#114 - Section 114
"Screech!"
Seeing someone enter, the Thunderbird emitted a furious, mournful cry, its eyes fixed intently on the newcomers.
"Mr. Borgin, this is a Thunderbird family. We first captured three young ones and used them as bait. It wasn't easy catching these two adults. Take a look and see if any catch your eye."
Robert introduced the situation as he walked alongside Ethan.
"Screech!"
This time, the sound was noticeably different. Robert, who frequently dealt with Thunderbirds, glanced strangely at the large creatures in the cage. What was going on?
Ethan slowly approached the cage and reached his hand inside.
Ethan didn't understand the previous sound, but it felt like flattery and pleading.
"Mr. Borgin, please refrain from such actions. Thunderbirds are extremely dangerous magical creatures."
Upon seeing this, Robert quickly rushed over to stop Ethan. Whether it was the sharp beak or the claws, a slight movement would mean the end of the extended hand.
Such accidents had happened before. If Borgin were injured under his watch, he wouldn't just miss out on the commission but also face the boss's punishment.
"My apologies, I got carried away. Europe doesn't have these magnificent creatures."
Ethan feigned fascination as he looked at the Thunderbird and spoke to Robert.
"These creatures are indeed magnificent, so which one has caught your eye?"
"That small one, I suppose!"
"I have more than one goal in mind today. I want to see everything Europe doesn't have and acquire what I deem suitable."
"Very well. Once you've decided on all the targets you wish to purchase, I'll be sure to mention the price to the leader."
The joy on Robert's face was impossible to conceal.
His enthusiasm stemmed from wanting Ethan to spend more, thus increasing his commission. The commission here couldn't compare to what Dennis and his team earned because they found buyers themselves, while here, buyers came to them.
Even so, the earnings wouldn't be a small sum, as the minimum requirement for coming to the base was carrying 50,000 Galleons. Selling just one XXXXX-rated creature would be enough for him to profit, let alone if Mr. Borgin here were to buy several.
Under Robert's guidance, they saw the Catoblepas, which looked no different from an ordinary jaguar.
There were several types of Horned Serpents, one of which had a black body and a jewel on its forehead. Robert said that this type could fly and become invisible, while other varieties lacked this ability.
They also saw the White River Monster, which resembled a large gray catfish with black spikes on its back.
Robert explained that these spikes were excellent wand-making materials. Previously, only Thiago Quintana, the wandmaker, knew how to trap White River Monsters, but now they had mastered the method.
He suggested that Ethan take a few back and sell them to Ollivander at a high price.
Further on were the Swamp Werewolves, dog-headed monsters that had nothing to do with actual werewolves. Their fur could also be used as wand material.
However, Ethan showed little interest in them, and Robert didn't elaborate.
The Erumpent was another magical creature that Robert strongly recommended. Its fur was golden, and its size was similar to an elephant's, living in Asia and North America.
The key was the Erumpent's blood, which, when drunk, could temporarily increase the drinker's strength, making it a natural potion. This led to excessive hunting of Erumpents, making them quite rare now.
Later, they were introduced to the Peruvian Vipertooth, the Jarvey…
"Have you decided which ones you want to purchase?"
After showing Ethan almost all the magical creatures native to the Americas in the entire base, Robert looked at Ethan expectantly.
"The Thunderbird, Catoblepas, Erumpent, and Jarvey!"
These four would cost roughly 100,000 Galleons, which was about the same as the money Borgin had brought.
Ethan had also brought Galleons for this trip.
"I'll take you to see the leader right away. There's a banquet waiting for you later."
Ethan, an outsider, had already calculated the cost, and Robert naturally knew that guiding him and giving a brief introduction would earn him nearly 2,000 Galleons. Compared to those companions who risked their lives to hunt magical creatures outside, this money was too easy to earn.
The standard for the banquet was spending over 50,000 Galleons, becoming their distinguished guest, for whom they would hold a special welcome.
Pure-blood wizards ate this up; if you gave them face and treated them well, there would be opportunities for cooperation in the future.
Under Robert's guidance, Ethan met the leader of the Slughorn organization, an old man in his seventies with a somewhat sinister face. Perhaps due to his age, he was quite gaunt.
The transaction was completed on the spot: 96,000 Galleons. Robert helped to bargain down 1,000, and Ethan paid 95,000.
After Ethan handed over the Galleons, the organization's leader personally packed the selected magical creatures and provided packaging boxes, which were suitcases with Undetectable Extension Charms cast on them, though the area wouldn't be very large.
Robert went to announce the preparation of the banquet, which all members of the base would participate in, to create a grand spectacle and show their importance.
After handing the suitcase containing the four magical creatures to Tom, the two of them were led by a charming witch in her thirties to the banquet venue.
Sitting on the sofa, Ethan took another sip of Polyjuice Potion. It was truly exhausting pretending all the way, making a big circle.
There was no other way, as many wizards here had Portkeys. If they launched a full-scale attack, they would only obtain a portion of the magical creatures.
To take over the entire base, they had to wait for the banquet to begin, when everyone was gathered together. This information was also what Dennis had told Ethan, which was why he spent so much.
Otherwise, Ethan would be bored to death, playing along with their act.
The Slughorn members didn't make Ethan wait long; with magic, many things could be prepared very quickly.
"Please, Mr. Borgin, come up to the stage!"
The charming witch who had led the way now acted as the host, inviting Ethan to the stage.
The members below, led by their boss, burst into applause.
Ethan adjusted his clothes and walked onto the stage in a composed manner.
The moment he stepped onto the stage, a black and white halo began to spread from under Ethan's feet. Within a few breaths, the entire banquet hall was enveloped within it.
Chapter 147: Thirty Against Two, the Advantage is Mine!
“Mr. Bogin, what are you trying to do?”
Sam Joyce, the leader of the Slease organization, stood up and stared at Ethan with his gloomy eyes.
Such an obvious change was apparent to everyone.
“I'm just asking everyone to stay here!”
Ethan directly ignored the witch wielding a wand beside him, looking at the tense crowd below with a playful expression.
“Kill him!”
Sam Joyce took two steps back, making room.
Thirty against two, the advantage is mine!
No matter what magic this is, it will naturally collapse once the caster dies.
“Tear Apart!”
“Pulverize!”
“Barrage of Bullets!”
… …
Various spells illuminated most of the banquet hall. Ethan drew a pure black wand and tapped it in the air.
A blue barrier protected the entire stage behind him, allowing the spells to rain down without budging.
It was the same model as the twin serpent wand Ethan made for Nagini, except that the powder of the longhorn water snake and basilisk horn was replaced with Onyxia's dragon teeth, dragon claws, and dragon scale powder, and the twin serpent statues were replaced with tiny dragon-shaped reliefs.
This also took Ethan more time, but the effect was quite good, and the entire wand was dyed black the moment it was successfully completed.
It was much stronger than a yew wand with phoenix tail feathers.
This also led to the yew and phoenix tail feather wand being relegated to the second line, and it was basically only used when in Hogwarts.
Ethan took action, and Tom didn't just watch.
“Avada Kedavra!”
The petrification curse released by the witch was instantly shattered by the dark green light.
The unabated green light continued to magnify in the witch's pupils, and a sense of despair arose spontaneously.
Tom didn't understand what it meant to cherish women; after solving one, he turned to look at the thirty-odd people below, with no fear on his face.
“Boss, the portkeys are invalid.”
“Apparition doesn’t work either!”
After a large wave of spells proved ineffective, the members of Slease began to panic. They had never seen such a situation before. One person blocked the magical bombardment of more than thirty people. How could they fight?
Some people on the spot began to prepare to run away using portkeys, but found that there was no reaction at all.
“Bogin came prepared. Do you see this space?”
“It is this magic that prevents us from leaving. Killing Bogin is the only way out.”
Sam Joyce squeezed his wand tightly, forcing himself to calm down.
“Wait, what’s that?”
“Constance?”
A group of people looked in horror at Ethan's side. At the position where the witch had just fallen, a slightly transparent shadow floated up, with the same appearance as the corpse lying below.
Even little Tom looked at Ethan in surprise. What kind of magic is this?
Even the birth of a ghost is not like this!
From the moment he entered, Ethan had cursed everyone. With the help of Nibelungen, cursing was simply too easy.
“Gungnir!”
“Ah!”
A painful wail came from behind the Slease members. The crowd, mistakenly thinking that an enemy had arrived behind them, turned their heads.
They saw Sam Joyce nailed to the ground by a spear of lightning, constantly emitting arcs of electricity amidst Sam Joyce's screams, making the area around the wound charred.
Seeing their boss's miserable appearance, the crowd thought of the flash of lightning that had just passed.
If the target was aimed at them, could they have dodged it?
“Now, it’s time for you to make a choice.”
Ethan stepped forward and said coldly as he looked at the crowd.
His purpose this time was to take over the organization, not destroy it. After all, an international organization is still quite useful, and it cannot be established overnight.
“Grover, kill him!”
Sam Joyce, who was nailed to the ground, let out a hoarse voice. This organization was built by him single-handedly, and even if it was destroyed, he would not hand it over to others.
“Yes!”
Grover, who was specially cultivated by Sam Joyce as one of his loyal followers, immediately agreed. In addition to him, there were several other people, who were now surrounding Sam Joyce to protect him.
“Mjolnir!”
In the roar, a hammer flashing with lightning fell from the sky, directly enveloping Sam Joyce and several of his men.
In the shocked eyes of everyone, Sam Joyce and some of his confidants were directly smashed into charred minced meat.
Then, in just a few seconds, the spiritual bodies of all the people killed by Ethan floated in mid-air, and like the previous witch, stood behind Ethan.
Ethan didn't want to wait for people to attack before counterattacking.
Moreover, this leader was obviously uncooperative, so there was nothing to say.
If he can't do it, there are still second and third-in-commands, there will always be someone willing to surrender.
“Now, state your choices.”
“I surrender!”
A male wizard in his fifties threw his wand aside and raised his hands.
It doesn't matter who you follow, even if the former boss paid more, he wouldn't give you life!
Looking at this leading surrenderer, the surrounding people were a little surprised, but soon they couldn't care so much, and they dropped their wands and followed behind him.
“Tom, go and collect their portkeys and wands.”
