Rumors are the kind of thing that will fly even without wings, and run even without feet; even back when there was no Friendship Book or Communication Peas, the speed at which news spread through the Magic World was never slow.
So over the past few days, the Congress Headquarters had turned into a busy beehive, officials and government employees hurrying back and forth, every face written over with exhaustion and strain.
Up in the air of the main hall and between floors, paper planes of every color wove back and forth, each one seeming to carry some message of utmost urgency.
In the Chairman's office, letters had already piled up like a mountain on Nikolo Hossun's desk, and owls were still arriving with more.
Wizards living all across the United States had heard about the fake video and were sending anxious inquiries, afraid that the flames of witch-hunting might flare up again.
Commercial associations and Pure-Blood Clans from all regions were even sending joint letters, strongly demanding that Congress take powerful measures at once, or else the American Magic World would "slide into the abyss."
Even the Ministries of Magic of other countries had sent emails of inquiry, worried that this fire, ignited in the United States, would spread into their own yards.
"Chairman Hosone, the reporter from the New York Ghost has been waiting in the conference room for two hours; they want us to give an official statement!"
Before the assistant's report had even landed, another employee hurried in:
"Chairman Hosone, Headmaster Fontana of Ilvermorny asks whether the holidays should be extended to ensure the students' safety?"
Immediately after, Laira Piqueley also knocked on the door, her expression grave: "Chairman Hosone, representatives from twelve countries are requesting a meeting with you!"
She too was so busy she barely touched the ground, and her voice had already gone hoarse.
Directly below the Chairman's office, the Auror Office was unusually quiet; only two or three clerks were gathering and sorting the intelligence coming in from all sides—the rest had already been sent out.
Once the rumors began to spread like wildfire, even before anything had actually happened, panic had already quietly reached the streets and alleys.
At times like this, the people living in society's shadows are always the first to stretch out their feelers. Under the name of "self-protection" and "preparation for war," they release greed and malice, and the crime rate quietly climbs.
At the same time, prices and sales of "defensive" Dark Magic Items were shooting up fast; Werewolf communities and the Vampire Clan at the fringes had become unusually agitated, and the illegal Portkey fluctuations detected by the Magic Transportation Department had suddenly jumped three hundred percent over the norm!
So Ezra Hughes sat at the center of the deployments, sending Aurors out to all regions to forcibly stamp out the chaos just beginning to sprout, barely maintaining a tottering order.
Just then, heavy footsteps sounded at the office door, the heels of Dragon Skin Boots tapping the floor, beating out a powerful, drum-like rhythm.
Under the clerks' gaze, Rex Grim strode through the Auror work area and walked into the inner Director's office.
The two clerks let out low exclamations, tinged with both admiration and awe.
Grim's clothes still bore bloodstains and scorch marks from fire; the hem of his robe was almost completely torn, and those rips made it seem as if one more step forward would be enough to tear Grim's whole body apart.
Seeing Grim come in, Ezra Hughes finally let his taut expression ease a little. "The Werewolves gathered on Cascade Mountain have been dispersed?"
"Yes." Grim said in a low voice. "Thirteen captured, five killed."
"Mm." Hughes rubbed his forehead and said, "Killed is killed. Special times call for special handling. Later, write me a report and turn it in."
"Understood," Grim said.
"Throw the ones we caught into prison; when this period passes, we'll find time to try them… I hear they were planning to slaughter an entire Muggle Town and set up a Werewolf nest?"
Hughes let out a cold snort. "If you ask me, that whole pack of animals ought to be strung up!"
Grim held his tongue. He made no comment on his superior's offhand words, and instead of turning on his heel to leave as crisply as he usually did, he, most unusually, showed a trace of hesitation.
"Is there something else, Grim?" Hughes asked.
"Mr. Hughes, while carrying out patrols and calming operations, we've had contact with quite a number of ordinary citizens."
Grim said in a deep voice, "They're extremely panicked. Many have asked… whether we could invite that British Alchemy prodigy to assist us. Everyone thinks that since he can manufacture Flow Mirrors, he might also have a way to solve the problem of news spreading among Muggles."
Ezra Hughes furrowed his brows deeply.
Grim lowered his gaze and added, "These voices from the public, I believe it's necessary to report them to you as they are."
Hughes put down the pen in his hand and leaned back, his deep gaze resting for a long time on Grim's scar-covered, emotionless face.
In the office, only the crackle of the fireplace could be heard.
"Rex," Hughes said slowly, "do you think our situation has already become so critical… that we need to ask a foreign boy for help?"
Rex said, "I don't see it that way, but in the Magic World, the one who understands this kind of method best is undoubtedly Vid Gray."
He paused, then added, "Of course, I'm only passing this on as a channel of information. I personally take no position on the proposal and have no private agenda."
"Then the proposal ends here." Hughes said decisively. "The Magic Congress can handle its own affairs. It's not as if that Alchemist is the only one in the world!"
To be honest, before Vid Gray burst onto the scene, the level of Alchemy in the American Magic World was far ahead of that in the United Kingdom.
Most Alchemists from British Wizarding families were fond of clinging stubbornly to the past, as if the only goal in life were to restore some ancient Magic Tools from ages long gone.
By contrast, American Alchemy developed in tandem with Muggle technology, training Alchemists through more systematic methods and rapidly commercializing Alchemy Products for mass production and popularization.
Even now, for many people, it feels as if there are only two famous Alchemists in the world—Nicolas Flamel and Vid Gray—but in fact, the average level of Alchemy in the American Magic World is still among the very best on the planet.
Ezra Hughes had great confidence in his own country. He believed the current chaos was only due to the suddenness of events; as long as they were given some time, they would certainly be able to solve the problem perfectly.
Thus, when he heard someone suggest "inviting Vid Gray" at a high-level meeting, his first reaction was anger—anger that Rex Grim had apparently defied him in secret.
It was only then that Hughes realized the person making the proposal wasn't Grim at all, but the Director of the Floo Network Administration, Reginald Perez.
Perez was leaning slightly forward at the moment, speaking in an unhurried tone:
"Of course, I'm not questioning anyone's abilities. It's just that public panic needs to be soothed. Inviting that boy could at least demonstrate our open attitude in actively seeking solutions."
"I hope none of you will oppose this out of personal likes, dislikes, or pride. Given the current situation, we shouldn't be confined by narrow national borders. Finding the most direct path in an open and efficient manner, and responding to the public's expectations—that is what we should be doing, isn't it?"
When he finished, he looked around the room, a faint smile still on his face.