Chapter 18

"Wood?"

Murphy was a bit surprised; this guy actually learned how to use a phone?

"What's wrong?"

"I, I, it seems..." Wood's voice sounded a bit nervous, "I've encountered a bit of a problem."

"Hmm? Is someone robbing you?"

Murphy immediately thought of his previous warning to him.

Could this guy be so unlucky that he had only gone to buy materials a few times and already got robbed?

"Are you okay? How much money did you lose?" Murphy asked.

"No, it's fine, no money lost, and I wasn't robbed," Wood said.

Murphy was puzzled; if you're fine, why are you calling me? Is it because you want to try out how to use the phone?

"Then what's the matter with you calling me?"

"It's the potion, the matter of the Beauty Potion, I want to see you and tell you about it."

Beauty Potion!

Murphy immediately perked up; whether he could make money faster in the future and then get the research institute up and running faster depended on it.

Could it be that this kid had been brewing the potion for a few days and had some discovery or breakthrough?

"Okay, where are you, the barn? I'll come find you right now."

A few days ago, Murphy had the Muggles install a landline in the barn just to make it convenient for Wood to contact him.

Alex was probably using Muggle technology for the first time and was extremely nervous, speaking incoherently; it would probably be unclear if he explained it over the phone, so it would be better to go over and see.

"Okay, okay, hurry up and come."

After hanging up the phone, Murphy Apparated to the barn.

However, as soon as he entered the door, his expression darkened.

He saw a bald man wearing black wizard robes sitting on a small mountain of burlap sacks piled up in the barn, while Alex Wood was lying on the ground, not knowing if he had fainted or was dead.

"Did you make Wood call me?"

Murphy immediately guessed most of the situation; no wonder Wood was stuttering and hesitant on the phone, it turned out he was forced to call.

"Who are you?"

Murphy drew his wand, his heart already filled with murderous intent.

The things in this barn were things he absolutely did not want other wizards to see; if people found out he was selling potions to Muggles, the lightest punishment would be to forcibly stop his business, and he might even be thrown into Azkaban.

"Peter Parker?" The bald wizard looked at him, seemingly wanting to confirm his identity, "Never heard of this surname, are you Muggle-born?"

Murphy was stunned, then immediately understood, "Did Wood tell you my name?"

The bald man snorted, "Spineless guy, didn't take two hits of the Cruciatus Curse before he spilled it."

"How did you find this place? What do you want?"

Murphy asked.

He had to determine how much information the other party knew about him and if there were any other associates.

"Let's put it this way, Mr. Peter Parker, you've provoked someone you shouldn't have," the bald man said, "You had this guy disguise himself to buy potion materials, right? Let me guess, where did those materials go? Sold to Knockturn Alley, or smuggled abroad?"

Murphy frowned, but his heart felt slightly relieved.

This guy didn't know about him selling potions to Muggles.

He thought he had sold the potions to dark wizards?

At the same time, he also understood the cause of the matter.

Someone—a big shot in the bald man's words—had noticed him buying large quantities of potion materials, and then sent the bald man to follow Wood—Wood used a Portkey to travel back and forth, and the bald man only needed to grab the corner of his clothes to follow him back—to the barn.

Then he shouldn't know much about him.

After all, even Alex Wood himself only knew a fake name for Murphy.

"Who I sell potions to, what does that have to do with you?" Murphy said.

"Of course it has nothing to do with me, I'm just an errand boy," the bald man said with a cynical look, jumping down from the burlap sacks, "But you've blocked someone's path to wealth, and the big shot asked me to bring you a message."

"Two choices, either he gives you a stake, work together, and everyone makes money together. Or, he will have the Aurors chase you to the ends of the earth, and sooner or later throw you into Azkaban to accompany those monsters."

"How about it, Mr. Peter Parker, a very simple multiple-choice question."

Hearing this, Murphy completely calmed down.

That's it?

And here I thought you guys had caught some major dirt on me!

It's me who overestimated the intelligence of wizards.

He had already reconstructed the truth of the matter; it was likely that someone observed him buying large quantities of potion materials, but there were no large quantities of potions for sale on the market, so that "big shot" suspected he had sold the potions to dark wizards or smuggled them abroad, etc.

The other party probably never even thought about the possibility of "selling potions to Muggles."

After all, for most wizards, Muggles are like another kind of creature living in a parallel world; they don't see them a few times a year, and the idea of doing business with Muggles has already been blocked out of their thinking.

"It is indeed a very simple choice," Murphy said, "But I have a question."

"What question?"

"That big shot, what makes him think that a guy like you can threaten me?"

"What?"

The moment the bald wizard was stunned, Murphy had already launched an attack, "Petrificus Totalus!"

"Protego!" The bald man's reaction was fast enough, immediately releasing a Shield Charm to block the attack.

But Murphy wouldn't give him a chance to catch his breath, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The shortened Levitation Charm was not a standard spell and could not be controlled continuously, but it would cause objects to float upward until the spell's effect ended.

And what was more interesting was that this was not a single-target spell, but an AOE magic that targeted a range and could affect all objects within that range; even objects not directly hit by the spell's beam would float up.

And Protego could only defend against the spell's beam.

Therefore, this simple Levitation Charm could bypass the defense of the Shield Charm, causing the enemy to float up, thereby causing them to lose their balance and become flustered.

This move had made Murphy almost undefeated in wizard duels when he was at school.

In the bald man's panic, the Shield Charm could not be maintained and failed.

Murphy immediately followed up with a Disarming Charm, seized the other party's wand, and then added a Petrification Curse to prevent him from having a backup wand.

Watching the bald man fall heavily from the air, Murphy stepped on his face, which was bleeding profusely from the fall, without any pity.

"Crucio!"

The torture lasted for a full five minutes.

Only then did Murphy lift the Petrification Curse on the other party.

The bald man was drenched in sweat, his face pale, and he was almost unable to speak.

Murphy curled his lip, expressing sympathy, then added a Sectumsempra, poking several holes in his stomach.

It had to be said that the two spells invented by Mr. Snape were both very good; Levicorpus for high-efficiency control, and Sectumsempra for high-efficiency damage, Murphy liked using them very much.

"What's your name?" Murphy asked.

The bald man's face was full of terror, he opened his mouth a few times, but was unable to speak.

"Forget it, I'll do it myself. Legilimens!"

A moment later, Murphy smacked his lips, "Malfoy?"

So Slug and Jiggers Apothecary was his property.

"Just that idiot Lucius, still wants to steal my business?" Murphy sneered, full of mockery.

Young Malfoy was a piece of trash, and Lucius was even more of a piece of trash among trash.

That coward still wants to threaten me?

Got a little money and started floating, right.

Murphy didn't bother with the half-dead bald man anymore, but went to Wood's side to check, fortunately, he had only fainted.

He was just about to lift the curse on Wood when his peripheral vision caught the bald man trembling as he reached into his bosom and pulled out something like a badge.

"You, you will regret this! Mr. Malfoy will, make you pay the price!"

After the bald man finished speaking, he suddenly twisted and disappeared.

Murphy was stunned for a moment, "A Portkey for escape?"

"These dark wizards aren't completely without creativity."

(End of chapter)