great-warnovel Chapter 403 Dwelling on the Edge of a Fire Bowl
Chapter 403 Dwelling on the Edge of a Fire Bowl
Chapter 403 Dwelling on the Edge of a Fire Bowl
Copper Canyon, also known as Tarahumara Mountain, is named for its rich copper resources. Copper mines were located here in ancient times.
It is not a single canyon, but a combination of several deep canyons, with the Uliqui River flowing through the valley floor.
It is the erosion of water over millions of years that has created the magnificent, steep, abyss-like landscape.
After the apocalypse, the drastic climate change caused Mexicans to lose large tracts of habitable land. The Copper Canyon, which was originally difficult to build on due to its rugged terrain, became a refuge for many people because it could block the cold and had abundant water resources.
But the world is shrouded in the shadow of nuclear radiation, and a mere canyon cannot stop it.
Soon, radioactive material seeped into the earth's surface, and the Uliqui River, like other water sources, was no longer clean. In addition, dirty rainwater flowed into the canyon, and people living in the depressions of the earth accumulated even more pollution.
Even so, Copper Canyon remains a rare refuge in the apocalypse. Many Americans who fled to the earth came here. Even though they developed deformities and mutations due to years of pollution, they were still able to survive, weren't they?
The Deformed City is not a real city, but rather the name given to the homes of scattered people living in the crisscrossing canyons.
According to the intelligence Grindelwald gave to Hermione, this place is also ruled by wizards, but they do not participate in the ideological struggle between the Sorcerers and the Order of the Phoenix. Instead, they are a group of wizards from a relatively weak Native American culture.
They are descendants of the Aztecs and Native Americans, and although their culture has been distorted by invasion and colonization, they have still developed a unique magical system.
In the vision of the Heavenly Eye, Voldemort seemed to be hiding beneath this canyon, but this place had long been isolated from communication with the outside magical world, so the Witches were unable to find out any more information.
Along with the intelligence came a key to a locket, the Dark Lord had even arranged for someone to meet him there.
Hermione didn't intend to linger. She greeted the old man upstairs who was staring blankly in the dark sunlight, and then activated the teleportation spell.
After a period of uncomfortable twisting and dizziness, she crossed oceans and thousands of mountains and rivers, and appeared on the towering cliffs of Mount Tarahuma.
"It's an honor to meet you, Miss Granger," a flattering, sweet female voice rang in my ears.
Hermione looked up and saw a short, fat, ugly woman with a broad, sagging face, short curly hair with burn marks, and a striking pink sweater peeking out from under her black wizard's robe.
She tried her best to straighten her clothes and make herself look more dignified, but the burnt holes in her robe and her parched lips showed that her life was not good, as if she had just escaped from a fire.
"I am Dolores Umbridge, your contact here," the witch said in a high-pitched, girlish voice, which sent a chill down Hermione's spine.
"Hello, Ms. Umbridge." She nodded and looked up at the dark sky.
"Has it always been like this here?" Unlike the dusty skies of Europe, the skies here are more oppressive and dark.
The solidified, gelatinous smoke and clouds enveloped the earth, moving slowly with the wind, looking like a walking behemoth.
The broken terrain caused the wind to howl mournfully, like the earth's lament. Even though it was noon, the area was as dark as dusk due to the double obstruction of dust clouds and black smoke.
"Yes, always." Umbridge tried her best to appear professional and enthusiastic.
"The Amazon rainforest, which has been burning for decades, has been shrouded in black smoke from the raging fires over the equator of South America, and in recent years it has shown a northward trend."
"The UMNO has established numerous observation posts in the Central American isthmus and northern Colombia to monitor and prevent the spread of the fire."
Hermione smelled the burning in the air, and it seemed as if countless creatures in the rainforest were crying and pleading in her ears.
"Why are you burning the rainforest with Fiery Blaze?" She didn't understand. There weren't many people in that place during peacetime, and it wouldn't affect the struggle for world domination.
Umbridge said in an awkward, stammering tone, "That happened decades ago, supposedly because—that person did it in a fit of rage."
Through the witch's evasive narration, Hermione roughly understood these historical issues, which were essentially evidence of Grindelwald's early madness. Perhaps this mentally ill man wanted to assert his power, or perhaps he saw the importance of the "lungs of the earth" in the book. In any case, he set a fire here, an uncontrolled fire that grew ever larger.
Compared to the burning of Paris, the destruction of most of the Amazon rainforest is far more serious. The raging magical fire is still burning slowly, but it is blocked by mountains and oceans to the north and by Castorbuscher to the south. The magic school that was once rooted in the rainforest now devotes most of its energy to controlling the fires in South America, which is why they are so concerned about the new Hogsmeade.
However, Grindelwald later realized that he had gone too far back then. The Fiendfire, which was completely out of control, began to cross the mountains and gradually spread towards North America. If left unchecked, it might destroy the world more thoroughly than a nuclear bomb, at least destroying the entire Americas.
But he had no intention of extinguishing the raging fire, which was a symbol of his dominance over the world. Instead, he simply sent some members of the Malay Party to monitor and control the fire, keeping the raging fire beasts confined to a fixed area.
Unlucky Umbridge was one of these wizards.
"You have no idea, this is really not a good job," she complained, carefully observing the expression of the High Wizard of Hogwarts. If he showed even the slightest bit of sympathy, she would immediately seize the opportunity.
But Hermione simply stopped, seemingly unconcerned about what was happening in South America.
She turned to look at the deep ravine ahead: "Is the deformed city down there?"
Umbridge felt like a chicken suddenly grabbed by the neck; the abrupt interruption made her chest ache, but she could only go along with the question and answer: "Yes, after receiving orders, we came north here to investigate the situation."
"But the wizards inside are very xenophobic, and those of us without deformities easily attract the hostility of the Muggles in the settlement, so we don't get much information."
The Finger Witch's gaze seemed to pierce through the dark mist. At the bottom of those deep, dark canyons, silvery rivers flowed slowly. She couldn't see much else, only the distant echoes of human activity in the air.
"I'm going down to take a look," Hermione said, glancing at the witch who had been making her uneasy.
"Do you want to come with me?"
Umbridge quickly followed, "Of course! It's my task!"
Actually, the order from New Paris was just to have her briefly explain the situation, but this barbecued pink clam felt...
This may be her only chance to escape the dreaded job of fire watcher.