The dragon pox curse had been tormenting Alex relentlessly, and now that thread represented the dark magic.
Being pulled away.
Instead of touching it directly, Alex carefully led the thread into the magic book for containment.
It was important to be cautious; the dragon pox curse was infamous for how easily it spread and how stubbornly it clung to its victims.
The Malfoy family ancestors had once used this very curse to assassinate the first Muggle-born Minister of Magic, but it had backfired on them at the time.
As Alex held the metal magic book, it immediately began to glow faintly with a magical aura upon receiving the cursed light thread.
Under his careful control, the thread was steadily drawn in, pulling the curse into the book's record under the page titled "Dragon Pox Curse."
This process took about ten minutes.
Although the curse on Anais
s body wasn't very concentrated, it clung stubbornly like maggots stuck to the skin, making it clear just how harmful it could be once fully attached.
'What a troublesome curse this was.'
At first, when the curse started to be removed, Anais only felt a dull scratching pain.
But as the curse was completely drawn out, it was as if her sense of touch suddenly snapped back to life, bringing with it a sharp, piercing tingling sensation.
She couldn't help but cry out in pain.
Anais winced in pain, and Azalea immediately felt distressed, glancing nervously at Alex.
"Master, what's wrong with my sister? She'll be okay, right?" she asked anxiously.
Alex shook his head calmly.
"Don't worry. Dragon pox is a stubborn curse; it's not easy to get rid of. Alex has been carrying it for so long that it's formed a kind of bond with her body. That's why she's feeling pain now - it's the curse breaking away."
He continued, "Removing it will cause some damage, like how someone recovering from a serious illness feels weak for a while. But with rest and proper care, Alex will gradually get better."
He then pulled out a small wooden box from his interspatial ring and handed it to Alex.
"Here are two dozen vitality tonics. Keep them safe. Take half a bottle each day, diluted with an equal amount of water. After a month, you should be back to normal."
Turning to Azalea with a relieved smile, he added, "We caught this early. If we'd waited a few more years, even if we cleared the curse, Alex might have had only half her life left.
So, the outlook is actually pretty good."
Azalea exhaled sharply, feeling a wave of relief, then cursed under her breath.
"It's all because of that damned witch!"
Anais couldn't follow their conversation fully but could sense that the curse inside her was finally gone.
Though she was still weak, a peaceful calm settled over her.
Grateful, she said softly, "Thank you, Your Excellency. I don't know how to repay you for helping me."
Alex smiled gently.
"Azalea has already covered your treatment costs. If you want to thank someone, thank her."
Then he glanced at Azalea and said, "You two talk. Karkaroff and I have some matters to attend to."
Azalea nodded gratefully, then took Anais aside, grateful for Alex's kindness and support.
Alex glanced at the stunned Karkaroff and said, "Come with me, I need your help with something!"
Without waiting for a response, he ignored Karkaroff and stepped straight into his open suitcase.
Though unsure of what awaited him, Karkaroff instinctively followed.
The moment he entered the suitcase's interior, his jaw dropped in astonishment at the incredible sight before him.
After raiding the breeding park, Alex had completely redesigned the inside to make the space more practical and efficient.
Right through the suitcase entrance, there was a metal corridor that resembled a fully enclosed patio on a military submarine.
This entrance shaft stretched tens of meters from the top down to the floor and featured a metal ladder running straight up and down, alongside a metal pole designed for quick sliding.
The whole setup made it seem like an emergency exit rather than just a suitcase interior.
The walls were simple but rugged, made entirely of metal and lined with warning signs and protective gear, much like a space capsule's passageway.
In truth, Alex had rebuilt this area to military base standards to keep out anyone with bad intentions.
After all, his suitcase held many valuable items.
To prevent theft, Alex had installed powerful tracking spells on the suitcase, but losing even a single precious resource would be a huge headache.
So, he borrowed plenty of building materials from the breeding park to upgrade the internal security systems extensively.
At the bottom of this entrance chamber was a door secured with multiple magical locks.
When Karkaroff followed Alex through this door, he finally understood what it meant to have a "hole in the sky."
The entire suitcase interior was like a massive square box with a thin metal tube running through the center, but inside, the atmosphere was entirely different from the military-style entrance.
To Karkaroff, it looked like a grand country estate.
The first thing that caught his eye were two five-story stone buildings, their roofs nearly touching the ceiling.
Nothing was wasted in the design.
Interestingly, the two buildings had very different architectural styles.
One was a Gothic-style residence, clearly crafted by Shalltear, as Karkaroff could tell at a glance.
This mobile residence belongs to Alex and his companions.
It's not just equipped with numerous guest rooms but also features a spacious entertainment room, a library, a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, a large bathroom, and other essential living spaces.
Essentially, all the supplies for the "mother bird" are gathered here.
Another building nearby matches Alex's practical style perfectly; it's a simple, square structure that clearly emphasizes functionality.
Its neat and solemn exterior resembles a Muggle barracks.
Inside, you'll find Alex's various laboratories, shooting ranges, military meeting rooms, and a wide array of alchemical equipment.
The meeting rooms where Alex used to hold discussions with Aurors have mostly been relocated to this building.
Besides the labs and equipment, there's also a huge warehouse that stores non-living materials, everything from building supplies and alchemical ingredients to finished and semi-finished alchemical products and potion components.
Everything here is carefully categorized and organized.
The space outside these two buildings is dedicated to a large magical animal breeding area, which greatly impressed Karkaroff.
From his viewpoint, a vast fenced-in pasture covered with grass stretched out, where hundreds of Tebo Warthogs and Re'em Cattle roamed freely.
These massive creatures, averaging three meters tall, looked like a herd of ordinary livestock, peacefully wandering in an orderly fashion.
Above them, a small thunderbird and a phoenix flew in staggered patrols, keeping watch over the territory.