'Post the commission.'
The words were like a thunderbolt in the quiet room. Kakus was stunned and his eyes widened, his face full of astonishment. But as a smart person, he obviously knew what to ask and what not to ask. After a few seconds of silence, he restrained his surprise and showed eagerness again.
"Okay, no problem, Mr. Watson!"
He quickly turned the thick book to the last page, where there were several blank lines waiting to be filled. A brand new feather pen floated from his pocket to his hand, as if it had a life of its own. After writing the word 'Golden Viper' heavily on the header, Kakus looked up and asked with curiosity,
"What are your requirements?"
"I hope someone can provide some accurate information about the location or clues of the Druid sect and its contemporary priests." Bryan said indifferently, as if he was ordering a cup of tea.
"Druid sect?" Kakus's black pupils shook, and he subconsciously uttered his doubts. He had heard of this mysterious religious group, but he had never dealt with them. They were said to be very secretive and powerful, and he heard they had some festival with the church in the muggle world.
"These religious people don't have much to do with wizards. You… Oh, are those guys who wanted someone to help explore the magic ruins before looking for you from the Druid sect?"
He suddenly remembered that Bryan had mentioned a group of explorers who had hired him as a guide before. He wondered if they had something to do with the Druid sect.
Bryan did not answer this question, but his silence was also an answer. Kakus guessed that he was right, and that something must have happened between Bryan and those explorers.
"Unequal division of spoils?" He asked cautiously, trying to probe Bryan's mood. He knew that Bryan was a very capable wizard, but also very proud and ruthless. He did not like to be cheated or betrayed by anyone.
Bryan's tone became dangerous, and his eyes flashed with cold light. "Do you have to ask so detailed, Fawley?" He snapped.
"Oh, sorry, of course not-" Kakus chuckled a few times, trying to ease the tension. He quickly changed the topic and focused on the task at hand.
"Well. Looking for the Druid sect and the traces of contemporary priests, um. Then, Mr. Watson, how long will the task last, and how much are you willing to pay for it?"
He hoped that Bryan would offer a reasonable price for such a difficult task.
"The task period is calculated by one year, and it will expire automatically. Of course, within one year, if I meet those guys first, I will write to you to cancel the commission. As for the reward"
Bryan hesitated for a moment. The last time he returned to the orphanage where he grew up, he left most of the money there for the children's welfare. Now he had 'only' more than two thousand gold gallons on him.
To be honest, this task was not as easy as imagined.
Wizards lived in a relatively independent magical world, while religious forces like the church were more closely related to the muggle world. The two did not communicate with each other much. It was difficult to blindly look for Druids who might appear all over the world.
"If someone can find the followers of the Druid sect, I will pay five hundred gold gallons as a reward. If there are clues to the location of the sect priests, I will pay two thousand gold gallons more."
He finally decided on a price that he thought was fair and attractive enough.
"Two thousand gold gallons? This is not a small amount!" Kakus immediately became excited and wrote down Bryan's requirements on the paper without missing a word. He could already imagine how many people would be interested in this task once it was posted. Then he scratched his cheek awkwardly and reminded Bryan of another rule.
"Sorry, Mr. Watson, it's our rule here that if you post a task, you have to pay half of the reward in advance as a guarantee."
Bryan's face immediately darkened. He reluctantly took out his money bag from his robe and counted out one thousand two hundred and fifty gold gallons. He handed them over to Kakus with a sour expression. He had always made money from Kakus Fawley by completing various tasks for him or selling him some rare items from his adventures. This was the first time he paid him!
"Curious about that, Potter?"
Harry suddenly felt a pat on his shoulder and came back to his senses. He withdrew his gaze from the black tower that almost merged with the dark cave wall and opened his mouth subconsciously. Then he hesitated and nodded.
"I don't understand, professor, why would wizards build a tower underground? What is it used for?"
He asked with genuine curiosity. He had never seen such a strange building before. It looked like a medieval fortress type castle, but it was buried deep in the ground.
"I can take you to visit it, Potter. It's a 'historic site' here!"
Bryan who suddenly felt poor, eagerly hugged Harry's shoulder and said. He wanted to distract himself from the pain of losing money, and he also wanted to show Harry something interesting.
This place was located at the innermost corner of the fan-shaped cave. The two shrinking rock walls met here, making the space very narrow. Therefore, except for some foreign wizards who had never been to the underground world who came to admire this mysterious tower, 'local people' generally did not appear here.
Accompanied by Professor Watson, Harry came to the front of this black tower. The black stone blocks that built the tower were very rough on the surface and looked like they had been around for a long time.The shape of the tower was a bit like the spire of Hogwarts Castle Tower, but it was more ancient and mysterious. It seemed to have witnessed countless years of history and secrets, and it stood there silently, defying anyone who dared to approach it.
"No one knows when this tower was built. People only know that since this cave far away from the ground has been inhabited by people, this tower has stood here."
Harry's palm brushed over the cold stone surface and felt a mysterious breath in his heart.
"Then do people know who oh,"
Harry asked half of his question and remembered what Professor Watson had said on the ground. He understood it himself.
"Is it Merlin?"
Harry didn't have any special feelings about Merlin, a wizard who lived in many years ago. He only knew a few things related to Merlin: 'Merlin Medal', 'Merlin's Beard'. Oh, and that 'Merlin Commemorative Coin' that Professor Watson had given to Ron as a souvenir before leaving Hogwarts.
When he first entered the underground world, Bryan was also as curious as all the 'newcomers' about this black tower. He also tried to blast open the tower with spells like all the wizards who had entered here for thousands of years. But no matter how he tried, the mysterious black tower remained intact, and not even a bit of stone debris fell off. It was as if the tower had a will of its own, and it rejected any intrusion or damage.
"You guessed it right, Potter–"
Bryan stepped back a few steps and calmly looked at the towering tower tip. He could see some faint runes like writing carved on the stone blocks, but he could not decipher them. Originally, he had lost interest in this tower, but after the trip to Avalon Island, where he had seen some traces of Merlin, he became curious about it again.
"There has always been a rumor here that people think that this tower is Merlin's final burial place, and that Merlin left unimaginable treasures in his tomb. If you get these treasures, you can have power comparable to those gods in mythology."
"Power of gods? Don't the wizards here try to open it?"
Harry sneered at this statement. He looked back at the direction of the pet market, where he had seen some creatures being sold as slaves or pets. His eyes were full of disgust. He raised his voice and asked, somehow, he suddenly thought of the Chamber of Secrets in the school.
"Look at your feet, Potter–"
Bryan pointed to the pitted ground and smiled sarcastically, "These are the traces left by those who tried to open the tower with spells. Unfortunately, no one has ever shaken this tower."
The 'no one' in Professor Watson's words obviously included himself. Even a wizard like him, who had mastered many powerful and rare spells, had no way to deal with this cold black tower. This made Harry more curious about the tower. Just as he was studying the narrow hole on the black tower door that was much larger than a normal keyhole, he heard Professor Watson say,
"Among all the rumors related to Merlin, this tower is the most authentic one. Since many years ago, the Department of Mysteries of the Ministry of Magic has been trying to get this tower back to the department and protect it as a precious cultural relic. But unfortunately, they tried all kinds of ways and failed to move the black stone tower even an inch. So they had to reluctantly give up this idea."
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