"Master…" Karkaroff's face immediately turned bitter when Alan brought up the matter again. Alan had urged him to do this many times before, but he had always put him off. Who would have thought that today his master would actually throw the money in his face.
"I know what you're worried about. Aren't you just afraid that those Death Eaters will come after you?" Alan rolled his eyes at Karkaroff's cowardly appearance. "They're just a bunch of strays. Do you need to be so afraid?"
*Strays? It's as if I'm not a stray myself,* Karkaroff silently grumbled in his heart.
"Master, you also know my situation. Don't look at me now, looking all glorious, saying I'm the deputy headmaster of Durmstrang, but with my meager strength, if I encounter those Death Eaters, I'll definitely die without a burial place," Karkaroff mumbled with a bitter smile.
"Who are the main Death Eaters active in Europe right now? Is it Yaxley?" Alan hadn't forgotten that his former classmate, Rory Yaxley, had a Death Eater brother who had fled to Europe.
"That's right. Besides him, there are also the Carrow siblings, and seven or eight other Death Eaters who hang out together. These guys, because they also come from pure-blood families, have not been troubled by the Pure Land Society in Europe. They usually wander in the gray areas of the European wizarding world. Although they can't make much of a impact, they have managed to gain a foothold." Karkaroff couldn't help but sigh when he mentioned these familiar names. Due to fear of retaliation, he had collected a lot of information about them.
"You don't need to worry about these people." Seeing Karkaroff's worried face, a cold smile appeared on Alan's face. "When I come to Europe this time, I will deal with them all. All you need to do is handle this matter for me."
"Deal with them all?" Karkaroff's heart trembled when he heard this. "Could it be?"
"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask. In short, remember that many things may happen in Europe in the coming period, but none of this concerns you, so ignore it all." Speaking of this, Alan recalled something and asked, "By the way, you mentioned earlier that the Pure Land Society in Norway is controlled by the Jacobsen family, right? Do you know anything about this family? Do you know anyone from this family?"
"That's right." Karkaroff nodded with a puzzled expression. He didn't understand what Alan meant by "many things would happen," but he still replied truthfully. "The Jacobsen family has a huge influence here, almost throughout Norway. And the current principal of Durmstrang Institute is from the Jacobsen family, named Seth Jacobsen. We have a good relationship. It was through his connections that I was able to become deputy headmaster."
"Oh? Your principal is from the Jacobsen family? That's interesting." Upon hearing Karkaroff's words, a playful expression immediately appeared on Alan's face. "Karkaroff…" Alan seemed to have thought of something interesting, his eyes narrowed into slits. "Do you… want to be the principal of Durmstrang?"
"What? Principal?" Karkaroff was startled by the words, then quickly looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping, and said nervously, "Master, please don't joke with me. Seth Jacobsen is very secure in his position as principal, and it's still far from his retirement age. Moreover, I was promoted to deputy headmaster by him. He has absolute power in the school. If I show any rebellious intentions, I will definitely suffer."
"Don't worry, Karkaroff. I cast a shielding charm around us after you sat down, so no one will hear our conversation." Alan chuckled at Karkaroff's shifty appearance. "And I'm not asking you to openly oppose this Seth. I know you can't do something like usurp the position."
Upon hearing Alan's slightly sarcastic words, Karkaroff not only didn't feel angry but nodded repeatedly. His life at Durmstrang was good, and there was no need to cause unnecessary trouble.
Alan changed his approach and asked Karkaroff, "Let me ask you one thing: If your Principal Jacobsen were to have some kind of accident, would you have a chance to be promoted to principal?"
"Have some kind of accident?" Karkaroff trembled all over, frightened by Alan's words. Why was his master asking this? Was this young wizard going to do something astonishing again? He felt as if he had heard something extraordinary, but seeing Alan staring at him with sharp eyes, Karkaroff quickly replied, "If… I mean, if Principal Jacobsen really had an accident, as deputy headmaster, with the help of my cousin on the school board, and by using some Galleons, it's not impossible to be promoted to principal, but…"
"There is no but." Alan chuckled playfully. "Karkaroff, perhaps it won't be long before you get this opportunity. It seems your luck is quite good."
"What opportunity? Master, please don't scare me." Karkaroff was terrified by Alan, looking at him with a panicked expression.
"Don't ask unnecessary questions." Alan wasn't in the mood to explain so much to him. He just rummaged around on his person for a while, then took out another large leather bag, which looked similar to the previous one. "Here are another 2,000 Galleons. Keep them safe for emergencies."
"This… Are you serious?" Karkaroff could not fail to understand that Alan's so-called "emergencies" referred to using this money to secure his promotion to principal after the current principal had an accident.
"I already said, you don't need to know too many unnecessary things." Alan was too lazy to waste words with Karkaroff. "Next, you just stay put at Durmstrang and wait for my message. I need you to help me deliver some messages to Principal Jacobsen."
"Will it be very troublesome news?" Karkaroff was understanding Alan's words less and less now.
"No." Alan shook his head decisively. "It's news about the Silver Spears. If there's large-scale activity of the Silver Spears within Norway during this period, your principal, as a member of the Jacobsen family, shouldn't ignore it, right?"
"The Silver Spears? The Jacobsen family is indeed very interested in their movements, but does this have anything to do with Principal Jacobsen giving up his position?" Karkaroff looked at Alan with some confusion.
"You really are an idiot." Alan rolled his eyes at the other party, utterly speechless. Did he have to explain things that clearly? "The matter is settled. You just need to do as I say, and wait for my message at any time."
There was no need to let Karkaroff know some things, and Alan was too lazy to explain. After saying this, he pulled his cloak tighter, and his figure instantly disappeared, clearly having used a Disillusionment Charm to conceal himself.
And Karkaroff found that after meeting his master, besides hearing some frightening and very vague words, he suddenly received a huge sum of money. Although this money was to help Alan with his affairs, suddenly having so much money in his hands still made him feel a pang of panic. Karkaroff immediately left the scene after putting away the two leather bags.
After leaving the bar, Alan found a place to change into his Silver Spears attire, then Apparated to a secluded stone house not far from there. Actually, besides meeting Karkaroff today, he had also arranged to meet Fwooper, and meeting Fwooper was the main purpose; Karkaroff was just a side trip. And this small house in front of him was Fwooper's temporary safe house in Europe. Besides her, the other helpers she had summoned would also gather here.
Upon arriving at the small house, Thunderbird, played by Alan, did not enter immediately, but instead drew his wand and pointed it in the air. Immediately, ripples spread through the air beside him, and a gap slowly opened in the seemingly void space in front of him, as if a transparent curtain had been pulled aside.
Alan nodded with appreciation. Although the barrier magic used by Fwooper was not very strong, its concealment and protection were quite good. After a brief moment, he bent down and entered. After stepping through the transparent curtain, he entered Fwooper's true safe house.
At this moment, the house no longer looked as desolate as before. The windows on all three floors of the small house were lit, and figures could be seen moving inside through the glass windows. And after Thunderbird entered this barrier, Fwooper, who had been waiting inside, also sensed it. She quickly opened the house door and came out to greet him.
"Sir, I have gathered everyone as you instructed." Fwooper seemed to have been waiting here for a long time. She was covered in the warmth from inside the house, and as soon as she stepped out into the cold open space, her clothes slowly began to steam.
"Very good. Have you chosen the time, location, and route for the landing?" Alan wasn't in a hurry to enter the small house, lingering outside and whispering to Fwooper.
"It's been confirmed. The time is late tomorrow night, and the location is marked on the map, landing in the waters near Trondheim. The sea there isn't frozen yet. Then we'll go north along the Norwegian coastline, directly entering Russia from northern Norway, and then circling back to Germany from the east." Fwooper finished speaking and took out a rolled-up map from her person, handing it over.
Alan unrolled the map and briefly glanced at it, then asked in confusion, "Can't we just go directly east across Sweden and Finland? Isn't it too cold if we go too far north, and according to your route, it seems we'll also pass through Finnmark County, where Durmstrang Institute is located, and there are also wizard gathering areas around there. Are you sure this arrangement won't arouse suspicion?"