Abner was definitely hiding a past, and those secrets ran as deep as the burn scars covering his body.
But Cedric couldn't be bothered to dig into it. All he needed to know was that Abner was reliable.
From the way Abner acted and spoke, Cedric had already sized him up.
The man dealt in illegal smuggling, yet he still had a sense of right and wrong.
He would rather pay to live in that shabby shack than move across the wall to Knockturn Alley, where the rent was dirt cheap.
He was resilient, persistent, and principled without being rigid. Having someone like him as a partner would make things much easier.
As soon as Cedric stepped out of the shack, he sensed someone watching him—thanks to Neural Reflex Enhancement, which felt a little like a sixth sense.
Following the gaze, Cedric spotted Leo, the Auror, standing guard at the intersection of Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley.
Leo gripped his wand, ready to act at any moment. But when he saw Cedric emerge, his young face went blank for an instant before he smiled in relief and gave Cedric a nod.
Leo seemed like a decent fellow. He had probably spotted Skeg slipping into the shack afterward, but couldn't leave his post, so he had stayed on edge.
Judging by his stance, if Cedric had shouted from inside, Leo would have rushed in to help.
It seemed the Ministry of Magic took public safety seriously. Maybe the only truly useless people there were the Minister and his sycophants?
Cedric had just bought contraband, but he was thick-skinned enough not to feel the least bit guilty. He nodded openly to Leo, then carried the Dragon Blood out of the quiet alley.
Cedric left without a care, but Abner was in turmoil inside the shack.
He stared at Skeg, who was still kneeling there in a daze, and mulled over what Cedric had said before leaving. His expression kept shifting.
Only after a long while did Skeg come to. The moment he opened his eyes, he cried, "Ow!" and clutched his face.
"Hiss..."
Skeg sucked in a sharp breath.
"Ow, my face hurts! What just happened?"
At the sound of Skeg's voice, Abner's eyes hardened as he remembered what Skeg had tried to do.
He reached out with one large hand, grabbed Skeg by the face, and hauled him bodily off the floor.
"What were you trying to do?" Abner's voice was ice-cold. "Rob someone right in front of me? You've got some nerve. Do you think I'm invisible?"
"Mmph! Mmmph!"
Abner's hand covered Skeg's face completely. Skeg finally managed to wriggle enough to speak and, ignoring the terrible pain in his face, cried out:
"Abner, don't forget who put food in your mouth when you were down on your luck! This is how you repay me?"
Abner had been about to hit him hard, but those words made him hesitate.
After wrestling with himself for a while, he flung Skeg away and roared:
"This had better be the last time I see you in Diagon Alley. Get out!"
Skeg rolled several times across the ground and staggered to his feet. He opened his mouth to curse, but when he looked up, he saw Leo, the Auror, standing not far away and watching him coldly.
Skeg, who spent plenty of time in Knockturn Alley, shuddered. He didn't dare linger and slunk away.
Back at the pub, Cedric had no idea Abner had completely fallen out with Skeg.
He had only meant for Abner to keep his distance. After all, shady channels sometimes worked better than the proper ones.
But Cedric wouldn't mind even if Skeg was out of the picture. His thoughts were still on ingredients.
He had been lucky today: he'd gotten a bottle of Dragon Blood for nothing and found a source of cheap ingredients. To Cedric, that haul felt even better than receiving his Hogwarts acceptance letter.
"Dragon Blood, huh? What should I make with it?"
Back at the pub, Cedric began considering recipes and used the Eye of Insight to check the Dragon Blood's attributes.
Dragon Blood (Norwegian Ridgeback) Hunting Level: 72 Unique skills: Explosive Dragon's Breath A (cannot be activated), Magic Resistance B, Physical Resistance A (cannot be activated) Traits: High-Temperature Resistance, Magic Furnace
It was the blood of a Norwegian Ridgeback.
That breed was exceptionally rare among dragons. Generally speaking, any material from one was hard to find on the market because hunting Norwegian Ridgebacks was illegal.
"Not bad, Abner. He even managed to get Norwegian Ridgeback blood. Getting him to find some Dragon Liver probably won't be a problem either."
Cedric was delighted, but when he noticed the Dragon Blood's High-Temperature Resistance, his brows immediately drew together.
When it came to blood, Cedric could think of plenty of recipes.
In the days when ingredients had been scarce, no one would have wasted blood rich in nutrients and trace elements. Cultures across the world had dishes made from it.
But none of those cooking methods seemed quite right for Dragon Blood...
In the kitchen, Cedric poured a drop of blood from the bottle. The droplet rolled back and forth on his fingertip, looking like a ruby under the light.
A spark suddenly burst from Cedric's fingertip and engulfed the drop.
As he increased his Magic output, the orange flame slowly turned blue. At last, blue fire enveloped the tiny droplet of blood.
Yet the terrifying heat had no effect on it. After a long time in the flame, the droplet remained unchanged, while large beads of sweat appeared on Cedric's face.
Controlling a Dragon's Breath Fireball like this consumed enormous amounts of Magic. Cedric couldn't keep it up for long.
But that brief test had revealed the Dragon Blood's properties clearly.
Ordinary frying, stir-frying, or deep-frying wouldn't do a thing to it. Even the Antipodean Opaleye's blisteringly hot breath had no noticeable effect!
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