0375 The Intrusion
Due to Barty's reminder, Bryan needed to establish a separate chapter for the security plan he had drafted.
Firstly, he will have to introduce the concept of the Monitoring Lens, or the Surveillance Mirror, to the Review committee. This would involve providing a comprehensive explanation of its nature, functionality, and potential applications in the tournament.
Secondly, Bryan will provide a detailed description of the preventive role this Monitoring Lens could potentially play within the Triwizard Tournament. This description would describe the device's capabilities to mitigate potential risks and enhance the overall security measures during this event.
Ultimately, the implementation of the Monitoring Lens would give the eagerly awaiting spectators the extraordinary privilege of directly appreciating the awe-inspiring and brilliant performances of the champions. This direct observational experience would undoubtedly serve as a significant and irreplaceable bonus in Hogwarts's favor.
The original security plan had been rather mundane and unremarkable, lacking the distinguishing elements that could give Hogwarts a discernible advantage in the evaluation process. However, with the strategic inclusion of the Monitoring Lens, Bryan believed that his meticulously crafted plan would emerge as the decisive and pivotal factor, tipping the scales in their favor.
As the day progressed, the passage of time seemed to hold little significance, with no noteworthy occurrences or events happening.
Bryan and Barty, united in their pursuit, spent the entire day holed up in their room, dedicating every moment to the painstaking refinement of their new plan. After finalizing its overall structure around 10 pm, Barty immediately excused himself as he needed to return to the Ministry to handle some urgent matters that he had not had time to deal with during the day.
Moreover, Barty requested a half-day off from Bryan. Before their plan went public, Barty had to ensure that there were no legal loopholes in the invention of the Surveillance Mirror.
This was not something that could be solved by just talking. In accordance with the established protocols, the device was required to undergo a comprehensive registration process with the Ministry, navigating a labyrinth of approvals, and securing the necessary patent fees and authorizations. Furthermore, the appropriate fiscal considerations, including the determination of taxable income derived from the invention, needed judicious attention. Only upon satisfying these complex requirements could the device be formally introduced to the wizarding community at large.
Barty planned to resolve everything during the day, which was already remarkably efficient.
At midnight, the blue canopy transformed into a dazzling and mysterious starry sky. In the dilapidated heavenly dome, the still-functioning air circulation magic continuously provided fresh air, forming a gentle breeze that wafted through the vast space.
Bryan leaned back on a lounge chair placed on the undamaged lawn, holding the meticulously crafted plan in one hand and a quill in the other, methodically revising and annotating the draft document. Perhaps influenced by the soothing caress of the enveloping breeze, Bryan's writing pace gradually slowed, and his previously alert eyes grew increasingly unfocused, yielding to the lure of exhaustion.
His hands, which had once rested upon the armrests of the lounge chair, now sloped with the weight of fatigue, abandoning their grasp upon the paper. The quill he had clutched drifted to the ground, carried by a gust of wind, its scratching against the paper now silenced.
Without the rustling sound of the Quill tip rubbing against the paper, the room grew increasingly tranquil, but this tranquility didn't last long as a soft snoring emerged, disrupting the silence once more.
As time passed, the starry sky above the canopy deepened, and Bryan, bathed in starlight, seemed to have completely succumbed to a beautiful dream.
With a hint of drool at the corner of his mouth, he mumbled unconsciously in his sleep, kicking off his shoes as his feet rubbed against each other, curling up sideways on the lounge chair.
Without warning, a series of rapid and thunderous explosions shattered the room's tranquility, the once soothing breeze instantly transformed into an ominous and foreboding gale.
Goblins!
About thirty goblins appeared in the room out of nowhere. These goblins, with their weird face and tiny statures, standing at half the height of Bryan, adopted defensive postures. In stark contrast to the goblins who conducted business for wizards at the Gringotts counters, whose pupils shone with the allure of Galleons, these goblins bore expressions of uncompromising ferocity, their eyes brimming with malice and their weathered forms had scars of varying severity – the most grievously injured among them had had even lost an arm.
The goblins maintained an unwavering vigilance, their collective gaze immediately drawn to the sleeping Bryan, who remained in peace upon the lounge chair before the tent.
In a flurry of nimble movements, over thirty short goblins encircled Bryan's prone form, each with a finger pointed in his direction, ready to assault just at the command, their unwavering determination tangible in the air.
These well-trained goblins did not lower their guard, even after determining Bryan's state of slumber. Instead, their eyes grew ever more watchful, scrutinizing his every unconscious twitch and flutter of the eyelids.
"He must be exhausted, Ragnok--"
One goblin said after nearly five minutes had passed, suppressing the shrill tone of his voice to make a measured judgment.
Ragnok, the one-armed goblin, maintained a wary vigil from a distance of thirty feet, his gaze fixed upon Bryan's slumbering face, monitoring the unconscious fluttering of his eyelids with an air of mistrust.
"But those two wizards said this human is very powerful."
Ragnok did not relax his vigilance because of the other goblin's words. He tentatively approached Bryan in a series of cautious steps, his eyes showing a palpable suspicion as they studied the wizard's sleeping face.
"I thought he would notice us immediately."
"He's exhausted."
The goblin who had initially spoken repeated his judgment with a renewed conviction. He crooked his slightly misshapen finger in Bryan's direction, and the sheaf of parchment lying adjacent to the wizard's sleeping form on the grass immediately took flight, soaring into the goblin's grasp. After confirming that Bryan still showed no reaction, the goblin exhaled a sigh of relief. His posture straightening as a hint of pride appeared his features. It stood up straight, somewhat proudly looking at Ragnok, who was dissatisfied with its unilateral action, and shook the parchment smugly.
"This must be the plan he's working on--"
"Alright--"
It seemed that Bryan Watson was indeed asleep. Ragnok slowly lowered his extended finger, and the other goblins, observing his gesture, followed suit, rising from their defensive stances.
"I thought we'd suffer heavy casualties, but it looks like we got lucky."
After briefly glancing at the plan, Ragnok's interest faded, and his gaze returned to the tranquil face of Bryan.
"Wizards just love to boast--"
The previous goblin said dismissively, his tone tinged with disdain.
"Their true talent lies in scheming and plotting."
Ragnok's expression showed his disagreement with his subordinate's assessment of wizards. If the talent of those wizards lay solely in scheming, then how had the great holy war waged by his ancestors against their kind been so decisively suppressed across the centuries?
"What do we do, Ragnok?"
Laddie circled the lounge chair twice before coming to a halt beside Ragnok, his gaze fixed upon Bryan with open scorn. Suddenly, an eager tone crept into his voice as he said:
"Let's kill him! The wizard side will be plunged into utter chaos!"
"If we kill him, we're done for!"
Ragnok's glare pierced Laddie with a sneering intensity, his words carrying a stern rebuke.
"Don't forget, this wizard is Albus Dumbledore's henchman!"
"So what!"
Laddie's expression remained boldly defiant.
"Albus Dumbledore is a toothless old man. Perhaps he'll be done for tomorrow. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent this clueless fool here to handle things. Hmph, those greedy wizards asked us to tamper with this fool's mind. Hmph, what right do those greedy, shameless wizards have to order us goblins around?"
"Barnah will be furious."
Ragnok warned again,
"If we kill Bryan Watson, perhaps the wizards won't find out, but the silly game they're playing now will be called off, and not just those two wizards, but we'll also suffer heavy losses."
Laddie could not accept goblins's interests being compromised. He fell silent for a moment before asking in a muffled voice laced with resignation:
"What do you plan to do, Ragnok? Follow those two wizards's orders and remove the plan from his mind?"
"No, we'll take him to Barnah."
A renewed surge of suspicion flickered in Ragnok's eyes as he considered their course of action. With a sharp snap of his fingers, a brilliant beam of light erupted from his fingertip, instantaneously piercing Bryan's chest. As Bryan's head slouched to the side, the quill that had lain discarded upon the ground let out a whooshing sound, taking flight and transforming into a thick rope that bound the wizard's body with uncompromising tightness.
Responding to Laddie's confused and shocked gaze, Ragnok explained,
"Take him to Barnah and let him interrogate this wizard about the Moni--Monitoring Lens he mentioned, to ensure there's no evidence of our presence here. We can't take any risks. Then, we'll tamper with his mind."
This was indeed the safest approach. Laddie slightly nodded his ugly, pointed head, no longer questioning the plan.
Several goblins immediately rushed over and lifted Bryan from the lounge chair. After meticulously erasing their footprints from the grassy lawn, Ragnok and Laddie conducted a final, thorough inspection of the surroundings, confirming that Bryan Watson had not placed any Monitoring Mirrors or other surveillance devices in the vicinity. Satisfied, the goblins who had suddenly appeared in the room swiftly departed, their exit as mystifying as their arrival, facilitated by their unique Disapparition magic.
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