The short man shrank back again. "This... isn't convenient to disclose for the moment. But please believe in our sincerity! My master has informants in the Ministry of Magic as well. You're with the Shadow Society, aren't you? My master has wanted to join for a long time, but he never had the opportunity—he hopes this can become a bridge for our cooperation."
"How did he know what we were looking for?"
"My master doesn't need to know exactly what you're looking for." The short man held out the rolled-up document in his hand. "He only needed to find out what lay beneath that restricted area. He said that if you're looking for caves beneath the lake, he suggests moving twenty kilometers southwest. That's where Baiska Cave is, the most famous cave system in the Yorkshire valley region. It stretches ninety kilometers deep, and there are even more unexplored wild cave entrances. Ordinary underground water system maps simply don't contain the information you need, but with this terrain distribution map, you're sure to find something."
Tail Feather reached over from my side and took it, unfolding it for a glance before nodding at me. A rough topographical map had been drawn on the paper. A spot to the southwest had been circled in pencil, with a small note beside it—water level fluctuation cycle markers.
"Tell your master," I said, keeping my voice even, "that it's been a pleasure working together. If this lead proves useful, next time we can help him deal with the trouble on that patch of land to the west."
After pressing a hand to his chest in salute, the short man quickly backed away from the mouth of the alley.
Tail Feather folded the map and tucked it into an inner pocket, leaning against the wall