Old Avery had no idea where the city guards were, but he was certain that his home was about to be raided. The precious antiques passed down through generations would likely be lost today. As for the 150 million Galleons? He was confident that the Fire Serpent Party would never discover where he had hidden the money.
Every house in Merlin City was built with a secret treasure vault, personally designed by the Earl. Not only was it highly concealed, but it also had a bloodline access control. Even if someone discovered the location of the vault, the door would never open unless a family member personally unlocked it.
Perhaps it had been too long since Avery had dealt with unscrupulous Dark Wizards like Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters, so his thinking had grown more typical of peaceful wizards.
"Imperio!"
The moment Old Avery felt the spell hit him, he had a sinking feeling. A warmth, like bliss, spread from the depths of his heart, making him feel intoxicated. His face betrayed the bliss as he heard the command: "Take us to your treasure vault."
Old Avery obediently led the Fire Serpent Party members to the second-floor utility room, where a painting of a beauty bathing hung near the door.
"Open the secret door."
He extended his palm, pressing it against the beauty's chest in the painting. The painted beauty panicked, screaming as she rushed behind a screen in the scene. As she disappeared, the wall parted to reveal an iron door.
Old Avery lightly tapped the door knocker. A flash of bloodline detection light appeared, and the door swung open with a resounding boom.
The treasure vault was enormous, about the size of a standard Gringotts vault, and filled with numerous cloth bags. One of the Fire Serpent Party members grabbed a bag, peered inside, and saw it was packed with Galleons. The bags were much larger than they appeared, thanks to the Undetectable Extension Charm.
In total, there were over 100 million Galleons in this vault, just as predicted. "Take it all!" they ordered.
By the time the Imperio curse wore off, it was already evening. Old Avery felt weak and sore, his limbs aching. The Fire Serpent Party members had forced him to maintain the 'Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg' and 'Great Eagle Spreads Its Wings' poses for hours. Can you imagine an old man enduring that for seven or eight hours?
The physical pain was nothing compared to the mental torment. Exhausted, Old Avery stumbled into the vault. The door was wide open, and the room once filled with 150 million Galleons was now empty.
"No—" he whispered, his voice filled with despair.
Ollivander Avery, the head of the once-proud Avery family, sank to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. This money had been borrowed using centuries of family credit. And now, it was all gone. Even if they sold everything, even if they cut up the family and sold their flesh, it wouldn't even cover a fraction of the debt.
But there was still a glimmer of hope.
"If the gerebato magic crystal is safe, and Merlin Phase II can still be built, I have a chance," he thought, dragging his sore body out of the house.
He needed to reach the Council Hall to check on the situation. As he limped down the street, red lights flashed in the distance, and explosions, screams, and curses echoed through the air.
At least there were no signs of the Fire Serpent Party nearby—only anxious residents. Old Avery struggled to reach the Council Hall, and soon other families began gathering there, all equally desperate.
Finally, he arrived, parched and exhausted. Outside the Council Hall, a group of pale-faced wizards stood with looks of despair. Dozens of unconscious wizards lay at their feet—representatives from prominent families who had issued bonds for the Merlin Phase II project. Among them were several family heads.
A terrible premonition surged within Old Avery. His heart raced as he approached them, desperate for answers.
"What happened? What's the situation?" he demanded.
No one answered. He searched the crowd for familiar faces and eventually spotted Lucius Malfoy, sitting against a large pillar.
"Malfoy, what's going on?" Avery called, his voice strained.
Lucius's eyes were glazed, and he groggily turned toward the sound of his name.
"It's over… completely over. The gerebato magic crystal was stolen by those thugs," Lucius muttered, barely able to speak.
Avery's heart dropped. "How is that possible?" he demanded. "Wasn't the gerebato crystal protected by several major families?"
Lucius's voice was weak. "There was a traitor among us. Someone revealed the hiding place to the Fire Serpent Party."
Old Avery staggered back, as if the ground had slipped from beneath him. His vision blurred, and within seconds, he collapsed to the floor.
"Someone, get help!" a voice shouted. "Another one has fainted!"
Chaos was breaking out. The Fire Serpent Party had already looted many vaults. The guards from the Wang family had arrived in time, pushing the Fire Serpent Party to the outer city, but they still hadn't managed to rob everyone. Yet, the fire and rage of the invaders were far from quenched.
"What is the British Ministry of Magic doing?" someone asked, voice tinged with anger. "Where are their defenses?"
"Hah," someone else scoffed. "Their Minister of Magic was found hiding in a cellar when we liberated the bar. What can we expect from them?"
Others murmured in fear. "We have no way out. The Fire Serpent Party controls the outer city's magic array. If reinforcements don't arrive soon, we'll all be trapped here."
A young wizard spoke up, his voice shaking. "Don't panic! We still have an inner city magic array. They won't be able to break through that."
"Will that be enough?" someone doubted. "The Floo Network is cut off. The whole city's been covered by an Anti-Apparition charm. If no one comes to our aid, we're doomed."
Someone else offered a sliver of hope. "There is a chance. We've sent out distress signals, and reinforcements will come!"
"But who will come?" the wizard muttered, his eyes wide with disbelief. "We've already offended so many people."
A few minutes later, countless cat owls flew out from various mansions in Merlin City. Despite the Fire Serpent Party's interference, a few still managed to escape.
A glimmer of hope remained for those within Merlin City, but it wasn't clear if help would arrive in time.
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