Under normal circumstances, it would be the time when the dinner guests would return to the auditorium to enjoy the evening entertainment. If we include the people who want to have a drink at the Three Broomsticks Bar in Hogsmeade Village, the school gate should be a busy time of people coming and going.
But now, the originally spacious front door of Hogwarts has been completely blocked by a large group of black-robed wizards of unknown origin.
"Who are those people? They look a bit ominous..."
"Yes! Seeing that they have been standing there silently for more than ten minutes, they seem to have some evil intentions, don't they?"
"Have those guys not moved since ten minutes ago? They feel like statues..."
"They blocked the door and we couldn't get in... Does anyone want to ask?"
"Uh... you have to go..."
That's right, from now on, this place has been in a situation where "people from the outside can't get in, and people inside can't get out." It's just because that group of people seems to be difficult to mess with. Although most of the people around them are dissatisfied, no one wants to stand out.
Therefore, under the circumstances that the group of black-robed believers did not take the initiative to cause trouble for the time being, the gate of Hogwarts school could barely maintain a certain "peaceful" balance point.
However, the so-called balance point will always be broken.
In fact, some attentive onlookers have somewhat noticed that the group of silent black-robed wizards were motionless from beginning to end, but the old man in white robes standing in front of them who seemed to be the leader seemed a little uneasy. a feeling of.
Many people could notice that his hands were trembling slightly and his breathing was particularly labored. It felt like all the muscles in the body were tense, and there was an indescribable sense of tension.
Of course, besides the black-robed cultist and the old prophet, there are six children here. It can be seen that at this moment, the children have temporarily lost consciousness and are being held hostage by six believers.
It was already dark now, the sun was setting from the mountains in the west to the other side of the earth, and the moon was already hanging on the sky wall in the east. There are not many clouds blocking everyone's view tonight. Looking up from the mountains where Hogwarts Castle is located, the stars have already occupied the sky that bids farewell to the sun.
Suddenly, the humming and whispering under the starry sky suddenly disappeared, and this was just because the old man in white robe took a step forward without hesitation and officially entered the Hogwarts campus.
The guests around him didn't know what he wanted to do, but even they could vaguely sense that something was about to begin.
"...Heir of Pain, you have arrived, then show up!"
This is an ancient Persian sentence, and almost none of the onlookers present understood it. But of course, the old man didn't say it to them, as long as the people who should understand could understand.
As soon as he finished speaking, not far in front of the white-robed old man... It was as if a hand gently opened a transparent veil. Maka's phantom body spell was quietly lifted, and his body shape also followed. It was revealed.
There is no detectable magic power fluctuation. How the other party knows he is here is still a mystery for the time being.
However, let’s not mention this now.
In fact, although Maka had just arrived here not long ago, she had already noticed something strange about the old man. He could feel that the old man in front of him seemed calm, but his heart was not as calm as his tone showed.
It's like... he is eagerly waiting for something, or... he is always afraid of something.
"'Successor'... Well, maybe I am the 'successor of pain' you call..."
Maka also spoke in ancient Persian. Although he had studied the language, his tone was low and unnatural because he rarely used its pronunciation.
"I know you came to me to make a 'deal'. And I have to admit that you came very quickly... So, tell me! How can you return those children to me?"
Maka had to stand here at this moment, waiting for the other party to make conditions, because he really didn't have any valuable cards in his hand.
He had already forcibly read through the memories of the two black-robed cultists he had trapped, but he originally thought he would get something, but he found that not only did the clues not increase, but his doubts increased further.
Because there was no memory at all in the heads of the two black-robed cultists, not even scattered memory fragments.
You must know that even if someone manipulates the soul and causes it to be activated at a specific time to completely shatter the memory, there will still be fragments of memory left. Even Maka hasn't figured out what it's like when a person has no memory at all.
Are you being controlled by this old man in white robes? So what kind of magic did the other party use? At least, he didn't find any traces of magic that could be controlled from a distance on the two black-robed believers.
Just as Maka casually glanced at the black-robed cultist behind the old man, the man's slightly dry lips moved slightly.
"The Philosopher's Stone... and the Dagger of Pain."
The other party's eyes were covered in shadows by the hood, and his voice was flat to a little cold. Only his hands hanging by his sides were trembling slightly, without stopping for a moment.
After hearing this, Maka couldn't help but be speechless.
These two things, whether they were real or fake, at least he had held them tightly in his hands. But unfortunately, they never really belonged to him.
The most important thing is that these two things are gone now, and may not even exist long ago.
If he had more time, he might be able to find a way to create one or two fakes that looked similar, and then try to set another trap for the other party. It's a pity that the old man didn't give him the chance to be careful.
"If I give them all to you, can you promise to return those six children to me intact?"
Although he didn't have what the other party wanted at hand, judging from the situation in front of him, it was obviously not a good situation where "people would believe him if he said otherwise". He was not that naive.
so…
"Can."
The white-robed old man's unhesitating answer made Maka nodded slightly.
"Okay, I can make this deal with you, but -" He stared at the other person calmly, paused before continuing, "First, I have to confirm the status of the children. I want to see that everything is normal with them. .”
As soon as Maka finished speaking, before he even finished speaking, he saw the six black-robed cultists controlling the children touching behind the children's ears.
Immediately, six pairs of eyes slowly opened their eyelids. The children looked around confusedly at first, and when they found themselves among a group of strange guys, they immediately panicked.
It can be seen that they all want to leave there, but the left hands of the six black-robed cultists are tightly clasped around their young necks, making it impossible for them to move even half a step away.
"Sister Hill—little Tad—Rosa—well—"
A voice mixed with surprise and worry rang hastily among the crowd behind Maka, but it was quickly withdrawn.
"Very good," Maka nodded slightly again, "I will get the Magic Stone and the Dagger of Pain within three days, and then we will complete the deal—"
"no."
What Maka needs most now is time. Up to now, he has experienced many things and encountered many problems. He believes that as long as he has time, he will be able to find the most practical and effective solution.
He even managed to break the desperate situation created by the ancient magic mirror. Now he couldn't deal with the old man holding a hostage in front of him
Yes, there were indeed some strange things to deal with, but he didn't think that would make him helpless.
However, even within three short days, the other party seemed unwilling to wait at all. The old man in white robe responded quickly and decisively, leaving no room for error.
"Now, immediately."
As time continued to pass, Maka felt that the eagerness in the other person's heart was constantly expanding. The palms in the old man's sleeves trembled even more, and not only that, this time even his speaking voice was no longer as calm as at the beginning.
A strange sense of urgency arose between the two of them.
"I said, I will get it for you within three days," Maka said with a frown, "You don't think that I would just keep things like the Magic Stone and the Dagger of Pain with me so casually, right? Get it. It also takes time... In the meantime, you can take the children back and wait, isn't that okay?"
Although he was a little anxious in his heart, there was still an impatient expression on his face. He knew that he should not be impatient when negotiating, and the drama had to continue... After all, he didn't have what the other party wanted at all. If this was exposed, the deal would be equivalent to non-existence.
However, the old man's sense of urgency undoubtedly made this transaction more unstable.
"I said, now!"
The other party's sudden outburst confirmed what Maka said beforehand - something was wrong!
It seemed that the old man in white robe could no longer suppress the emotions in his heart. Restlessness, restlessness, urgency and even fear all poured out in his low roar. Immediately afterwards, he suddenly reached out and lifted the hood on his head, and his bald head was suddenly exposed to everyone's sight.
The other person looked like any old man you could see anywhere. His appearance was nothing out of the ordinary, and his skin had the typical sagging wrinkles of the elderly.
Only the twisted expression on the old man's face exuded hysterical anger and despair.