who can resolve this crisis? Who can save the wizarding world from losing its protective information barrier? There is only one person—Wade Grey!
That genius from Hogwarts brought the Mirror of Flow to this world, allowing us to see the children of the Muggle world! When Muggles try to spy on us, perhaps only he can stop them!
We urge everyone to set aside bureaucracy and regional prejudice! Professional matters should be left to professionals! We beseech the Magic Congress…
Elsie frowned. "They want Wade Gray to handle this?"
“Yes,” the assistant said softly. “Several submissions we’ve received have explicitly mentioned Mr. Wade Gray’s name. It seems… he’s the obvious choice.”
Elsie gave a cryptic smile: "The popular choice? Are you sure?"
—Isn't that wrong?
The assistant blinked, sensing the displeasure in her tone, and wisely remained silent.
Elsie glanced through the remaining submissions, all of which briefly described what had happened before quickly focusing on Wade Gray:
"A genius alchemist," "Our hope," "Dumbledore's secret weapon," "The next Nick Flamel"...
Each word of praise is like a dagger coated with honey but also dipped in poison.
"Snapped!"
Elsie threw the manuscript on the table and said coldly, "Not a single one of these reports is allowed to be published!"
"besides--"
She turned to her assistant, slightly raised her chin, and said, “Go and contact the New York Ghost, the Challenger, the Somerville Sentinel… in short, reach out to them all.”
"Just say it's the Vanderbilt family's decision—take down any recent reports involving Wade Gray! As compensation, I'll give them a generous reward!"
The Vanderbilt family not only owned their own newspapers, but also sold newsprint and ink. Given the small population and convenient transportation of the wizarding world, these businesses were essentially monopolies.
Therefore, Elsie's promise can be said to carry great weight.
After all, the name "Wade Grey" might boost sales a bit, but at the cost of offending both the Magical Congress and the British wizarding world. Now, with the Vanderbilt family added to the mix, it's simply not worth it.
In comparison, tangible benefits are more attractive.
Media professionals generally have a keen sense of smell; they can easily distinguish whether a seemingly flowery article is actually stirring up trouble or expressing concern for the country and its people.
"Should we ask all the media to avoid talking about what happened that day?" the assistant reminded. "Publishing events without evidence will damage the newspaper's reputation. If we give them a heads-up, they should agree."
“No, no need.” Elsie put on her gloves and cut off a new branch of flowers.
She said, "We can give the public the 'truth' as it is. Weren't there many outstanding people that day?"
"President Hawthorne, who remained calm in the face of danger; Ms. Picqueli, who dared to step forward; and Director Hughes, who acted decisively... they are the backbone of the Magical Congress and the real focus of media attention."
“What’s the benefit of hyping up a minor foreign wizard?” Elsie raised her chin and said, “It lets the outside world know our stance—the Vanderbilt family has always stood on the side of maintaining order in the American wizarding world!”
“I understand!” The assistant bowed respectfully. “I’ll handle it. Using positive reporting to guide public opinion is indeed much more sophisticated than simply suppressing information. However…”
She looked at Elsie and blinked:
"Dear Elsie, why did you suppress the reports about Wade Gray? Is it because you hate him, or because you want to protect him?"
(End of this chapter)