Poachers, Depart for the Thunderbird Reserve

Storm Town.

"Look, look! Fresh Thunderbird Feather, just picked from the nest no more than three hours ago!"

"Thunderbird bone, Thunderbird bone, is an excellent ingredient for potion-making. It can also be ground into powder and taken orally. Hehe, it'll guarantee to make you look like you're back to your eighteen-year-old peak!"

"Thunderbird's eyeballs can see through evil..."

It was early morning, and while many shops were still closed, numerous vendors were already setting up stalls or pushing carts, hawking their wares.

Since it's near Thunderbird sanctuary, almost everything here is related to Thunderbird.

Lucien and Newt got up early and checked out the local market before setting off.

But Lucien only glanced at them a few times and immediately knew that most of them were fake.

After using the Eye of Magic Sight to detect traces of magic, I found that there wasn't a single trace of magic on any of the so-called Thunderbird materials.

A few "conscientious merchants" did sell materials imbued with magic, but Lucien discovered upon inspection that they were not genuine.

I reckon it's just soaking ordinary materials in a special potion or treating them with a spell, and that's enough to fool some people.

Tsk, at least they're willing to put in the effort to deceive people.

If such a large volume of material transactions could truly take place, then the establishment of the protected area would be meaningless.

Lucien looked around at the shops that hadn't opened yet, figuring that only those with physical stores were legitimate sellers of Thunderbird materials, the kind with business licenses.

As for these vendors shouting so enthusiastically, well, they're probably just ripping off tourists from out of town.

Surprisingly, a few wizards actually bought some money, though it's also possible they just wanted it as a souvenir?

"Lucien, don't buy these things yet. If you want them, I know some people who sell... better quality ones."

Newt whispered to Lucien.

Lucien naturally understood that Newt was subtly reminding him.

"I know, Mr. Scamander."

The two strolled around for a short while before heading to the Thunderbird Sanctuary.

Not far away, a burly blond man, after scrutinizing Newt's face several times, also pretended to take a stroll and walked towards the other end of the market.

After navigating through a maze of houses, the blond man entered a run-down tavern, greeted the owner, and then went to a room in the back.

There were seven or eight people sitting in the room, but they all had a deep and imposing presence, and their clothes and appearances made them look like adventurers.

But the most eye-catching thing was a black widow spider lying on the table. The red markings on its abdomen were actually outlined into a pattern of red lips, which was different from the hourglass-shaped red patterns of its kind.

"Boss, guess who I just saw at the market?"

The blond man bowed his head and spoke to a man sitting in the center. The man was dressed casually, a style suitable for outdoor exploration, but his brown hair was neatly combed.

But the brown-haired man didn't even look up, taking a sip of his brandy.

Newt Scamander, the most famous expert on Magical Creatures.

"Aiden, your news is too slow."

The blond man Aiden gave an awkward smile and sat down in the empty chair.

"Boss, should we postpone this operation?"

The brown-haired man continued drinking.

"Reason?"

Aiden coughed.

"Ahem, boss, it's true that Newt is an old man now, but he did experience that era, capturing and fighting against that... that Grindelwald. Newt's combat experience is definitely strong, and, moreover, that box he always carries with him contains a whole bunch of Magical Creatures..."

"I heard that about ten years ago, in a Care of Magical Creatures sanctuary in Egypt, Newt confronted a gang of poachers. In the end, Newt and the animals in the box wiped out all twenty-seven of them."

These words made some people in the room look embarrassed, and they seemed to waver.

"But this is also an opportunity. Newt's trunk is priceless; it's enough for us to retire now and enjoy life."

The brown-haired man took a sip of brandy and spoke slowly.

These words clearly intrigued some people, but none of them rushed to express their opinions.

Aiden gave an awkward smile, wanting to say something but not daring to.

The brown-haired man finally glanced at Aiden.

"I know what you're worried about. The animal in Newt's box is more of a threat than he is, but we just need to deal with him before he opens the box."

"Aiden, we've been preparing for this plan for six months. Taking down the Thunderbird will be worth three years' worth of work."

The people in the room fell silent; they had all developed their own inclinations.

Aiden considered himself a master of judging situations and understood the determination of his boss and his other comrades, so he could no longer voice his opposition.

He was simply calculating what escape route to take should something go wrong...

Seeing that no one raised any further objections, the brown-haired man nodded in satisfaction, finished his drink, and looked at the Black Widow Spider on the table, chuckling softly:

"Besides, we have the best assassins. Who would notice a spider that's everywhere in this area? Who would think it's actually a wizard?"

"Aren't you right, Shirley?"

Upon hearing her name, the spider on the table lazily raised one leg, indicating that she had heard it.

Entrance to the Thunderbird Sanctuary.

"Mr. Scamander, we've been waiting for you."

A tall, middle-aged man wearing a short robe greeted us with a smile.

"Stanley, long time no see."

Newt greeted the man, then introduced him to Lucien:

"Stanley Jones, the headmaster of the Ivermonian Thunderbird Academy and professor of potions, is very knowledgeable about thunderbirds and will be our guide and companion on this trip."

"Hey, how could I dare claim to have any expertise on Thunderbird here? Hehe, and who is this young man?"

Stanley responded modestly, then looked at Lucien, as it was the first time he had seen Newt bring a younger person along.

"This is Lucien Grafton, my junior at Hogwarts. He's quite talented in Magical Creatures, and I'm bringing him along to see the Thunderbird this summer."

Stanley listened to Newt's explanation with an unchanged expression, but inwardly he was surprised. Could Newt really praise him for having a talent for Magical Creatures?

"Hello, Mr. Jones."

Lucien greeted him politely.

"Hello, hello! As expected of a top student from Hogwarts, you are indeed a handsome young man, hahaha."

Stanley laughed heartily and shook hands with Lucien.

Lucien responded politely; Newt had already given him a brief introduction of Ilvermorny and the man before him, Stanley, before he left.

Ilvermorny is a magic school in the United States, similar in status to Hogwarts in Daiying. It is also divided into four houses, one of which is Thunderbird House.

The other houses are Horned Serpent, Wampus Cat, and Goblin Pukwudgie House, which are somewhat similar to Hogwarts in their house characteristics.

Stanley Jones is the headmaster of Thunderbird House and a Potions Master, serving as a professor of Potions.

Tsk tsk, they're both deans of magic schools Potions Professor, so why is there such a big difference in their interpersonal skills?

Right, Old Bat?