East Ying...
Moriarty closed his eyes, and a memory from two years ago surged into his mind.
The dark wizard Tsukamura Muye of East Ying.
A black wizard who organized the Pang Ya Society.
The Eternal Prophecy.
The quest to obtain the Ice Moon Necklace.
At that time, the magical world of Dongying was like a pool of murky, stagnant water—unpredictable, but still, without storm or turbulence.
Today, two years later, Dongying's magical world had entered the global stage through Quidditch, with a high likelihood of becoming either the British team's semifinal or even final opponent.
Using Quidditch as a platform, Dongying's magical society had begun to make waves—quietly shaking the world order.
Moriarty was not surprised that the Eastern Ying team had upset the American team. The entire squad emanated a gloomy, subdued aura, brought about by the presence of magicians among them.
These magicians reminded Moriarty of venomous serpents lurking deep within forested mountains—silent, patient, and always ready to strike fatally at unsuspecting prey.
Not to mention Tsukamura Kogoro, a key player on the Dongying team.
Tsukamura?
A cold chuckle escaped Moriarty's lips as his eyes snapped open, flashing with calculated brilliance.
Dongying was a narrow island nation with deeply entrenched family values. Two individuals bearing the same surname likely shared blood.
The connection between Tsukamura Muye and Tsukamura Kogoro was evident.
That meant one thing: Kogoro's true nature could be determined.
An Eastern Ying dark wizard!
Potentially a core member of the Pang Ya Society.
So then—what were Eastern Ying's dark wizards doing in Canada?
Was it really just about the World Cup?
Would Tsukamura Kogoro and that magician truly participate only in a Quidditch match?
The moment the thought surfaced, Moriarty dismissed it.
Nothing good ever came from the pairing of such figures.
They must be planning something deeper.
Naturally, Moriarty's mind turned to himself. He had crossed paths—and swords—with both Tsukamura and the magician before.
"So I'm the target," Moriarty muttered to himself.
With a sneer, he stood, his expression devoid of emotion, and walked toward the main court.
Roman and the others followed silently as Moriarty entered Hyprosey's Hospital, making his way to visit Maxie.
"Sir, I must've made quite a fool of myself."
Maxie, lying on a hospital bed with heavy bandages around his head, offered a bitter smile.
Moriarty paced slowly around the bed, inspecting Maxie's injuries. His gaze finally rested on Maxie's head.
"What did Tsukamura Kogoro do to you?"
"He used magic on me, sir." Maxie's tone turned solemn. "I swear on my family name—he hexed me! Otherwise, I wouldn't have fallen off my broom, wouldn't have broken my leg, and wouldn't still be suffering from this relentless headache!"
As he recalled the incident, Maxie's voice rose with fury.
He described a close aerial battle with Tsukamura Kogoro. During the scuffle, Tsukamura flashed him a strange smile.
Then he heard a voice:
"Come forth, my heir..."
"We are waiting for you—ready to rise into the sky and crown the night with Mingxu."
"We know your name. We know your face."
"Our song of life plays eternally; our flame of passion burns year after year!"
"Past and present merge—let the old fade, let the present fly, and free your soul."
"Come forth, my heir…"
"That voice distracted me." Maxie closed his eyes in frustration. "Kogoro caught the Snitch. I had a splitting headache. Fell off my broom. Leg broke—but worse, the headache's never left."
"You've mentioned this voice to anyone besides me?" Moriarty asked, his tone layered with meaning.
Maxie shook his head rapidly. "No, sir. I'm a grown wizard. I knew something was off—too sinister. No one noticed Kogoro's magic. So I kept the voice to myself."
"You were wise," Moriarty nodded. "Mentioning it to others might've branded you delusional."
He then shared his own experience with the magician and a similar brainwashing chant. Comparing notes, they both agreed: it was the same voice—a raspy, inhuman tone.
"We need to investigate East Ying," Moriarty said calmly.
"I'll send trusted operatives to Asia. Once we locate someone with knowledge, the Blanche family will extract every secret from their lips," Maxie replied grimly.
"Then be open about it," Moriarty advised. "Let your men travel under the Blanche family name. Investigate openly."
Maxie looked baffled. "Wouldn't that attract suspicion? Covert investigations are safer."
"Exactly why they'll work." Moriarty smirked. "You were injured during an official match. It's natural for the Blanche family to investigate Tsukamura. If I were an Eastern Ying wizard, I'd leak false information just to get rid of the Blanche investigators quickly."
"Brilliant." Maxie chuckled. "Then the men I send must be sharp—they must distinguish illusion from truth."
Moriarty nodded. This arrangement spared him much effort.
They chatted about the World Cup. Maxie insisted Moriarty be cautious of the Eastern Ying team, even joking, "Maybe the Canadian team will cheat them in the semis."
"They'll win," Moriarty said succinctly as he walked to the door. "But don't worry. We'll settle the score. Eastern Ying won't win the Cup. The trophy belongs to Britain."
"I'm backing the British team, then," Maxie grinned. "On behalf of the U.S.!"
Moriarty waved and exited the ward, leading his team to the training arena for practice against Poland.
As June passed in relentless drills, Moriarty ordered Foley Sr. and Senior Flint to adjust the betting board.
New wagers surfaced:
"Poland upsets England!" Odds: 10 to 1.
"England defeats Poland." Odds: 1 to 1.
"England shuts out Poland." Odds: 1 to 1.
"Poland shuts out England!" Odds: 10 to 1.
"Eastern Ying upsets Canada." Odds: 1 to 5.
"Canada defeats Eastern Ying." Odds: 10 to 1.
"Eastern Ying shuts out Canada." Odds: 1 to 1.
Moriarty set traps within the betting patterns. Outwardly, they resembled normal odds—some high, some low.
But behind the scenes, the Canadian Ministry of Magic and the World Cup's official roulette released opposite odds.
They bet heavily on "England beats Poland" and "Canada beats Eastern Ying"—both with low payouts.
The underground gambling network trembled.
Dongying's upset against the U.S. team made people question the integrity of the Cup.
What if Poland upset England next?
The massive 10-to-1 odds lured gamblers to take chances—overwhelming piles of Galleons stacked against England.
But then came the twist: just before kickoff, Poland announced they would forfeit.
England advanced to the final by default.
Due to odds, England still had to pay 2x payouts, but few had bet on the favorites. Most gambled on an upset.
Those risk-takers lost everything—some even joked they lost Merlin's underpants.
The official betting market gained little. Only Moriarty profited handsomely.
He had manipulated Poland's match behind the scenes.
In July, the second semifinal kicked off.
Canada, the host and presumed favorite, was utterly annihilated by Eastern Ying.
Moriarty and Maxie watched the match live.
It was a massacre.
The magician and Tsukamura Kogoro scored 150 points each. Within an hour, they trounced Canada 300–0.
A brutal shutout.
The world watched, stunned.
And in the shadows, Moriarty narrowed his eyes.
The final was set.
Britain vs. Eastern Ying.