Hogwarts doesn't need a savior

Lynn's words hit a sore spot. Compared to the pure-blood and half-blood wizards who were more inclined towards Durmstrang when they enrolled, more than 70% of the students in the school were of Muggle-born.

They haven't been able to go to school for a long time.

The old man's lips trembled, as if he was about to swear, but he held it back in the end, gritted his teeth and said, "There's nothing I can do. Those bastards in Moscow don't care about this. They just want to dig deep into the ground and take all the visible money to France."

"I know, so I came here with enough Galleons for you to resume normal teaching. Of course, life won't be easy, but it will be able to get things going. And I guarantee that Kozlov and his men won't dare to get involved."

"What did you say?" The old man looked at him suspiciously. "I know you robbed the crows' coffers, but I'm afraid you don't understand the expenses of running a magic school."

"Of course I know. After all, I will soon acquire a number of shares from the Hogwarts directors - the earliest would probably be this summer."

Lin En said confidently, then took out a key that he had prepared in advance, engraved with the mark of the fairy.

"This may prove that I am not just talking nonsense. If you are willing, we can cooperate soon."

Rostov could not help being moved.

In such a situation, even if there was a bottle of poison in front of him, he would be willing to try it with no other options.

He took a deep breath, trying his best to calm himself, and looked at Lin En as calmly as possible, trying to catch some valuable information from his eyes.

But he did not succeed.

Chapter 324 Climb high and look far

After looking at each other for a while, beads of sweat appeared on the old man's forehead.

"What do you want from us?"

"Not everything is a deal, Alexi." Lynn changed his address, "I hope this school can continue, because education determines the future of wizards."

He patted Dmitri beside him and said, "Of course, I do have my own selfish motives. No one will resist talents. I hope that my Starlight Group will become the school's director and have the right to have priority in promoting related positions in the future."

"Priority publicity?"

"Yes, in exchange, we will provide the school with teaching tools for a number of subjects, including ancient magic, spells, and transfiguration. Of course, these will not be traditional teaching aids, but new products developed by the company, new magic items that incorporate technological elements."

Lynn took out the samples that she had prepared in advance and placed them on the ground and the table one by one, making an inviting gesture.

Rostov did not look at these carefully, but stared at him carefully for a long time, then turned to look at Dmitri.

"These don't sound bad for us."

"I'm a person who always likes mutual benefit."

"But I also have a responsibility to my students, and they must have autonomy, both on and off campus."

"That's no problem. I can promise that the person who will exercise the authority of the school director on behalf of the Starlight Group will be the head of the Russian branch, not any specific individual. There will also not be any other means except propaganda, and students will not be forced."

"...Excuse me, but with such a huge investment, what you want to get seems to be too little. This cannot make us feel at ease."

Rostov's breathing quickened slightly, his old face full of excitement, but he did not agree rashly.

"You are wrong, Alexi. I want a lot of things - it's just that you and most people don't understand."

Lin En raised his hand and piles of books flew from all directions, seemingly scattered on the table in disorder, some high and some low.

Neither Dmitri nor Rostov understood what Lynn meant and looked at him with frowns, only to see him casually taking out a few books and stacking them on the shortest pile, pushing it up layer by layer.

"This is my goal." Putting a copy of "Herbal Development Yearbook 1985" on the top of the pile of books, Lynn said slowly, "Kodostoris is the shortest pile of books in this pile. Not to mention that it is comparable to Beauxbatons and Hogwarts, even Durmstrang is not worse than you. It is now at its lowest point. But what if it rises in the future?"

"You mean..." Rostov narrowed his eyes.

“Profits are only part of what I need. I hope this school can become a golden signboard so that everyone can see a completely different future.”

Lynn opened his palm, revealing the key to the goblin's ancient vault, which contained mountains of Galleons and the hope of the school's revival - perhaps the only hope in the short term.

The mountain of books covered most of the old man's body.

Because we were not careful when stacking it, it began to shake and was about to collapse.

Just as the top yearbook was about to fall and cause an avalanche, a rough big hand held it up.

"Principal, I can swear that I will never interfere with the teaching of the school during my tenure."

Demetrius spoke again. He understood why Linn asked him to go with him, so he cooperated without any resistance.

This was completely different from his position more than a decade ago, and it reminded Rostov of the scene when they parted unhappily.

In silence, the old man drank the wine in the teacup in one gulp.

"I agree, but the school board will have to hold a meeting to discuss it next, which is in line with the procedures."

"You won't have to worry about that. Please take a look."

Lin En smiled with confidence, and with a slight movement of his fingertips, a brand new parchment deed appeared in front of the old man.

This is a letter of authorization, with the signature of the school director of Kodosdorez written all over it, and next to it is the key to the vault.

"……when did it happen?"

Rostov picked up the key tremblingly, as if it were as heavy as a mountain.

"Before I meet Dmitri." Lynn smiled and held out his hand. "Well, I wish us a pleasant cooperation?"

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

Above 3500 meters above sea level is the territory of snow, and strong winds blow all year round across the dividing line between Eurasia.

Dmitry, who was wrapped up like a bear, couldn't stand the wind either. After all, he was not like Lin, who wore a robe that could keep out both the cold and the heat, and was free and easy.

"Huh... rest for a while, I can't walk anymore!"

After climbing up several high slopes, looking at the summit which was not too far away, the well-trained Auror felt a little exhausted and sat down on a big rock in a mess.

If he hadn't had a few drinks with the principal at noon, he felt that he would have frozen to death.

He couldn't understand why Lin En invited him to climb this rarely visited old snowy mountain after leaving Kodosdoriz, and why did he do it in the afternoon without using magic.

“It’s only about ten minutes away, just walk a few more steps.” Lin En had no intention of waiting for him. He continued to walk briskly, walking through the wind and snow as if it were flat ground, and headed straight to the top.

This left Dmitri helpless, and he could only force himself to chase up. After a few tries, he actually reached the top of the mountain.

Just over a thousand steps, but the scenery is completely different.

The whistling of the wind stopped behind me. Looking ahead, I could just see the ancient castle located in the valley, and further away, the sun was about to set behind the mountains.

Before I knew it, it was already dusk.

But Dmitri, who had seen such scenery many times, had no time to appreciate it. He just sat on a slightly flat place and gasped for breath, and only raised his head after his breathing became even.

"Are you a monster? You don't get tired?"

"A good body is also indispensable for wizards."

Lynn admired with great interest the mountain scenery that was rarely seen anywhere else, and took a sip from the small wine flask he brought from Kodos Dorez, feeling leisurely and comfortable.

"Well... you're not going to ask me to just look at the scenery, are you?"

“Maybe not.” Lin En said jokingly, “You haven’t been here for many years, right? Don’t you miss it?”

"How can I not miss it? But it's all in the past. It's really a bit of a downer for a 40-year-old to be reminiscing about the past."

The burly Dmitri standing next to Lin En was even taller than him, like a brown bear.

He might also think of his student days and the classmates and friends who used to come here to climb mountains together, but as he said, that is all in the past.

The same scenery will look different depending on your mood.

Lynn understood him, but didn't completely agree with what he said, so she raised her hand and patted him on the back.

"Alexei's evaluation of you is very accurate. You are a person who can only see what is in front of you. You are focused but not wise enough."

"So I failed, like a lost dog, was driven out of my own country, and even nearly lost my life."

“Maybe you can stand higher—even if the highest mountain can only let you see a few kilometers or dozens of kilometers, I really hope you can see farther, and look forward.”

"...I understand what you mean."

"You don't understand. You don't believe that everything you believe in has been completely destroyed, even though everyone knows it."

Lynn drew out his magic wand, and thick clouds immediately enveloped the huge mountain, hiding all the scenery.

"Whether wizards or Muggles, they cannot solve the most fundamental problem of human nature - desire is what drives people, so it is always people like Kozlov and Fudge who will finally walk onto the stage. It's just a matter of time."

Through the fog, the sunset in the distance is looming, making it difficult to see clearly, and only a hazy glow can be seen.

"Not many people miss that dead monster, but you are one of the few people who still has a conscience. That's why some people sympathize with and support you."

In the dim light, the hawthorn wood wand emitted a bright light.

"I never thought of asking you to support my ideals, but I want to tell you that wizards have their own paths - everything you dream of is just a part of this path."

In just a moment, the clouds and mist dissipated, and the sky became clear blue.

"So, I hope you look further ahead and do what you have to do, follow your conscience and loyalty. Like I said, this is your country."

The distant sunset disappeared into the mountains, leaving only the afterglow.

Chapter 325 Ignition

Dmitri stayed in the mountains of the Caucasus for a while, while Lynn returned home - at the call of the Phoenix Guardian.

Dumbledore was waiting for him in Moscow, along with a special commissioner from the International Confederation of Wizards who had come from Paris.

“We must promote ceasefire and negotiations among all parties, and form a special committee from the International Confederation of Wizards to ensure order, security and stability here.”

This was the first sentence Lynn heard at the International Confederation of Wizards' Moscow Special Office.

Dumbledore's expression told him everything.

He waved his hand perfunctorily, swaggered past the special commissioner, sat directly next to Dumbledore, took out the hip flask with the Kodos Doritz logo and took a sip.

"Allow me to object to the word 'we'. I suppose you feel the same way, Mr. Enzola?"

His words made the International Confederation of Wizards official named Enzola feel very awkward, not knowing whether to stand or sit.

Dumbledore waited a moment before speaking: "It is always a good thing to stop the conflict."

"I don't deny that, but if we just let Kozlov and his gang change their clothes, the situation won't change." Lin En's voice was calm but murderous. "Why don't I make a suggestion? Let me kill them all and start over."

"!"

"Bang-bang"

Enzola's eyes widened, and his hand trembled, knocking over the glass on the table. The red wine spilled all over the table, dripping onto the floor and mixing with the fallen and broken glass.

"Don't worry. If I help, maybe I can still make it in time for tonight's supper." Lynn didn't even look at Enzola, staring at Dumbledore with interest. "Although there will be new scum, it doesn't matter."

"Don't joke like that, Lynn." Dumbledore showed a helpless expression.

"Okay." Lin En curled his lips and put the small wine flask into his pocket. "Then let's talk about Mr. Enzola. Did you feel at ease with the hush money of 3,000 Galleons last month?"

"What...! What hush money? Don't talk nonsense." Enzola's eyes were shocked and he tried to remain calm.

"It seems I should help you recall what happened in that bar in Budapest. Fifteen people died." Lin En pulled out a photo from his pocket and threw it in front of him. "Anything else you want to say? If not..."

"Enzola, is this true? You know I don't like lies."

Dumbledore frowned and stared at this high-ranking official of the Federation whom he had known for many years. His intimidating aura made him sweat profusely and his eyes became evasive.

It takes a lot of mental strength to lie calmly in front of the most powerful wizard in the world, which he obviously doesn't have.

After just a few seconds, he lowered his head and said, "It's true. I took Kozlov's money and covered up the news with the Moscow office."

"He is considered clean in the International Confederation of Wizards." Lynn crossed his legs, and more than a dozen photos appeared neatly. "Of course, it's because he is a coward. Even Kozlov looks down on him."

Looking at the dim but clear photos full of familiar faces, Dumbledore's expression was even uglier than the last time he saw the evidence in the headmaster's office - the people in these photos were all high-ranking members of the International Confederation of Wizards.

“…Where did these photos come from?”

Lynn didn't answer, but just looked at the valuable decorations in the room, especially the paintings.

"Send the guys who are well fed and well drunk here to Africa to avoid the limelight, and replace them with a group of new people to act as a show, and that's it." After enjoying the sight enough, he sneered and said, "But why should I play such a show with you? Don't forget, I have my own business here too."

"Haven't they already...! You did it on purpose!"

Enzola was still thinking about arguing, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he completely understood Lin's intention and cried out in surprise.

The branch in Moscow, and the business outlets in Smolensk, St. Petersburg and Kazan, although these assets belonging to the Starlight Group have not yet begun formal operations, have given Lin En an excellent excuse to intervene in the situation under a high-sounding pretext.