Chapter 218: Human Traffickers Sold Them Out
Seeing Aaron rush into Knockturn Alley, but not specifically chasing Abe, instead deliberately running towards crowded places, Gynes's face twisted into a bitter expression.
It was confirmed; the young master was definitely on the run again.
But after a brief moment of anxiety, he became completely excited.
As the saying goes, where you fall, you get back up.
Last year, Aaron's successful escape was a huge failure for those responsible for his protection, but none of them felt they had a chance to get back up.
Because the young master was a clever person, he must have known that this year and in the future, they would do their utmost to plug all loopholes, not giving him a second chance to escape.
But what happened now proved they had misjudged. However... what a wonderful misjudgment! A chance to redeem themselves had arrived.
Thinking of this, Gynes had an impulse to laugh three times towards the sky, and at the same time, he was filled with fighting spirit.
He didn't think much and quickly chased after Aaron.
Although only a dozen seconds had passed, Aaron, with his extraordinary physical fitness, still managed to outpace Gynes by more than thirty meters.
Turning a corner, he had just reunited with Abe when he noticed a shadow on the ground.
"Child, are you lost?" a kindly smiling old witch, sixty or seventy years old, asked, "Come with us! We will take you home."
The other three shabbily dressed Wizards in the alley also gathered around, their smiles sinister, either looking at Aaron or at Abe, as if appraising some valuable goods.
Aaron raised an eyebrow; these were probably the human traffickers or robbers of the Wizarding World.
He was about to try to enforce justice when he heard approaching footsteps, so he immediately put on a harmless facade and picked up Abe.
"Alright!" Aaron said politely, "Thank you all, you are truly good people."
The four Dark Wizards exchanged glances, all feeling that this deal was a sure thing.
It was their first time seeing such a fresh and handsome young Wizard; he would definitely fetch a good price.
But they hadn't walked many steps when an unfamiliar voice came from behind them.
"Young master, stop playing, it's time for you to come back with me."
Gynes looked smug; he hadn't expected it to be so easy this time.
Although these Wizards clearly weren't good people, in his eyes, they were particularly amiable. If they hadn't blocked the way, he estimated he would have had to spend a few more minutes to catch the young master.
"Young master?"
The Dark Wizards looked at each other.
To be honest, they had sold children of status before. After all, those in this line of work didn't care about morals, laws, or anything else, apart from their own lives and Galleons.
But now the child's family had caught up. Although he looked only about thirty years old, his strength should be about on par with theirs.
However, if he escaped, the aftermath would be very troublesome.
Just as they were hesitating whether to give up, Aaron nervously hid behind the old witch, his eyes revealing obvious panic.
"I don't know you at all." Aaron pointed at Gynes uneasily, "Grandma, uncles, he's a human trafficker."
Gynes's mouth twitched slightly, "That joke isn't funny at all."
"Hmph! After I got lost from my mom in Diagon Alley, you followed me.
You told everyone you met that you were my butler, then brought me to this broken alley, and even said something about how the boss would definitely like this 'merchandise'."
The Dark Wizards' eyes lit up, and their gazes towards Gynes became more disdainful.
A fellow professional!
But this acting was a bit too superb; he almost tricked them, a group of tricksters themselves.
"Young master." Gynes gritted his teeth, suppressing his quick temper, "The game is over. If you keep talking like this, I'll get angry. Come back with me quickly."
"This... friend." A balding Wizard blocked Gynes, saying righteously, "Although you were here first, our rules don't prioritize who arrived first!
This child has nothing to do with you. Get lost quickly."
"I..."
Gynes had never suffered such indignity. He instinctively wanted to teach this scoundrel a profound lesson, but this was Knockturn Alley after all, and he didn't want to cause too much of a commotion.
"I don't want to fight, but that doesn't mean I can't."
"Who do you think you are? This is Knockturn Alley. If you die, no one might even collect your body." The balding Wizard laughed wildly, "Get lost quickly, don't block our path to wealth."
If you don't court death, you won't die!
Aaron rolled his eyes speechlessly, then tugged on the old witch's sleeve, "Can we go home now? I miss my mom and dad."
"Of course, child." The old witch comforted, then gave Gynes a provocative look and led Aaron towards the alley entrance.
Just as Gynes was about to stop them, the balding Wizardstretched out his arm and sneered, "It seems you really don't know what's good for you!"
"Move out of the way if you don't want to die."
"Heh!" The balding Wizard smiled dismissively, "I'll block this guy, but afterwards, I want an extra ten percent."
The old witch nodded, and the other two Dark Wizards also expressed no objection.
Gynes looked at the idiot blocking his way, then glanced at the young master giving him the middle finger with his back turned, and couldn't help but smile bitterly and shake his head.
In his opinion, Aaron's actions were meaningless. He could deal with these weaklings in less than half a minute.
Furthermore, besides him, numbers three and four were also following Aaron. Both were high-level Archmages who wouldn't show themselves unless absolutely necessary, but he, as the butler, could directly give them orders and bring the young master back at any time.
"Forget it. Since the young master wants to play, let's just add some time to this game!"
"Everyone's gone, why are you still pretending?" The balding Wizard, somewhat annoyed, pulled out an old wand and sinisterly cast a curse.
A light blue glow shot towards Gynes, but the expected scream did not occur.
Just as he was puzzled, a buzzing sound suddenly came to his ears. He felt as if he was in a Category 10 hurricane, his body uncontrollably spinning rapidly in mid-air.
Although his head was particularly dizzy, the balding Wizard also realized Gynes's terrifying strength, and his intestines turned green with regret.
He even admired himself a little; for that one extra ten percent of Galleons, he had actually dared to block a great sorcerer who was completely out of his league.
"Forgive me, please.
I'll never dare again, please…" He pleaded with difficulty, but his mouth was quickly sealed, "Wuwuwu…"
Gynes glanced at him indifferently, "For the sake of my young master not being injured, I won't do anything to you, but you will spend the rest of your life in Azkaban."
Hearing this, the balding Wizard's eyes widened in horror, and tears and sweat involuntarily streamed out of him from fright.
That was Azkaban! A Dark Wizard like him going in there would be worse than death.
Also, that child just now was really a young master!
What grievances and hatred! Even if it was to experience excitement in Knockturn Alley, they shouldn't have been tricked like this!
The old witch and her companions also noticed the commotion, but they had no intention of helping.
On one hand, they didn't know the course of the battle and their understanding of Gynes was inaccurate, otherwise they would have fled without looking back. On the other hand, with one person out, the three of them could split more.
"You two go, kill him. If you can't, then hold him for two minutes." The old witch said indifferently, then gave Aaron a gentle smile, "Come on, I'll take you home."
Aaron nodded cooperatively, and at the same time silently gave a thumbs-up in his heart to the two Dark Wizards who were blocking the way, thinking they were warriors who knew no fear!
"Can we go faster?"
"Of course."
The old witch also wanted to sell Aaron quickly. After all, a bird in hand is worth two in the bush; living people had too many uncertainties, and the glittering Galleons were more attractive to her.
However, just as they reached the end of the alley, a black figure fell in front of them.
This was one of the Dark Wizards responsible for blocking the way, but he was now unconscious, covered in burn marks.
"This…" The old witch's eyes widened. She turned to look at her other companion, who was restrained by Gynes and constantly twitching, and couldn't help but feel her legs weaken, retreating a few steps in panic.
Who on earth had they provoked? That was the strongest Wizard in their team, and he was utterly helpless.
"We don't want this child…"
Before the words "want him" could be spoken, Aaron decisively interjected, "—won't give up!
Grandma, let's run quickly!
Just around the corner is a crowded place. We can't waste the time these uncles bought for us!
If that bad man catches me, he'll definitely beat me to death."
Hearing this, the old witch also seemed to be enlightened and instantly made up her mind: run.
Seeing the miserable state of her three partners, she knew that man was no pushover. Moreover, she had just said, "Kill him." Even if she handed the child over because of those words, she wouldn't have a good outcome, so she might as well take a gamble.
"Stay close to me."
The old witch said to Aaron, her voice no longer gentle, but filled with urgency.
Aaron nodded seriously, and at the same time, a low tone echoed in the air: Proceed as planned, buy me some time.
Abe twitched her ears and jumped out of Aaron's arms.
The old witch burst out with a speed that did not belong to her age group, shortening a journey that would originally take two minutes by nearly half.
After Gynes dealt with the last blocker, he quickly rushed out of the alley, but only saw a dense crowd of people.
"Alas! It seems I'll have to spend a little more time."
Just as Gynes was feeling regretful, a striking white figure suddenly appeared outside an alley. He clearly saw a pair of clear pupils, which, upon spotting him, frantically retreated.
"Hehe! This reconnaissance is truly substandard. Young master, you were still careless!" Gynes laughed, then confidently chased after him.
At the same time, the old witch also brought Aaron to a small auction house, where at least dozens of Dark Wizards were gathered.
"Mr. Piel, this is top-grade merchandise." The old witch no longer disguised herself. She rubbed her hands at the fifty-something man wearing a monocle, who was sitting at a table, seemingly feeling that her safety was guaranteed here.
"Name your price!"
Piel carefully examined Aaron and found that he was not nervous or crying like other children usually were; instead, he appeared particularly calm, which piqued his interest.
"Five hundred Galleons."
"What? Only five hundred." The old witch was not very satisfied with the price, "Look at his appearance. Just for that face, you should give me a thousand Galleons."
"It's precisely because of that face that I'm offering you five hundred. Otherwise, I'd think three hundred was too much." Piel twirled his handlebar mustache and said impatiently.
Aaron:...What kind of taste is that! Is my face really only worth two hundred Galleons?