Unfinished

The afterglow of the setting sun draped the city in a blood-red veil. Before darkness arrived, a chilling killing intent seemed to be brewing beneath the surface. Meanwhile, the "casual chat" between two senior Congress officials continued over dinner in the Ministry of Magic Congress cafeteria.

Once Trake readily agreed to lift the martial controls on entry and exit as soon as possible, Marcyll suddenly realized she had nothing more to say. And with that, she finally confirmed that Trake had indeed guessed why she had come.

To be honest, it was not particularly hard to guess.

Unlike the Department of Security, which had recently run into a string of high-profile troubles, the Department of International Magical Cooperation had not suffered any disastrous setbacks. For the Cooperation Department, the only major matter lately had been Amosta Breen, Remus Lupin, and their Learning Machine.

Back when the Learning Machine had first begun making a name for itself in Europe, the well-informed Marcyll had heard about it from an old friend returning from Europe.

Compared with its remarkable effects, what shocked Marcyll more was the price of this alchemical device: fifty thousand Galleons apiece!

After all, this was not some goblin-made artwork—rare but practically useless, fit only for display in the estates of wealthy and powerful wizarding families.

The Learning Machine had extremely broad market prospects. It could be widely used in preschool education, elite education, and even the formation of private armed forces. Once it entered the American wizarding world, Marcyll believed it would become an industry with an annual output value of several million Galleons. The tariffs it generated alone would be enough to give every Ministry of Magic Congress employee a handsome year-end bonus.

If she could successfully bring it in, it would undoubtedly be an outstanding political achievement.