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After the banquet came the holiday. On the first day, everyone slept in. Even those who woke up didn't want to get out of bed, savoring the simple pleasure of wasting time.
Meanwhile in the pocket world, Daphne and Astoria were discussing their vacation plans.
In principle, Hogwarts was closed during this break. Students from Hogwarts and the other academies were all supposed to remain on campus.
But rules… could occasionally be ignored.
Astoria didn't really mind, but with Daphne's personality, there was no way she could stay at school. She was ready to go all in and leave tonight.
"We'll stay home for five days… no, four days."
The young lady counted on her fingers. "On the first day, Mom will be super happy and cook a ton of good food. On the second day she'll still be in a good mood. By the third day she'll probably start getting impatient. And by the fourth day she'll start finding me annoying, everything I do will bother her…"
"So we leave on the fourth day. She'll be full of pent-up anger with nowhere to vent. Next time we go back, she'll be happy again. Then we'll head to Tom's place. I heard Grandpa Nicolas is there too. We can ask him for some good stuff."
Astoria was speechless.
She'd noticed her sister had an oddly accurate sense of self-awareness in the strangest areas. A brain that usually didn't run suddenly started working at full speed.
"Sis, I heard yesterday that Fleur is bringing Gabrielle over too. If you two run into each other, won't you start fighting?"
"That won't happen." Daphne shook her head quickly. "Grandpa Nicolas and Grandma Perenelle are both there. If I make a scene, I'll be the one embarrassing myself. I'll just write down the grudge for now and settle it with that veela when we're back at school."
Astoria felt reassured. Relaxing, she agreed. The two of them would leave tonight.
"Wait, where's Tom?" Daphne looked around and realized only the two of them were in the pocket world.
"He went to release those prisoners."
That's right. Tom had brought Lupin and Icarus to Dalaran, gazing reluctantly at the batch of free laborers about to leave…
Honestly, he really didn't want to let them go. After working for half a year, they'd all become skilled workers. Every single one of them was practically born for construction.
But he had no choice. He'd already promised the Ministries of Magic.
Back then, he'd only planned to build a prison. He hadn't expected to end up constructing an entire city. If he'd known, he would've extended their sentences to a full year.
"Behave yourselves. Turn over a new leaf."
Tom couldn't even be bothered to threaten them. He waved lazily at the excited prisoners.
This time, more than fifteen hundred people were released at once. Only a little over two hundred remained in the prison now, mostly new arrivals sent over by various guilds.
…Should he just take over prison contracts for other countries in the future?
Prisons were a profitable business. Plenty of people in America had gotten rich running them. Of course, that also had something to do with crime rates.
The wizarding world was relatively law-abiding. Crime rates weren't particularly high.
"R-Riddle…"
Just as Tom's thoughts drifted, a hesitant voice interrupted him. He turned and saw a scruffy middle-aged wizard stepping out from the crowd and standing at the front.
"Something wrong?" Tom looked him over, already suspecting the guy wanted wages.
Giving them travel money home was already generous enough. And now they wanted pay? Did these people understand gratitude at all?
Under Tom's increasingly unfriendly gaze, the middle-aged wizard shivered. But thinking of his situation, he forced himself to continue.
"Riddle… I… I want to stay. Would that be alright?"
The scene fell silent. The other prisoners, still excited moments ago, all looked at him like he was an idiot.
Had this guy lost his mind from being locked up?
Riddle had finally kept his word and released them, and this guy actually wanted to stay imprisoned?
Feeling those contemptuous looks, the middle-aged wizard sneered inwardly, cursing them as fools.
"Riddle, I've been locked up here for half a year. My old job is long gone. I don't even know what I can do after going back. Your city isn't finished yet… could I join the guild and work for you?"
Once he said that, quite a few people suddenly realized the same problem. Their expressions turned uneasy.
Right… they all had criminal records now. Who knew how people back home would look at them?
Of course, some didn't care at all and only wanted to go home. Those were the ones with powerful families. They didn't have to worry about making a living.
What they cared about more was whether, during their six months away, their wives… or husbands… had cheated on them.
Tom, meanwhile, smiled.
No wonder people always said everyone in prison was talented, and that they spoke nicely. There was some truth to it.
After all, ordinary people spent their whole lives timid and cautious. What crimes could they commit? To end up here, you had to have something going for you.
...
..
Lupin felt the whole situation had taken a very strange turn.
Today was supposed to be a day of "general amnesty," yet somehow it had turned into a recruitment fair.
About a thousand people followed the Aurors from the Ministries of Magic. They would be sent back to their respective countries through official channels.
The remaining several hundred, however, all chose to stay.
They could find new jobs and latch onto a powerful backer at the same time. As long as they joined voluntarily, no one could arrest them again.
Tom appreciated these people who knew which way the wind was blowing. He conjured a small stool on the spot and had Ikaros start registering them one by one.
However, he didn't plan to let them directly join the Guild. Instead, he decided to create a construction company.
He originally thought the first guy who asked for a job was already clever enough. Turns out there were even sharper minds.
During the interviews, someone actually asked whether food and lodging could be included, with the rest of the wages exchanged for a 'house in Dalaran.'
After thinking about it, Tom felt it made sense.
They were the first batch of wizards to witness Dalaran. From the city's planning alone, they could see his ambitions. The bold ones wanted to gamble. If they managed to buy a house here, their entire lives, even their descendants' futures, would be secure.
Wait… did this count as expanding the population of magical Britain?
Tom wondered if he should charge Fudge some fees later. While thinking about it, he Apparated with Lupin to another hilltop.
"You've worked hard these past few months," Tom said, casually handing him a can of beer.
Ikaros was still overseeing Dalaran's construction, but she also had to coordinate other branches. Lupin had been the main person in charge here.
Compared to Sirius, Lupin had more patience. He was also deeply grateful to Tom for providing him with a stable environment and generous pay, so he had always been diligent. Tom knew all this from Ikaros' reports.
Click.
They opened their beers and clinked them together. Lupin smiled.
"Just doing my job. Thanks to the platform you gave me. Otherwise, someone like me would probably still be living in poverty."
Tom smiled but didn't mention Sirius.
Lupin's pride wouldn't allow him to live off his friend forever, even if the little he relied on would hardly matter to Sirius.
"However…" Lupin changed tone, showing a wry smile. "Maybe don't give me this kind of supervisor role again. It's exhausting, and I don't really feel involved."
"Don't worry."
Tom chuckled. "Did you forget what I told you before?"
Lupin froze, thought for a moment, then said uncertainly, "You mean that new assignment you mentioned at the guild?"
The boy nodded, eyes drifting toward the horizon.
"Lupin, your identity is special, and you're an expert in dealing with dark creatures. You're the most suitable person for this."
Tom then told him what had happened when Nicolas Flamel was attacked.
Lupin's face filled with shock. He had no idea such a world-shaking event had happened in secret.
Nicolas Flamel had faked his death… and then been surrounded by hundreds of vampires.
How did they even dare?
"No wonder the vampires in Britain and France have basically vanished lately…" Lupin murmured.
So it was retaliation from Tom and Flamel.
"I want you to follow the trail," Tom continued, taking another sip of beer. The rich malt aroma spread across his tongue. He smacked his lips before going on. "That vampire Lester is a key figure."
"But he definitely isn't the mastermind. A vampire wouldn't have the brains or the connections for something like this. There's someone behind him. I don't need you to dig that deep. Just find out where Lester is."
"Well? Dare to take the job?"
Lupin wasn't Tom's subordinate. Like Sirius, he was more of an employee. Tom wouldn't force him to take on something this risky.
A deal only worked if both sides agreed willingly.
Even without digging all the way to the bottom, the danger wasn't small.
Lupin didn't disappoint him. Though his expression turned serious, he still nodded without hesitation.
"I've actually heard some news about Lester," Lupin said. "The last time he appeared was in the Middle East. He killed many people. Quite a few werewolves in the dark world are working for him now."
The "dark world" Lupin referred to wasn't a gray area like Knockturn Alley. It was the small society of dark creatures. Vampires, werewolves, goblins, and other semi-humanoid beings formed their own social circles.
"Lester has deep ties to America," Tom added. "If you run into any wizards calling themselves Sun-Chasers, or hear anything related, keep an eye on that too."
"Sun-Chasers?" Lupin repeated, frowning. "I've never heard that name before."
"You can think of them like Death Eaters. A wizard organization."
Tom looked toward the horizon and said casually, "From what I can tell, the Sun-Chasers aren't all dark wizards like the Death Eaters. But they're far more dangerous."
"Where did they come from?" Lupin asked, confused.
Tom shook his head. "Their background is complicated. It's better if you don't know. I'm not trying to hide it from you, but the more you know, the deeper you'll dig. I don't want you disappearing halfway through."
The name Sun-Chasers had come from Quahog, referring to the group studying the Aztec ruins.
They rarely appeared in public. Even Quahog had only met a few of them. Some were his elders, along with relatives of other descendants of the Twelve Aurors.
It could be said that the Sun-Chasers were the ones controlling the most resources in America.
The Aztec civilization had a strong solar worship tradition. Calling themselves Sun-Chasers was fitting.
"I understand…"
Lupin wisely didn't press further. As for how much of Tom's words he believed? Maybe seventy percent. The rest, he intended to investigate himself.
"Can I bring Sirius to help?" Lupin asked again.
Tom looked at him like he was an idiot. "You trying to die faster? Why strap a bomb to yourself?"
Lupin immediately realized the problem and gave an awkward smile.
Sirius was great in many ways, but he had a hot temper and acted rashly. This mission required covert tracking and investigation. Bringing Sirius really wasn't suitable.
After thinking for a moment, Lupin said, "But I still need to tell him. Tom, come with me. I'm afraid I won't be able to stop him."
Tom didn't refuse. He nodded in agreement.
They'd go that evening.
.
.
.