"Oh? Why would you have such an idea?" Arthur raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Isn't it obvious?" Alan smiled slightly at him. "It's only been a few days since I mentioned this to you. No matter how idle Minister Bagnold might be, he wouldn't be able to provide feedback this quickly. I'm already prepared for the efficiency of the Ministry of Magic."
"Besides, Minister Bagnold is being a bit too attentive. I have enough self-awareness to know that since he is so eager to see me, it must be because the equipment I provided can effectively help him—at least some of it."
"Alan, you really are sharp." Arthur couldn't help but praise him. After a moment of thought, he added, "Indeed, the Ministry of Magic has encountered some trouble recently. I don't know the details, only that it seems to be related to smugglers. However, judging by the Minister's attitude, it's not a major issue, just something that has become quite tedious."
Alan nodded thoughtfully. Hearing Arthur mention smugglers, he couldn't help but think of the werewolf wizard named Griffin and the organization known as the Silver Spear. Come to think of it, the name he chose for his company, Silver Lightning, actually felt a bit similar to Silver Spear. He shook his head to clear his wandering thoughts; now was not the time to be considering such things.
Alan, accompanied by Ginny and Hog, followed Arthur into the elevator and arrived at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement on the second underground level. This wasn't Alan's first time here, so he walked alongside Arthur, familiar with the route.
"Arthur!"
A cold, clear female voice came from the side. The two men paused, turning to see a woman in professional attire walking from the side corridor. The lady was tall, with long golden hair meticulously pinned up. Her features were exquisite, and her eyes were as clear as a pair of emerald glass orbs. She exuded an intellectual beauty and was walking toward them with a professional smile.
It was the first time Alan had seen such a beautiful woman; she even reminded him of the rumored Veela. Judging by her appearance, she must be Arthur's colleague.
"Oh, Aseria. What brings you to the second floor?" Arthur was momentarily dazed upon seeing her, but he quickly regained his composure and greeted her in a relaxed tone.
"I received an order from the Department Head to go to the demonstration hall to watch some sort of presentation," Aseria replied with a smile, then noticed Alan beside Arthur. "And this is? He looks familiar."
"Ah, I forgot to introduce you. This is Alan Wilson, a war hero personally decorated by Minister Bagnold. He was quite the celebrity before; you could see him in the newspapers often." Arthur gestured toward Alan with a look of pride.
"No wonder, I remembered seeing you somewhere. I didn't expect it to be that young war hero." Aseria covered her lips in slight surprise.
Arthur nodded with a smile and then looked at Alan. "This is our colleague from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Aseria Rowle, the executive secretary of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. She is a well-known beauty in our Ministry."
Then, Arthur looked at Aseria with some confusion. "Why was your department notified about today's demonstration?"
"I received the order suddenly. Maybe they just saw I was in the Ministry and called me too. By the way, do you know what's going on? What kind of demonstration is it?" Aseria tilted her head, looking slightly puzzled. If not for her status, Alan would have thought she was about to scratch the back of her head in a daze.
Hearing her question, Arthur chuckled. "You've really asked the right person. This demonstration has quite a lot to do with our 'war hero.' You'll know the details in a moment. You should head to the venue first; Alan and I will be there shortly."
"Oh?" Aseria glanced at Alan with some surprise. She remembered this so-called war hero being only in his teens; he didn't even seem to have graduated yet. However, she didn't pry further. She nodded slightly to the two of them in farewell and then headed to the demonstration hall alone.
"What? Are we not entering together?" Alan looked at Arthur, puzzled. Since they were both going to the same place, why not walk together?
"We need to register first. How could we let someone carry a box of unknown contents near several high-ranking officials? What if there's a curse hidden inside? We have to perform a routine security check," Arthur explained with a smile.
*Understood, so it's a security check. But why not just inspect it at the entrance hall?* Alan thought, feeling a bit speechless. However, this might be a new business opportunity. Should he make an alchemical item that can perform security checks? A flash of inspiration suddenly struck him.
"By the way, if I may ask, is that Aseria a normal human wizard?" Alan put his previous thought aside and asked, perhaps a bit too inquisitively.
"You want to ask if she's a Veela, right? She is indeed a human wizard. Honestly, such a beautiful woman is bound to make people think that way. I hear she has quite a few admirers in the Ministry." Arthur understood Alan's thoughts and teased him with a laugh.
"Aseria only joined the Ministry of Magic a few years ago. She was a year behind Lily. After graduating, she traveled in Europe for two years before joining the Ministry, so she's still considered a newcomer," Arthur added.
"I heard you say her last name is Rowle. I recall that surname being shared with a certain fugitive Death Eater." Alan was very familiar with the list of Death Eaters and asked, feeling a bit sensitive to the name.
"You mean Thorfinn Rowle, right? He and Aseria do come from the same family, but their blood relation is very distant. In fact, as long as someone in the Ministry of Magic is of pure-blood descent, they have more or less some kinship with those Death Eaters. It's not strange."
After explaining, Arthur leaned toward Alan and whispered, "Actually, Aseria's grades in school weren't particularly good in any subject. It's said that she was only accepted into the Ministry of Magic because of her looks. Do you understand what I mean?"
*No, Arthur, why do you seem to have caught Vivian's gossiping illness?* Alan glanced at him, speechless.
So, this Aseria is actually just a pretty face? Yet, Alan always felt that this beautiful woman seemed to be hiding something; there was an inexplicable sense of discord about her. He shook his head, not delving any deeper, and followed Arthur through several turns into an office.
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