According to the information Newt left in his letter, Duncan found a brand new black case in the leftmost room.
This was the case Newt had secretly made for him, unbeknownst to Tina, to house magical creatures, as per their earlier agreement.
Duncan unlatched the clasp, leaped forward, and entered through the case's opening. After a brief moment of darkness, his feet landed on a wooden staircase sloping downwards.
Duncan bent slightly to avoid hitting his head on the overhead plank and stood on the stairs, looking down. The scene below was similar to Newt's case, a small wooden shed that looked like it was haphazardly constructed from planks, appearing so rickety that it seemed a gentle breeze could topple it.
Moreover, Newt had left in a hurry, and none of the tools for caring for magical creatures had been placed inside, making the room seem a bit empty.
"Grandpa, you really have a soft spot for rustic charm!" Duncan grumbled, steadying himself against the wall and carefully descending the wobbling stairs. He decided he would redecorate the place later, lest he step in one day and be ambushed and taken out by a falling ceiling plank.
Crossing the shed with trepidation, Duncan opened the door and stepped out, gazing into the distance.
The edge of the case was faintly visible, but the space had expanded to the size of a small airfield.
Several thick wooden poles were interspersed, dividing the area into four sections with white canvas.
Each section presented a different landscape, as Newt had used magic to create perfect habitats for each type of animal.
Duncan stepped forward, ducking under the exposed gap in the canvas at the corner, and entered an Arizona desert.
The next second, a clear birdcall echoed from high above, and a majestic Thunderbird circled in the sky.
It resembled a giant albatross with cloud and sun-like patterns on its wings, vibrant and colorful.
This Thunderbird was a descendant of Frank, the Thunderbird Newt rescued in Egypt when he was young, and it used to live in the wilderness of Arizona.
Two years ago, Duncan and Newt went to visit Frank, and Duncan took the opportunity to befriend it and 'abduct' it.
Seeing the small black dot below, the Thunderbird flying above let out a joyful, loud cry, flapping its wings and stirring up gusts of wind as it flew straight down from the clear blue sky, heading directly for Duncan's location.
As the Thunderbird's emotions surged, dark storm clouds gathered in the sky above the habitat, with lightning flashing, thunder rumbling, and winds howling, as if a torrential downpour was imminent.
"Clay, don't be so excited, I didn't bring a raincoat today," Duncan shouted, waving his hand.
"Got it," Klei (Thunderbird) responded. It circled twice in the air until the heavy dark clouds completely dispersed and the sky was once again filled with brilliant, scorching sunlight. Then, it slowly descended, flapping its wings, and settled on a large rock in front of Duncan, lowering its head to gently nuzzle Duncan's face with its broad beak.
Duncan felt a ticklish sensation. He embraced Clay's head and stroked its smooth feathers: "How are you, Clay? Are you adapting to your new living environment?"
"It's a little small," Clay replied. "Newt said this is your case, so can I go out and play with you later?"
"That's right," Duncan said with a smile. "Bear with it for now; I'll get you a bigger habitat in the future."
After chatting with Clay for a few moments and calming its emotions, Duncan lifted the canvas and entered the adjacent area.
It was a vast, undulating green wilderness where the two Erumpents he and Newt had rescued were leisurely pacing back and forth. Their foot injuries had mostly healed, and they should be fine after a few more changes of medicine.
The third area was a lake the size of a football field. As Duncan approached the shore, ripples suddenly spread across the water, and a Kelpie leaped into the air. Glistening water droplets slid off its body, splashing all around and shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight.
Kelpies can transform into various shapes, but they most often appear in the form of a horse, with broad-leafed bulrushes serving as a mane. They are also inherently cruel, frequently luring unsuspecting people to ride on their backs, then diving into the depths of rivers and lakes, devouring people whole and leaving their internal organs floating to the surface.
The world's largest Kelpie was found in the waters of Loch Ness in Scotland, and it seems to have developed a habit of craving attention, occasionally changing into a unique shape to appear before Muggles and frighten them.
Its behavior caused immense headaches for the International Confederation of Wizards, who had organized multiple attempts to capture it, but unfortunately, none were successful.
Optional Quest: The Kelpie's emotions are abnormal; it seems to have contracted Red Eye Disease and requires urgent medicinal treatment.
Quest Reward: Kelpie Favorability x30, Virtual Coins x200, Random Item x1.
Duncan felt no joy at the sudden quest; instead, he frowned.
"Grandpa, did you put all the sick magical creatures into my case, hoping I'd be a laborer and help treat these animals?" Duncan thought of the two Erumpents, then looked at the Kelpie churning in the lake in the distance, and a bad feeling arose in his heart. He immediately jogged towards the last area.
However, the scene he encountered was somewhat unexpected. As far as the eye could see, there were no magical creatures, only a lush, towering tree standing in the middle, its shade blocking the sunlight and casting cool shadows, with dragon-like roots snaking and coiling across the ground.
Duncan looked around with some confusion, painstakingly stepping over the undulating roots on the ground until he reached the base of the large tree. There, he saw a cavern of immeasurable depth formed by a curved root and the giant tree at the bottom of a gentle slope.
Duncan leaned in to look, and as he prepared to enter, he noticed an irregularly shaped note on the side of the cave entrance, which looked like it had been casually torn from a notebook.
Duncan stood on tiptoe, waved his hand to take it down, and glanced at it. The paper bore Newt's handwriting, which read: "I heard Hagrid has secretly been feeding a colony of Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest, and their numbers have exceeded the forest's capacity, causing adverse effects on other creatures. When you have nothing to do, you can go to the Forbidden Forest and find a few more to feed in your case. Bring them back during the holidays."
Upon finishing the reading, small black text also appeared.
Optional Quest: The Acromantulas' living quarters in the Forbidden Forest are too crowded. Go help them move!
Quest Reward: Acromantula Favorability x50, Virtual Coins x300.
"If you want Acromantulas, just say so, don't make excuses..." Duncan rolled his eyes. "And what kind of Grandpa is this, teaching his grandson to break school rules before he's even enrolled? Tsk tsk, how could Dumbledore have a student like you!"