0380 Visit

0380 Visit

Two hours later, Bryan returned to the damaged hotel room. He slowly made his way back to the lounge chair, staring at the increasingly deeper starlight of the late-night sky as his thoughts quietly churned in his mind.

Some of the events that occurred tonight were indeed quite unexpected, but as for the outcome, it wasn't too bad.

In particular, the final request made by the old goblin named Gerson Barnah could be considered Bryan's biggest gain from the trip to Paris.

In recent years, Bryan had been active in the Underground World, and the connections he had established were with those who lurked in the shadows. However, after being invited back to Hogwarts, a series of incidents gradually pushed him into the public eye.

And amongst the elite echelons of "high society," he was also gradually building another network of relationships.

This was actually a matter of time. In the bright world, weaker individuals instinctively seek protection from the strong, and as Bryan's power was gradually exposed to people, those seeking his friendship would only increase, just like Gerson Barnah today.

Gerson Barnah's "defection" was quite valuable to Bryan, meaning he had created a certain influence within another vast population of sentient beings with great potential besides wizards.

Power brings influence, and in some situations, influence also means authority.

In the second half of this year, Harry would be entering his fourth year. Bryan couldn't remember exactly when Tom Riddle had returned to the wizarding world, reigniting a new round of war, but he could imagine it would be at most two or three years from now.

At that critical juncture, how should he position himself?

How would Albus Dumbledore respond to these rapidly unfolding events? What measures would the Ministry of Magic take? And what methods would Voldemort employ to regain his former might?

Bryan had meticulously mapped out the potential reactions of each faction in his mind.

For Bryan, the biggest problem wasn't Voldemort, but Albus Dumbledore.

The two men shared the same goal, but the contrasts in their personalities and ideas destined a rift between them. And once war was imminent, if internal conflicts arose, it would undoubtedly be fatal.

One side had to concede.

In Bryan's view, Dumbledore's biggest problem was being soft-hearted. He always tried to control losses to the minimum extent and avoid implicating or harming more people.

But Bryan's view was that in the brutal carnage of war, there could be no true innocents.

As the saying goes, "One too compassionate cannot command troops."

At that moment, the children playing in the clearing finally noticed they were missing a companion. Glancing around, a sharp-eyed little girl spotted the boy heading into danger in the stream.

"What are you doing, Ludwig!" The little girl let out a startled cry, immediately catching the attention of the two younger boys. In an instant, the trio of children dashed toward the riverbank in a state of escalating panic.

"Get out quickly, Ludwig!" The girl panted heavily as she reached the water's edge. "The water in the center is deep, you'll drown!"

Splash!

A few glistening droplets scattered in the air. Feeling the life pulsing in his cupped palms, Ludwig laughed merrily, utterly oblivious to the potential danger.

"It's no big deal, Camilla. Look what I caught! Oh, why don't you all come down too? We can make a pot of fish stew for ourselves!"

Ludwig grinned, straightening up and about to turn and call Camilla and the others down. But suddenly, an irresistible dizziness overcame him, his vision blurring. Amid a piercing scream of panic, Ludwig vaguely realized the world was tilting before his eyes!

Whoosh!

A gust of wind suddenly whipped across the gently flowing stream. On the riverbank, the few shrieking children felt a fleeting shadow flash before their eyes. Immediately thereafter, a young man with striking gray hair and piercing purple irises appeared beside them, Ludwig tucked securely under his arm after his near-plunge into the water's depths.

"No need to worry, little ones, everything is alright now --"

The gray-haired young man's friendly smile seemed to exude a calming effect. Camilla glanced at Ludwig, who still appeared dazed, swallowed hard, and found that the overwhelming sense of panic had dissipated.

"Who are you, sir? How did you appear here--" the little girl asked in a childish, curious voice. "I mean, this is the Dreghorn family's private property, protected by magic all around. Uninvited people can't enter, unless--"

Camilla blinked her eyes inquisitively. "Are you Grandpa's guest?"

The gray-haired man smiled faintly. He was about to set down the mischievous little boy tucked under his arm, but then a booming sound came from behind the children, and a somewhat flustered elderly figure materialized in the air with an audible crack.

"What's going on, Camilla? I heard your--"

The words trailed off abruptly. In casual clothes, Vipor Dreghorn's rigid expression softened momentarily as he glanced at his grandson held securely under the man's arm. But in the next instant, his rasping voice carried an intense, bloodlust.

"What do you think you're doing, Bryan Watson!"

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