Chapter 297: Mihal: A Little Activity?
Chapter 297: Mihal: A Little Activity?
"Yes, sir," the other man respectfully replied, "The Friend Ledger and the FlowMirror are both his inventions... I've interacted with him before and can confirm it's him."
If not for the golden dust stuck to his palm, Vold would have surely revealed his true identity at this moment.
This voice... he had just heard it a few days ago!
It was Wil from the Aslan Magical Workshop.
So, this was the real reason the man was looking for him?
Not for a potion test... but to infiltrate this private gathering and kidnap an alchemist?
The man who had questioned him before laughed and said, "The Friend Ledger is nothing special, just a parchment version of a pager. But the FlowMirror is truly remarkable... The leader values it greatly."
"But the most important thing is the automaton." The counter clerk walked over and scoffed, "Wizards treat them like pets, how foolish! With a little modification, they become war machines!"
"So we need more alchemists... but the most important one is Vaid Gre."
The man leaned down, took Vold's wand, and then lifted him up, saying, "But it's truly unimaginable! The inventor is such a young child."
"Genius is never in short supply. Mozart could play complete piano pieces at the age of six," his companion said.
"Be careful!" The counter clerk suddenly said with displeasure, "Do you know how important his head is? If you damage it, even if you offer your own head, it won't be enough compensation."
"Understood."
The man grumbled and decided to carry Vold, even taking extra care to protect his head from bumping into the walls.
As they approached, Vold noticed that these men were all wearing tight-fitting suits similar to wetsuits underneath their clothes, with gloves on their hands and masks on their faces, and there seemed to be a breathing apparatus inside the masks.
He had a vague realization—these guys didn't dare to directly touch the golden dust themselves.
The man carrying him entered the narrow passage behind the portrait, and the light immediately became very dim. Vold quietly rubbed off the dust from his hand and squinted as he looked around.
The passage was damp and chilly, the ground was rough and uneven, and the walls showed signs of excavation. There was a dim little lamp every ten meters or so.
These people seemed to have excellent vision, as they could walk steadily in such dim light.
Professor Morrow was not far behind, also being dragged by his arms. His legs stumbled and tripped on the ground, but fortunately, the kidnappers also cared about his head and didn't let him bump into any hard objects.
Vold temporarily put his mind at ease and closed his eyes, pretending to be unconscious.
The power of that dust was strange and powerful. At first, there wasn't anything special, but the effect seemed to increase over time.
Even though Vold had rubbed off the dust, his mind hadn't fully recovered yet, and he only felt that the flow of his blood seemed to have slowed down.
After a while, one end of the passage became very bright. The man stopped for a while, waiting for his eyes to adjust before taking Vold out.
"Huh?" The person receiving them exclaimed in surprise, "This is... him?"
"Yes, it's him."
"Did we really get him?" The receiver clicked his tongue, "I heard he was under Dumbledore's protection, and the leader never had much hope, but I never thought we'd actually be able to catch him this time..."
"And none of our people were injured." Wil, who had also come out of the passage, laughed and said, "This thing is too powerful! With this, what is there for wizards to fear?
"Be careful, we're still in Britain," the contact reminded him. "We need to move quickly and take everyone with us before Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic realize what's happening."
Vold felt himself being stuffed into a vehicle, with another person squeezed tightly beside him.
"Shouldn't we tie them up?" someone asked worriedly. "Wizards have unpredictable means, and there's no anti-Apparition Charm on this truck."
"No need," said another. "As long as the golden dust is still on them, they won't wake up... If they do wake up, handcuffs and ropes might not be of much use. Just take away their wands, and let's get going!"
A group of people quickly sprang into action, stuffing the remaining individuals into the truck and then slamming the door shut with a loud clang.
In a short while, Vold felt the vehicle start moving, and he quietly opened one eye to take in his surroundings.
It was a box truck, with a layer of foul-smelling mats on the ground, and the alchemists were lying side by side on the mats like a group of corpses ready for burial.
Surprisingly, there was no one else in the truck, perhaps because those guys feared the golden dust and trusted its power, so they didn't dare enter.
This made things easier for Vold.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pen case—the pocket itself had a Seamless Expansion Charm, and although the space wasn't very large, it was more than enough to accommodate the pen case.
The pen case fell to the ground, wobbled, and then quickly expanded, transforming into the shape of a wardrobe.
The height of the truck was sufficient for it to stretch out.
Then, Vold took out a spare wand and waved it gently, causing the alchemists on the ground to float into the wardrobe space.
He hesitated for a moment, not immediately removing the golden dust from everyone, but instead, he used a small whirlwind to gather the dust from Professor Morrow's body and stored it in a crystal bottle.
Based on Vold's own experience, he knew that Professor Morrow's awakening would likely take some time.
The automatons in the wardrobe space gathered around him, surrounding Vold with affection, while others curiously poked at the people lying on the ground.
Suddenly, a little cat that had been bouncing on Orlando stiffened and then plopped down.
The other automatons were startled and quickly moved away from the people on the ground, while also giving Vold reproachful looks, silently blaming him for bringing in the dangerous "guys."
This commotion caught the attention of the Phoenix Mihal, who flew over, tilting its head curiously at the scene.
A floating speck of golden dust landed on Mihal, but instead of being burned, it seemed to add a small decoration to the Phoenix.
Vold's expression changed slightly.
He twirled a small piece of dust between his fingertips and muttered, "Even the fierce fire can't burn it... What is this?"
Mihal, not understanding, leaned closer, then opened its mouth and yawned, looking up.
Vold waved his wand, removing the dust from Mihal's body, and said with a smile, "Mihal, are you bored in here?"
Mihal looked at him and chirped softly.
"We'll go out for some exercise later," Vold said. "And our enthusiastic little friends might also need a larger space to play."
His gaze shifted slightly, and he noticed the group of eight-eyed giant spiders nearby, locked up for a long time and now fighting amongst themselves.
(End of Chapter)
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