Ian stood in the empty, deserted corridor, like a drop of water merging into the sea. Night at the African Ministry of Magic was deathly silent in a way utterly different from daytime. Pale magical wall lamps were set into the walls, casting cold halos that barely drove back the heavy darkness, only making the place feel even more sinister.
The air was thick with the stale, stuffy smell of old parchment, dust, and some kind of magical cleaning agent. He unfolded the hide map Babua had provided, his fingertips moving slowly across it as his Mental Power, like invisible tendrils, cross-checked the defensive nodes marked on the map.
Thanks to this outrageously detailed intelligence, Ian already had a complete grasp of the magical layout of the area.
"Anti-Apparition barrier. Average strength, sparse node distribution..."
"Magic Power Alert Network. There are blind spots in its coverage, and its energy fluctuations are sluggish..."
"Patrol golems? Oh, they're charging and dormant at the corner of the third corridor... Tsk, tsk, that saves quite a bit of manpower. Looks like the Ministry of Magic here has a Commissioner Smith too."
"Spatial Confusion Barrier... It's arranged rather interestingly, but the maintenance is lacking. The energy flow is sluggish, and the flaws are obvious. One look tells you the workmanship wasn't up to par."
Ian moved through the maze-like corridors as leisurely as if strolling through a garden, silently appraising everything in his mind. His movements were as light as a ghost's, and his steps made not the slightest sound on the smooth marble floor. Occasionally, his figure blurred as though blending into the shadows, only to appear in another corner dozens of meters away the next instant, deftly avoiding every still-functioning surveillance spell and physical sentry post.
He even passed several rooms that appeared