"I am an Auror, and I must uphold my professional ethics," Loreton said unhappily, slamming his fist on the table.
"Although I am very reluctant to let him leave like this, the bottom line must be adhered to."
Howl shrugged, lamenting, "I didn't realize your professional ethics were so high…"
They need to be lowered!
He thought of Dumbledore's old friend.
It was that old friend from whom he borrowed the scrying mirror; Howl heard that guy was a rogue Auror, and half of Azkaban's cells were filled by him, all with serious offenders.
The kind who would never come out alive once they went in.
That's why his house was filled with scrying mirrors. The reason, of course, was that he was constantly being targeted by criminals, who wished him dead.
It was said that during the period Dumbledore borrowed half of the scrying mirrors from his house, he couldn't sleep peacefully every night.
"The fact that I can sit here with you means my professional ethics aren't that high," Loreton said irritably, his words making a few people laugh.
"Let's get back to business." He tapped the table: "You said cooperation, but in truth, you also want those two books, don't you?"
"Of course, I cannot bear to miss out on these treasures when I'm only a few days away." Howl said frankly: "Of course, what we discussed yesterday is still part of the deal."
Loreton's face showed hesitation, then he said, "Regarding this matter… I must apologize and tell you that we do not possess any ancient texts on magic by great sages like Plato and Aristotle."
After saying that, he added, "Perhaps Britain has them, I'm not very clear on that…"
"No, Britain doesn't either." Huckleton shook his head and said, "Currently, there are no known records of magic by these great sages in circulation."
Hearing this, not only did Howl's heart sink, but Harry, who was nearby, also looked a bit disappointed.
Although he didn't understand… at least he had heard those names.
Then Harry saw Howl carefully scan the two of them and slowly speak: "Are you sure about the accuracy of what you're saying? You know, we are still in the process of building trust."
"There's no need to lie about this," Loreton said.
"You truly didn't damage any ancient texts yesterday, including those fragile stone tablets. So I trust your regard for texts, no, I should say I trust your regard for knowledge; there's no need to hide anything."
Howl was silent for a moment. Huckleton, hearing Loreton's words, looked at Howl with some surprise and uncertainty, then quickly calmed down.
"Jones, I think in this matter, they truly have no need to lie to you to put you off."
Howl was silent for a while, his hands clasped together, rubbing his ring.
"What do you mean now? Are the texts you took enough to support our cooperation?" Loreton looked at Howl, asking tentatively.
Howl looked at him, pondering internally.
Actually… enough, more than enough.
But… he wasn't some temporary worker; if he didn't skim a little off the top, it would be a disrespect to his former status…
"Add more chips."
"What do you want? Social status? Or ancient texts?" Loreton looked at him.
The Wizarding World isn't very big; an Auror leader, though the title sounds small, holds significant weight in this narrow, unified system.
"Neither… Social status is irrelevant to me, and ancient texts and artifacts are gifts from your ancestors to you; I merely want the knowledge within them."
"You've already obtained the knowledge." Loreton's mouth twitched.
"If it's something precious, I might be able to fight for it with my superiors."
Howl didn't think for too long, immediately nodding: "Alright."
"After it's done, we'll discuss it in detail?"
Howl nodded casually: "As long as what you give is something you can do with a clear conscience, that's enough."
With that, he intended to quickly move past this negotiation-like exchange.
No matter how much they discussed now, it wouldn't be as effective as brute force.
The Ministry of Magic itself was the rule-maker, while Howl was a free agent. There was no organization above them to supervise and notarize their discussions.
Unless they formed a contract.
"What about you, Professor Huckleton?" Loreton looked at Huckleton.
"Being able to have the opportunity to access these hidden treasures, which carry such profound history, is the best gift," Huckleton nodded slightly, his requirements completely different from Howl's.
After settling the details, Loreton began to orally recount the clues they had currently investigated to both of them.
The incident occurred at dawn four days ago; the thief possessed extremely profound Confundo, disrupting almost all detection spells.
And in several magical communities in Greece, they found nothing; most Wizards could not provide effective clues.
Simply put… a Confundo, a very high-level Confundo, made the Ministry of Magic's investigation of the entire case extremely difficult, forcing them to strictly supervise various areas, hoping to find any clues.
"He only stole two mathematical texts…" Howl pondered.
With an unwavering purpose, he hadn't touched any other items…
"By the way, have you checked the Floo Network and Portkey teleportation network? There's also the possibility of an inside job. And have you taken precautions for entry and exit routes via trains, planes, and ships?"
"Yes, currently, all of Greece is entry-only, no exit allowed." He nodded, then said helplessly, "Of course, if he insists on leaving from somewhere else…"
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