Grindelwald glanced at Victor Wick, unable to discern any hint of nervousness or fear on his face.
Clearly, Grindelwald was confident, and this young man was equally so...
With a slight smile, Grindelwald stepped past Victor Wick and walked inside.
However, the moment he entered the house, Grindelwald sensed something was wrong—it felt as if countless tiny needles were pricking the pores all over his body!
This wasn't a curse, but a warning triggered by the combat instincts he had honed over many years...
It was clear that this place... was indeed very dangerous! No wonder the young man was so confident.
To be honest, it had been a long time since Grindelwald had felt such a sense of threat.
*Click.*
As the door closed, the feeling grew even stronger. Grindelwald felt like a predator that had stepped into a trap.
Of course, while Grindelwald was somewhat surprised, his heart was filled more with admiration.
Had it been years ago, he would have done everything in his power to recruit such a talent into his ranks, but now...
"Please, have a seat. I don't have any coffee here, but would you like some black tea?"
"Whatever you have is fine," Grindelwald replied, finding a chair and sitting down with a smile.
A teapot and a teacup floated over, pouring a cup of tea for Grindelwald.
"So, can you tell me now what you've come here for? As far as I know, we aren't acquainted..."
Victor got straight to the point again.
"You don't know me, but I know you, Mr. Wick," Grindelwald said with a smile after taking a sip of his tea.
"How do you know me?" Victor asked.
"I have had the pleasure of reading your 'Theory of Curse-Breaking Magic' and 'The Practical Theory of Ancient Runes'. To be honest, they are quite remarkable," Grindelwald praised.
Victor pulled a chair over and sat down, looking at Grindelwald casually. "Just for that? Would you like me to give you an autograph then?"
As if he hadn't caught the sarcasm in Victor's voice, Grindelwald actually pulled two books out of his pocket with a look of genuine delight. They were exactly the two Victor had written...
"That would be wonderful!"
Seeing the two books held out in front of him, it was Victor's turn to be at a loss for words.
'He really wants an autograph?'
Victor took the books and flipped through them casually, confirming there were no hidden magical contracts designed to ensnare him once he signed.
Only then did he pick up a pen from nearby and scribble a messy name on the title page of each book.
At first glance, the two signatures seemed fine, but upon closer inspection, one would realize the name wasn't "Victor Wick," but rather "John Wick"...
One had to be cautious with signatures in the wizarding world. After all, some unreasonable dark magic only required a handwritten signature to trigger a curse...
After recognizing the dark side of this world, Victor had developed the good habit of remaining cautious at all times.
He had seen far too many powerful wizards get done in by people much weaker than themselves due to a moment of carelessness.
Grindelwald seemed very happy. He didn't look closely at the signatures, but instead put the books directly back into his pocket.
Clearly, the pocket had been magically modified; otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to fit two books of that size.
"So, you came all this way just for two autographs?" Victor asked.
"I came here for three purposes," Grindelwald stated.
Victor chuckled softly. "I'm glad you finally remembered the purpose of this trip."
As if not understanding the mockery in Victor's words, Grindelwald continued to smile. "So far, I have already achieved two of those three purposes."
Victor looked at Grindelwald with interest. "Please, continue."
"The first purpose of my visit was to meet you, which I achieved the moment you opened the door. The second purpose was to see your capabilities, and I achieved that after entering this house." Grindelwald looked around Victor's small cottage with a calm smile, as if he didn't feel the lethal threat at all.
"And what is the third purpose?" Victor asked.
Grindelwald took a ring from his pocket and placed it on the coffee table.
It was a black ring, and the shape on it was not the symbol of the Acolytes, but rather a very familiar ancient rune—"ᛞ".
Literally, the character meant "Dawn," but its symbolic meanings were many: "breakthrough," "awakening," "transformation," "light," "hope," and so on.
"What does this mean?"
"This is my third purpose," Grindelwald smiled. "To give this ring to you."
Victor didn't say anything but continued to watch Grindelwald, waiting for him to elaborate.
"For all these years, I have stayed in Nurmengard, but... I still had someone help me train a small team. The members of this team were raised from childhood to be loyal only to the holder of this ring. Their backgrounds are clean, and they have no idea they are connected to the Acolytes, so you can rest assured on that front. At the same time, holding this ring allows you to mobilize a portion of my remaining influence..." Grindelwald added.
Victor's calm expression finally showed a hint of emotion, though his eyes grew much colder.
'Gifts like this are never free; there's always an ulterior motive.'
A dark wizard capable of going toe-to-toe with Dumbledore suddenly shows up at your door, and instead of trying to kill you, he just hands over benefits...
'If you claimed he didn't have some other scheme in mind, not even a troll would believe you!'
"I know you have many doubts, but please forgive me for being unable to tell you much more. Just think of it... as you said before, I, like Dumbledore and Voldemort, simply want to show you some appreciation," Grindelwald said.
Victor remained silent for a long time before finally asking, "And how am I supposed to find them?"
"You don't need to find them... In fact, the answer is hidden within the ring. As long as you unravel its secrets, they will find you. This is also the final little test I've left for you, and I believe it won't stump you," Grindelwald smiled.
"Aren't you afraid I'll just turn around and hand this thing over to Dumbledore?" Victor asked.
"Of course not. This team has clean backgrounds, hasn't committed any crimes, and they don't even know they have a connection to me. Dumbledore wouldn't be able to do anything to them. Besides... even if you don't use them, letting Dumbledore use them is fine too," Grindelwald said with an air of indifference.
Grindelwald's behavior left Victor utterly perplexed...
"Well, it's time for me to go. Don't overthink it; I won't ask you to do anything. Everything is up to your own heart. Just remember, if there ever comes a day when you need help..." Grindelwald looked toward the ring.
He stood up and straightened his clothes. "Ah... right. Your tea is quite good, but remember to add less sugar next time. Don't learn from Dumbledore; it's not healthy."
"You're leaving?" Victor raised an eyebrow.
This world-famous dark wizard suddenly broke out of prison, brought him a bunch of benefits, and was just leaving like that?
"Of course, I still have to go back to that dark, miserable place, and then..." Grindelwald sighed. "Prepare to be scolded."
"Scolded..." Victor's expression became a bit strange.
'Who could make Grindelwald willing to be scolded? In this world today, perhaps only Dumbledore... From the looks of it, the relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald might not be as completely broken as others imagined.'
"Fine." Victor stood up as well, then picked up his wand. "Since you refuse to say anything, let's finish one last thing before you go."
This time, it was Grindelwald's turn to be confused. "What thing?"
"You know, as a law-abiding citizen of the wizarding world, it is my duty to send an escaped convict back to prison when I see one..."
"You're going to arrest me?" Grindelwald burst out laughing.
"It can't be helped. Since Dumbledore hasn't arrived yet, it proves he might have been tied up by the people you sent... So, I have to make a move against you. Only by doing so will I be acting in accordance with the political correctness of the wizarding world... If I didn't take action and instead had a pleasant chat with you, given Dumbledore's personality, he would definitely interrogate me for days to make sure I hadn't been bewitched by you. You know, Professor Dumbledore can be quite long-winded sometimes..."
Hearing this, Grindelwald actually nodded in agreement.
"You're right, that old fellow is indeed quite long-winded, especially when he's scolding someone... Very well, then. Give it your best shot and see if you can drag me back to Nurmengard. I'm also curious to see just how remarkable the person who helped Dumbledore finish off that madman really is."
The atmosphere in the cottage shifted abruptly!