41. Big Cat

"Yes, and there it is - a charming big cat, do you know it?" Skender stood outside the iron cage where Zouwu was imprisoned, his eyes blurred.

"Zouwu, Getting her has ruined a lot of things for me. Unfortunately, I injured its foot when I caught it, so it has been unable to play," Skender sighed and said to Aurelius: "Take good care of it, keep it away from people, treat its injuries. I hope your levitation spell is up to standard. You have to lift the cage to clean up the feces and food residue under the cage. Look at her, she is so skinny. This guy doesn't like to eat very much."

Aurelius looked at the scarred Zouwu in the cage, and he felt very unhappy.

"In China, this is a rare beast. It is as big as an elephant, has all kinds of features, and has a tail longer than its body. It is called Zouwu. It can travel thousands of miles by riding on it." Aurelius thought and looked at it.

"Meow--" Zouwu's huge eyes blinked. It seemed to feel the compassion and empathy in Aurelius's heart. Sad, it screamed softly, and its cat-headed look had a strange cuteness.

It even extended a claw close to the edge of the cage. This was not an attack, and it did not even show its sharp claws.

Aurelius couldn't help but reach out and touch its wide and thick pads.

"Great! Great!" Skender broke the atmosphere a little bit. He was very excited: "The big cat likes you! Aurelius, hiring you may be the best decision I have ever made! You have the potential to be an animal trainer!"

"Maybe I should change my decision!" Skender couldn't help but snap his fingers, "From today on, I will leave Zouwu for you to take care of, and you won't have to take care of anything else!"

"But... other jobs?" Aurelius shook the notebook in his hand.

"That's easy to say," Skender turned to look at the frustrated Igor, "Igor, you are lucky, your job has been saved."

Igor's empty eyes instantly brightened up: "Oh! Praise Merlin! Skender, you are the most good man in the world! Merlin will bless you!"

"Don't be too happy!" Skender snorted, but looking at his expression, he enjoyed Igor's flattery: "From now on, Aurelius will be your supervisor. He will watch over you for me, don't be lazy anymore, understand? You won't have another chance. There are so many squibs who want to find a job—understand?"

"Yes, yes, I will work hard, I will definitely..." Igor kept talking, but it was nothing more than demonstrating loyalty.

After completing their tasks, Skender said to Aurelius, "We will probably leave New York after the freshman's party. Pack your gifts. When it's time to leave, I will introduce you to your other colleagues."

"Okay, Mr. Skender," Aurelius responded simply. He appeared just like those students who had recently transitioned from academia to the workforce – enthusiastic and driven.

"Very good, I'm leaving first. I hope those bastards didn't cause any trouble." After finishing his statement, Skender took out his wand and disapparated.

"Finally gone," Igor collapsed on the ground as if he had endured a lifetime of suffering.

Finding a job as a squib is not easy. If it weren't for Igor's hard work traveling around the circus, it would have been difficult for him to obtain this job.

He wasn't considered a squib in the Magical Congress. If he were fired here and thrown into the Magical Congress...he wouldn't dare to think about the consequences.

Being a squib with no human rights in an unfamiliar place, a tragic ending was foreseeable. For this reason, he didn't hesitate to slander a wizard. As long as he could keep his job, they would rarely see each other again.

"Wait a minute – I just..." Igor suddenly raised his head and looked at Aurelius, who was squatting beside the animal cage, his body trembling like a sieve of chaff.

"Yes, yes, sorry sir...I just..."

Aurelius turned to look at him and said indifferently, "It's time for you to work, Mr. Igor."

"Yes!" Igor trembled, quickly got up, and took the rake-like tool to fish for water plants in the kappa water tank.

Kappas are XXXX level magical animals, on par with trolls, making them very dangerous.

Ordinary wizards may not be able to handle them, let alone a squib.

However, there was no need to worry; the circus was not dangerous.

Skender had mentioned that the water in this kappa's mind had been emptied.

Kappas naturally possess a special liquid in their hollow heads. It looks like water but serves as the source of their wisdom and power.

For kappas, this liquid is non-renewable, incredibly valuable, and has many uses.

Once a kappa loses this liquid, it becomes not only stupid but also significantly less dangerous.

The current kappa was only at the Yak level.

Igor may be lazy, but after working for ten years, he knows how to handle everything here. Aurelius doesn't need to bother himself with it.

He cared more about this gentle big cat than those clumsy and brainless reptiles.

"Don't worry, I will set you free. Every cat deserves to be free. You shouldn't be confined to an iron cage..." Aurelius continued to use gentle words to communicate with it. He wasn't sure if Zouwu understood it due to closeness to the familiar voice or for some other reason.

But it did work.

After a few days, Aurelius was able to scratch ZouWu's chin with his hands, which was a significant improvement.

He wasn't in a hurry to see Nagini. Rushing would only lead to mistakes, and with the freshman's party just a few days away, there was still a chance.

After observing and testing from Igor's mouth for many days, Aurelius gathered a substantial amount of information.

This small circus is also like a small society.

The Circus Arcanus has over thirty employees and more than a dozen magical animals.

Most of the employees are actors. The bear-man Jon, the half-human troll Nautilus, the half-elf Lilia, the Veela sisters, and the blood-cursed Nagini are all alien actors in the circus.

In the circus, the leader and trainer Skender holds the highest status, followed by the wizard actors, then the squibs, and lastly, the alien actors. They are almost treated as inhuman, given that some, like the bears Jon and Nagini, are dangerous and kept in cages to prevent them from escaping and causing harm.

Aurelius had to be grateful that he had purposely concealed his identity as a wizard.

Although he wanted to sneak into the circus and make contact with Nagini, he did not have the desire to endure torture.

"Grindelwald is in disguise, and I am too? Grindelwald is searching for me, and I am searching for Nagini..." Aurelius scratched his head, feeling as though he had embarked on a journey with no return.