The magic flowing through the valley was subtle, but he could feel it, a distortion caused by powerful concealment spells. There was only one explanation. A shielding jammer had been deployed. The house wasn't just standing in the open. It was being protected. Alex slowly descended toward the hillside and set Wimzy down. Then, adjusting his glasses again, he focused. The valley changed before his eyes.
Through the Echo Spell, the true layout was revealed, The jammers were forming a structured, rectangular grid, enclosing the house entirely. They weren't being used for random interference. They were guarding this location. But something was still missing. Alex frowned. "Where are the people who placed these?" He adjusted the scanning enchantment, searching for any hidden figures. Nothing. No footprints. No movement. No sign of human presence at all. The jammers were simply there. As if they had been placed without anyone physically touching them. Even the snow around them was completely undisturbed.
Alex's expression darkened. 'That's impossible.' If someone had walked into the valley, even with Invisibility or Disillusionment Charms, they would have left tracks. But there was nothing. It was as if the jammers had appeared out of thin air.
"How is it, master?" Wimzy asked as she watched Alex finish his aerial sweep.
Alex returned, shaking his head. "I found all eight jammers," he said. "But I didn't find anyone."
Wimzy's eyes widened slightly. "No one? Not a single soul."
Alex exhaled sharply. "There's no movement anywhere, no traces of activity. Not even footprints in the snow. It's like they were just placed here, " His gaze flickered toward the house. "Unless… they're inside. It's too risky to break into an unknown place like this," he said. "We don't even know if this is their headquarters. For all we know, these jammers are just here to guard someone's home. It might seem suspicious, but everything could be accounted for."
Wimzy pursed her lips, clearly unimpressed with the lack of action. "Then…" She rolled her eyes before an idea struck her. "Why don't we just turn off the jammers and lure in the Ministry of Magic? Maybe that'll flush them out."
Alex sighed. "Not a bad thought, but still too risky," he said. "Those jammers have my backdoor enchantments, yes, but that's exactly why we shouldn't reveal that yet. The moment we shut them down remotely, we tip our hand. If they realize someone can tamper with their equipment, it won't take long for them to suspect who designed it."
"So what, we just sit here?" Wimzy huffed. She was never the patient type.
Alex chuckled, lightly patting her head. "Patience, Wimzy," he said. "They didn't come all this way and set up these jammers for nothing. There's a reason they're here, and we're going to wait to see what that is." Reaching into his coat, he pulled out a small vial of potion and handed it to her. "Even with our enchantments, it's not good for you to be in the cold for too long. Drink this and stay hidden. I'll move in closer and see what I can find."
Wimzy gave him a skeptical look but didn't argue. She knew that Alex, despite all his intelligence and caution, was also an expert at self-preservation. If anything went wrong, he'd definitely be the first to retreat. With that in mind, she took the potion without protest and settled into the cover of the nearby bushes.
Alex, meanwhile, activated every stealth enhancement he had, Disillusionment, silencing charms, and a floating spell to avoid leaving footprints in the snow. Moving like a ghost, he hovered just above the ground, slowly closing the distance between himself and the strange house. Eventually, he stopped, pressing himself against a thick birch tree about a hundred meters away. Now, with a clearer vantage point, he peered through the window.
Inside, Alex caught sight of something unexpected. A large vulture-like bird strutted past the window, momentarily turning its head to glance outside. Alex recognized it immediately. 'A Diricawl? No, something bigger. A Jobberknoll.' A species with perfect memory that never spoke a word until the moment of its death, when it would release every sound it had ever heard. And that wasn't the only creature inside. As Alex adjusted his monocle, he spotted a Niuxiu, a Mooncalf, and even a Fwooper, all of them in shockingly good condition. It was almost like… A personal zoo.
Alex frowned. "Who the hell keeps this many magical creatures at home?" he muttered. And then, Movement at the front door. Two cat-like creatures darted out of the small cat flap at the entrance, tumbling into the snow as they wrestled playfully. Moments later, "Hobby! Millie! Don't run off!" The door swung open, revealing a young boy, no older than ten.
The boy had tousled brown hair and wore an exquisitely made leather jacket, suggesting he came from a family of some means. His cheeks were rosy from the cold as he called after the two cat-raccoons, trudging into the snow after them. "Come back here, you little troublemakers! Grandpa's gonna be mad if you make a mess again!" Despite his scolding tone, there was no real anger in his voice. And then, he bent down, rolled a snowball in his gloved hands, and launched it straight at the creatures.
The two nimble animals twisted in midair, dodging effortlessly, and continued their game without paying the boy any mind. Undeterred, the boy huffed in frustration and charged after them, his boots kicking up snow as he sprinted across the yard. When he finally caught up, he jump forward, Only for one of the creatures to swerve between his legs, slipping through the gap with perfect agility.
The momentum of his failed grab sent the boy stumbling backward, and with an ungraceful plop, he landed face-first in the snow. "Hehehe!" The boy didn't seem upset in the slightest. Instead, he sat up, laughing at himself before dusting the snow off his coat. Then, still grinning, he pushed himself to his feet and resumed his game of cat and mouse. "Rolf! Rolf! Where'd you go?" he called, chasing after the creatures once again.
Alex remained still, observing. So far, nothing seemed particularly sinister about this place. It was just a quiet house in a snowy valley, occupied by a boy and a bizarrely large collection of magical creatures. But those jammers... Someone had deployed them here for a reason. And if it wasn't to trap the residents, then it had to be to protect them. Alex narrowed his eyes. 'Who exactly is living here?'
A deep, slightly aged voice called out from the doorway of the house. Alex shifted his gaze. Standing at the entrance was an elderly man, white-haired, but visibly strong and full of energy. He held a cat in his arms and was calling out loudly. "Grandpa! Huobie stole Millie's dried fish, and then they ran off chasing each other!" The boy, Rolf, shook the snow from his hair, hands on his hips, looking thoroughly exasperated.
The old man chuckled. "That so? And instead of stopping them, you went rolling in the snow yourself? Look at your clothes, boy. Your grandmother's going to tan my hide when she sees the mess you've made!"
Rolf visibly stiffened at the mention of his grandmother, then shrank his head in guilt. "I… I'll come back now." His voice was suddenly much quieter.