บท 42: 42.Leave Home

Time is as precious as gold, but it is often wasted unknowingly, like water.

Leaning against Zouwu's body, Aurelius can hear the loud sound of Zouwu snoring. The strength of Zouwu's physique makes his snoring incredibly loud, almost like receiving an ear massage that relaxes Aurelius's body and mind.

After more than ten days of getting acquainted with each other, the bond between Aurelius and Zouwu grew stronger day by day.

Not only can he pet the cat as much as he wants and scratches its chin, but he can also stick close to it.

Of course, Zouwu, having been imprisoned for many years, doesn't smell pleasant. Its injured leg is ulcerated and inflamed. If it weren't for the magical beast's strong body, it might not have survived.

After building a good rapport with Zouwu, Aurelius provided it with medicine. The medicine, a special potion obtained from Tina through Queenie, proved to be highly effective.

Though Zouwu hasn't fully recovered yet, it's fortunate that there's no longer a shiver upon touch, and its condition continues to improve.

This further strengthened Aurelius's bond with Zouwu. He thoroughly cleaned Zouwu and used Potter's shampoo imported from England, which restored the beautiful and soft fur of the creature, turning it into a work of art.

Remarkably beautiful!

The only downside is that Zouwu is underweight and doesn't eat well, but it should regain its health quickly as it is already eating the food provided by Aurelius.

This creature has a huge appetite.

It's as big as an elephant and is a carnivore. Even if it's confined to a cage and its exercise is limited, it still consumes at least half a cow every day.

Meanwhile, Aurelius also discovered the source of Zouwu's unique characteristic — it despises the smell of blood, but it will accept cooked meat.

As a result, Aurelius spends most of his time either grilling meat or marinating it with purchased spices.

Although it's expensive, seeing Zouwu grow stronger every day brings joy to Skender, the circus owner, who happily spends the money.

It's unclear whether all the money goes into Zouwu's stomach or if some of it goes missing.

After lunch each day, it's the most relaxed period for Aurelius. Zouwu yawns and lies down on the ground to take a nap.

During this time, Aurelius takes the opportunity to lean against Zouwu and read.

Aurelius has returned all of Queenie's textbooks and has read them all. While he may not be proficient in all of them, he is at least on par with a qualified graduate.

Since he cannot read the dark magic book here, he takes some time to visit the bookstore on a few occasions. Unexpectedly, Aurelius found a book in the corner of the bookstore - "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them".

Newt's book has been published?

Are they still sold in New York?

But obviously, the sales volume of this book in MACUSA will not be good.in

Magical animals throughout the Americas are strictly controlled, and some are even humanely destroyed and even extinct.

No one is allowed to keep magical animals for any reason, which makes Newt's hard work in "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" completely useless in the Magical Congress.

The sales volume is bleak, and at most it will be bought by wizard parents and used as a fairy tale picture album to tell their children.

Yes, that's right. This rigorous reference book has become a fairy tale in the magical world of America, the kind to entertain children.

Aurelius bought it; magical beasts were an integral part of the wizarding world, and he felt the need to understand them.

Especially since he was working in a circus now, it wouldn't hurt to learn more about magical animals.

Of course, Aurelius is not that dedicated. In addition to better disguising and joining the circus, Aurelius has another reason.

That's the Summoner.

The Summoner needs a Pact Defender, and any living creature will do. In the War College, contracted heroes are standard equipment for climbing Summoner's Rift, but Aurelius did not expect that the summoners in this world would be able to have a hero.

In this case, contracting a human being to act as a defender is not as good as contracting a magical animal.

Magical animals such as Zouwu, Fire Dragon, and Phoenix have contract value. Although they may not be as good as heroes as a whole, their special abilities are worth the contract.

This can almost be regarded as a batch of artificial druids, and it is a magical animal with super potential and ability that is far from being an Animagus.

"It's a pity. It would be nice if I could contract many defenders." Aurelius pressed ZouWu's fur into a more comfortable position.

He has already made a contract with Obscurus, otherwise, it would be a great choice to make a contract with ZouWu who trusts him.

And of course, there's Phoenix.

He had not forgotten that the blood of the Dumbledore family flowed through his body.

There will be a phoenix with him when he needs it. I just don't know what 'when needed' means.

Aurelius recalled the memory of his previous life. He had always been helpless and needed companionship, but this did not attract the phoenix. This shows that this 'need' condition is not so easy to achieve.

Looking through the chapter about the Phoenix in "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", Aurelius sighed.

I am lucky if I gain it, and my fate is lost if I lose it.

You can't force this thing, just let it happen."Meow-ha-" Zouwu appeared to stir from his slumber due to Aurelius's movements. He slowly opened his eyes and let out a discontented cry. Simultaneously, he opened his bloody mouth and stretched out his tongue, as if preparing to yawn.

"Okay, okay, I woke you up. Go back to sleep," Aurelius reassured Zouwu, observing the stinging tongue repeatedly licking the fangs near his mouth. Zouwu's eyelids drooped, and he settled onto his two feet. With his front paws crossed, he fell back asleep.

Squib Igor watched this scene with a tinge of envy.

Amongst the animal enclosures, the area near Zouwu was the cleanest. Aurelius took care of it personally, making it easy to keep it tidy.

The rest of the enclosure remained dirty and chaotic, though slightly better than when Aurelius had first arrived.

Because of this, Aurelius had to cast a large head-soaking spell to separate the entire enclosure from where Zouwu resided.

In the evening, after roasting another beef hind leg for Zouwu, the boss Skender entered with a full stomach.

"Aurelius! Have you packed everything? We're leaving for Madrid tomorrow, so don't forget anything," Skender said, holding a cigar in his hand and exhaling smoke.

"No problem. The suitcase is very convenient," Aurelius replied, patting the leather suitcase at his side and smiling.

Skender chuckled. "I may not have many talents, but the Invisible Stretch Curse is my pride in founding the Circus. Business hasn't been great these past few years. You know, Grindelwald's followers are causing trouble everywhere. If it weren't for this invisible stretching spell, it would be difficult for the Circus to survive until now."

"Who knows what that madman will do next? Maybe he's grown bored with the easy life and craves some excitement," Aurelius mused, smiling in agreement.