Hogwarts Raven

Chapter 422, Section 421: The Fear of Emerging
I can tell.

The intelligence merchant was very hesitant and uncertain. He was greedy for wealth, but he was also afraid that if he accepted Ian's money, he would no longer be able to repay Ian's favor.

It was precisely because of this complex inner conflict that Babua hesitated to accept the offer.

"Don't worry, this is just the reward you deserve. Outstanding people need to be rewarded." Ian saw through the other's thoughts, his tone calm but carrying an undeniable weight: "Besides, Mr. Babua, I owe you a favor. Perhaps in the future, your family, your descendants, may need to use this favor."

These words struck Babua like a thunderclap. He jerked his head up, his eyes filled with unbelievable elation and profound shock! A favor from a legendary wizard! This was beyond the measure of money! This was a trump card that could turn the tide at a crucial moment!
Moreover, the implication in Ian's words—"your descendants"—filled him with awe and wonder. Indeed, just as legend had it, wizards who reached the legendary rank lived far longer than imagined; this person might have already lived for more than a thousand years!

For this group.

A commitment that transcends generations.

This is not an exaggeration.

After all, based on Babua's limited knowledge, legendary wizards were no ordinary wizards, and it was quite reasonable for them to be able to transcend the constraints of time.

Of course, his knowledge of legendary wizards was only slightly more than most wizards knew, and it was only superficial, since there hadn't been a legendary wizard in the world for a long time.

“Sir…I…I…” Babua was so excited that he was almost incoherent. He bowed deeply to Ian, his voice trembling.

"I, Babua, and my family will forever remember your kindness! Thank you for your trust!" For this intelligence merchant, Ian's promise was indeed invaluable.

"This is something you earned with your own ability and sincerity," Ian said calmly. "Keep up your 'thoughtfulness,' and perhaps we'll have opportunities to cooperate in the future."

"Definitely! Definitely!" Babua assured him repeatedly, knowing he had made the right bet today. Suppressing his excitement, he knew he shouldn't disturb him any further and tactfully said, "Sir, if you have no further instructions, I won't bother you any longer. Best wishes!"

Ian nodded. Babua bowed again, then quickly turned and disappeared into the bustling crowd of the market, his steps light as if he were about to fly.

Ian held the wooden box containing the door key and the detailed map.

Standing on the street corner, he looked up at the sky. In the deep night sky, the sun and the moon coexisted, one preparing to rise and the other preparing to set.

This foreshadowed the approaching night. He could have immediately used the Portkey to go to the Ministry of Magic; with his abilities, even if they were on guard, infiltrating and achieving his goal wouldn't have been difficult. However, looking at the detailed map in his hand, marked with defensive arrangements and personnel information, Ian changed his mind.

"Now that we've got such a 'thoughtful' map."

Ian's lips curled into a playful smile. "Then let's give our friends at the Ministry of Magic some face. Visiting late at night is more 'polite' than barging in during their working hours."

He decides.

They planned to act in the latter half of the night, when the Ministry of Magic's defenses were at their weakest and its staff most exhausted. This was not only to avoid unnecessary trouble.

It's also a... well, an elegant tactical choice based on intelligence superiority. Of course, it's not that Ian wants to rest; how can the affairs of a legendary wizard be called laziness?

Back in his somewhat somber hotel room, Ian didn't rush into anything. With some time before his planned late-night visit, he took out Musa's notes again. This time, instead of just skimming them, he focused intently on studying the specific details regarding the integration of time energy guidance and alchemical diagrams.

Musa's research approach is indeed unique.

Viewing time as a "spice" that can be "seasoned," and alchemical diagrams as a "pot" and "fire," the author attempts to influence the "flow rate" and "texture" of time within a local area through precise energy circuits and symbolic resonance. The notes are filled with various complex geometric figures, energy flow equations, and detailed analyses of failed cases.

Many of the ideas seemed far-fetched to Ian, even defying conventional magical principles, but the sparks of wisdom and the relentless spirit of exploration within them greatly benefited him. No one could say for sure if they were correct; after all, even classical physicists had questioned the constancy of the speed of light.

This theory states that no matter how fast you run, the speed of light will always be faster than its fundamental speed. Many people question this, yet it is indeed a universal truth.

sometimes.

Something that defies common sense.

Perhaps we just haven't found a way to explain it yet.

As he tried to construct in his mind a miniature time alchemy array for "micro-fermentation"—that is, compressing the dough fermentation process of several hours into a few minutes while ensuring no loss of flavor—a long-lost feeling of enlightenment about a completely new field of knowledge welled up inside him.

[Ding! Alchemy proficiency +7]

[Ding! Alchemy proficiency +9]

In his mind, the long-silent system notification sound rang out one after another. Ian was slightly taken aback, then a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"This is truly an unexpected gain."

He hadn't seen such rapid and continuous growth in his alchemical proficiency in a long time. At his current level, conventional alchemical practices and existing knowledge could no longer provide effective experience; only by encountering and understanding this completely different, self-contained, and profound new knowledge could he once again push the nearly stagnant progress bar forward.

"As expected, there's an end to working in isolation," Ian thought to himself. "You still need to constantly engage with new things and spark new ideas to grow better. Musa... he's a real gem."

He was so engrossed in the sea of ​​knowledge that he forgot the passage of time. It wasn't until the familiar hunger pangs returned that he realized it was late and he needed to find something to eat for dinner.

Ok.

Perhaps it should be called a late-night snack?
After all, it was already quite late.

Ian closed his notebook, carefully put it away, and left the room again. The hotel lobby seemed a bit more lively than before, with a faint sound of a noisy argument drifting through the air.

Upon entering the lobby, one sees the innkeeper standing at the door with a gloomy expression, and opposite him are several wizards dressed in a barbaric style with tattoos on their faces.

A man and a woman were pointing at the owner, shouting angrily, "There must be something wrong with your hotel! My brother Kabu, although... although he's a bit wild, he's always been healthy! How could he suddenly collapse here and look like that! You must have used some kind of evil curse!"

"That's right! Pay up! Or we'll smash up your lousy shop!"

"Hand over the murderer!"

These people were clearly family members of the black wizard Kabu who had been carried away, and they were here to cause trouble and extort money. It's not necessarily true that they had a deep family relationship with the black wizard.

The hotel owner looked grim, but he wasn't too flustered. While trying to explain, he subtly winked at the waiter beside him. The waiter understood and immediately slipped out.

"Everyone, everyone, calm down!" The innkeeper raised his voice, announcing to the family members and others around him, "The Aurors of the Ministry of Magic have already investigated Mr. Kabu's condition. It's just a recurrence of his old illness, and it has nothing to do with our inn! Your disturbances here won't do any good!"

Regarding this explanation...

The dark wizard's family members are certainly not satisfied.

"Bullshit! The Ministry of Magic has definitely been bribed by you!"

"That's right! We're not leaving until we get an explanation!"

As these people became increasingly arrogant, and some even started to pull out their wands, the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

"They've slipped away, they've slipped away." The onlookers all kept their distance, pointing and whispering, but most of them had a look of enjoying the show, and no one went forward to stop them.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps approached, and the Ministry of Magic enforcement officers who had left earlier returned, led by the same high-ranking Auror.

His face was ashen, and his sharp gaze swept over the troublemakers.

"It's you again! The Kabu family!" Auror's voice carried an undeniable authority. "The Ministry of Magic's investigation has concluded clearly: Kabu's magical backlash was due to his own actions, and has nothing to do with anyone else! You're causing trouble here, threatening the safety of others. Do you want to spend a few days in solitary confinement?"

Seeing the arrival of law enforcement officers, and their firm stance, the troublemakers immediately deflated. One of the elderly women, who appeared to be the leader, tried to argue, "Sir, my son..."

The old woman hadn't finished speaking.

"Enough!" the Auror interrupted rudely. "If you have any objections, you can appeal to the Ministry of Magic's Appeals Section according to procedure! But now, leave here immediately! Otherwise, you will be arrested for disturbing public order!"

Several law enforcement officers behind him immediately stepped forward, brandishing their magic handcuffs with hostile looks.

Seeing this, Kabu's family knew that continuing the commotion would be pointless and might even get them into trouble. They reluctantly put away their wands, muttering grumbles under their breath, and slunk away from the hotel under the "escort" of the law enforcement officers. Watching their disheveled figures, the onlookers burst into laughter and murmurs.

"Tch, what utter nonsense. That guy Kabu brought this on himself, and now he wants to blame the hotel?"

"Exactly, do they really think the innkeepers are just paying all those gold coins to the market management committee every year for nothing? What's the point of opening an inn if it doesn't even offer this much protection?"

"Great! The whole family can reunite in the detention room now, haha!"

Ian happened to be walking to the door when he heard the discussion. He chuckled and teased, "That's good, their whole family is together now."

His voice wasn't loud, but many people present heard it. This darkly humorous remark immediately resonated with even more people, and a louder burst of laughter erupted around him.

"Well said! Neat and tidy!"

"This gentleman is absolutely right!"

However, some well-informed or perceptive wizards, while laughing, also cast a shadow of awe and restraint on Ian's face. They might not know Ian's exact strength, but they could vaguely sense that this extraordinary outsider was not to be trifled with, and might even be connected to Kabu's sudden collapse in some way.

In most wizarding lands, especially in places like Africa where the laws of primal power are more revered, strength equals status, and is the sole measure of whether others respect you. The nonchalant and unfathomable aura Ian exuded at that moment made them dare not be the slightest bit negligent.

Ian ignored the strange looks he received, strolled out of the inn, and once again disappeared into the bustling night market. He wasn't particularly concerned about the dark wizard's family's situation.

There are actually quite a few dark wizard families like this in Knockturn Alley, but the dark wizards there are smarter; before their brains break down, they know not to cause trouble in Diagon Alley.

Do you really think Aurors are easy targets?
Not everyone is an elite wizard. In fact, even elite wizards like Harry Potter's father, Sirius Black, struggled to deal with Aurors.

To become an Auror, a wizard is at least a minor elite. Of course, there might not be that many powerful wizards in the Ministry of Magic in Africa, but relatively speaking, the level of other wizards on the streets isn't that high either. That's just how it is here; the powerful are incredibly powerful, and the weak are incredibly weak.

On the contrary, those mid-level wizards are the minority. While making this judgment in his mind, Ian strolled through the night market. He found a popular open-air food stall and ordered a giant scorpion tail beef steak that was grilled with magical flames and coated with a special hot sauce. He paired it with an ice-cold local beer with a minty sweetness and ate to his heart's content.

The night market had a lively and relaxed atmosphere, full of local energy.

After eating and drinking his fill, he leisurely strolled through the market to digest his food.

"This is truly a rare occurrence."

In a relatively open space, he saw a wizard dressed in a fancy robe standing on a makeshift platform, showing off several Muggle technological products to the wizards watching.

The wizard was holding a cell phone, which, although large, was indeed a cell phone and could hear people talking in other places, eliciting gasps of amazement from the wizards below.

"Look! This is the 'magic' of the Muggles!" the presenter exclaimed, his tone a mixture of surprise, disdain, and a barely perceptible worry.

"They can transmit sound over long distances and fly through the air without using magic wands or spells! I've also heard that they're developing something called the internet."

"If successful, it will connect all the information in the world!" The wizards watching reacted in different ways. Some watched with great interest, like Muggles watching magic tricks, finding it novel and interesting; others looked disdainful, thinking that these were just tricks and gimmicks, not comparable to real magic.

Others had furrowed brows, their eyes revealing deep unease and vigilance.

Ian stood on the periphery of the crowd, quietly observing everything, watching the complex expressions on the faces of the wizards.

"The impact of the technological explosion on the wizarding world is indeed enormous."

Ian thought to himself. This impact wasn't just material; it was also psychological and cognitive. When Muggles achieved things through technology that even ordinary wizards struggled to do, a fear stemming from the unknown and the possibility of their status being threatened would quietly arise.

Ian recalled the blond, charismatic, and dangerous man, and the wave he had created. Change in times is always accompanied by pain and chaos.

The magical world is not immune either.

The wizards' fear of Muggle development is the most important reason why Grindelwald was able to gain followers. And now, this fear is beginning to quietly grow in this era.

(End of this chapter)