Chapter 27: A Letter from the Magical World

Yuri was a busy man. Being an arms dealer was a tough job, especially for someone like Yuri, a small-time merchant who had to hustle to make a living. Even the big players in the arms trade had to constantly move around, appearing wherever there was trouble, much like strategists in the Warring States period, solving problems for the rough and greedy carnivores. Of course, there were also some wordplay involved, like the six hundred and six leagues, but most people in the business played by the rules, because not doing so meant a short career.

Yuri was a shrewd man. He sold Kalashnikov rifles to Arabs and Soviet-made bullets to the Persians, but he didn't sell to the locals. It wasn't because of moral concerns but because his checks always bounced.

A person like him would naturally not let any opportunity slip by. Tom was a "rare find" in his eyes, a "profitable" one. However, since their meeting at the end of July, they had lost contact. It wasn't until early September that Yuri received a letter from his young friend, Tom, but the location of receiving the letter was rather peculiar – it was out at sea.

The waves were rough, and a cargo ship bobbed up and down with the sea, covered in rust. It looked like it had seen better days, possibly older than everyone on board. Yuri was on that ship, along with his entire fortune.

Five nautical miles to the southeast, a small speedboat was riding the waves. Several heavily armed men were on board, with one man standing at the bow, his head shaved, and wearing sunglasses. He casually rested one foot on the railing, not minding the cold sea spray hitting his face.

"What the hell are you saying? What do you mean by a leak in information? Explain to me, what does a 'leak in information' mean? You want me to shake them off? Use a cargo ship to shake off a speedboat?" Yuri was in the ship's captain's cabin, cursing loudly into a satellite phone, showing none of the elegance and composure he had in London. It was understandable; any arms dealer would lose their cool if they knew that the ICPO was keeping a close eye on all their assets.

Yuri hung up the phone and immediately dialed another number, asking for the name of a ship with a tonnage similar to his own ship. Then, he ordered his subordinates to paint over the ship's name on the bow and replace the flag on board.

On the small boat: "Boss, the name of the ship ahead is Kono, not the Christo we're looking for. This ship should be fine."

"This ship doesn't look as innocent as it seems." The man with the shaved head was Jack, the leader of the ICPO team. He stared at the rusty hull for a while. "I want to board and inspect."

To Jack's surprise, the ship with the name Kono complied and allowed them to board for inspection. But they couldn't let their guard down; after all, the other side could be dangerous arms dealers. However, things turned out completely different from what they had expected. It was just an ordinary cargo ship, and when Jack opened a container, he found it full of potatoes. The potatoes had been exposed to the scorching tropical sun, emitting an extremely unpleasant odor.

However, this did nothing to dispel Jack's suspicions. He had originally intended to continue the inspection when one of his subordinates reported that they had found traces of the Christo in the north. This was the result of the intelligence agent that Yuri had previously bribed. Jack immediately prepared to disembark. As he turned to leave, he happened to see a white dove perched on the window sill of the captain's cabin. In his mind, doves were chubby, lazy creatures that lived in squares and had nothing to do with the sea. Seeing a dove here gave him an inexplicable feeling. But he didn't linger; he had more important things to do.

Yuri looked at the departing speedboat, holding a letter in his hand. A white dove was pecking at a piece of bread on his table. This letter revealed to him a magical world full of wonders: flying broomsticks, ghosts that had not faded for centuries, houses that appeared out of thin air, moving portraits, and staircases...

Yuri was somewhat envious of the child who could live in the legendary magical world. But feeling the salty sea breeze and calculating the profits in the cargo hold behind him, he lost interest in the magical world again. Sometimes he wondered why Tom was willing to tell him all these things. An assault rifle wasn't worth that much. He didn't dwell on it; for him, as long as they could mutually benefit each other, it was enough.

His gaze shifted to the dove that was happily eating. He understood that his connection to the magical world was all tied to this dove. His eyes softened, and he poured the bird another glass of water.

"Fetch me that glass of pumpkin juice, please."

Tom had requested a chilled pitcher of pumpkin juice from his roommate, Stephen Cornfoot, and poured it into his goblet. In front of him, there was already a platter piled high with ribeye steaks, lamb chops, a roasted chicken leg, a large spoonful of stewed vegetables, and two pieces of buttered bread. In addition to these, there were also sausages and bacon.

Hogwarts, among other things, had excellent food, and it was all free. It was heaven for foodies. Of course, the taste might be more English, and not everyone might be used to it, but you could easily sneak into the kitchen and teach the enthusiastic house-elves a few recipes. Soon enough, you'd find the dishes you wanted on the table.

Tom stuffed a piece of cold pumpkin bread and a juicy slice of beef into his mouth. He estimated that Yuri had received his letter around noon today. He hoped to establish a connection with this arms dealer because by Christmas of this year, a world-shaking event was going to take place, and the future of arms dealers would be very bright. It was a good idea to get to know one in advance.

"It's a shame you didn't come this afternoon," his roommates lamented as they gathered around to discuss the board game they had played in the afternoon. Tom swallowed his food calmly and then said, "No worries. I have a new game over here that's even more challenging and exciting than the one you played."

This statement caught the attention of his roommates. Tom saw that everyone was looking at him, so he explained the rules of "Werewolf" to them, starting with the simplest roles: Seer, Witch, Hunter, and Guardian.

"Seer, Witch, Hunter, Guardian... Sounds interesting," Stephen Cornfoot said thoughtfully, sensing that this game might be quite challenging. That was great; he loved challenging games.

"This game requires a minimum of six players, and we have exactly six. How about we try it tonight? Two gods, two villagers, two wolves," Tom suggested, making a proposal that excited his roommates.

(End of Chapter)