Pierce smiled and exchanged pleasantries with them, then looked at Ivan, who was coming down the stairs, and said, "Mr. Hales, I have something important to discuss with you."
Given the presence of an outsider, Pierce did not use the honorific to avoid adding unnecessary trouble.
"Is there a loose end to the matter we discussed last time?" Ivan asked bluntly. He could tell from Pierce's relaxed manner that it was not about Grindelwald, but the Thunderbird.
"Yes! Since it's so important, I had to do it myself." Pierce nodded, glancing casually at Hermione and the others.
"Let's talk in the conference room!" Yvonne said, dismissing the Granger family.
When he was out of sight of Hermione and the others, Pierce immediately became respectful and reported, "We've found the Thunderbird you asked me to find, and according to our information, it was found in a small town in France."
"France? Why there? I thought the Thunderbird's habitat was over in North America?" Yvonne asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I heard he was smuggled in, and something went wrong. A few days ago, there was a riot in that town, and the International Confederation of Wizards is investigating it. They gave us this information!" Pierce said casually.
"Wait a minute…the International Confederation of Wizards? Are these people that kind?" Yvonne was incredulous. She had just humiliated the International Confederation of Wizards, and she would be lucky if they didn't hold a grudge against her. How could they be so kind as to give her information?
Or had they finally come to their senses and decided to use this information to ease the tension between them?
"Have you sent anyone to verify it?" Ivan asked Pierce cautiously.
"I've had someone confirm that the weather in that town has been unusual lately, possibly due to the Thunderbird…but I'm not one hundred percent certain…" Pierce hesitated.
In fact, he had sent his men to capture the creature and claim credit for their efforts. However, the Aurors had been camping in the town for several days and had not seen the Thunderbird.
Ivan was not surprised to hear that the Thunderbird was a highly sensitive magical beast. Its ability to anticipate danger and its powerful magic made it difficult to capture.
However, it was for this reason that he chose the Thunderbird as his next target.
"In addition, our spies have discovered that the French side is under martial law for unknown reasons… Increasing the scrutiny of those who enter. My guess is that Grindelwald is involved…" Pierce's face grew grave.
"No wonder the International Confederation of Wizards gave us this information so easily," Ivan sneered, rubbing his chin. These people were probably expecting him to run into Grindelwald.
Pierce understood this, but the Confederation's plan was likely to fall through, as he had found a professional two days ago to search for traces of the Thunderbird.
Ivan's response was unexpected.
"No, I think I'll go see for myself," Ivan said, waving his hand dismissively.
He was also curious as to what Grindelwald was planning to do in France, and some information needed to be confirmed, such as whether Grindelwald had been reborn and freed from the Dark Arts, as he had hoped.
The most important task, of course, was to capture the Thunderbird and complete the next Bloodline Fusion, or Ivan would not have been so confident against Grindelwald with his Elder Wand.
"If you're planning on going to the town yourself, you should try to go to a local hotel. The Commissioner should be there by now, and I'm sure he'll be able to give you some help," Pierce said hesitantly. He took a photo out of the wizard's pocket and handed it to Ivan.
Yvonne took the photograph from him and looked down at it. It showed an outrageously young wizard, probably not even twenty years of age. He was very plainly dressed, but very sharp and efficient.
"His name is Rolf Scamander, and he's sort of an expert on magical creatures," Pierce explained. "He seems young, but he knows a lot about them."
"Scamander?" Yvonne found the name strangely familiar, and had to rummage through her memory to remember it. "What's his relationship to Newt Scamander?"
"Rolf is the grandson of Newt Scamander…" Pierce shrugged, confident that a nineteen-year-old boy would find the Thunderbird.
However, in order to complete the task assigned to him by Ivan, he had originally intended to simply invite Newt Scamander himself, so as to be safe.
Who would have thought that this fellow would take his son to Africa to find out more about the Sphinxian problem of reproduction?
Fortunately, Rolfe was very knowledgeable about the habits of magical creatures, and upon learning that their target was a prized Thunderbird, they volunteered to go on their way.
"Interesting. I'll see him when we get there." Ivan nodded, accepting Pierce's arrangement.
Though he had learned a great deal about magical creatures over the years in his quest to find a suitable fusion target, he could never hope to match Rolfe's knowledge of magical creatures, which was passed down through his family.
"Okay, I'll make the arrangements. When do you plan to leave?" Pierce asked.
"Tomorrow… no… the day after tomorrow!" Ivan replied hesitantly.
Ivan would have preferred to leave as soon as possible, but there were other things he needed to attend to before leaving England, such as setting up the Fidelius Charm in the house so that it would not be stolen, and explaining to Hermione…
"Fine! I'll have Rolfe sent a message to the local hotel the day after tomorrow, shall I?" said Pierce.
"That's it," Ivan agreed, thinking there was nothing to miss.