That Great Person

Knockturn Alley had changed.

Shadows, cloaking mystery and eeriness, had quietly descended upon the street.

The wizards who came and went held their breath, desperately minimizing their presence, terrified of attracting the attention of that terrifying existence.

But one person was an exception.

Kalakbok.

This old geezer, who looked like a decent person, had become even more arrogant lately.

At the end of Knockturn Alley, at the Black Cat Inn.

"Wiggins, my old friend, how are you?"

Caractacus's face was wreathed in smiles, but his eyes held a condescending glint.

He raised his wine glass in a toast to the man opposite him. The elegant silk suit he wore made it obvious at a glance that the fabric was of superior quality.

At least Wigginskal, the owner of the Voodoo shop and his drinking buddy, didn't have such high-end clothes in his wardrobe.

"Heh, my life is as usual, nothing much to report.

But you, you seem to be living quite comfortably."

Smoking a cigarette made from special leaves, the one-eyed old Wiggins sneered repeatedly.

Who didn't know that old Boke had recently struck it rich? Needless to say, he was showing off to him.

"Naturally."

Unexpectedly, Caractacus admitted it readily.

He had indeed been terrified that day when Lord Sauron had expressed his desire for his shop.

But after seeing bag after bag of those golden little cuties, and then looking at the tip of the Elder Wand, he, like many other wizards, had submitted.

Putting all other emotions aside, Caractacus forced himself to be "sincerely convinced" before the person in front of him.

There was nothing else to say. This lord possessed both wealth and power.

What else could he do?

And so, old Boke sold the shop his family had run for hundreds of years, going from owner to employee.

Lord Sauron, on the other hand, became his boss.

"Hey, we've known each other for decades. Tell me about your boss— no, no, no, tell me about that lord."

Although Wiggins disdained Caractacus's nouveau riche-style boasting, he was very interested in the person behind him.

Sauron.

This was the name that had recently cast a shadow over Knockturn Alley.

Everyone who made a living on this street was trying every means to gather information about him.

But without exception, they had all failed.

This guy seemed to have appeared out of nowhere; they couldn't find anything!

"Lord Sauron, hehe, he is truly an extraordinary figure."

His face was smiling, but his heart was filled with a touch of sadness.

Before that day, his name, Caractacus, had also been respected.

How could someone who thrived in the chaotic Knockturn Alley, upon suddenly becoming rich, turn into a nouveau riche who only knew how to show off everywhere?

However...

This was the attitude Lord Sauron desired.

The more conspicuous and arrogant he acted, the more satisfied Lord Sauron would be.

Although he didn't know why, for the sake of his family's lives, he had no choice but to swallow his pride, abandon his past dignity, and become a complete lackey.

"I'm only telling you, don't spread it around."

With a sly chuckle, Caractacus spoke with a drunken haze. The bustling tavern momentarily froze, then quickly returned to normal.

But Caractacus knew that countless ears were undoubtedly pricked in secret.

Calming his mind and pushing away all the messy thoughts, he took a large gulp of wine and then spoke mysteriously, deliberately not lowering his voice.

"Lord Sauron is a wizard of immense magical power, there's no doubt about that. Although he looks young, only in his twenties, he has actually lived for over a thousand years."

"Hiss!"

Wiggins gasped, his single eye filled with disbelief.

"Th-that's impossible."

Honestly, he couldn't believe anyone could live for a thousand years.

Wizards weren't magical creatures!

"To be honest, I didn't really believe it at first."

Caractacus chuckled, then gradually his smile faded.

"So, have you heard of the legendary Deathly Hallows?"

"Deathly Hallows? What are those?"

Old Wiggins blinked, shaking his head in confusion.

"Whoever possesses the Deathly Hallows will become the Master of Death. The Elder Wand will make you invincible, the Resurrection Stone will make you immune to the threat of death, and the Cloak of Invisibility can erase all traces of you from the world."

Caractacus spoke slowly, not expecting the other party to have heard of the Deathly Hallows.

At this point, Wiggins had some recollection.

What Deathly Hallows? The name sounded impressive, but wasn't it just something from storybooks?

What was that book called again?

Right!

The Collected Tales of the Bard of Bean.

"What does this have to do with Lord Soren?"

Muttering in dissatisfaction, Wiggins smacked his lips. He had wanted to pry some information out, but who knew this old fellow would be so slippery, trying to fob him off with fairy tales. Did he really take him for a fool?

"Lord Soren is the Master of the Deathly Hallows."

Seeing the dismissive look on the other's face, Caractacus didn't waste any more words and played his trump card.

"All the Hallows are in Lord Sauron's hands, which is why he could conquer death and survive to this day!"

Conquer death and survive to this day?

Wiggins looked at Caractacus as if he were listening to a fantastical tale, wanting to laugh at his serious and exaggerated expression but not daring to. This old guy must have been thoroughly beaten by that Soren to believe such nonsense. Conquer death? It was nothing more than an excuse to puff himself up. In his many years in Knockturn Alley, Wiggins had seen countless spellcasters from all over the world, many of whom claimed to be immortal, only to be exposed later for their ridiculous tricks. He never expected Carac Palkin, an old hand in Knockturn Alley, to be fooled. Heh. How amusing.

"Ignorance."

Wiggins wanted to mock him, but Caractacus just as much wanted to mock Wiggins. How could a frog in a well understand the vastness of the world? Lord Sauron had shattered his perception of strength with almost unreasonable means and reshaped the entire world. That Lord... was a great being close to a god! It could only be said that mortals were just mortals.

"Let me tell you, someone like Lord Sauron originally lived in seclusion and rarely appeared before the world. But something that happened recently forced him to leave the mountains..."

Taking a swig of wine, Caractacus ignored Wiggins and continued to relay the words his boss had instructed him to say, one by one.

"Lord Sauron's Magic Ring is lost, and it's said to be in London!"

"Wait a minute, what's a Magic Ring?"

Wiggins considered himself well-traveled, but the "Deathly Hallows" just now had puzzled him for a long time, and now a "Magic Ring" had appeared. The owner of the Voodoo shop felt his brain wasn't quite keeping up.

"I don't know about that either. Lord Sauron didn't explain it to me. He just said the ring was a treasure forged from Divine Gold, containing a part of his power, and losing it would be very troublesome."

Caractacus and Wiggins continued their seemingly casual chat, and the atmosphere in the tavern remained lively. However, upon closer observation, it was not difficult to notice that many people in the tavern showed a trace of uncontrollable greed in their eyes when they heard the words "Divine Gold."