Amelia was quite certain that there were two wizards, who were bending over the table, separated by three tables from her. One of them was holding something from the table, which was the horn of a unicorn, a Class B prohibited and rare item, dangerous.
It is rare because the number of unicorn, a large carnivorous animal, is not very large, and the horn of unicorn is non-regenerative. If an unicorn loses its horn, it will not grow a second one for life.
The danger lies in the fact that if the horn is improperly stored or touched, and the lethal liquid hidden within it leaks out, the resulting explosion would be enough to overturn this bar!
Amelia stared fixedly at the horn, her lips pale, beads of sweat appearing on her forehead and back. However, the two people who were trading it paid no attention to it. The buyer threw a bag of gold coins out and, after the seller checked that everything was correct, he took the horn and carelessly stuffed it into his wizard robe.
And this dangerous transaction is not unique. There are several places in the bar where such high-risk and serious illegal deals are carried out.
What should I do?
Amelia looked confused and helpless, should she directly arrest these people or call for backup now?
The congress is now in a quandary over the loss of those extremely dangerous magical creatures from the Natural Reserve of Magical Creatures. If these creatures were to appear in the muggle world, the impact would be catastrophic. The wizards who are trading the unicorn's horn might be poachers!
The two people who had completed the transaction clinked their glasses together, drained the last of the liquid in their cups, and then rose to leave.
The buyer joined another card game at another table, while the seller of the gold coins had no intention of staying and was heading towards the door.
Amelia swallowed hard as she watched the criminals passing by her. She didn't notice that her hand had already gone into her pocket.
"You're lucky your eyes are worth nothing, girl!"
The dealer selling the animal horns paused when he passed by them, glancing at the hand Amelia had hidden in her pocket with a cold look. He then looked at her maliciously, laughing gruesomely.
"Even if it's worth a single galleon, I would dig it out!"
The menacing presence sent a shiver through Amelia, and she almost retreated in panic, reaching for her wand.
The dealer saw this and breathed a sigh of relief. After bowing to Amelia, he quickly left the bar, head down, until he walked out the door, his raised shoulders still not having relaxed.
The dealer was about to grin in mockery, this new guy probably doesn't know anything. It is absolutely forbidden to fight in Blind Pig bar. Otherwise, the owner will use all means possible to kill you until you are dead. But when the handsome young man with gray hair casually glanced over, the dealer was first taken aback and then became obedient.
Amosta merely uttered a single word, then walked towards the empty table.
Once inside the bar, the cat-like creature that followed Amosta jumped off his shoulder and agily weaved through the legs of the passing crowd. Its ears, which were drooped just moments ago, perked up now as if it was trying to listen to something.
Amost and Lems had already taken their seats, and Amelia hurried to join them, her expression both confused and bewildered.
"If I were you, I would keep a low profile and be humble—"
"What's going on, he?"
The dealer pulled his shoulders in and kept his head low.
"I'd like to buy you and your friend a drink as an apology for my rambling."
This transaction of selling the animal horn also caught the attention of the cat-like creature named Hobbit, but after glancing at the horn a few times, it lost interest and darted off to eavesdrop elsewhere.
"Excuse me, sir ---"
Amost kept his eyes on the creature, until he heard the brash words and drew his gaze back, speaking leisurely.
"lest the gold he had earned with difficulty can't be taken out of this bar."
"Get out."
"Wizards who thrive in this environment must have a keen sense of smell."
Lems smiled and whispered.
"They can tell at a glance who are newbs and who are people you should never mess with."
Upon hearing this, Amelia stammered and opened her mouth slightly. She could not tell that the person standing next to her had completely transformed, but still exuding a gentle aura, how could Asmost be easily provoked? No, this is not what she needs to care about right now!
Amelia's gaze shifted to the noisy bar, which was almost like a den of criminals. Since it was so famous, even many junior wizards had heard of it, the Ministry of Magic must surely know about it. But why would the Death Eaters allow such a place to exist?!
"What are you looking for here?"
Lems was well aware that Asmosta would not have come here out of sheer curiosity, since his presence meant there was a purpose, and the most likely one was to acquire information.
"Naturally, I want to hear what the bar owner thinks of Grindelwald."
Asmosta sipped the sherry, smiling, and said.
"Isn't he the person we urgently need to know more about? I have heard of it in Europe, the owner of Blind Pig bar knows everything that happens in New York, its news are more informative than the French Ministry of Magic. Hmm, it seems like he is not home, we'll probably have to wait for a while longer."
Amelia's lips moved, not quite agreeing with the rumors Asmost had heard. In this land, no one has more extensive information channels than the Ministry of Magic. And if he wanted to know about Mr. Grindelwald, why not just ask her?
But in the end, Amelia didn't say anything. She also wanted to see, what kind of person was the one who ran this criminal hideout.
As Asmosta predicted, the whole day long, they didn't see the mysterious owner.
To kill the boredom of waiting, Asmosta even went to a table of card games and played for a while, winning dozens of galleons before buying drinks for everyone at the table and then discreetly left. Lems also became "friends" with the drunk wizard he bumped into when they first entered the bar through a glass of fire whiskey, from whom he learned many recent interesting stories about New York.
Following Asmosta's arrival, Hobbit quickly ran around for a while, then leaped onto a beam and crouched down, listening to the conversation in the hall with its ears perked up.
Only Amelia sat uneasily in her seat, fighting the urge to return to the Ministry of Magic and report this to Mr. Grindelwald, suffering in silence.
The bar's patrons changed one after another, until the neon lights of the muggle world a few blocks away shone through the greasy windows, and a figure suddenly appeared next to the bar by means of apparition.
It was a centaur, who looked to be in his middle years, considering that centaurs are a species that far surpass the lifespan of wizards, this one must have been at least a hundred years old.
Unlike those who appear in bars or magical creatures of intelligence, it was like the elite in Gryffindor House, dressed in a well-tailored suit, with a bow tie on top, and even a long finger holding a burning cigar.
After nearly a full day in the bar, Amelia saw for the first time someone apparate directly into the bar, and this quickly made her realize the identity of this centaur with a sly glint in its eyes and an intelligent look.
Narlock——The owner of Blind Pig bar, a well-known figure in the underground wizarding world of America.
Like a king, Narlock scanned his bar—the kingdom of his own—with a touch of pride. Seeing everything as usual, he comfortably took a deep puff of his cigar and blew a smoke ring into the half-air.
Hobbit, who had been snoring on a beam for quite some time, woke up in the instant Narlock appeared. It made a low purring sound and leapt back onto Asmosta's shoulder, successfully drawing Narlock's attention to the trio.
(Chapter ends)
