The moon shines bright in the west, and the noisy traffic in the city subsides gradually. Even at such a time, New York's modern metropolis is still full of brightly lit office buildings. For example, Wall Street, the financial hub of the muggle world, extending from Broadway to the East River, including the World Trade Center Towers where Amorta and Remus live.
Of course, it also includes Woolworth Building where the American Magical Congress is located.
However, the muggles looking at the building from outside would see it as dark and deserted, completely unaware that a large and special group is working through the night to resolve an incident that occurred in New York tonight.
The floor where the Ministry of Magic is located is holding an emergency meeting.
"We have now completed the camouflage of the accident site, and the muggles will believe that the explosion was caused by the aging wiring of the building."
In the low-pressure conference room, a member of the Auror Order stood up and faced the head of the room, where Graviss, with a face as still as water, said,
"Fortunately, the explosion occurred on the rooftop, so no muggles witnessed any magic."
Graviss nodded, and the reporting Auror continued,
"Additionally, Amorta Brenn has provided information, speculating that the cause of the incident is a mistake with the smuggling of a toxic jaguar skin."
Newt Scamander strongly insists that he should take care of the illegally imported toxic puma, but the Ministry of Magic cannot allow such a dangerous creature to fall into the hands of an individual, especially in light of several incidents of magical creatures with a 5X level of danger missing from the hidden magical creature sanctuary located within Central Park in New York.
Hearing the name of Amorta Brenn, the solemn and suppressed conference room stirred slightly, but Graviss rapped his fingers on the table, instantly suppressing the rising commotion.
"What evidence does he base this inference on?"
Graviss looks at the reporting wizard, his alert eyes flickering for a moment.
"According to Amorta Brenn, the individual who smuggled the toxic puma into the country was an Asian. Due to his simultaneous arrival, he has some recollection of this wizard. We have verified this information from the immigration management office, and from his submitted application, we found out that his name is Sato Ryūhei and he is thirty-seven years old."
After entering the country, Sato Ryūhei stayed at a muggle hotel and arrived at the Blind Pig Bar this evening via muggle transportation. Amorta Brenn recognized this man. However, Sato Ryūhei did not linger at the Blind Pig Bar; after meeting with the two wizards involved in the transaction, they three left the bar together. The incident then occurred.
Sato Ryūhei stayed in a muggle hotel after his arrival and arrived at the Blind Pig pub this evening through muggle transportation. Amorta Brenn recognized him. However, Sato Ryūhei did not stay at the Blind Pig pub. After meeting with the two wizards involved in the transaction, they left the bar together. The incident subsequently occurred. We found fragments of Sato Ryūhei's black suitcase at the scene, which basically confirms that Amorta Brenn's information is accurate. Of course, we also found a few guys who were hanging out at the Blind Pig pub that night, and they confirmed that Sato Ryūhei briefly appeared at the bar but quickly left with some people."
"Why didn't the immigration management office discover that this Japanese man was smuggling a dangerous creature into the country?"
The Auror with his furrowed eyebrows, who had previously appeared at the scene where Amorta fought the toxic puma, angrily asked,
"This is undoubtedly a major work error."
"Oh, well, that's not quite accurate, Eryl."
Another neat and tidy witch standing by the reporting wizard said,
"Steven Adams, the immigration officer, was my classmate. He is a responsible and meticulous wizard, but when I asked him about that Japanese man, he seemed dazed and couldn't recall much. I guess Sato Ryūhei probably used a confusion spell on him."
This action has undoubtedly violated another absolute taboo, and the conference room was filled with indignation. This time, Graviss did not suppress his subordinates' anger. He seemed to be thinking about something until everyone had vented enough, and then he continued to ask,
"What information do we currently have about the two wizards who made a deal with Sato Ryūhei?"
The reporting wizard awkwardly scratched his nose,
"The individuals we caught at the Blind Pig pub don't have a clear impression of the two wizards who dealt with Sato Ryūhei. Of course, if you issue a warrant, we can extract their appearance from their memories."
"Alright, let's do that then."
Graviss said calmly, and the reporting wizard looked as if he had just been granted a pardon. He didn't expect Mr. Graviss to let him off so lightly.
"So, Eryl."
Graviss turned to him,
"You were one of the first to arrive at the scene where Amorta and his companion fought the toxic puma, right? Tell us what you saw."
"Oh, the scene was absolutely thrilling!"
Eryl eagerly stood up, telling his superior and the colleagues who missed the big scene what he saw. As he vividly described the scene, people listened with their breath becoming heavier, eyes filled with excitement, and gradually revealing an incredible expression.
Of course, there were also some people whose faces turned serious after listening, such as Selena Hilde, who had just defended her classmate's work error.
"Are you saying—"
Selena interrupted Eryl's repeated description, her brow furrowed.
"Amorta's companion didn't provide much effective assistance, did he? Was he able to handle an adult toxic puma by himself?"
"Without casting a single spell?"
Graviss's brow is also furrowed severely.
"That's exactly what happened. Oh, of course, after the toxic puma escaped from the muggle train tracks, Amorta Brenn seemed determined to deal with the threat as soon as possible. He borrowed a wand from Amelia at the immigration office. I heard that little girl is now one of us?"
Eryl blinked and asked.
Gravvis didn't answer, he still had a furrowed brow.
He decided to take Amorta Brenn's wand precisely because a powerful wizard is a huge instability factor that can cause enormous damage. However, he had never imagined that even without the wand in hand, Amorta Brenn could display such strength.
Graviss lowered his head in deep thought, his face hidden in the shadows cast by the lights, and no one noticed the fierce glint in his eyes.
"This is indeed a difficult task. Taking away Amorta Brenn's wand and having someone follow him is already the limit within reasonable bounds. How can he order someone to imprison Amorta Brenn?"
"How is Amelia doing?"
After a long silence, Graviss suddenly asked.
"She sustained some minor injuries and inadvertently inhaled a small amount of the toxic puma's poison. We've sent her to St. Xylitol Hospital for Magic Wounds, and she may have to stay there for a few days."
Eryl shrugged and said,
"Poor new recruit."
"Then, for the Ministry of Magic, what needs to be done is already very clear."
Thanks to the great help of Amorta Brenn, the toxic puma did not cause much damage. Some muggles who witnessed Amorta Brenn's battle with the toxic puma on the railway tracks and in Central Park have been properly handled. Aurors' next goal is to find both parties involved in trading this toxic puma.
"You think—"
At the end of the action deployment meeting, Selena suddenly said,
"What do the two guys who bought the toxic puma from Sato Ryūhei want to do? Will these dangerous creatures be related to the magical creatures that have gone missing from the recent natural reserve?"
"No matter what the truth is."
Gravvis stood up, his expression impassive, and said,
"We all need to find the suspects first."
After saying this, he strode out of the conference room swiftly.
"Oh, that's not normal at all,"
Eryl watched as his superior left the room, slightly stunned, and said,
"I thought, Mr. Graviss would give us a final deadline for finding the suspects."
(Chapter ends)
