Hogwarts doesn't need a savior

Their wealth was so great that even after several years of selling off their assets, it was still not depleted, and everyone present made a fortune.

But there is no way around it. After all, in a certain dead system, except for the most important violent department, the rule is that the more incompetent you are, the more capable you are - provided that you are loyal.

It might be an exaggeration to say that this is everyone, but it is true for most of them.

The simultaneous collapse of Muggle and wizard society has turned into a feast for the parasites, even making them forget that there are still people in the world who can ignore most of the rules.

Or, they still remembered, but just remembered the wrong person.

"What do you mean?" Lin En looked down at him. "Among all of you, Ms. Lydia was more or less discerning. She knew who to not mess with. It's a pity that she died, and all that's left are a bunch of you who are not even worth a ton of trash."

The faces of the people in the audience turned purple and red. They didn't dare to refute, or even show anger or unwillingness. They could only bear it.

Almost none of them had experienced the Grindelwald era, let alone the cruelty of Voldemort, who was only active in the British Isles, or even witnessed Dumbledore's true all-out efforts.

But looking at Lynn and Euphemia right in front of them, they had a vague feeling that "this seems to be about the same."

Power, wealth, foreign aid...all the things they regarded as support and confidence were completely useless at this moment.

"If...if you just want to deal with Dmitri...solve their problems, there is no need to be so violent..." Minister Kozlov said tremblingly, "We can just sit down and talk like before. We are friends. Why did it become like this?"

"Because I feel that soft persimmons like you are no longer worth my Galleons. Not only you, but also the makeshift Ministry of Magic, which is not even a makeshift team. You have been rotten for a long time, and the few normal people have been driven out by you. If I don't make good use of this opportunity, won't I suffer retribution one day?"

Lynn answered as a matter of course, causing Kozlov's fat to tremble violently.

He looked at his colleagues bitterly, but found that no one dared to look him in the eye - even though the decision to hunt down Dmitri and others was in the common interest of everyone.

“This decision is not ours…”

"I know, so I'll find them."

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted mercilessly by Lin En.

"Don't worry, I'm fair when dealing with these things, and no one will be left out."

The slender hawthorn wand was pressed against his forehead, and Lynn's voice was flat and cold.

"You...you really want to be the Dark Lord?!"

Kozlov's body was shaky, and the mixture of sweat, oil, and tears made his questioning seem powerless, and instead he felt weak and ready to collapse at any moment.

This was indeed the case. A strange smell began to fill the air and faint sobbing sounds were heard in the distance. Under the threat of life, some cowardly wizards had completely collapsed.

"I have no intention of becoming the Dark Lord, or I would have killed you all." Lynn said calmly, with a devilish smile on his face. "Of course, if Dmitri were Russia's Minister of Magic, he would probably be more reliable than any of you. I don't deny that. Stand up."

Kozlov, who was sitting on the ground, tried several times, but his legs were as weak as if he was drunk.

He could feel the deadly spell ready to be cast in the wand that was within reach.

"I...I..." It was a matter of life and death, and he was so exhausted that he could no longer cry.

"What a idiot."

Lin En looked at him with disdain, his majestic gaze sweeping across the huge conference room, even the wizards who had fainted on the ground woke up instantly as if they had been poured with a basin of cold water.

"I will not ask you to give up your positions. I know it would be worse than killing you. Dmitri Mikhailov and his companions must have their wanted warrants and rewards removed, and order must be restored here."

"Choose now, an unbreakable oath, or die here. Your choice will not affect the outcome, it will only increase or decrease some trouble."

"Of course, you can also choose to take a gamble. Bet that I dare not kill you all, and bet that Dumbledore will stop me."

-----------------

In the next few hours, the same scene appeared in various forces entrenched in one area.

Faced with the choice between life and death, most wizards who can reach this step are very wise.

A few not-so-smart ones occasionally don't matter.

In the cold winter, on the last day before the Orthodox Christmas, a violent "earthquake" occurred in the desolate Moscow, and its aftermath will quickly spread throughout the country.

The most notable feature is that all the forces that were on the verge of a conflict all stopped fighting at the same time, giving the devastated country a brief respite.

For most people, the most difficult times may be over, or it may just be a short truce - it depends on what Dmitri and his companions do when they return here.

But no one will know what happened here, this is the magic of the oath.

The extraordinary powers of wizards are sometimes a stronger shackle than those of Muggles, especially when facing their own kind who are much more powerful than themselves.

This was also Lynn's first experience with the absolute power that strength brings.

It's fascinating and exudes the devil's temptation.

But it was just a temptation, not enough to confuse him.

He is a pure wizard, not a bureaucrat or an ambitious man like Grindelwald.

Chapter 295 Priceless Conscience

Three days later, Hogwarts.

Although what happened in Moscow was secretive, it was not airtight. Dumbledore finally discovered some clues - some of which were revealed to him by the International Confederation of Wizards, which did not dare to approach him actively.

With mixed feelings, he called Lynn to school and handed her last night's Daily Prophet.

"The wanted warrant for Dmitri Mikhailov has been revoked, and the Russian Ministry of Magic has published a public apology. Was this your doing?" he asked with a hint of concern.

"Yes, I went to talk to them separately, and the results were quite satisfactory." Lin En did not intend to hide anything and said frankly, "As far as I know, it won't be long before the Starlight Group will hire him as the head of the Russian branch to be responsible for market development there."

"This is not a bad thing. I know what it has been like there over the past few years." Dumbledore considered his tone and words, "But sometimes, we have to be cautious in how we handle things."

There were some things he didn't know how to say. After all, wizards like him who could break the rules but strictly restrain themselves were extremely rare.

This was also the reason that had been bothering him since the International Confederation of Wizards came to visit him.

Lynn's answer hit the spot where he felt uncomfortable.

"Principal, what method do you think is prudent and effective?" Lin En emphasized the word "effective" with a playful look in his eyes. "Rely on our International Confederation of Wizards?"

"Or..." He drawled out his tone, "Like I did before, Garlon led the way and bribed those idiots whose appetites were growing bigger and bigger?"

The three questions that came one after another put Dumbledore in an awkward situation, and made his blue eyes, which had always been confident, become uncertain.

As the honorary leader of this global power body, he would be lying if he said he was unaware of the corrupt state of the International Confederation of Wizards.

He was also not completely unconcerned about the current situation of the giant beast that spanned Asia and Europe and then collapsed.

It's just that he has always chosen a laissez-faire attitude, locking his influence in the British Isles, just as Grindelwald imprisoned himself in Nurmengard Castle.

But he couldn't ask that of a young wizard who was just thirty years old.

Fortunately, Lynn didn't intend to get any answers from him. He just asked a few questions lightly and then stopped, taking out a stack of photos and documents and placing them in front of Dumbledore.

"Don't worry, Headmaster. I know what's going on. These can silence everyone and also give you and me peace of mind - they are truly priceless treasures, aren't they?"

On the table was evidence of the crimes committed by various factions of the current Russian Ministry of Magic and irrefutable proof of their collusion with the International Confederation of Wizards' Moscow office.

Most of it came from Dmitry, and a few were what he stumbled upon in Moscow.

After doing all this, he picked up the honey water on the table and took a sip - and then he started coughing due to the excessive amount of sugar.

When he stood up, Dumbledore had already put the evidence on the table away somewhere, and the look on his face when he looked at him seemed quite melancholy.

"Lin, although it may be too early to tell you this, I hope you know that resorting to force is never the best way to solve a problem, even for those who deserve it."

The old man gazed into those amber eyes, and suddenly it was as if he was back in the winter of 1981, still in the same position.

At that time, the person sitting opposite him was just a young man under 18 years old, still immature, and had to accept his arrangements and compensation even if he was not convinced.

More than a decade has passed, and things are different now. Even he feels that his words are somewhat powerless.

But to his surprise, Lin En did not refute, but nodded thoughtfully.

"I agree with you, Headmaster." He smiled and said, "Relying on power and fear to control people is an inefficient method. It will also make people become arrogant and fall into the abyss."

"You... I'm glad you think so." Dumbledore was a little surprised. It took him a while to sort out his thoughts and said, "Our world ultimately needs order and the justice of rules."

"Maybe." Lynn didn't comment, but he didn't argue. He just looked at Dumbledore neither humbly nor arrogantly, "I will try my best to avoid similar situations. After all, I'm not Gellert Grindelwald, nor Tom Riddle. I will use more effective methods to solve the problem and uphold my conscience and the justice I think should be done. I will do my best."

After a long stare-eye contact, Dumbledore was the first to look away, nodding slightly to indicate his agreement.

To be able to achieve such a result and get Lynn's statement was what he expected, although the process was very different from what he had imagined.

There was neither heated debate nor tense confrontation, but rather a harmonious atmosphere.

While he was thinking, Lynn had packed up her things, stood up and walked to the shelf where Fox was napping, handed him a herb, scratched its head and was about to leave.

Dumbledore did not stop him. After Lin En left, he picked up the cold honey water and drank several sips. Then he looked at the Sorting Hat which was taking a nap in the cupboard.

"Don't look at me. I don't know either. I just feel that little Eric doesn't want to talk to you anymore." The tattered hat shook, and the brim of the hat cracked. He said in a hoarse voice, "He is right about one thing. People should be true to their conscience. Godric would say the same thing if he were still alive. Hey! Don't peck me! You stupid bird!"

The phoenix was woken up, finished eating the herbs, spread its wings and flew up, landing in the cupboard. It pecked at the tattered old hat that was always humming a song with disgust, causing it to protest.

After a lot of trouble, Fawkes, who had had enough fun, returned to the shelf to sleep. The Sorting Hat no longer had the interest to continue talking, so it changed its angle and continued to sleep.

"With a clear conscience..."

Dumbledore ignored them and stood alone by the window, looking down with a sigh.

Lin En's figure appeared and disappeared from time to time, and each flash was a full one or two hundred meters long, heading straight for the forbidden forest in the distance.

The deep gaze is like a deep well, hidden behind the half-moon shaped lenses.

Godric Gryffindor's magic notebook appeared in his hand at some point, filled with warm magic and emitting a different kind of emotional fluctuations.

Like a small stove.

"Tuk Tuk Tuk"

There was a sudden knock on the door, interrupting the old man's thoughts.

"Which one?"

"I, Severus Snape."

A cold voice came faintly, "I have a new discovery about Blake."

The name made Dumbledore's eyes move, and he said in a deep voice, "The door is not locked, please come in."

Snape's arrival delayed his plans, and it was not until evening that a stern letter flew out of the castle tower and flew towards Paris on the fluttering wings of an owl.

-----------------

On the morning of January 1th, Moscow time, the temporary headquarters of the Russian Ministry of Magic.

Dmitri, who had been away from his homeland for several months, appeared alone in the fireplace.

The other companions are still recovering in the villages of Afghanistan, and the cessation of bounty hunting has given them security.

Outside were various bureaucrats who had been waiting for a long time. The hatred and resentment in their eyes were difficult to conceal, but they had to pretend to be enthusiastic.

This situation made Dmitri feel extremely ironic. A mixture of emotions filled his heart, which eventually turned into a bitter and twisted smile that slowly dissipated with the sound of footsteps.

"Kozlov, I brought a handwritten letter from Lynn Eric. Within a month, I will prepare branches and sales outlets for the Starlight Magic Technology Group in the above three cities."

He hopes to change something, but he doesn't have the ability to do so at the moment, so he can only take one step at a time.

Seeing his once arrogant boss and his once-dominant enemy bowing down before him - or more precisely, before the letter in his hand - he felt that his ideal was being shattered, but something new was being reshaped on its fragments.

It is hard to tell whether it is good or bad, but it is the least bad one among the countless choices available.

He can only choose to stick to his own conscience and trust the conscience of the person standing behind him.

Conscience is priceless.

Chapter 296 Prophecy and Fugitive

Lin En, who went deep into the Forbidden Forest, had no idea what the Sorting Hat thought of him. If he knew, he would probably look up to this dirty hat.

He really had no interest in discussing human nature, order and rules with Dumbledore, because these were no longer within his consideration, and the deeper the discussion went, the more unpleasant it would end.

It’s better to end it early in a way that both parties can accept. After all, everyone is busy.

For example, he was going to go find Firenze now and have his fortune told - ahem, to be predicted using the Centaur's astronomy and astrology.

There is no green to be seen in the forbidden forest in deep winter, but a rustling sound can still be heard from time to time. Those are the eight-eyed giant spiders that are beginning to expand outward from their small territory. Their unparalleled reproductive ability among the 5X-level magical creatures makes them like endless pests.

From time to time, centaur hunters shuttled nearby, and their sharp arrows carried the anger and hope of the Lord of the Forbidden Forest - walking in the forest were not only invading creatures, but also an endless supply of resources.

As a result, the settlement of the centaurs continued to expand, newborn cubs were better nurtured, and the health of the elders gradually improved.