With their master's imminent return, the fanatical lackeys could no longer suppress their excitement and servile nature—or rather, they couldn't bear to abandon the status and wealth they once possessed in Britain, so they began to grow restless and stir, ultimately allowing Dragon Kingdom personnel to discover their whereabouts.
"Now that they're taking action, the explanation I can think of is that they're seeking sufficient war supplies as tribute to curry favor with their master when they rejoin Voldemort's followers. After all, Voldemort is... unpredictable, and facing Death Eaters who scattered like birds and beasts after losing him—half-coerced, half-enticed though they were—he's quite likely to take extreme measures."
"The Dragon Kingdom is vast, with diverse geography, weather, and climate. Various resources, including magical materials and magical creature species, are abundant. Due to the Dragon Kingdom authorities' deliberate resource management, these precious resources have maintained ample reserves and received safe, concealed protection. But this doesn't mean the Dragon Kingdom's protective measures are necessarily impregnable."
Dumbledore related everything he knew in detail. Given the gravity of the matter, the elderly wizard's posture and expression became serious, and Hermione unconsciously straightened her back.
"In fact, the location where Dragon Kingdom authorities discovered traces of those Death Eaters' illegal activities was at the border of a resource protection zone established by the Dragon Kingdom. The protective arrays there showed signs of intrusion and sabotage."
"That resource protection zone is the destination for our participation in the beast-seeking expedition organized by the Dragon Kingdom's North China Academy of Magical Arts—that so-called secret realm, correct?"
The silent Glenn spoke up, understanding Dumbledore's meaning.
"My view aligns with yours. The information I've gathered doesn't definitively indicate that the resource protection zone those Death Eaters invaded is your destination, but considering everything else, this seems the most likely scenario."
"So those villains plan to grab what they can and run, leaving the Dragon Kingdom entirely. Otherwise, they wouldn't have so carelessly exposed the whereabouts they'd hidden for twelve years."
Hermione's fingers couldn't help but move, beginning to tap her knee somewhat irritably, feeling indignant about the situation.
Twelve years was enough time to change many things, but these Death Eaters who fled to the Dragon Kingdom still showed no gratitude or reverence for the place that had sheltered them. Now they even wanted to shamelessly plunder resources that never belonged to them before leaving—absolutely outrageous.
"Roughly so. Once their whereabouts are exposed, what awaits them is immediate capture and imprisonment, then deportation back to our country... with Azkaban as their destination."
Dumbledore shook his head, his hands resting on his knees clasped slightly together, thumbs rubbing against each other.
He then continued supplementing the intelligence he'd just shared.
"Besides this, considerable evidence suggests those Death Eaters hiding in the Dragon Kingdom received help from people other than themselves. Otherwise, they couldn't have found and broken through the arrays surrounding that resource protection zone so quickly."
"I currently have two theories about this:"
"First, these Death Eaters received help from dark sorcerers in the Dragon Kingdom's shadows. From what I know, the Dragon Kingdom's dark sorcerers are practitioners of evil magic that harms heaven and life. They've opposed righteous magical practices since the Dragon Kingdom's culture first emerged, and though Dragon Kingdom authorities have eliminated most of them, their special inheritance means they can never be completely eradicated. They've long coveted those officially protected resources. Cooperating with foreign Death Eaters this time—each taking what they need after entering the secret realm, with authorities focusing most attention on the Death Eaters afterward—would be a perfect solution for those native dark sorcerers."
"The second theory is that there are insider personnel within Dragon Kingdom authorities secretly helping the Death Eaters who fled to Dragon Kingdom soil. Otherwise, given the Dragon Kingdom enforcement officers' capabilities, being unable to find any trace of those Death Eaters for twelve years is simply too incredible—honestly, I wish our Ministry of Magic could learn from them. In any case, there may be moles among official personnel, which is why your grandmother is bound by confidentiality agreements and cannot reveal too much to you."
Dumbledore held up two fingers, waving them before Glenn and Hermione as he shared his deductions.
Glenn pressed his fingertips together, hands quietly clasped before him, silently digesting this information.
Regarding the two scenarios Dumbledore described, Glenn thought briefly and felt a third possibility beyond these two might actually be most likely.
That would be both Dragon Kingdom dark sorcerers and insider moles within Dragon Kingdom authorities participating in this matter.
Otherwise, the Dragon Kingdom higher-ups on his grandmother's side wouldn't have made such arrangements. They must have detected something to formulate this plan.
As for the beast-seeking expedition being moved up, the young sorcerers from North China Academy of Magical Arts were probably just a smokescreen to deceive the Death Eaters and dark sorcerers already in the secret realm. The main force to deal with those people had likely already infiltrated the personnel about to enter the secret realm for the beast-seeking expedition.
For North China Academy of Magical Arts to still dare let their young sorcerers enter a secret realm that had become a danger zone under these circumstances, they were either very confident in their students' abilities or foolish. The second possibility was obviously to be excluded, making the answer quite clear.
"The students from North China Academy of Magical Arts participating in this expedition currently know nothing about this situation. After all, no one can guarantee whether some among them have already been turned, so they need you two as external unknown variables to participate and ensure the operation's success rate."
Having finished the serious part, Dumbledore's expression relaxed and became gentle again. He smiled at Glenn and Hermione.
"Of course, this point has been mutually confirmed and agreed upon between your grandmother and myself. She expressed no concern about your safety, saying such a special opportunity would be perfect for giving you some experience."
"Grandmother Lin really has a big heart. Isn't this quite a dangerous matter? How could she bear to let two powerless young wizards like us participate?"
Hermione couldn't help but laugh, spreading her hands at Lin Yingqing's interesting reaction.
"After all, she said the magical artifacts she gave you two, when fully activated, couldn't be broken even by my full power. In that situation, you two would probably be the safest ones there."
"'Let Glenn and little Hermione take a little trip. From what they wrote in their letters, these two children seem to be the type who like staying in their rooms. It would be good to get them out and about more, and they can help my school's students while they're at it.'"
"Those were her exact words."
"Incidentally, I also don't think you two would encounter any danger in that situation, given your current abilities and temperament."
"Moreover, if you can assist Dragon Kingdom authorities in completing this mission, you might simultaneously receive the highest honors from both the Dragon Kingdom and Britain."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
🔥 Want to read the next150+ chapters RIGHT NOW?
💎 Patreon members get instant access!
⚡ Limited-time offer currently running...
👉 [Join on Patreon - patreon.com/DarkGolds]