The Wandering Golem

"His name is Cornelius Davan! Go investigate! Use that omnipresent media power of yours to investigate!"

"See if such a person exists, see whether he has the same illness as my daughter, and see whether he's still lying in a hospital bed waiting to die!"

Quentin Martin's roar came clearly through the Communication Pea and into Wade's ears.

Feeling somewhat uncomfortable, he pressed the side of his ear and casually cast a small spell on the Communication Pea hidden in his ear canal, lowering the volume a little.

Then he flipped a few pages in the Book of Friends. Lines of brief text rapidly appeared on its pages, vanishing before they could fully take shape.

Through the magical network, the orders were silently conveyed.

In distant Edinburgh, a scruffy vagrant dragged a handcart piled high with junk as he wandered aimlessly along the street.

Suddenly, he stopped, slipped into a secluded alley, and pulled a crumpled, yellowed wad of paper from his filthy clothes.

When he unfolded it, a line of flowing handwriting emerged word by word.

"Cornelius? A scientist among ordinary people?"

He stroked his beard and muttered, "This really is a good opportunity, but it'll need some careful planning."

Then the vagrant turned and said to his handcart, "Guys, it's time for us to get to work!"

Talking to his own cart made him look completely unhinged.

But even more astonishingly, the cart, which looked utterly devoid of technology, actually spoke.

"Oh my God! Merlin bless me, God bless me, Buddha bless me, the Three Pure Ones bless me—I was almost starting to think I really was a stinking cart!"

At that moment, a crooked broomstick hanging from the cart spoke up as well.

"You've got it easy. Locke can at least drag you around for some