In an attic dozens of meters away, Ivan looked down at the two Aurors who were blocking pedestrians and asking questions. He turned to look at Alicia and asked curiously.
"If we say that, will anyone really believe us?"
"Don't worry, Flun's got all the wizards in Knockturn Alley talking to each other, and no matter how many times the Aurors try to get the same information, they'll just have to believe it…" Alicia laughed.
Such an outcome was exactly what Fudge would have liked to see, and by their judgement, the Ministry of Magic would not look into it.
"All in all, we'd better get some people in touch with them to sound them out," Yvonne said cautiously. There had been too many changes in Knockturn Alley in recent times to be covered up with a few words. It was better to be safe than sorry.
"That's fine." Alicia nodded, not disagreeing with Ivan.
Sunny and Dawlish were old acquaintances, having met several years ago and known each other well enough to know each other.
The innocent and romantic girl, Sunny, was easy to fool, and Dawlish, despite her subtlety, had her own plans. Perhaps she could be won over.
With that in mind, she decided to meet them in person sometime.
Yvonne gave him a brief reminder, then left it at that.
In his opinion, these two Aurors were nobodies. Even if they happened to discover some secrets, they would not be able to cause any trouble.
Attempting to draw Alicia's attention to the pair was merely an act of caution.
Considering that he had been delayed in Knockturn Alley for a long time, Ivan did not stay there any longer. After confirming that these Aurors were not much of a threat, he returned to the underground fortress and packed his belongings for the journey.
Despite her reluctance, Alicia did not try to stop him.
For Ivan, who had mastered the art of teleportation, it only took an instant to travel between the two places, and he was able to return once a week if nothing urgent had happened.
After saying goodbye to Alicia, Ivan took his suitcase, thought about the coordinates in his head, waved his wand, and said the incantation.
"Disillusionment!"
With a spatial shift, Ivan vanished.
When he returned to his senses, he found himself in a wide courtyard, surrounded by a variety of plants and strange alchemical creatures that were pruning the overgrown bushes.
"It's nice to be back," Yvonne said, looking around. "It's so peaceful." To her, Nicolas Flamel's safe house was like a haven away from the world.
There was no annoying scheming here, no need to worry about safety, and many advanced knowledge of alchemy. It was perfect…
A year and a half here would not bore him if he could.
Yvonne thought about this as she hurried toward the house in the middle of the courtyard. When she reached the steps, the wall in front of her gave way, revealing a square passageway lined with jagged spikes, like the gaping jaws of a giant beast.
Ivan suspected that this room was actually a super-large alchemical creature, but he could not see the door at his current level of alchemy.
"Ulla… Ulla…"
As Ivan stepped through the door, a swarm of finger-sized, chattering alchemical creatures gathered around his feet.
"Long time no see, Ukaka. Where's the teacher?" Ivan asked with a smile as he picked up a "little turnip head".
The tiny alchemical creature was startled when Ivan lifted it high into the air, and it grabbed Ivan's fingers in a panic so that it would not fall.
Fortunately, the "little turnips" on the ground were not affected. They shouted and pointed in the direction of the living room.
"Thank you."
Ivan placed the alchemical creature back on the floor and stepped through the hallway into the living room.
Nicolas Flamel was sitting in a chair by the window, reading a thick book with gusto and occasionally sipping tea.
It wasn't until he heard the noise from the front door that Nicolas Flamel seemed to sense something and slowly turned to see Yvonne approaching from the front hall.
"You're back…" Nicolas Flamel greeted him, closing the book in his hand.
Ivan sat down on a chair in the living room and explained sheepishly, "I received a letter from you a few days ago, but I was delayed because I had some family matters to attend to." He glanced casually at the book in Nicolas Flamel's hand, then stopped.
The cover of the book was outlined in black and white lines, and one could vaguely make out a short wizard being surrounded by a group of people.
Wait… wasn't this thing…
Ivan's mind went blank, and he looked at Nicolas Flamel with the last of his hope. "Professor, the book you're reading…"
"Your copy of the New Age Declaration, of course," explained Nicolas Flamel with a chuckle, before continuing.
"Last summer, when you left it in your room, I found it in the corner of your room when you were making your bed. I thought it was just an ordinary brochure, so I looked through it without your permission…"
Yvonne was stunned into silence. Reminded by Nicolas Flamel, she remembered.
The day before school started last year, Isiah did give him a copy of the New Age Declaration, which he threw on the floor in a fit of rage after staying up all night reading.
To his surprise, the Alchemy Robots found the book and gave it to Nicolas Flamel.
Ivan suddenly looked extremely embarrassed.
It was as if he had secretly written a dirty book and found his relatives and friends looking at it. He was so embarrassed that he wanted to bury himself.
"Sir, that book was written by a friend of mine. Please don't take it seriously," Ivan said sheepishly, mentally slicing Gleason into pieces.
"I find that interesting…" said Nicolas Flamel, not caring who Ivan's friend was. "It seems you're working in that direction, aren't you?"