Chapter 158: The Issue of Knowledge and Lineage
Chapter 158: The Issue of Knowledge and Lineage (Please Subscribe, Favorite, and Recommend)
Liam was eager to return and summarize the information he had gathered today. The knowledge he had acquired was crucial as it bridged the gap between his understanding of Plants and magic, allowing him to transform his botanical knowledge into a personal strength.
This kind of essential magical knowledge was not something one could easily find. Even if a professor favored a student, the notes they provided were merely an extension of classroom material. Core knowledge was never shared unless the professor intended to pass on their legacy.
So, Liam was surprised when the professor called him aside, especially since he could tell the professor was just as eager to incorporate the information Liam had provided into his own research. If both of them were so busy, why did the professor want him to stay longer?
The answer soon became clear when Headmaster Fernando entered the room with a serious expression. Upon seeing Liam and the professor, he said, "Old Bark, I received your message and came over. Shall we begin now?"
Old Bark? Liam knew that South Americans often used nicknames when addressing each other, and a nickname related to Plants indicated that this professor was a recognized authority in the field. But what did the Headmaster mean by "begin now"?
Headmaster Fernando then turned to Liam and explained, "You might not be aware, but you just completed a formal academic exchange between Wizards. In such cases, if one party requests that the knowledge not be shared, a magical means is used to ensure compliance. Of course, the other party must also pay an equivalent price."
Indeed, the Wizarding world was extremely strict about the dissemination of knowledge. Most Muggle-born Wizards likely lacked the necessary knowledge to compete with Pureblood Wizard families. This was why, even today, the power in the Wizarding world remained firmly in the hands of Pureblood Wizards.
It was no wonder the Wizarding world developed slowly and everyone was so enthusiastic about uncovering the wisdom left by ancient Wizards. This method of passing down knowledge often led to the loss of previous research, forcing future generations to start from scratch. This repetitive research not only wasted resources but also significantly slowed the overall progress of the Wizarding world.
Although Liam had countless complaints about the conservative knowledge-sharing environment in the Wizarding world, he was on their turf and had to follow their rules.
Under the Headmaster's guidance, Liam and the professor clasped hands, and the Headmaster pointed his wand at their clasped hands.
Two hours later, Liam left the office, rubbing his arm as he recalled the fiery tongues that had wrapped around his hand. Through the Unbreakable Vow, Liam and the professor had sworn to keep the knowledge they had exchanged a secret. The Headmaster, using a magical artifact, determined that the knowledge Liam had provided was more valuable, so the professor had to offer something of equal worth as compensation.
Liam naturally chose knowledge as his compensation, given its value. After some thought, the professor produced a thin notebook as compensation, with the condition that Liam could only read it there and not take it away.
Once the Headmaster confirmed that the notebook's content was sufficient to balance the exchange, Liam spent over two hours in the office reviewing the notebook. Only after he was confident he had absorbed the information did he leave.
The knowledge in the notebook formed the foundation of what the professor had discussed earlier. With this, Liam could immediately begin researching how to use his botanical knowledge to enhance his abilities, rather than spending time deducing the basics from the information he had gathered.
However, the most important thing now was to go back and have lunch. After all, he had been busy all morning and was starving. Liam headed straight for the Great Hall.
In the Great Hall, he met Hermione, who had just finished her Transfiguration class and was coming to eat. She saw Liam and asked, “What were you doing upstairs with the professor? Why didn’t you come back for the rest of the Transfiguration class?”
Liam glanced around at the bustling crowd and said, “I’ve been hungry all morning. Let me finish my lunch first.” Hermione also noticed that there were too many people around, making it unsuitable for a conversation, so she lowered her head and quietly ate her food.
After hastily finishing their lunch, they headed back to the compartment to fetch their textbooks for the afternoon. On the way, Liam told Hermione about the morning’s events, focusing mainly on the Wizarding World’s strict secrecy regarding knowledge. As proof, he showed her the mark of the Unbreakable Vow on his arm.
Hermione’s face turned grim after listening to Liam’s account. “Does this mean that both Muggles and Muggle-born wizards are far behind Pureblood wizards? Based on what you’ve seen, it seems that Pureblood wizards likely possess vast amounts of knowledge that we can’t even access. No matter how hard Muggle-born wizards try, they can’t change the status quo of the Wizarding World.”
“You don’t need to worry so much.” Liam initially wanted to brush it off, but seeing Hermione’s serious expression, he suddenly remembered that she had set a lifelong goal by fourth year. This indicated that Hermione was more mature in certain aspects than most people. With this in mind, Liam decided to have a serious discussion with her.
“Alright, your concerns are valid,” Liam conceded. He then began to reveal a series of harsh truths to Hermione. “I got some information from Percy. It shows that while the Ministry of Magic has many Muggle-born wizards, they are generally low-level employees, such as Memory Obliviators and Aurors. The managers of various departments are almost always Purebloods. In important bodies like the Wizengamot and the Department of Mysteries, most members come from pure magical families. The few Muggle-born wizards are usually part of a Pureblood family through marriage.”
At this point, Liam recalled that in the original story, Hermione eventually became the Minister of Magic, likely due to her marriage to Ron, which connected her to the Weasley family, one of the most important Pureblood families after the war.
“Economically, it’s the same. Most of the shops in Diagon Alley are ancestral properties passed down through generations of Pureblood wizards. Muggle-born wizards are mostly just employees.”
Ignoring Hermione’s increasingly grim expression, Liam continued, “Even in the realm of Dark Magic, which we detest the most, a significant proportion of those imprisoned in Azkaban each year are Muggle-born wizards. For example, most of the half-baked Dark wizards in Knockturn Alley are Muggle-born.”
“How can that be?” Hermione exclaimed in surprise. In her mind, Dark Magic was synonymous with the Slytherin house, whose students were mostly Purebloods and a few half-bloods. She had always assumed that only Purebloods were drawn to Dark Magic. Hearing Liam’s words, she naturally found it hard to believe.
By this time, they had returned to their compartment and sat down at the table in Liam’s dormitory. After pouring a glass of water for both of them, Liam said, “It’s true. Listen to my analysis, and you’ll understand.”
(End of Chapter)
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