"Mad?"
"Mad."
"...Then that's strange, what kind of mad?"
"At first, dazed, memory lapses. Some people claim they saw apparitions that night, which they described as shadows of some kind of huge, twisted trees."
Charlie coughed twice, his right leg started shaking uncontrollably, "When I sensed something was wrong, it was too late. As those people continued to think it over, they went completely mad, muttering incomprehensible words, filled with fear, and even ended up having a chrysanthemum bloom on their face, a real chrysanthemum—"
Saying this, the man reached into his coat and took out a paper bag, pulling out some photographs, which Mundungus instinctively received.
Then he understood; the other person's words were not "exaggerated alarms," they were real chrysanthemums. The black "chrysanthemum" wrinkles gradually engulfed a person's features, then formed into a genuine "chrysanthemum" which slowly grew from where the nose should be. Since it was a moving magic photograph, Mundungus saw the whole process from bloom to decay.
Afterward, the man's sanity value dropped crazily.
"Then what happened to these chrysanthemum people... uh, I mean..."
"All dead."
"All dead?"
"Yes, none survived, it happened incredibly fast, I've never heard of such an exaggerated contagion—"
"Wait, you said contagion?"
Mundungus instinctively leaned back, his gaze quickly scanning Charlie's face several times, seemingly trying to see if there were any signs of his features turning into chrysanthemums.
The room's air seemed to freeze, Mundungus felt a chill down his back. The earlier magic failure was still manageable, but this bizarre contagion and massive death... no matter how you hear or see it, it doesn't seem like noise caused by wizard conflicts.
"Rest assured, I made sure I was fine before coming back."
Charlie waved his hand, indicating there was no need to be so cautious. "The issue mainly lies with the communication rune. I was not sure if the owl could come here, so I came back myself. This wound was caused by a poacher's Dark Arts during the journey—" he pointed to his mouth, then his jaw.
"So, do you have any leads?"
Mundungus couldn't resist rubbing his brow, continuing his inquiry.
"I can't be sure."
Charlie rubbed his temples, his face showing deeper exhaustion, "Africa's magic system differs significantly from ours. There are many ancient, primitive totem worships and natural spirit beliefs locally. Some legendary curses might indeed achieve this, so I lean toward someone manipulating all this from behind, using forces I'm unfamiliar with..."
As he spoke, he lifted his head, his gaze intensely focusing on Mundungus—
"These base stations are essentials for the magic network's globalization. You're aware of the boss's plan. If Africa's node can't be established timely, there'll be a massive gap in the entire network's coverage. Also, if this unknown threat isn't clarified, further advancement in other areas may encounter the same trouble—their intention is clear, it's aimed at us."
"You came back to..."
Though he already had an answer, Mundungus continued probing.
"Request for aid."
Charlie replied firmly, "I need some capable hands, the kind that are highly skilled, preferably those knowledgeable about Ancient Magic or experts in studying Africa's magic system. More importantly, I need the boss's guidance. Can you reach him? I originally intended to go to Hogsmeade, but passed by here, if there's a shortcut—"
Mundungus nodded and then shook his head.
He nodded to show he understood, but shook his head because this wasn't a shortcut at all, and not to mention the boss has been busy lately, so even sending a message requires scheduling—besides, you shouldn't trouble the boss with everything, otherwise, what would he need you for?
Therefore, the man contemplated momentarily before speaking, "I'll think of a way to get the message to the boss as soon as possible, and as for personnel... I can allocate some for you. Lately, it seems the boss has been training a batch of 'reinforced units,' but if it's dealing with this unknown entity, sheer numbers may not be effective..."
He said while pacing back and forth in the small room, "What you need are special talents that can apply the right treatment..." He stroked his chin, suddenly his eyes lit up, thinking of someone who had been a "headache," "Wait, perhaps there's someone who can provide you some clues."
Charlie cast an inquiring look.
"Follow me."
Mundungus waved his hand, got up, and walked outside. The two talked as they walked, "According to the boss, that guy has been alive for thousands of years, having seen more bizarre things than we've eaten salt. Plus, the boss mentioned, if there's anything, you could ask her."
Though, Mundungus didn't understand why William made such a vague statement back then.
The two left the room and continued walking along the orange corridor. Soon, they stood in front of a wooden door carved with defense runes.
Mundungus walked up and pushed the door open, leading the way inside. Everything in the room could be captured at a glance; the room's furnishings were simple, with only a bed, a chair, and a table, with no windows. By the bed sat a woman, staring straight ahead, her face lifeless.
"...Have something to ask you."
Mundungus rubbed his arm, seemingly trying to suppress the goosebumps on it. He took a breath and raised the photographs in his hand, placing them in front of the woman, "Look, have you seen anything like this... uh, entity, wizard..."
Hearing the voice, Athena's head turned extremely slowly, with a neck stiffness like lacking lubrication. Her face still lacked any expression. Her pale golden eyes rotated for a moment, then settled on the photograph, where the black chrysanthemum was slowly withering from the faceless human face—
"Seen it."
She seemed to ponder for a moment, then nodded.
"Seen... you've seen it?"
"Black chrysanthemums aren't any rare species; Olympus's gardens have them."
"..."
"Damn, I'm asking about this? I'm asking if you've seen a curse similar to this! Or, if there's anyone like you, some 'old fellow' capable of such a scene? ...Forget it, it's probably pointless to ask, we should..." Mundungus said, annoyed after standing up and looking at Charlie behind him.
"...Seen this too."