Hogwarts Raven

Chapter 421-420: The Mysterious Affairs Division
Musa's situation once again validated the ideas that Ian had summarized.

Imagination is the wizard's most powerful and all-powerful weapon.

of course.

This is not to say that Musa was much better, more talented, or smarter than Ian and Albus Dumbledore; Musa's madness was the main reason.

the other side.

Alchemy research, like materials science, requires ideas and direction, but luck is even more important. Some things cannot be discovered simply by having exceptional talent and ability.

If not.

Alchemy would no longer be a subject that many people could never master in their lifetime. Of course, Musa's ability to achieve this was not simply due to a bit more luck and ideas than Ian and Dumbledore.

Ian calmly analyzed the reasons.

Firstly, there is the difference in the amount of time invested. Musa devoted almost all of the latter decades of his life to the all-or-nothing research on time magic, single-mindedly pursuing it. All his inspirations, failures, and pain were transformed into fuel to advance his research.

Ian and Dumbledore, on the other hand, had too many responsibilities on their shoulders. They needed to deal with the threat of Voldemort, balance the power in the wizarding world, teach students, and explore the mysteries of various fields of magic. Time was a scarce resource for them, and they could not focus all their energy on one point like Musa did.

This is a very important reason.

In fact, even in this situation, Ian and Albus Dumbledore's overall mastery of alchemy far surpasses that of Musa.

This can be seen.

Musa is not more talented than them.

This old man could be considered the kind of alchemist who was severely unbalanced in his specialization and had an obsession with it. Besides this reason, the second, and more important, reason was the difference in their levels and concerns. Ian and Dumbledore stood at a higher vantage point; they could see a broader picture.

Naturally, one can also more clearly foresee the terrifying backlash that may result from manipulating time.

They were acutely aware of the fragility and danger of time. Like a skilled chess player, they could see many moves ahead and were therefore more cautious, unwilling to make a move that could trigger a complete collapse. Musa, however, driven by the immense pain of losing everything, had long since disregarded his own safety and even the stability of the entire timeline.

His research was driven by a "do or die" mentality, a do-or-die attitude that ironically gave rise to many dangerous and even insane ideas that Ian and Dumbledore would have hesitated to explore. And it was precisely because of this that those who dared to try were the ones who ultimately succeeded.

"In any case, this has indeed reaffirmed my belief that the most important thing for a wizard is not just the depth of magic and the breadth of knowledge, but also that boundless and unconventional imagination."

Ian had a sudden realization. Musa's experience proved that sometimes, breakthroughs that defy convention come precisely from those sparks of thought that arise when people are forced into a corner and dare to disregard taboos.

This almost obsessive spirit of exploration into the origins of magic is itself a powerful force.

At this moment, Ian felt a subtle shift in his state of mind. It wasn't an increase in magical power, but rather a broader understanding of "possibilities." The path of magic is long and arduous; one can never be complacent. Even upon reaching the legendary realm, countless unknowns await exploration, and there are many ways to explore them.

Again.

A true master always maintains the mindset of an apprentice.

However, just as he was immersed in this realization, an extremely faint but exceptionally clear magical fluctuation, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, rippled through his powerful senses.

Ian instantly gathered all his scattered thoughts, his eyes becoming sharp and focused. He tilted his head slightly, his gaze seemingly piercing through the inn's walls and the vast distance, precisely locking onto the direction from which the fluctuation was coming—it was the intelligence merchant approaching this area, and the markings he had made earlier had come into play.

The magical mark he left on the cunning merchant was triggered.

This means that the other party has successfully obtained what he wanted—the "door key" that leads to the African Ministry of Magic and is not subject to regular monitoring.

"That's efficient." A barely perceptible smile played on Ian's lips. He withdrew his gaze from the forest's nightscape, temporarily suppressing the astonishing theories about "deceiving time" from Musa's notes. Right now, there were more practical matters to attend to.

"Let me see what's going on with the magic department key in this place." Ian straightened his slightly casual robes, pushed open the door, and went out.

The hotel corridor was brightly lit, a stark contrast to its previous tranquility, now imbued with a tense and solemn atmosphere. Several law enforcement officers in uniform, wearing badges of the African Ministry of Magic on their chests, were busy at work.

They gathered around the corner where the dark wizard had fallen. Some were using detection magic to scan for traces of residual energy, while others were rapidly recording the scene with quills and parchment.

"So law enforcement officers have come too." Ian's gaze swept over the scene. The dark wizard's "corpse" had already been removed, and the ground had been cleaned up, leaving only some indelible marks with a faint, corrosive aura of dark magic.

The hotel owner's son, a shrewd-looking middle-aged sorcerer, was rubbing his hands together, explaining to the leading law enforcement officer with a helpless yet somewhat ingratiating expression.

“Sir, as you know, old Kabu is a wizard who studies dark magic… sigh, he always has some unclear problems, probably the aftereffects of some curse he was under, which flare up from time to time. This time it seems to be particularly serious, directly… sigh, we didn’t expect it.”

The innkeeper's explanation was clearly an attempt to distance himself from the situation, attributing the matter to the dark wizard's own "health problems" to avoid getting the inn into trouble. The few guests nearby either watched from a distance or quickly walked away, indifferent to the matter; no one stepped forward to testify against Ian.

It's not that there weren't witnesses who could guess what happened; the main problem was that in this land, the wisdom of survival was to avoid trouble. Moreover, no one wanted to offend a mysterious outsider wizard for the sake of a notorious black wizard who had clearly failed in his sneak attack.

Are there any customers who haven't inquired yet?

Ian's appearance drew the attention of the law enforcement officers. The leader, a tall, stern-faced wizard with sharp eyes, approached.

His uniform epaulets indicated that he was a high-ranking Auror.

"Sir, please wait a moment." Auror's voice was steady, with a businesslike tone. "We are investigating a sudden, unexpected death."

"Were you nearby just now? Did you see or hear anything unusual?" His voice wasn't exactly polite, but it wasn't rude either.

Ian's face revealed a perfectly timed expression, a mixture of lingering fear and bewilderment. He even subconsciously tightened his collar, as if still shaken.

“Something unusual? Oh, you mean the person who suddenly collapsed just now?” Ian said in a slightly shaken tone. “I… I just came out of my room and saw that person stumble out of the shadows and then fall to the ground motionless. It startled me! I… I don’t even know him, and I don’t know what happened, so I quickly retreated back to my room and hid for a while. I only dared to come out to check the situation after I heard that there was no more noise outside.” His expression was sincere, his tone natural, and his eyes were clear and without any impurities; he looked exactly like an ordinary traveler who had been frightened by an unexpected event. He didn’t even deliberately emphasize his “innocence,” but instead focused on describing his reaction of “fear” and “avoidance.”

Playing with psychology.

Ian is an expert.

This actually aligns more with the mindset of a bystander who doesn't want to get involved in trouble.

"Is that so?" The high-ranking Auror scrutinized Ian closely, his gaze like a searchlight, trying to find any flaw in Ian's face. However, Ian's mental strength was so powerful that if he didn't want to, no one could see any clues beneath his deliberately crafted facade.

This is not just the composure of a legendary wizard.

It was also the composure that came from Ian's mastery of psychology.

When the Auror's detection magic swept over Ian, it only sensed a peaceful and restrained magical fluctuation, completely different from the violent and chilling curse energy that remained at the scene.

A mere ordinary wizard.

They hadn't even reached the level of elite wizards; in the Auror community of the Western world, they would be nothing more than ordinary people. How could they possibly detect the disguise of a legend?
After a few seconds of silence, Auror seemed to have found nothing suspicious. He nodded, his tone softening slightly: "I see. Thank you for your cooperation. The settlement has been rather unsettled lately, with some dark wizards acting with impunity. Please be careful and take precautions for your safety. If you discover any suspicious individuals or situations, please report them to us immediately."

Aurora issued an official reminder, not because he cared so much about Ian, but because he was an official and there were certain professional reminder procedures to follow.

"Of course, thank you for the reminder, sir." Ian nodded quickly, looking like he had learned something.

Upon hearing this, Auror didn't ask any more questions and gestured for Ian to leave. Ian maintained his slightly tense expression, quickly walked down the corridor towards the hotel door, leaving the scene of the investigation behind him completely out of his mind. This little incident couldn't even stir a ripple in his heart.

Stepping out of the inn, the clamor and dazzling magical light once again assaulted my senses. The market at night was even more bustling than during the day, with various lighting spells illuminating the streets as if it were daytime, and the air was still perpetually filled with the mingled scents of food, spices, potions, and all sorts of people.

"What about people?"

Ian's gaze swept across the crowd, quickly locking onto a target. In a relatively quiet, shady spot on a street corner, the information broker Babua was rubbing his hands together, pacing anxiously, occasionally glancing towards the hotel entrance. When he saw Ian appear, his eyes lit up.

The man, his face beaming with a warm yet somewhat awe-inspiring smile, strode forward to greet him.

"Sir! You've finally come out!" Babua said in a low voice, his tone filled with the excitement of completing his mission. "There seemed to be some trouble inside. I was worried it might affect you."

He had clearly also seen the Aurors from the Ministry of Magic enter the inn. In response to this probing question, Ian gave a noncommittal "hmm," looking at him calmly.

Babua immediately understood and stopped talking. He cautiously glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then took two things out of his pocket. One was a small, unremarkable box carved from some kind of local black wood, only about the size of a palm, with simple geometric patterns engraved on it.

The other item was a map made from some kind of supple animal hide.

“Sir, everything you requested is here.” Babua presented the two items with both hands, his tone tinged with pride. “The box contains the ‘key.’ It’s very simple to use: simply infuse it with a wisp of magic and silently recite the anchor coordinates of the target location.”

“I’ve already set the coordinates; it’s the secret reception room of the African Ministry of Magic.” He was afraid that Ian was an old fogey and wouldn’t know how to use the door keys that had become popular in recent years.

Ian took the wooden box but didn't open it immediately. Instead, he first unfolded the animal hide map. The map was drawn with great detail, clearly marking the distribution of the main buildings of the African Ministry of Magic—the entrance hall, the offices of various departments, the courtroom, the Department of Mystic Affairs, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and so on.

Yes.

There is also a Department of Mysteries in Africa.

The most uncertain factor for Ian this time might be the incredibly mysterious Department of Mysteries in the magical world. Of course, he doesn't think there are any legends in this department.

Ian glanced at the map provided by the other party. It was marked with detailed symbols and annotations in different colors, indicating the known defensive magic nodes in detail!

The map included brief notes on where anti-Apparition Charms were deployed, where invisible magical protective nets were located, which corridors were patrolled by magical golems, which areas were protected by spatial confusion spells, and even the types of protective spells on the doors of some key offices. A line of smaller print at the edge of the map listed the Aurors on duty at the Ministry of Magic for the past few days, along with their approximate patrol routes and time periods.

The level of detail in this information far exceeded Ian's expectations. This was not something an ordinary intelligence dealer could easily obtain; Babua had clearly used considerable hidden connections and resources, and may even have taken significant risks.

“Very detailed,” Ian looked up at Babua, a genuine hint of approval in his eyes. “Mr. Babua, your ability and meticulousness have exceeded my expectations. This map is priceless.”

Upon receiving the legendary wizard's praise, Babua's smile widened, and he unconsciously straightened his back a bit. He rubbed his hands together and said with a smile, "To serve such a distinguished guest as you, I naturally have to offer my best. The reason I, Babua, have been able to establish myself in this business is because of my reputation and... well, being as considerate as possible."

He cleverly made a boast.

Ian understood. Babua was working so hard, even providing extra information beyond what was agreed upon, simply to demonstrate his value to him.

A legendary wizard's connections and ongoing collaboration opportunities.

It's far more attractive than a one-time gold coin reward.

Of course, knowing this is one thing; Ian never hesitates to reward and recognize those who are valuable. He carefully put away the map, then took out a heavy money bag from his magic pouch. Inside were not only the agreed amount of gold coins, but also several small magic gems of high quality, imbued with pure magic power.

“This is your well-deserved reward, and a thank you for your extra hard work.” Ian handed the money bag to Babua.

Babua took the money bag, and the weight of it and the pure magic he sensed made his heart skip a beat. He could hardly hide the surprise on his face.

but.

He hesitated.

He actually wanted to refuse.

(End of this chapter)