Fire Dragon's Message

On the last day of '91, Tom finally went out.

He arrived at Michael's residence in Knockturn Alley and found a message left for him by Borgin - Borgin.

Without saying a word, Tom headed straight for Borgin - Borgin's store.

Old Borgin had just seen off a guest who wore a hood and used magic to cover his face, and his face was all wrinkled from smiling so much that he clearly made a fortune.

Tom joked, "Looks like this deal was pretty profitable, old Borgin."

Borgin ignored Tom's teasing and smiled mysteriously, "Today isn't just my lucky day, it's yours too."

Tom looked at him suspiciously, then suddenly a thought struck him and his eyes lit up. "You got hold of the dragon's heart?"

Borgin grinned shrewdly. "It's not the Dragon Heartstring, it's a message about the Dragon Heartstring."

Old Borgin grinned like a shrewd businessman, holding up three fingers. "Sincerely yours, three hundred Galleon."

A message that dared to sell a Nimbus 2000 for the price of a megaphone would have caused most people to back out long ago, but Tom bought it without hesitation.

Strength is the only true currency. Money is something you can't take with you when you die; you can always earn more after you spend it.

Borgin's smile grew even brighter as he swiftly collected the Galleon.

With such a generous and high-spending client, if it were someone else without connections or power, Borgin would have already considered rigging the deal.

But even now, he still hasn't figured out Michael's background, nor do the Pure-blood he knows match the way the man in front of him acts.

It was as if a wizard had sprung from a crack in a rock, or perhaps someone from another country; at least until he was completely certain, he dared not act rashly.

Without absolute certainty, he will only be a businessman who charges high prices but is absolutely trustworthy.

Instead of immediately revealing the information, Borgin asked, "Guest, you should know about what's happening in the north, right?"

Tom nodded. "More Ministry of Magic have been established these days than in the past few decades."

He subscribed to the international edition of the Daily Prophet, and the announcement of the establishment of the Ministry of Magic alone occupied several pages every day.

Borgin lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "Because of the change of regime, many places have experienced management problems."

"For example, in Dragon Field farm in Romania, two fire dragons escaped from there. Both of them were tree-peaked, the most ferocious kind."

Tom's breathing quickened slightly. "Alive?"

Borgin rolled his eyes. "The guest is joking. Those who die aren't said to have run out, they're carried out."

"Where is it?" This couldn't be better news. As long as they find the fire dragon, they can not only get the materials, but also have a chance to complete the trial.

Borgin replied, "One of them is missing, and the other is in the Vosges Mountains."

Tom frowned in thought, then quickly realized where they were referring to. "The border between France and Germany?"

Borgin nodded and clicked his tongue, "That's right, it's been quite chaotic there lately. Some exiled wizards from the north, and hyenas that came attracted by the smell, are all gathering there."

"Now, there are even more poachers coming to sniff out the good stuff."

"How many people did you sell this information to?" Tom pressed, staring at him.

Borgin looked at him with feigned displeasure. "Would old Borgin do such a thing? I received the message two days ago, and you were the first person I thought of. I haven't told anyone else."

"However, if you don't reply to me within five days, I'll have to find another buyer. I can guarantee that no more than five wizards in all of Britain know about this, and none of them have any interest in the dragon."

Tom understood the underlying meaning. "But what about other countries?"

Borgin shrugged. "No secret stays hidden forever, especially since we all obtained it this way, so others naturally can too."

"If the guests are interested in the fire dragon, then let's gather the manpower and take action as soon as possible."

"The people are already prepared; they are ready at any time."

Tom tossed out a remark and strode out of the store.

Borgin rubbed his chin; it seemed he wasn't a lone wolf, which made things even more interesting.

Tom quickly bought a plane ticket to Lorraine, France, using Michael's identity.

While a visa is still required to travel from the Britain to France, Tom has avoided a lot of trouble thanks to the Confundus Charm.

They arrived at their destination, Épinal, that very evening.

When it comes to the Vosges Mountains and the Vosges Forest, many people may be completely clueless.

But the Germany part of this forest, across the Rhine River, is the famous Black Forest.

The surrounding area is sparsely populated, with the entire province having less than a million inhabitants, but there are quite a few wizards and Fantastic Beasts, and the forest is home to a large population of Fantastic Beasts.

Tom rested in the city for the night, preparing to search for the wizards' gathering place in the forest the next day.

While studying in the Study Space that evening, he looked at Gellert Grindelwald suspiciously. "Are you sure it's okay for me to use my wand here? The Trace of Britain won't cross borders, will they?"

"When you calculate the straight-line distance, it's actually about the same from here to London as it is from London to Hogwarts. Will the Trace become ineffective then?"

Gellert Grindelwald smiled slightly. "Trace is just Britain method; it's ineffective outside of national borders."

"No country wants other countries' Ministry of Magic to interfere in their territory, so feel free to use it."

"Once you've mastered the Confundus Charm, no one will care if you use your wand outside of school."

He also suggested a way for Tom to use his wand to cast spells outside of school: use Confundus Charm to make the wand's threads Trace believe that the wand's owner is seventeen years old.

That would naturally remove the monitoring, but unfortunately Tom only knows how to use the Confundus Charm and hasn't mastered it to a high level, so he won't be able to use it during this holiday.

The next day, Tom found the wizarding community in the Vosges Mountains using the wizards' secret code.

The Vosges Mountains hold a special place in France, rich in resources, including Fantastic Beasts, herbs, and rare metal ores.

In addition, the mountains are home to the Goblin Tribe, Dwarf Tribe, and Veela Tribe, which has attracted many wizards to come and seek their fortune, gradually forming strongholds.

At the very center of the stronghold was a huge plaza, and all the buildings were located within a two-kilometer radius of the plaza.

Almost every few buildings there was a tavern or inn, and they were quite crowded.

Tom randomly picked a hotel that looked reasonably clean, checked in, and then went to the liveliest bar in town to start asking around.

As for how to find out, it was the same old trick—fishing. He generously ordered a bunch of the most expensive drinks and food in the restaurant, and then pretended to be drunk as he left the tavern.

Immediately, four people began to secretly follow him: two were in a group, and the other two were lone wolves.