https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-348-There-Are-No-Gentle-Souls-Among-Those-Who-Deal-with-Magical-Beasts/12538606/
Chapter 349: The Kneazle
Chapter 349: The Kneazle
Soon after, Oren and his companions quietly left the Oak Barrel pub like ordinary tourists, attracting no attention whatsoever.
Meanwhile, Kyle, still within the Fire Dragon Sanctuary, remained oblivious to the fact that the very same Dark Arts professor who had once tried to kill him was now also in Romania.
At that moment, he was preoccupied with playing with a Kneazle on the ground.
Kneazles, also magical creatures, were much larger than a domestic cat, with oval eyes that sparkled like sapphires.
They were extremely rare in Britain, and this was the first time Kyle had ever seen one alive.
Kyle scratched the Kneazle under its chin, and the creature comfortably tilted its head back, emitting a purring sound from its throat.
"Shacklebolt seems to have taken a liking to you," Professor Lockhart commented, crouching down next to Kyle and smiling. "He's usually quite fierce and rarely trusts strangers so easily."
He gazed at the Kneazle's exposed belly, a hint of envy in his eyes.
Strangers aside, even he, as its owner, rarely got to see the creature so relaxed and vulnerable.
"It's not fair," Professor Lockhart thought bitterly.
However, Kyle had no doubt about the professor's claim that Kneazles could be vicious.
Despite its current docility, the creature had been chasing, scratching, and biting a dragon egg thief just a while ago.
Kneazles were incredibly agile, and their claws and teeth were long and sharp, easily capable of leaving wounds on their targets.
Moreover, the most crucial aspect was their ability to split into multiple creatures when faced with magical attacks, exponentially increasing their danger level.
Their immunity to magic and ability to multiply when attacked were enough to drive most witches and wizards to despair when confronted by a Kneazle.
The egg thief from earlier had certainly experienced this, and when the dragon keeper finally arrived, he had even laughed out loud, as if he had just seen his savior.
It was worth mentioning that with the help of the surrounding Magizoologists, the distress signal had been sent out less than five minutes after the incident, and the dragon egg theft had been swiftly resolved.
Soon after, the Romanian Ministry of Magic's Aurors arrived and escorted the perpetrators out of the Fire Dragon Sanctuary.
The entire process was seamless, as if it had been rehearsed countless times before.
Kyle had wanted to help, but he had ended up as a mere spectator throughout the whole affair... He couldn't very well get involved with Newt keeping a close eye on him.
After a while longer of petting the Kneazle, Chris returned.
"The runner goes by the name of Roy, an Austrian wizard," he said, handing over several photos to the group. "The Ministry is already in negotiations with the Austrian side."
"I don't think we'll be able to catch him," Professor Lockhart shook his head, casually putting away the photos.
Those were matters for the Romanian Ministry of Magic to handle now; they were no longer involved.
Kyle looked at them in confusion. "You knew something like this would happen?"
"In a way," Chris replied. "When we first arrived here, we did discuss similar scenarios."
"But back then, we all thought they would make their move after we left. We never expected them to be so impatient," he added.
"Yes, they underestimated us," Professor Lockhart agreed, reaching out to pat the Kneazle, only to be swatted by its tail on his hand.
Undeterred, he continued scratching.
The worst that could happen was a few scratches, and he was certainly experienced in that regard...
The Kneazle merely glanced back at him, too lazy to bother with the professor's antics.
...
This incident was but a minor hiccup, and soon, no one spoke of it anymore.
Nonetheless, the shops surrounding the gathering place were quite fascinating.
The fire dragon robes in the clothing store were vastly different from those sold by Madam Malkin in Diagon Alley. They were made of rough and sturdy fabric that felt coarse to the touch, and there was even a dragon hide robe, though its price was absurdly high.
The magic item shop was also intriguing, and Kyle bought some fire dragon-related trinkets there.
He had wanted to buy another set of dragon models, but Charlie quietly informed him that the models sold here were overpriced and lacked any unique features. If he truly wanted one, he could find the same models for half the price back in Diagon Alley.
"If you're looking for gifts, those ornaments made from dragon teeth are a good choice," Charlie suggested. "Old John's craftsmanship is the best here, and the materials are all top-notch."
After leaving the magic item shop, they headed to the potion store, which was the largest in the gathering place.
Most of the shop's stock consisted of medicinal herbs for healing, with an entire wall dedicated to bottles of Essence of Dittany and potions for treating burns.
In addition, the store offered a variety of locally produced herbs unique to the area.
Kyle curiously eyed a black vine hanging down from above the doorway, adorned with fist-sized black objects that resembled bubotuber pus, but with a different color and smaller fruit.
"That's bubble vine," Charlie explained. "The fruits explode when they come into contact with something, filling the area with sticky bubbles."
"But it's not dangerous," he continued. "In fact, locals often use it for cleaning. You just throw the fruit at the wall and then rinse it off with water. I've tried it a few times, and it works quite well."
"Oh!" Kyle was intrigued. "Can it be used to wash hair?"
"Wash hair?" Charlie considered the question, unsure. "I suppose so..."
To be honest, he didn't know the answer to that.
"Yes, it can!" The shopkeeper, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. "And the original Sleekeazy's Hair Potion contained a large amount of bubble vine fruit."
"I'll take some," Kyle said. "How much?"
"One Sickle for one fruit," the shopkeeper replied with a smile. "I'll give you ten for one Galleon."
"What about this whole vine?" Kyle asked.
"There are fifty-nine fruits on it," the shopkeeper said, his enthusiasm growing. "If you take them all, it'll be just five Galleons, and I'll even throw in the vine.
This vine is extremely sturdy and flexible. Even a fire dragon would have a hard time breaking free from it. Ask your friend there if you don't believe me. He seems to be a dragon keeper."
Charlie nodded in confirmation.
There were many bubble vines in the reserve, and when they had a shortage of cages, they would use these vines to transport injured and unconscious fire dragons. Indeed, they were very sturdy.
"Alright, I'll take it," Kyle said, handing over five Galleons.
The shopkeeper promptly plucked the vine, packaging it along with the fruits.
Kyle also purchased some other herbs, nothing too precious, but all unique to the region.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
