Half an hour later, the senior coordinator of the International Floo Network Coordination Office finally stopped to gulp down a large amount of water, her throat dry from talking so much.
"Phew—what a pleasant chat, Noctis!" She smiled and waved at the raven. "Go on! Continue your journey, and I wish you a smooth trip! It's almost time for me to get out of work, too."
"Caw!"
Noctis spread its wings, glanced back at the control room filled with magical instruments, and then, like a streak of black light, soared into the starlit night sky.
…
A few days later
Sydney, Australia — International Confederation of Wizards Bulletin Headquarters.
Noctis appeared on the upper floor of the Bulletin Headquarters building, landing precisely outside the window of a large, open-plan office.
The scene inside was a magical marvel.
Countless floating bulletin boards drifted through the air, their dense lines of text scrolling and updating ceaselessly like a rushing waterfall.
Magic news flashes, official announcements, emergency alerts, and even rumors from around the world converged, collided, and were filtered here.
Staff in uniform hurried back and forth, occasionally waving their wands to categorize, archive, or urgently dispatch streams of information.
The air was filled with the scent of parchment and ink, mixed with the faint hum of high-speed information flow.
Stork stood in the center of the office, in front of an information hub composed of countless parchments.
He wore a crisp grey suit, his hair neatly combed back, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses rested on his nose. Behind the lenses, his sharp eyes swept rapidly across the endlessly scrolling information.
At the same time, his wand tapped continuously in the air.
Each tap enlarged an important headline and sent it to a designated floating bulletin board; or instantly marked a suspicious, inflammatory information stream with a scarlet "quarantine" rune, sending it to a separate review queue.
Noctis landed silently beside the information hub, on a metal stand prepared specifically for messenger birds.
Stork didn't even fully turn his head. His gaze simply flicked toward the raven behind his lenses, his wand never pausing.
"Wait thirty seconds," he said, his voice steady and devoid of unnecessary emotion.
He was currently handling an urgent report about abnormal magical creature migration in a region of South America.
Thirty seconds later, after seamlessly transferring the processing queue to a waiting subordinate, Stork turned and took the parchment from the raven.
He scanned the various handwritings and brief reports from different members, a slightly stiff smile touching his lips.
"I don't have any mithril in reserve here, but the cafeteria downstairs has special owl feed. Do you need some?"
Noctis shook its head.
Stork said nothing more. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, drew a black pen from his suit pocket, smoothly unscrewed the cap, and quickly wrote on the parchment:
All normal.
P.S.: According to an internal report, Hummingbird's Merlin First Class Order ceremony is scheduled for mid-August. Congratulations, we are one step closer to our goal.—Stork
The ink dried instantly. He rolled up the parchment and neatly placed it back into the leather tube on Noctis's leg.
However, the raven did not leave right away.
It folded its wings on the cold metal stand, resting quietly for a long time.
It wasn't until another dusty owl messenger landed beside it with a weary hoot that Noctis, as if reminded, slowly spread its wings and made room for the newcomer.
Next came a long journey across continents and oceans.
Noctis set off again, flying non-stop toward the African continent.
This was the final stop on its global "consolation" tour. If all went well, once this errand was done, it could return to its familiar tower at Hogwarts and resume its leisurely life of idleness and watching over the castle.
Traveling around the world was no easy feat, especially when the only mode of transport was its own wings.
More than ten days had passed since it left the stone walls of Hogwarts. If it had been an ordinary bird, it would likely have collapsed by now.
...
Africa,
Johannesburg,
Gem Merchants Guild Headquarters.
Noctis landed on a concealed aerial terrace of the Gem Merchants Guild Headquarters.
The view here was excellent, overlooking both the bustling Muggle city below and the magical market hidden in its corners.
The air carried the scent of dust and spices.
Snowy Owl sat behind a large workbench inlaid with various gemstones, dressed in a neatly tailored silk robe, with special crystal goggles perched on her face—goggles capable of seeing the internal magical flow of gemstones.
There wasn't much cover on the terrace, but an invisible magical barrier kept out the noise and prying eyes from outside.
Sitting in the sunlight, Snowy Owl held a slender pair of tweezers and carefully examined a pigeon-egg-sized deep red gemstone against the light.
Noctis's landing broke her concentration.
She paused, set down the gemstone and tweezers, and lifted her hand to remove the crystal goggles, revealing a shrewd, sharp-featured face.
Her gaze immediately settled on the flattened dragonhide pouch on the raven's leg. Her slender brows lifted slightly, and a knowing smile curved her lips.
"Looks like the journey took quite a toll."
She murmured this to herself as she reached for a small silver box inlaid with large turquoise stones on the workbench.
When she opened the lid, it revealed a collection of cold, pure mithril ingots.
She casually picked up a few heavy ingots and placed them into a nearby small enameled dish, producing a crisp clinking sound.
"Here, extra meal," she said, her voice carrying a faint hoarseness from long hours of work.
Noctis hopped onto the railing without hesitation and began another round of pecking at the top-tier "rations."
Snowy Owl didn't immediately return to her task. Instead, she set her goggles aside and whispered to the raven—who was fully absorbed in eating—in a casual tone:
"Let me guess… did the letter mention me taking over the Britain market?"
The raven ignored her completely, focused solely on its mithril feast.
Snowy Owl let out a soft chuckle, no longer expecting an answer.
She reached out and neatly pulled the rolled parchment from the leather tube on Noctis's leg.
Unrolling it, her eyes quickly scanned the brief reports from various regions and Stork's message.
"Flying this far?" She looked up at the seemingly tireless alchemical raven before her, and couldn't help but shake her head.
"It seems what he and Kestrel got tangled in this time is even more troublesome than expected…"
She murmured to herself, then finally picked up a quill and wrote a reply in a graceful, flowing script in the blank space on the parchment:
Congratulations, Hummingbird!
Met Professor Kettleburn two days ago. He promised to introduce me to several reputable bookstores in Diagon Alley. Cooperation is progressing smoothly — Snowy Owl
After writing, she neatly rolled up the parchment and placed it back into the leather tube.
By then, Noctis had finished its extra meal and let out a low, satisfied cry, as if expressing its gratitude.
Snowy Owl waved her hand, signaling that it didn't need to stay.
The raven spread its powerful wings and once again disappeared into the blazing sunlight of the African continent.
____
Hah~ Now you all know exactly what the other Guild members do, and how much influence they currently have.
o(*≧▽≦)ツ💫 Read up to 12+ chapters in advance on P@treon/DarkDevil1