After explaining this, Alex stepped forward, holding the talisman in one hand and steadying his wand with the other, staying alert. He moved swiftly, scanning left first, then right, his gaze sharp and unwavering, covering every corner without missing a thing. His speed and precision impressed everyone watching.
Suddenly, a human-shaped cardboard cutout popped up in the lobby on the first floor. It had a rough, almost childish sketch of a person in pajamas.
The moment the cutout appeared, Alex activated the Silent Talisman with one hand and immediately fired a stunning spell with the other. The spell hit the cardboard, sending it flying into the air, but the entire process was eerily silent. Even when the cardboard slammed into the wall, there wasn't a single sound.
Everyone around watched the scene unfold, their mouths forming surprised O's without meaning to.
"Alright, everyone, come inside. I'll explain things to watch out for when going through each floor," Alex said, ignoring their reactions.
"Also, as you move through each area, make sure to slice the pie carefully at every corner." He gestured for them to enter and began giving a detailed explanation of the first-floor layout.
While he was speaking, a wizard raised his hand and asked respectfully, "What exactly do you mean by 'slicing the pie'?"
After the previous meeting and the demonstration, the wizard's attitude toward Alex had shifted significantly, and he now spoke with genuine respect.
Alex nodded, while inwardly realizing he have used term from his old world, not one people here accustomed too.
"'Slicing the pie' is a common tactical technique used in indoor or street combat. It involves holding your wand in a cautious stance and slowly moving in a curved path around the corner, clearing narrow sections of the room bit by bit. This way, you gradually expose the space and maintain control over each sightline without revealing your entire body all at once.
Since this involves many rooms inside the building, everyone needs to master this tactic. When one person is troubleshooting, another wizard must watch their back, and everyone should keep their Silent Talisman ready at all times, prepared to activate it instantly.
This way, we can respond immediately if there's a threat, and it also prevents anyone from forgetting to activate their amulet when casting spells," Alex explained patiently.
"Common tactics?" A group of German Aurors exchanged confused looks with their British counterparts. None of them had heard of this approach before.
One of the British Aurors, still puzzled, asked, "If you have this Silent Talisman, why not use something more powerful to mute the entire building from the start? That way, we wouldn't have to activate it every time we encounter an enemy."
Alex simply shot him a look and said bluntly, "Are you serious?"
Before Alex could respond, he shot Moody a sharp look. "If we mute the entire building, wouldn't any wizards still awake at night notice the sudden silence and get suspicious?" Moody guessed.
Alex nodded. "Correct, that's why I specifically adjusted the power of the Silent Talisman so its effect is limited to just the room it's used in. It cancels out most vibrations, but as long as the walls remain intact, it won't affect the rest of the building or raise any alarms."
Everyone nodded in understanding. In other words, activating this amulet in a single room won't be detected unless the walls are broken.
"When attacking a wizard's dormitory," Alex continued, "we need to be quick and precise. The key is to move fast and hit our targets without delay." He explained that once they confirmed no one was outside a room, they had to reach its door as quickly as possible.
Then, Alex began demonstrating, speeding up his movements and efficiently peeking around corners. When he reached a corridor on the second floor with four guest rooms on each side, he stopped again.
"Once you get to a door, you need to control the space just beyond it. That's when you use another tool I've prepared." He pulled out a thin metal card.
"This is a hypnosis talisman. When activated, it releases a hypnotic gas that fills a room in two seconds. Anyone inside will fall asleep within three seconds of breathing it in." He explained how they could slip the card through the crack under the door and activate it from outside.
"I flattened the card to make it easy to slide under doors. Once you've done this for all four rooms on a floor, you can move on without worrying about that level and repeat the process upstairs."
Someone asked, "Is it really that simple?"
Alex smiled, confident in the plan.
Andre, standing beside him, curiously took the metal card from Alex's hand. "Besides putting people to sleep, does this hypnotic talisman have any side effects?" he asked.
Alex smiled softly at the question. "Don't worry," he replied. "This talisman is just a small tool enchanted with the 'Untraceable Curse.' Inside, it holds concentrated vaporized Sleep Potion. The only effect is that it causes unconsciousness for about twelve hours, but it doesn't harm the body in any other way."
He glanced around at the group and added, "If anyone's interested, I can demonstrate it right now. Though I'll need a volunteer to test it out, of course. I'll give the antidote immediately after."
The group exchanged glances, and soon a German Auror and a British Auror stepped forward, clearly curious about how the talisman worked in practice. "Alright, please come into this room," Alex said with a smile, opening the door and gesturing inside. "Lie down on the beds and act like you're resting."
The two Aurors exchanged looks but complied, lying down on the wooden beds inside. Though they pretended to rest, their eyes remained wide open, keen to observe the talisman's effect.
Alex wasn't bothered by their wariness. He closed the door behind him and addressed the others. "Okay, now I'll activate the amulet."
With that, he infused a little magic into the card in his hand. Then, in a swift motion, he slid it into the crack of the door and counted down, "Three… two… one, activate!"
Opening the door again, a strong, sweet scent wafted out from the room. Alex casually waved his wand, sending a gust of air to clear the fragrance. Inside, both Aurors had already fallen into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Everyone's eyes widened in surprise. Just moments ago, these two had been wide awake and alert, and now they were completely out cold. "Wow… the effect of this talisman is really impressive," someone murmured, clearly amazed by how quickly and thoroughly it worked.