A magical journey that begins in Azkaban.

Chapter 542: Wolf-like Pursuit
The fierce fire spread rapidly along the tunnels and cracks like a greedy fire dragon. The ground within a radius of several kilometers was baked by the high temperature, and a hazy mist was steaming out.

The entire area seemed to have turned into a huge smelting furnace, with the snow sublimating and the soil losing moisture.

Under the scorching heat of the magic flames, the ground gradually became as hard as iron. The once soft soil was being burned into earthenware inch by inch, making an unsettling crackling sound.

"Rogge, the total is 30 Galleons." Bellinrum rubbed his hands and approached Rogge in a servile manner, with greed flashing in his eyes.

"How many?" Rogge was stunned for a moment, with a flash of disbelief and surprise in his eyes. "Are you kidding me? You want to fit 3000 people in a few hot air balloons? Or are you bullying me because I'm not good at math?"

The expression on Bellingrum's face instantly changed from cunning to angry. His beard trembled slightly with excitement. He waved his fist and protested loudly: "We agreed on double the price! 200 galleons per ticket, not a penny less!"

He pointed at the survivors in the basket and threatened: "If you are not prepared to pay, I will throw all the poor people in the basket down... let them return to the embrace of the earth!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of the Aurors around him suddenly turned pale and they all cast fierce glances at him.

They had gone through so much trouble to rescue these survivors from the devil's lair, how could they allow a greedy goblin to put them to death?
Countless pairs of eyes as sharp as knives shot at Bellinrum at the same time, as if hundreds of magic wands were pointed at his heart at the same time.

Bellinrum felt the pressure coming from all directions, like an invisible mountain pressing down on his shoulders. He could not help but grit his teeth and not give in.

However, as the Goblin King and the manager of Gringotts, even in the face of the threat of death, he would never easily give up the benefits he deserves.

"This is part of the contract. Even if it is a verbal contract, it has unquestionable sanctity." Bellingrum straightened his back. Although his voice was a little trembling, it was still full of unyielding will. "Even if you take my life, you can't take my wallet."

Roger waved his hand gently, signaling Dawlish and the other Aurors who were watching closely not to act rashly. Although hundreds of thousands of Galleons were a large number, they were just a drop in the bucket for him.

"No problem." Rogge's gentle voice was like a warm spring breeze, instantly dispelling the tension in the air.

These three simple words had magical power and immediately blew away the dissatisfaction and gloom in Bellinrum's heart.

The goblin's face suddenly broke into a brilliant smile, and it was as if the anger just now had never existed. He said enthusiastically: "Rog, I knew you were a wizard who kept your word. You are worthy of being the best student in Hogwarts, and you are indeed different from the ugly politicians in the Ministry of Magic."

"Come on, stop flattering me. I don't have that much money on me right now. I'll give it to you when I get back."

Bellingrum immediately nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, and agreed repeatedly: "No problem, no problem! Your credit is as reliable as our Gringotts vault."

While praising him, he tentatively suggested: "But, regarding the interest on late payment, should we carefully calculate it?"

"How about we just follow Gringotts' loan interest rate?" He blinked his cunning eyes. "After all, Gringotts doesn't have any spare money."

"Hey, Bellinrum, don't push your luck." The young Auror next to him couldn't help but speak up to speak up for Rogge.

His face flushed red, and he was obviously extremely angry at the goblin's greed. "We are saving people, fighting against the Dark Lord, and saving the entire wizarding world! Can't you see the situation clearly?"

Upon hearing this, Bellinrum curled his lips in disdain and retorted sharply, "That is also your business as wizards. It has nothing to do with us fairies. We are just doing business and will not get involved in your internal fighting."

Another older Auror sneered, "Really? What about those goblins who joined the Death Eaters? The Ministry of Magic has not yet held the traitors accountable..."

"Gnarlak is an American goblin, separated from us for hundreds of years." Bellingrum suddenly jumped onto a box, trying to make his eye level with the Aurors.

He puffed out his chest and said righteously: "This is your problem. You didn't hunt down the goblins that escaped to this land. You want to put the blame on us now? No way!"

"You are such a fool. You only have the ability of an Auror, but not the brains of an Auror. I think you should go back to Hogwarts to make up for the lessons and let that ghost old man named Binns teach you the history of magic." He smiled contemptuously and then sneered, "It is your greed that has ruined you."

The Auror on the other side was immediately furious upon hearing this. A dangerous light flashed in his eyes, and he tightly grasped his wand, ready to teach this ignorant goblin a lesson.

Upon seeing this, Bellinrum immediately jumped off the box and nimbly moved behind Rogge, with only half of his head sticking out.

Behind the "protective umbrella", he angrily said: "It's none of your business, why are you meddling in other people's business? If you have the guts, pay the boat fee for Roger, and let me see if your wallets are as full as your arrogance."

"Cough cough." Rogge coughed twice. Although the sound was not loud, it instantly stopped the meaningless quarrel between the two sides.

He first turned to the Auror who had just stood up for him, and raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a gentle smile: "Thank you."

Then he turned around, quickly reached out and grabbed Bellinrum's collar, pulling the cunning goblin out from behind him.

"If you are determined to charge interest, you will have to pay me a rental fee for certain things in the future." He threatened gently, "Or, I will take it back after the goblin who owns it dies."

Bellingrum's face instantly became stiffer than plaster, and he kept scratching his beard, as if this would make his brain work faster.

After a moment, he finally forced out a flattering smile, his voice was so sweet that it was sickening: "Rogge, my dear friend."

"Why would I charge interest to my friends? What I said just now was just a harmless little joke, please don't take it to heart."

In order to prevent Roger from taking the opportunity to lower the price, Bellingrum hurriedly repeated loudly: "30 Galleons."

He said in a solemn voice: "As Roger Travis' most reliable business partner, I, the honorable goblin king Bellinrum Gwen Apu Nud Mab, am willing to generously..."

His voice trembled slightly and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead as the cold wind blew.

"Generous..." He took a deep breath and announced his important decision with difficulty: "Waste the balance of the payment, 200 Galleons."

As soon as he said this, Bellingrum immediately closed his eyes, as if this would relieve his heartache. The Aurors around him looked at each other, and some couldn't help laughing.

"Heh, Rag, you are indeed the most generous fairy king." Rogge curled his lips and said teasingly, "I guess these 200 Galleons are still your boat ticket fee."

Bellingrum covered his chest with his hands and pretended to be hurt: "Am I that kind of person? How can you slander me like this."

"you are not human."

Bellinrum was stunned for a moment, then he grinned, revealing his fangs: "Hey, Roger, you guessed it right."

He smiled cunningly, and with a slightly regretful tone, he said tentatively: "You don't care about this little money anyway, why don't we just..."

"Who said that? Let's put things one way and one thing at a time. How could I let my friend's generosity go to waste?" Rogge's tone was firm and sincere.

He knew very well that 200 Galleons was nothing in normal times. It would cost more than that to buy some hardcover books from Flourish and Blotts or to replenish some raw materials at the herbalist.

But now it is different. This is a game that concerns the bottom line of both sides. Even if there is only one Nat, it must be counted clearly.

Rogge must make Bellingrum realize that he is a tough and serious opponent. The title of "nice guy" only means weakness and easy compromise.

Bellingrum must give up his perfunctory and fraudulent tricks and take every business deal with Rogge seriously.

He did not continue to haggle with the goblin about the money, but took out a magic photo from his arms and shouted to the hot air balloon baskets scattered around: "Is Barron Jonker here?"

He glanced at the baskets one by one, and the survivors were still clearly separated even in the sky. There were still many empty seats in the wizards' baskets, but the Muggles were packed together like sardines, with fear and confusion written all over their faces.

"I... I am." A voice sounded timidly. Roger looked in the direction of the voice and saw a teenage boy raising his hand cautiously.

His eyes still flashed with the panic of surviving a disaster, and his clothes looked a little worn and messy.

Rogge spread his wings and flew lightly to the hanging basket where the boy was. He took out a bottle of dark red blood-replenishing potion and a small bottle of white essence emitting a faint silver light from his pocket and handed them to Barron.

"Drink this first, it will make you feel better."

Barron took the potion, hesitated for a moment, and drank it all in one gulp. His face immediately turned redder.

Roger handed the magic photo to Barron and said, "I have accepted Mrs. Jonker's mission. Do you want to go to San Francisco with me?"

Barron held the photo, and tears welled up in his eyes. He wiped his face with his dirty sleeves and said with a sob, "Okay...Okay, thank you." "Everything will be fine." Roger patted his shoulder gently and took him to the hot air balloon where the Aurors were.

"Dawlish, this is Barron Jonker, a student at Ilvermorny." He handed Barron a few chocolate frogs he had with him. "When we get back to the Ministry, please give him a checkup first so that he can be there for Christmas tonight."

Barron took the food, and the fear in his eyes faded slightly, replaced by a glimmer of hope and gratitude.

These survivors were imprisoned by the Death Eaters for a long time, and not only did they suffer physical torture, but they were also mentally fragile.

According to the plan, the Ministry of Magic and St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Wizardry will conduct comprehensive examinations and treatments on them.

For Muggle survivors, an Obliviation spell is also required to carefully erase all memories of magic and the wizarding world from their minds.

"No problem." Dalish agreed readily. He turned to look at the other hanging baskets and asked softly, "Are there any others?"

"Only him." Roger shook his head. He really made dumplings for a dish of vinegar in order to learn the wand-making method in Grandma Jonker's hand.

Although the process was a little tortuous, it was generally smooth...

Just as he was about to relax and stretch to enjoy the beautiful view from the sky, he suddenly felt a dangerous breath.

Several blinding red spells whizzed out from the clouds behind, cutting through the azure sky.

"Enemy attack!" Dawlish reacted quickly, put his fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly, waking up all the Aurors.

Several dark figures riding on flying brooms appeared out of the clouds. Rogge looked closely and saw the werewolf that escaped from Laboratory No. 14 was among them.

"Awoo..." Youer let out a sharp wolf howl. The pursuers quickly spread out, forming a circle and launching fierce attacks on the hot air balloon from all directions.

Rogge's heart sank. Once the hot air balloon was destroyed, the survivors in the basket would fall from a height of thousands of feet and hit the ground in despair.

"What a ruthless trick." He quickly drew out his wand, and said in a clear and firm voice, "Be careful to protect the hot air balloon."

The Aurors immediately entered combat mode. They stood in the hanging baskets and cast protective spells to block the Death Eaters' attacks.

Bellinrum held the borrowed wand tightly, his eyes flashing with determination. In order to protect his property and the transportation fee that he had not yet received, he did not hesitate to control the hot air balloon to rise quickly by overloading.

The Dark Mark on the basket emitted green flames, and the long snake body rose up suddenly. As if an invisible hand suddenly pulled it in the sky, the hot air balloon jumped violently upward.

"Bang! Bang! Bang..."

Some of the pursuers' spells were blocked, while others passed under the basket. Although the first wave of attacks failed, the second wave of spells was already being chanted.

"We'll die if we continue like this." Bellingrum shouted in panic, his voice full of fear: "Quick, we must stop them."

The advantage of the magic hot air balloon is that it has a high load capacity, and its flying speed is not slow, about the same as the Quaffle in Quidditch. But compared with the flying broom, it is as slow as a snail, and they don't even have a chance to escape.

Without saying a word, Dalish jumped down from the hanging basket. His heart skipped a beat due to the acceleration of gravity, but luckily he landed on the broom skillfully, leading him to kill the pursuers: "Follow me to attack and protect the hot air balloon."

"Can you protect it?" Youer's voice echoed in the air with a chilling sneer.

He let out a series of wolf howls of varying lengths, as if using some kind of secret code to convey new instructions to his men.

Suddenly, the Death Eaters who had been attacking like hungry wolves stopped attacking. They took advantage of the clouds in the sky and disappeared without a trace.

The surroundings suddenly became eerily quiet. No more lights from the spell, no more shouting from the Death Eaters, only the whistling of the wind and the rapid breathing of people.

If the hot air balloon had not indeed risen nearly a thousand feet, Roger would have even suspected that he was hallucinating.

Dawlish and the other Aurors looked grim. They could only ride their brooms and patrol vigilantly in six directions, trying their best to protect the safety of the hot air balloon. Everyone was on edge, ready to respond to possible threats at any time.

"We have to slow down," Bellingrum suddenly shouted, his voice full of heartache, "If we continue like this, the core components will be burned."

"How long can you last in your current state?" Rogge asked quickly.

"Six hours," Bellingrum gritted his teeth and replied with regret in his tone, "Its service life is 6 hours."

"If we are caught up, not to mention 6 hours, even 6 years will be in vain." Rogge shook his head and firmly demanded: "Increase the speed and altitude by one level."

Hearing this, Bellinrum was excited and wanted to refute. However, Roger raised his hand decisively and interrupted him forcefully.

"I'm the designer of the hot air balloon. I know its upper limit." His tone was steady and calm, giving people a sense of reliability. "If we increase the level a bit, we will definitely reach New Brunswick within an hour."

"But……"

"No buts. We must leave this area immediately. Don't forget, the Death Eaters can use Apparition to intercept them, but what about us?" Before he finished speaking, several shrill whistling sounds came from below, as if the air was being torn apart by artillery shells.

"Be careful!" Dawlish shouted, waving his wand.

Several Aurors cast a spell at the same time: "Shattered into pieces."

Boom...a series of explosions sounded below.

"It's giants. They're throwing rocks at us. This height is too dangerous. The rocks can hit us!"

Three thousand feet seemed high, but it was only about 900 meters. The giants standing on the hill could easily have knocked them down from the sky by throwing rocks.

If the Aurors below had not acted in time, the rain of stones from bottom to top would have been enough to catch them all. Bellingrum finally realized the urgency of the situation and did not dare to delay any longer. He immediately began to increase the gear of the hot air balloon.

Between money and life, he chose both. If he really had to prioritize, life was more important.

"Damn Death Eaters! Damn Giants!" He gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with anger, "I will peel off the skins of these big fools and make them into carpets to step on every day."

Roger ignored Bellingrum's outburst and turned to the young Barron: "Do you know how to use the magic carpet? Take it. Even if the worst happens, you still have a chance of survival."

Bellingrum took one look and immediately shouted, "Rog, you should have given me the magic carpet. It can hold several people, and I can take this poor little fellow with me."

"Oh, I was afraid you would kick him off halfway..." Just then, a low wolf howl came from the nearby clouds, Awooo~~
This voice was like an invisible knife, threatening everyone in secret. Everyone held their breath involuntarily, and even their heartbeats seemed to stop for a moment.

Dawlish immediately raised his wand and looked around vigilantly: "Stay in formation! They could be anywhere."

The hot air balloon continued to fly through the clouds, and the silence around was disturbing. Youer's wolf howl seemed to still echo in their ears, reminding everyone that danger could come at any time.

Everyone's nerves were stretched even tighter, like a fully drawn bow, ready to respond to a sudden attack at any time. The air was filled with a tension that was almost tangible, so heavy that even breathing became slow.

Roger flew out of the basket, and his sharp eyes scanned the soft and delicious clouds around him. These clouds should have been beautiful, but now they have become accomplices of the Death Eaters.

Even though they knew that the other party was lurking in the sea of ​​clouds, they couldn't give up the hot air balloon and kill these Death Eaters.

The short howls of wolves echoed in his ears, haunting him. Rogge had an illusion that they were in a vast grassland, being chased by a group of hungry wolves.

"These guys..." Roger muttered through gritted teeth, "They are patient and cunning, just like a pack of real wolves."

Youer was not in a hurry, he tried to crush the prey's mind and body by increasing psychological pressure. This was a protracted battle, the test was not the strength of magic, but willpower.

Roger looked at the survivors in the basket. Most of them had nervous and fearful expressions on their faces. He said to himself, "If this continues, something bad will happen."

(End of this chapter)