Where are we?
In the last second, they were at a resort on the outskirts of Berlin, but with a sudden overwhelming sensation of suffocation and a feeling of being crushed, Lois, who was staggering and dizzy upon hitting the ground, found that they had already appeared in a field planted with rapeseed and winter wheat.
She gasped several times, and the world before her finally became clear instead of a blur. Watching Amortus and Gingersly steady themselves and land beside her, Lois mumbled (perverted wizard) inaudibly, before taking hold of Amortus' offered hand and tottering to her feet.
Breeze swept over, a pleasant fresh smell bursting into her face. Lois spun in place, surveying the surroundings.
The gloomy sky of Berlin vanished, now the sky above them was a gem-like azure blue. Not far away, a clear river running through the wilderness reflected the color of the sky, accompanied by a clear, crisp sound like wind chimes from the flowing water, beautiful as if it were flowing out of a fairy tale.
Standing on the ridge of the field, Lois lifted her feet, peering over at the river that seemed to flow with countless gems like a gem-strewn river channel. She momentarily lost her sense of reality before seeing the golden fields spreading out to infinity, making her feel incredibly content.
"Now we are in the outskirts of Bonn —"
The pleasing natural scenery always brings joy to the heart, and even Amortus' smile became light-hearted. He and Lois looked around, and soon saw a faintly swirling black shadow behind swaying stalks of wheat, which should be the blades of a windmill.
"Come on --"
Having determined the direction, Amortus took the lead and started walking towards it.
"Before coming to find you, I did some research. Some old friends helped me find this place; it's secluded and a great place for retirement."
Amortus said a strange thing.
Gingersly, walking last, looked over Lois' head at Amortus' back, his heart again amazed at Amortus' powerful ability.
However, this really is quite strange. Mr. Brenn doesn't know where Gasna Vogel is, yet he has found his home?
However, Gingersly quickly discarded that thought, carefully walking along the uneven, overgrown field path that was a bit slippery.
"Regarding the investigation we were conducting before, Mr. Brenn, that is, the black wizards who can create separated cursed seeds, last night new information was received from the department — "
Amortus tilted his head slightly, indicating that he was listening.
"According to the information you provided earlier, we first found the guy who was temporarily residing in England, but after investigation, we ruled out his suspect —"
Gingersly slightly organized his thoughts, and then, spoke in detail.
"But apart from him, our investigations in other countries have not been smooth. In the Far East, our people did indeed find the person on the list, but he refused to communicate with us and escaped after injuring the people we sent. The disturbance attracted the attention of the local Ministry of Magic, so to avoid any conflicts, we withdrew our people; the one living in France has already moved to America two years ago. Judging by reason, he did not have the time or motive to commit a crime, so we did not continue to investigate."
Amortus slightly pursed his lips and his face turned a bit dark, Willowrence had still deceived him.
"What else, Gingersly?"
"According to our investigation, the two in Albania should both be gone, maybe you've heard about this. Last August, there was a black wizard conflict in Albania. One of the two on the list died in that fight, and the other one... Many wizards who have been mingling there have fled Albania because of this incident. Their current whereabouts are unknown."
Cough cough —
Amortus scratched his cheek, silent.
"--the two in Germany,"
Gingersly continued to report,
"According to what we know, Friedrich Kahren and his disciples went to Greece last month, it seems they were exploring an ancient site. Auguste Ramman is a traveler, we sent people to his address, and his mundane neighbor told us he often travels abroad, rarely stays in his own country. We searched his house and didn't find any clues about where he was going."
Amortus nodded with a thoughtful expression, but did not show any response.
Following the winding path, they gradually approached the windmill mill on the riverbank. The mill was situated within a farm of several acres, enclosed by a fence. Half of the farm was planted with various vegetables, and within the fence, pigs and chickens were being well tended to.
Next to the mill was a two-story wooden house, which seemed to have been built there for quite some time judging from the darkish-gray tone of the wooden boards.
"Oh, sorry!"
Louise's gaze lingered only a moment on the house, then it was drawn to a stone mill in front of the house that rotated without any animal or mechanical power, completely unaware that Amortus had suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"What's wrong?"
At a distance from the farm's fence, watching Amortus suddenly stop and calmly gaze ahead, Gingersly immediately became alert, the wand already in his hand.
"Some warning spells up ahead, I guess they are used to remind the owner, there is an uninvited guest coming --"
Amortus said indifferently,
"In order to have a pleasant meeting later, I think it's best to knock on the door first --"
Speaking, Amortus raised his wand, a bright blaze of fire light left his wand tip and rushed into the front protected area, like fireworks bursting open in the air, an abrupt explosion sound echoed in the expanse.
Bang!
Reaction came quickly, the wandering breeze suddenly disordered the tracks, and after a crisp explosion, a small thing suddenly popped out from the void and landed in front of Amortus.
"Oh, my God!"
Caught off guard by this unexpected scene, Lois shivered, nearly sliding into the fields on either side. And when she finally got a clear look at what had appeared, her eyes involuntarily widened.
"This is a...dwarf?"
"In fact, this species is called--domestic elf--by wizards."
Amortus smiled and said, he lowered his head to look at the little creature - from the loose skin and the thick, white hair on its body, this domestic elf looked very old, just like Clef, the one from Black family.
Amortus simply looked down at the little creature, keeping a friendly smile, while this old domestic elf, after landing on the ground, first glared at him with caution and unfriendliness, but when it really saw which wizard made the noise and disturbed its owner's rest, it no longer felt alert but instead began to emit a kind of fear and confusion.
"Amortus Brenn?"
The little creature called out with a sharp voice that was different from its old appearance, fearfully retreating a few steps back, its eyes staring fixedly at Amortus, completely ignoring Lois and Gingersly behind him.
"Hello --" Amortus nodded, "What should I call you?"
"Hein --"
The little elf hesitated for a moment, but then respectfully bowed his head.
"I am Hein, respected Mr. Brenn --"
"So, Hein, I apologize for disturbing you and your master's peaceful life. I should have not been mistaken, this is the home of Anton Vogel, the president, isn't it?"
Anton Vogel, the President?
Gingersly was first stunned, and then he, like Lois, widened his eyes in disbelief and was shocked to the utmost.
"Incredible! I remember Anton Vogel. He's still alive?!"
Shocked, Gingersly forgot to keep silent. Even though he was supposed to be a steady person, he couldn't help but scream out.
The little elf named Hein looked displeased at Gingersly, but he dare not scold him. He just nodded slightly.
"It seems we are lucky to have found the right place --"
Amortus smiled, but there was no joy in his eyes. He looked at the wooden house that seemed to have been abandoned by time, and unconsciously, his tone was filled with a touch of solemnity and majesty.
"Could you please inform him, Hein, tell Vogel president that Amortus Brenn has visited and hopes to have a face-to-face conversation with him --"
(Chapter ends)
