Chapter 177: Shadows in the Dark
Chapter 177: Shadows in the Dark
After hearing Hermione's question, Liam realized that there were no Blue Crabs in Britain. He decided to give Hermione a proper lesson on the subject.
"This is a freshwater crab from the Eastern Empire. In their homeland, they are a highly prized delicacy. In the past, wealthy people in China would even use gold and silver to craft special utensils for eating them."
"Oh, so it's just a common crab used for food, right?" Hermione said bluntly.
Liam felt a wave of frustration wash over him and quickly continued, "But ordinary freshwater crabs are only about the size of a human palm. The ones this big have evolved into a Mythical Beast called the River Crab. According to legend, this Mythical Beast can both destroy and create worlds."
Liam's explanation seemed to impress Hermione, and she soon ran off to continue practicing her Guardian Charm. Liam, feeling a bit bored, sat down and began to think about what the enemy in Mahogany Town might be planning, but the information he had was too limited to draw any conclusions.
While Liam and Hermione were practicing their Guardian Charm, over a hundred kilometers away, a black-clad figure was swiftly moving through a forest.
Upon reaching a massive banyan tree, the Black Shadow tapped a knot on the tree bark in a specific rhythm. Soon, a dark portal appeared on a smaller banyan tree nearby. He immediately stepped through it, and the portal closed, returning to the appearance of the tree trunk.
After walking down a dark and uneven tunnel for two minutes, the Black Shadow arrived at an underground structure. A Wizard in a brown robe saw him and asked, "Pedro, did you notice anything unusual during your patrol?"
The Black Shadow, whose name was Pedro, was a Wizard dressed in black robes with a bark mask covering most of his face, leaving only his eyes and mouth exposed. He glanced at the brown-robed Wizard behind the counter and replied, "Old Jose, you should focus on your potions. The outside world isn't your concern. If you really want to know, you can ask the boss directly."
Jose, clearly annoyed by this, said, "Pedro, you need to show some respect to your seniors, or you might not get those elixirs you're asking for."
The threat was clearly effective. Pedro quickly changed his tone, "Of course, it's not a big secret. If an Elder like you wants to know, I can tell you. I didn't find anything unusual during my patrol, but the point of interest that I was asked to monitor occasionally has a team of Aurors patrolling it."
"Aurors? It seems those guys have a good nose. But this is within our plans. Everything is proceeding as the boss has planned."
"The boss's plan? I didn't know about it. Could you tell me more?" Pedro asked cautiously. He felt the tension growing, and with the boss sending him out on patrols without any explanation, he was feeling increasingly uneasy and wanted to know what was going on.
"Since the outside world isn't my concern", Jose glanced at Pedro, "and besides, the details aren't something new recruits like you should know. I can only say that once we get through this, we might be able to live openly in the sunlight."
"Fine, I'll live an honest life." Pedro muttered to himself as he walked toward his residence. He was indeed a Dark Wizard now, but he never acknowledged the title. He didn't think he had done anything wrong; he had merely used some Magic to survive. Why should he be labeled a Dark Wizard for that? Naturally, most of the lower-level operatives in the organization were like him.
A year ago, Pedro was a fresh graduate from Castrobrusso. However, being a Muggle-born, he struggled academically and quickly found himself unemployed after graduation. The problem was that he couldn't return to the Muggle world.
On one hand, he only had a primary school education in the Muggle world, and his family, with seven children, couldn't support him anymore. On the other hand, after experiencing the wonders of the Wizarding World, he couldn't fit back into Muggle society. Like Peter, even after living like a rat for over a decade, he refused to leave the Wizarding World and live among the Muggles, who were seen as inferior beings.
In this situation, Pedro could only watch with envy and jealousy as Pureblood Wizards, who were often less talented than him in school, thrived in the Wizarding World. He had to use every trick in the book just to survive.
Six months later, he finally used some Dark Magic he had learned to break into a Muggle villa. He then unleashed all the pent-up frustration and anger he had accumulated over the past months on the family of three inside.
When he came to his senses, he found himself standing among three bodies, holding a handful of jewelry. At that moment, he had only one thought: I'm being framed; I can't be punished by the Wizarding law.
With this realization, Pedro fled the villa in a panic. Fortunately, it was the Muggle world, and the Wizards did not pay much attention. The first to arrive were the Accident Reversal Squad. This allowed him to successfully defeat them and escape. If this had happened in the Wizarding world, the Aurors would have arrived immediately, and he would have had no chance to escape.
From then on, he found himself on the Wanted List. Luckily, due to the Wizarding world's disregard for Muggles, the bounty on his head was not high, and few bounty hunters were interested in pursuing him. However, this also meant he was no longer a regular Wizard. The Wizarding world no longer offered him work, social connections, or a place to call home. Not to mention, Aurors were always on his trail.
But eventually, the leader of the organization saved him. Since then, he had been living a secret life here. Although he couldn't move freely, he could read the latest issues of The Star Times and study Magic books. Occasionally, he could even visit Mahogany Town with a dose of Polyjuice Potion.
However, Pedro looked at the young Wizards shopping in Mahogany Town with resentment. So when he learned that the mission's target was related to his alma mater, he volunteered to take on the patrol duty.
But he couldn't understand why the leader tolerated the condescending attitude of those European outsiders. All he could hope for now was that this mission would truly help them live in the sunlight again. With this thought, Pedro changed into his clothes, lay down on his bed, and quickly fell asleep.
(End of Chapter)
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