The night deepened, and the streetlights began to light up one by one.
Stern had not encountered any customers buying ice cream for half an hour, and the empty street was eerily silent.
A regular vendor wouldn't be doing business at this time, so Stern couldn't either.
He turned off the flashing lights on top of his car, shut down the music that made him nauseous, and slowly packed his things.
Looking back, Headmaster Fontana stood under a tree in the distance, shrouded in shadow, his expression indistinct.
Stern took a deep breath, as if he had made some kind of decision.
He turned and walked towards Headmaster Fontana, looking at the old man dressed in Muggle casual wear, thinking about his day's following and guarding, his heart, hardened for a long time, softened for a moment.
But then Stern quickly regained his composure.
"Mr. Fontana..."
Stern stood only a few steps away from the old man, bowed his head, and awkwardly wiped his hands on his apron. When he raised his head again, his eyes were slightly red, seemingly restraining himself from showing too much emotion.
"I really appreciate your concern, truly... but sir, please give me a little more time, okay? I... I really don't want you to see my messy personal affairs..."
He pleaded softly, and then said, "I swear, once everything is settled, I will... I will definitely come to you and tell you everything..."
——When going out next time, I definitely can't be complacent because things went smoothly in the past. No matter when, I must always be well-disguised!
Stern thought resentfully in his heart.
On the surface, he seemed like a man nearly crushed by life, yet struggling to retain his last semblance of dignity.
In the night, Fontana quietly watched the student before him, whose face almost explicitly conveyed "struggle" and "pain".
He remained silent for quite a while, his eyes, seemingly always able to see through human hearts, now appeared to be shrouded in a thin mist.
Stern "painfully" hung his eyes, worried that looking directly might betray his emotions, and even more concerned about being subjected to Mind Reading. Thus, from a long time ago, he was accustomed to not meeting a Wizard's gaze.
So, at this moment, he didn't see Fontana's understanding and pity.
Only after a while did he finally hear the answer he wanted:
"...Alright."
Fontana's voice carried a hint of an imperceptible sigh. He lifted his head and patted the student's shoulder, saying:
"I'll wait for your reply, Rolando... but don't let it be too late."
"Yes... by tomorrow morning at the latest, I will definitely give you an answer."
Feeling the hand on his shoulder withdrawing, Stern's tense emotions immediately relaxed a bit. He then promised and afterward, bowed deeply and almost gratefully, quickly turned around and left.
Fontana didn't move a step, merely watched the figure flee back to the ice cream truck, then start the engine and merge into the endless stream of cars in New York.
...
After circling the streets for another ten minutes and confirming he wasn't being followed, having Apparated twice, Stern finally returned, chilled and exhausted, to the temporary base of the Scourers.
He wandered through the corridor but did not see Leader Bronlin, only came across Vampire Glanwhite, who had joined the organization.
Stern furrowed his brows.
This Dark Creature was once hunted by Wizards to the point of having almost no space to survive, forced to live by pleading and bending.
Nowadays, most Vampires have accepted their fate, becoming waste indulged in pleasure, but some still yearn to restore the glory of their ancestors.
Glanwhite is such a Vampire.
He joined the Scourers under the pretense of seeking revenge on Wizards, but actually has his own clan and rarely interacts with others.
If not for the recent thorough investigation by the IRS into all Scourers' companies, forcing them to abandon most of their peripheral members and begin to consolidate their forces, Stern wouldn't have seen this guy at the base.
But rather than serving the organization, Stern felt this guy seemed more interested in developing his progeny within the Scourers, especially the talented Young Wizards.
Remembering Carrel, who never returned after being taken away, Stern felt a wave of disgust.
He actually saw potential in the child, but because the organization brought people back too roughly and simply, Stern was worried he might turn against the organization in the future and hesitated on how to handle him.
And during his moment of indecision, Glanwhite took advantage of the opportunity—
Due to significant achievements by this Vampire, then-leader Thorne rewarded the unstable element Carrel to Glanwhite, having him turn Carrel into a Vampire.
But now, faced with this Vampire alone, Stern suppressed his disgust and asked, "Where is Mr. Bronlin?"
"Of course, at the station," Glanwhite said amiably, "What else can catch our leader's attention besides those big toys?"
While speaking, Abigail came over from the fork, carrying a large backpack.
"Serra?" Stern asked in surprise, "Isn't it supposed to be silent lately? At this late hour... where are you going?"
"Mr. Bronlin's orders," Abigail stopped walking, saying, "going to Washington to contact someone named Liayana Lightford."
Stern frowned, "Who is that?"
"A member of Prometheus," Abigail explained, "We intend to preliminarily express that we wish to cooperate, to see if the other party is sincere."
Stern's face instantly turned icy, and his anger nearly overflowed.
He took two deep breaths to avoid roaring, his voice almost squeezed out from between his teeth:
"Such a big matter, why wasn't I informed? Seeking contact before properly assessing risk and negotiating terms is handing over leverage!"
Abigail said in slight confusion, "Mr. Bronlin decided only this afternoon... he said you were being watched by Fontana and had no time to come back and discuss."
Glanwhite suddenly laughed, saying, "And Mr. Bronlin is our leader right now. Naturally, he has the authority to decide the organization's next direction."
With smiling eyes, he suddenly leaned close to Stern, whispering before Stern could step back:
"Moreover... Yodel Bronlin isn't a Wizard. Do you really think he cares about Prometheus experimenting on Wizards?"
"But you are a Wizard, and a very good one... aren't you, dear Rolando?"
Stern's pupils narrowed sharply, but he didn't respond to Glanwhite's taunt, abruptly turned around, and rushed towards the underground station like a gust of wind.
Glanwhite laughed and turned back to Abigail, saying, "Let's go, Serra."