"Of course, dragons are protected, but each year, the Ministry of Magic in various locations permits a certain number of dragons to be hunted to maintain ecological stability," Newt explained.
"It's different now than before. When there was no Ministry of Magic management, wizards hunted dragons without control, and the number of dragons in various places became very scarce. The situation only improved after the Ministry of Magic protected this species," Newt began to elaborate. "However, excessive protection can also cause problems if there are too many dragons, which is why annual quotas exist."
August nodded, that indeed made a lot of sense.
"So you just need to take a moderate amount of dragon eggs, not too many," Newt said.
"Then, do you have any good suggestions?" August knew dragons existed in the world, but he didn't know where their habitats were.
"There are ten known species of dragons, but some are too rare. I suggest you go to Ukraine to find the Ukrainian Ironbelly. I rescued a herd there back then, and their population has probably already grown," Newt recalled the war he participated in. "That place is a mess now, and no one cares about dragons or anything. You always hear about Muggle livestock and people wandering the mountains getting hurt there."
Newt participated in a Wizarding War where he rescued a group of Ukrainian dragons. This species of dragon, the largest, has a very volatile temperament, and humans are also among their prey.
That place was always at war, and most wizards had already moved out. With no one to hunt them, the Ukrainian Ironbellies had almost no natural predators there. When food became scarce, the Ironbellies could only turn their attention to the Muggles living there. Their current population size had seriously threatened the ecosystem.
After setting a target, August inquired about Newt's situation. Newt was prohibited from leaving Great Britain, so August had to go to Ukraine alone.
After obtaining the knowledge they sought, both bid farewell to Dumbledore. Newt returned to his home, while August headed directly to the dragon-infested region of Ukraine.
August wanted to buy dragon eggs directly from the black market, but the situation was tense, and dragon eggs were Class A non-tradeable items. To avoid being targeted by Aurors, August decided to find them himself.
The dragons in this world appear fierce, but wizards have adequate methods to deal with them easily. These dragons, apart from their size advantage, do not possess high intelligence.
One thing to note is that they generally have high spell resistance, so Newt recommended that August use traps or dragon-specific anesthetics.
Passing through Romania, the dragon breeding ground, August didn't stop there. Security was very strict, and attempting anything would be unrealistic.
He soon arrived in Ukraine, bordering the Black Sea to the south. The situation there was undoubtedly very tense. Although it had joined the communist "Big Brother," conflicts between ethnic groups couldn't be resolved, and some clashes were inevitable.
Furthermore, there was now a famine, and the cities were somewhat desolate. He had entered illegally, but with the help of a [Confundus Charm], he finally gathered information in the Odessa region after inquiring around.
From their descriptions, August knew he had found the right place, as they spoke of enormous, ferocious creatures. He wondered if there were no wizards there.
He was quite right; for certain reasons, most of the wizards in this country had been driven out, so the magical creatures here had been left unchecked.
He quickly found enormous footprints in the forest. These footprints couldn't belong to any other creature; they could only be from his target for this trip, the Ukrainian Ironbelly.
These big ones must have a good appetite. August would need prior preparations to lure them.
He took half a pig carcass from his case, bait he had prepared in advance. He believed the raw meat's bloody smell would quickly attract this dragon.
August cast a [Disillusionment Charm]on himself; his body seemingly merged with the surroundings, and he hid to the side.
As he expected, August heard a sound of flapping wings slowly approaching.
August quickly held his breath, and then he saw a colossal creature descend from the sky, which was his target, the Ironbelly dragon.
This dragon had grayish-white skin, covered in fine scales, but its belly was formed by several thick plates, living up to its name.
It landed heavily on the ground, its talons stepping on the meat. It didn't rush to eat, but rather surveyed its surroundings with its red eyes, sniffing with its nose. Luckily, August hid in time, and the dragon didn't find him.
According to Newt's introduction, August observed the dragon's physical characteristics and confirmed it was female. This was the dragons' breeding season, and August couldn't help but feel a surge of joy at finding the ideal target for his first objective.
This female Ironbelly observed for a while, and after confirming there was no danger, she grabbed the pig with both feet, spread her vast wings, and flew back with the food.
Seeing it fly away, August dispelled his charm. Ever since he understood the principles of spellcasting in this world, he had become increasingly skilled.
He had cast a tracking spell on the bait. August confirmed the direction and pursued it.
"The nest is in a cave?"
The dragon's nest wasn't far from where he had placed the bait. August easily found the location: a cave under a cliff.
August hid to the side, observing the scene below.
The dragon lay on the platform at the cave's entrance, eating meat. The inside of the cave was completely dark and obscured.
"Looks like I'll have to go inside to see if there are any eggs."
Indeed, August had already added a dragon-specific anesthetic to the meat. Due to the Ironbelly's enormous size, he even increased the dosage.
Just then, as the dragon at the cave entrance tore into the meat, another head emerged from inside the cave: another Ironbelly.
This Ironbelly was smaller, and from its features, it appeared to be male. Living with the female, it must be her mate.
"Oh, no. Aren't Ironbellies supposed to be solitary?"
This complicated things a bit. According to Newt, each dragon has its own territory and does not cohabitate with others once mating is complete.
The male dragon also wanted to approach and share the food, but as soon as he opened his large mouth, the female struck him with a claw, and the male was knocked aside, spitting sparks.
"Awooo—" The male dragon let out a whimper like a puppy, and a look of resentment could even be seen in its eyes.
The female dragon roared at him, opening her enormous jaws in a display of dominance, indicating to the male not to come closer.
The male dragon obediently curled up in a corner. Surprisingly, its immense size made it seem incredibly small.
"This is too cowardly!" This male dragon was a true disgrace to its species. Newt had never said that male dragons were in a subordinate position to female dragons.
Taking huge bites, the female dragon quickly devoured half a pig carcass, leaving no trace of bones. Satisfied after eating her fill, she let out a roar of contentment and slowly moved further into the cave.
The male dragon stayed outside for a while, then flew off. August assumed he had gone hunting.
Calculating the time, the anesthetic's effect had probably set in by now. He emerged from his hiding spot and approached the cave entrance.
As soon as he entered, August covered his nose and mouth; the smell emanating from the cave was unimaginable. For the sake of the dragon eggs, he could only sigh and endure it.
The cave was very dry, with winding paths of varying widths. August moved cautiously through it and soon heard snoring from the depths.
The medicine had taken effect, and the female dragon was sleeping soundly, curled up and motionless in a nest made of branches, with only her chest rising and falling.
"Dragon eggs!" August immediately saw the three grayish-white eggs the dragon was guarding, and his face lit up with joy.
He slowly approached, fearful the dragon would awaken, and a hand already touched the smooth eggshell.
"I have them now." He took two eggs and put them in his pocket. Movement in the forest was inconvenient, so he had hidden his case outside.
However, just then, he heard the sound of something heavy landing outside.
"Damn it! Why did he come back so fast?"