Chapter 191: Desantis Is Grindelwald?
Close observation allowed Vaughn to barely make out the details in the jars. Like before, the jars contained combinations of human-sized bodies and parts of magical creatures’ organs.
Poisonous horns, poisonous sacs.
Also fairy wings, and occamy feathers.
Of course, these were the “better quality” ones; Vaughn could at least discern the external appearance of the organs. More… were simply indescribable!
Twisted, grotesque.
Some looked like haphazardly assembled chunks of flesh.
Others appeared like veins and arteries grown wildly and tangled.
Even more, their rough composition couldn’t be discerned, resembling a pool of wriggling, paint-like fluid…
But in reality, they all had names.
“Ha, Lawrence, I remember this one best. A poor homeless man, I brought him here myself. I remember… it was implanted with Puffskein genes? Pathetic thing, it turned into a ball of yarn, completely lost its head.”
“And this one, the most bizarre creation, implanted with Swooping Evil genes… This experiment was a success. It opened its eyes like a human, and after 0.1 seconds, it disintegrated because every muscle fiber, every cell in its body, was Apparating non-stop.”
“And this one…”
Watching Jack Graves introduce each jar as if he were enumerating precious treasures, Vaughn was momentarily at a loss for expression.
He never considered himself a kind person.
Sometimes, he even seemed rather cruel.
But even someone like him found the jars flashing before his eyes to be so monstrously perverted that they caused physical discomfort!
Therefore, when Jack Graves summoned the 57th jar, Vaughn stopped him.
“You should wait a bit longer. There are many failed test subjects left to demonstrate.”
The tour of failed test subjects came to an end.
The two returned to the elevator. Jack was still somewhat unsatisfied: “Those crazy Muggles, they started so many projects and research topics. It seems in their eyes, any creature’s genes could be spliced with human genes.”
“These experiments continued for over a decade. Those Muggles didn’t care about failure at all. They said failure was meaningful; every failure was a successful attempt at mapping the genes of magical creatures.”
“Hard to understand, right? I find it hard to understand too… Aren’t they afraid? Aren’t they sad? And those old guys, in their eyes, what do Muggles and wizards even represent?”
Jack started spacing out again.
Vaughn glanced at him, unexpectedly finding that this traitor to the Graves family, who had unhesitatingly slaughtered his own kin not long ago.
Had such a soft, confused side deep within.
However, he had come to the Dream Boundary to probe this person, not to be a sympathetic confidant. He simply followed up on Jack’s words and continued to guide him, “Then, how did they eventually succeed?”
Jack, who had been spacing out, snapped back to reality: “You mean those Muggles?”
Vaughn nodded.
Jack shook his head: “They didn’t succeed.”
“Hmm?”
“I don’t know why. In ’89, I began representing the Graves family and was responsible for the logistical support for these Muggles—that is, capturing and transporting consumables. I only vaguely heard them mention that it seemed some magical creature genes were very difficult to decode.”
“Progress had stalled completely… It was too long. Even though the old guys showed incredible patience, such results still drove them to the brink of collapse. Then, one day three years ago, they brought in a strange foreigner…”
Huh?
Vaughn, who had been listening silently without interrupting, lost in his own thoughts, suddenly focused his attention upon hearing this:
“A foreigner?”
“Yes, I could tell at a glance he wasn’t from the Federation. He lacked the confidence and arrogance of the Yankees from the New England District, nor the rudeness and ignorance of those old Dixies from the South. He looked like…”
Jack looked up and thought for a moment before saying, “Like he had just come from some cultural salon. Refined and elegant, with an almost overflowing aura of sophistication.”
Mentioning that person, his sharp voice softened.
As if afraid of disturbing something.
Vaughn narrowed his eyes slightly and continued to guide him by his words, “What did that foreigner do?”
“I don’t know. Michael brought him personally. No one had ever seen him before. I only know Michael respected him greatly, but also… very cautiously? Haha, why wouldn’t a pure-blood like Michael be cautious of anyone? It’s normal, not worth mentioning at all!”
Jack chuckled strangely for a moment before continuing, “My dear friend, I apologize, but I don’t know many details. I only know that after he appeared, about a few weeks later? I can’t remember exactly… Anyway, the next time I came to deliver consumables, Michael told me that the experiment had made great progress.”
“The first artificial wizard was born!”
*Ding dong*
The descending elevator suddenly stopped, and its doors slowly opened to reveal a space of utter darkness outside, yet it wasn’t completely dark.
Because not far from the elevator doors, a small, slender human figure, curled up like a fetus in the womb, floated in mid-air.
It emanated a hazy halo, like a sacred object symbolizing purity in Muggle films!
Numerous spectral figures emerged, cheering towards the “infant”:
“This is a miracle!”
Some wizards also appeared, clenching their fists:
“This is the hope for the pure-blood revival!”
Beside them, Jack, who had been normal for a moment, also raised his hands and laughed strangely, “Miracle! Hope! What wonderful words!”
Vaughn observed coldly.
After the preceding setup, Vaughn now understood that those spectral figures were actual past events mapped onto Jack Graves’s Dream Boundary.
He didn’t want to analyze Jack Graves’s psychological state.
He merely noticed one rather incongruous detail—
“Dear Jack,” Vaughn’s gentle, ethereal voice whispered softly into Jack’s ear, “What about that foreigner? Is he among these cheering crowds?”
Beside him, Jack, who had been gesticulating like a madman, paused.
He slowly turned his head, his strange smile still lingering on his face, looking somewhat chilling, “You’re looking for him?”
Vaughn remained composed: “Yes. Didn’t you promise me you would tell me your secrets? He should be part of your secret too, right?”
“Hmm…”
Jack held his head and pondered. After a moment, he murmured, “That’s right… that’s right, he’s also a secret. I should tell my most trusted person, Vaughn Wesley… But…”
Jack suddenly looked up.
His wide-open eyes stared intently at Vaughn: “Why are you looking for me?”
“Hmm?”
Vaughn was taken aback by the question. In that instant, his vision blurred abruptly, as if his consciousness had suffered a violent impact. A plume of hazy white mist trembled on his body for a few moments, as if forcibly torn out by some invisible force.
Pain!
But the pain also jolted Vaughn awake. He blinked, and his blurred vision immediately cleared. Then he saw that the scene he was in had changed—
The dark, illusory elevator and underground space had completely vanished.
He found himself in a courtyard. A nursery, a fountain, a pebble path, and arched trellises covered in grapevines overhead—a typical European manor.
The manor was bathed in twilight, the afterglow of the setting sun casting long shadows over everything. The ground, the plants, the houses, and even Vaughn himself were tinged with a golden hue.
It was so brilliant that it seemed as if this courtyard, this space, and all within it, including the air, were sealed within a giant piece of amber.
Utterly immobile!
Only his “eyes” still functioned!
Vaughn saw Jack Graves. The other was still standing beside him, yet also not just beside him… one Jack after another emerged from the fountain, the bushes, the grapevines, from between the bricks, from the air.
They looked at Vaughn, a smile spreading across their lips in unison, countless voices overlapping: “Why are you looking for me, Vaughn Wesley?”
Vaughn’s pupils dilated.
The familiar courtyard, the familiar twilight.
And these mental bodies, though appearing as Jack Graves, possessed a familiar aura.
Everything felt so déjà vu!
Not much time had passed since these familiar elements had appeared, and Vaughn’s feelings were still fresh and profound. He had learned from his last experience and had not dared to directly read Jack Graves’s memories when entering his Mind World this time.
And now, he was immensely grateful for his caution.
He looked at the countless Jack Graves figures, his expression solemn. His mouth moved with difficulty, uttering a name:
“DeSantis!”
……
After brushing the soil off his leg, Donald found a wand and looked up. The battle in the air had already escalated intensely.
Flashes, impacts, loud noises.
Due to Vaughn’s earlier attack, the Purifier phalanx had collapsed. Now, wizards from the WAC and the Federation had completely broken through the ranks and were engaging the Purifiers in close combat.
Various spells flickered in the air, offenses and defenses, creating near chaos.
Just as Donald was hesitating about what to do, a wizard came flying towards him, screaming and staggering.
His broom was emitting thick smoke. A Purifier pursuing him was firing spells from its wand.
The wizard desperately defended himself, but his broom lost control, making him clumsy. Seeing an opening, he was hit by a spell and let out a cry of pain as he fell.
“Dampening Charm!”
Donald cast the spell to catch the wizard, then flicked his wand, sending a red light towards the “Purifier”!
Caught off guard, the Purifier was blasted into the darkness. Donald seized the opportunity to pull the caught wizard to his side, then, his hand trembled, and a soft sound was heard.
*Crack!*
The salvaged wand shattered.
Donald looked at the remaining fragments in his hand and sighed dejectedly, “A beech wand, symbolizing loyalty. I’m not its owner, but I didn’t expect it to self-destruct after just one use…”
Thinking this, he looked at the wizard he had just saved.
The other was a young man wearing glasses, looking like a Muggle student. “Are you alright?”
The young man raised his hand with a pained expression, signaling to wait, and then poked himself a few times with his wand. Soon after, he let out a “urp” and spat out a viscous liquid of indeterminate substance.
After expelling the substance, the young man looked much more relaxed, panting gratefully, “Clint McLean, thank you, Mr. Graves. You saved my life!”
McLean…
Donald froze for a moment and couldn’t help but glance at Vaughn, who was standing dozens of feet away under the frozen mushroom cloud, seemingly preoccupied with something.
Noticing his gaze, Clint shrugged, “Yes, I’m a follower of Mr. Weasley. Judging by your appearance, the Graves family has already investigated me and Oliver?”
“…”
Donald was silent for a moment before replying, “If it weren’t for tonight’s events, I was preparing to arrest and interrogate you.”
“Ha!” Clint let out a laugh. Seeing Donald’s stern face, he awkwardly scratched his cheek, “Our positions were different before, I understand. But it’s different now.”
As he spoke, he inspected his broom and found it completely broken. He had no choice but to discard it and prepare to retrieve the Purifier’s broom that had been chasing him. “Uh, I have to get back to the fight, Mr. Graves. What about you?”
“Me?”
Donald was a bit bewildered. He didn’t know what he should do next. So many unexpected things had happened tonight, and he had been manipulated throughout.
Jack was controlling him, the mastermind was controlling him, and Vaughn Wesley was also controlling him.
His brain was on the verge of crashing.
Sensing his confusion, Clint shook his head and said no more. Noticing the wand fragments in Donald’s hand, he opened his small bag and took out a wand, offering it to him.
“This is my spare wand, willow. It doesn’t resist new owners much. You can use it for now… Goodbye, Mr. Graves.”
Donald stared blankly as Clint jogged away to pick up the Purifier’s broom that had been blasted away earlier.
He became even more lost.
Position? What was his position now?
Donald himself wasn’t sure anymore.
He looked around. The appearance of Purifiers, as well as WAC and Federation wizards, had relegated his Auror squad to a supporting role, but it had also resolved their crisis.
In the distance, Jacob was gathering his forces to rescue survivors, taking advantage of the broken barrier.
Tonks, Lupin, and Shackle were also helping him.
As for the traitors who followed Jack, some had gone into hiding, while others had joined the battle in the air. But some—
Donald suddenly noticed Evelyn leading a small team attempting to force their way towards the mushroom cloud. She… wanted to support Jack!
He looked back towards the direction of the mushroom cloud. Within the halo-like luminescence, Vaughn Wesley, with blue spiritual light flashing in his eyes, seemed to be fully invading Jack’s Mind World, unable to attend to external matters.
His gaze shifted back and forth between Evelyn and Vaughn.
Donald’s expression was conflicted.
To him, both were his enemies. Evelyn was a traitor, and Vaughn Wesley had used him and was trying to steal the Graves family’s secrets.
Rationally speaking, given his current position, letting the two fight each other seemed to align better with the interests of himself and the Graves family.
But…
Donald lowered his head, looking at the willow wand in his hand, then looked up at his surroundings—the street, now completely destroyed, was visible, with rubble everywhere. The figures of some dead Federation Aurors flickered in the darkness.
In the distance, Jacob strained to move several pieces of rubble, his face smeared with sweat and blood. But he was sadly trying to dig out his compatriots from beneath the debris.
Lupin stood beside him, holding his wand as a shield.
Overhead, Clint had returned to the battlefield. The various spell lights blooming on the battlefield illuminated his face softly and hazily. He intercepted another Purifier. Though weary, he was wholeheartedly devoted to this battle that was originally none of his concern.
“Position…”
Recalling Clint’s words from not long ago, Donald suddenly sighed softly.
In fact, he no longer had the right to cling to his original position. When Jack detonated the nuclear bomb, and he was saved by Vaughn Wesley and his people, his original position had already ceased to exist.
His current struggle was merely his brain, filled with family honor, clinging to an untimely stubbornness…
With that thought, the confusion in Donald’s eyes faded, and his expression became resolute again.
He moved, running towards Vaughn, his steps quickening. In the distance, Evelyn, noticing him, let out a fierce roar.
“Donald—”
*Buzz!*
The air hummed, and a large spherical shield was summoned by Donald, appearing in front of him and also protecting Vaughn from behind.
Donald, eyes fixed on the speeding Evelyn, noticed out of the corner of his eye that Vaughn, whose pupils were now covered in milky white mist, glanced at him.
Then, he nodded at him.
“Thank you. Please hold them off for a while. I need to deal with DeSantis.”
Donald had no time to respond, nor to think about who DeSantis was, because in the very next second, Evelyn’s enraged attack descended!
*Boom!*
Jack Graves’s Mind World shook violently with a long, resounding roar.
The Dream Boundary, the twilight courtyard sealed within a giant piece of amber, was also affected.
DeSantis, wearing Jack Graves’s face, looked up for a moment before turning back to Vaughn: “You recognize me? Have you seen me in other people’s memories before?”
Trapped, Vaughn showed no signs of panic and calmly replied: “Yes, a wizard named Essex.”
“Oh… I don’t recall. Perhaps it was my primary self, another ‘me’ that differentiated after me.” As he spoke, he showed interest: “How was your interaction?”
“We didn’t interact much. I escaped quickly.”
“Tsk, you should have talked to me. You’re also skilled in Memory Magic, so you should understand that people like us aren’t as terrifying as those fools who don’t understand Memory Magic spread rumors about.”
Vaughn’s calm gaze swept over the countless “Jack Graves” surrounding him and he chuckled: “With this kind of scene, you say you’re not terrifying?”
DeSantis spread his hands: “This is just a small trick to keep you here to talk with me for a bit, to satisfy my curiosity about you… because I know you’ll be able to escape this time too.”
As he spoke, he reached out and made a grasping motion, and a wisp of milky white mist suddenly appeared in his hand.
The mist writhed as if alive, sometimes condensing into a human-like silhouette, other times dissolving, but no matter how it changed, it could not escape DeSantis’s palm.
“A very interesting Memory Magic. A creation different from a memory-self, consciousness-self, or spirit-self. It’s woven from emotion and memory, which also enhances its function of invading others’ memories and emotions.”
Observing the mist in his hand thoughtfully, DeSantis paused and smiled: “But your original intention in creating it was likely to craft an outer layer to cover your main consciousness… Hmm, this need, you originally intended to use it to filter the erosion and pollution of Dark Arts?”
He analyzed the function of the Persona Embodiment with just a few glances.
Vaughn frowned slightly, but wasn’t too surprised. His opponent was a master of Memory Magic, almost on par with Dumbledore, possessing formidable magical strength, knowledge, and insight.
And his Persona Embodiment was merely an unfinished semi-product.
“You flatter me. I’m far from your equal.”
Vaughn smiled faintly and followed the conversation with flattery: “You understood my Persona Embodiment just by making brief contact, yet I have no clue about your existence. You are clearly the stronger one.”
“Heh heh…”
DeSantis shifted his attention from the mist in his hand and looked at Vaughn with interest: “You want to know my background?”
“In a way. I am indeed very interested in your existence, but I don’t dare to study you.”
“You are very honest.”
“Isn’t that what you want? You want to talk with me, and for that, you’ve even trapped me. Of course, I can only accommodate your wishes.”
DeSantis didn’t comment on this reply. He opened his hand, allowing the wisp of mist to escape and dissipate. He watched the spot where the mist vanished and said calmly: “I know you are buying time to escape. I can sense that Jack Graves’s memories and emotions are being polluted and occupied by your… Persona Embodiment. Once you complete the control of Jack Graves’s memories and emotions, and thoroughly influence his main consciousness, you can use him to drag your wisp of consciousness out of my control.”
As he spoke, he observed Vaughn’s expression.
However, Vaughn’s emotions showed no change, which seemed to satisfy him: “You are very calm, a smart person, and very cautious. I like dealing with people like you. Please rest assured, as I said before, I have no ill intentions towards you; I just want to talk.”
Vaughn was silent for a moment.
Could DeSantis’s words be trusted?
At least at this moment, he believed the other party genuinely just wanted to talk.
Because before entering, even though he hadn’t chosen to absorb Jack Graves’s memories due to their previous encounter, he hadn’t expected to encounter DeSantis again.
The other party, using his curiosity, had disguised himself as Jack Graves and lured him into this “courtyard,” which symbolized the other party’s domain.
His consciousness was effectively trapped within this domain.
Comparatively speaking, it was like a person’s consciousness being covered by their Persona Embodiment, with their life and death in someone else’s hands.
If he had malicious intent, this wisp of his consciousness would be annihilated quickly. Although the “him” here was only a part of Vaughn Weasley’s main consciousness, akin to an extension of his spirit, its demise would still affect the main consciousness.
So, after some thought, Vaughn asked: “What do you want to talk about?”
“Let’s talk about our encounter.” DeSantis smiled and made an inviting gesture: “Shall we take a walk? You didn’t get a good look last time. The courtyard comes from the part of my primary self’s memory that is most cherished, so it has some scenery.”
“Heh, you didn’t say that last time.”
“Oh?”
“Another DeSantis said this courtyard was taken from Essex’s memories.” Though his tone was somewhat mocking, Vaughn, sensing the confinement disappear, walked to DeSantis’s side.
Bathed in the twilight, they strolled along the small path in the courtyard.
DeSantis’s smile remained: “He lied to you, likely to avoid raising your guard. But I assure you, he also had no malicious intent towards you. We were both created by the primary self using his memory-selves, and we inherited the primary self’s thought patterns. To us, you are a potential ally, not an enemy.”
“An ally?”
“Yes. In fact, from the moment Jack Graves first learned of you, you came into my sight. Of course, I wasn’t focused on the Wolfsbane Potion, but rather on your actions since you started the WAC…”
DeSantis paused here, gazing at Vaughn: “And your attitude towards the Statute of Secrecy!”
“In this world, the mediocre always make up the majority. They indulge in power and pursue strength, their eyes blinded by desire, overlooking the truly shining things.”
“With the establishment of the WAC, those mediocre people could only focus on how this change would affect their power. They could only focus on how, after you founded the WAC, the English Ministry of Magic’s authority would be challenged, and how controlling a group of obedient werewolves would bring about a significant increase in military strength. They failed to see your true objective!”
“They failed to see your contempt and dissatisfaction with the Statute of Secrecy!”
Strolling through the courtyard frozen in twilight, DeSantis slowly said: “Do you truly care about the fate of werewolves? Any wizard who considers himself mature would not think so. But they are thinking in the wrong direction. They assumed you wanted to control the werewolves, that your pursuit was power.”
“But I know that’s not the case. You chose werewolves perhaps only because your potion-making talent is exceptionally strong, and using potions as an entry point was more convenient for you to start.”
“If there were no werewolves, and no way to establish the Werewolf Affairs Committee, I believe you would have still stepped forward to establish a House-elf Affairs Committee, a Vampire Affairs Committee, or even committees for Trolls, Giants, Fire Dragons… any non-wizard intelligent creature could have become a target for your support.”
“What drives you to do this is not benevolence, or equality, or other strange ideals, but your heartfelt dissatisfaction with the current state of the Wizarding World!”
Without asking for Vaughn’s thoughts, DeSantis was very confident in his analysis: “You hate the Wizarding World’s complacency and stagnation, hate that the Statute of Secrecy, under the guise of protection, has in fact confined the development of the Wizarding World.”
“Therefore, you want to create something different, let these different things develop, and create competition, confrontation, and conflict with the old order… It’s like putting a catfish in a sardine tank, forcing the old order to change through the catfish’s activity.”
“This is your true pursuit. The so-called WAC, or any other affairs committee, is merely a tool to achieve this pursuit!”
After DeSantis finished speaking, the courtyard fell silent for a moment.
In the distance and nearby, countless DeSantis figures stood among the flowerbeds, fountains, and flowers, gazing at Vaughn.
Vaughn’s expression was calm:
“An interesting conjecture. I think you should write novels.”
DeSantis was unconcerned by Vaughn’s indirect rebuttal rather than directly engaging: “You know whether it’s conjecture or not. I just think it’s a pity that you’ve chosen the longest path, one with almost no hope of success.”
“…”
Vaughn did not respond.
DeSantis didn’t care about his response and continued: “Undeniably, your series of actions, at first glance, does have a possibility of success. The appearance of the Wolfsbane Potion and the establishment of the WAC have indeed reversed the impression of werewolves being synonymous with danger, transforming them from the fringes into a new pole of the Wizarding World.”
“And this change has indeed generated strong interest from many countries and organizations, prompting them to make changes, either passively or actively.”
“I heard you introduced a strategy called the Wolfsbane Potion International Trade System, through bundled sales of Wolfsbane Potion to sell ‘comprehensive services.’ Some smaller countries have already begun to contact you, attempting to solve their domestic werewolf problems, which are rampant. If nothing unexpected happens, these smaller countries will eventually become increasingly dependent on your WAC and be forced to join your faction.”
“Everything seems to be progressing smoothly, but my friend, haven’t you noticed the hidden dangers? Your Wolfsbane Potion is not an irreplaceable item. If one day, someone bypasses your recipe and develops another Wolfsbane Potion, how long will the trade system you’ve built now last?”
“At that time, what choice will those countries that were forced into your faction make?”
DeSantis stopped and sighed: “I once heard the Qi Practitioners from the Far East say a phrase: ‘Those who associate for profit will part when the profit ends.’ What is the difference between your current actions and ‘associating for profit’ in that saying? You’ve fabricated a form of profit to gather them around you, so when that profit no longer exists, they will naturally disperse.”
“Your so-called reform will naturally turn into a bubble again and merge back into this uninteresting, confined reality—because the path you’ve chosen is still walking on the rules of the old order, without truly stepping out of its framework.”
“Therefore, once the old order adapts to the changes brought about by your arrival, it will naturally devour all your efforts!”
As they spoke, the two had arrived at a corner of the courtyard.
A pavilion and refreshments were prepared here. DeSantis sat down first, and Vaughn sat opposite him.
After glancing at the types of refreshments on the table, Vaughn looked at DeSantis, who had already picked up a cup of tea and was gently stirring it: “After listening to you say so much, you seem very experienced?”
“Indeed, I have some. A long time ago, I was like you, thinking that modifying the old order could yield some positive results.”
DeSantis took a sip of tea, nodded with a smile, and beckoned to Vaughn, who remained still: “Won’t you try some? Although this is a Mind World and they are fake, their taste is taken from my primary self’s memories, perfectly replicated.”
