Chapter 408: Variables
Chapter 408: Variables
"How is Harry doing? There isn't much news about him in the papers..."
"He's doing well, probably cuddling with the dragon egg and sleeping."
At that moment, they were sitting in Lupin's office. Felix sipped his tea while looking around the room. "Tsk! The colors you chose are a bit too old-fashioned. You're not even forty yet."
Lupin shrugged. "I'm not that young anymore."
"You still have plenty of time to waste", Felix said. After a while of drinking tea, they began to discuss business.
"How are the sales of the Runic Cards going?"
"Pretty well. If it weren't for those engraving machines, we might have a shortage. Some foreign merchants have also approached us for collaboration, thanks to the channels we established while selling the magic lamps."
Felix nodded in satisfaction.
"I think Ludo Bagman's suggestion is good. The Projection Screen can be applied to the second and third projects. You might have to make a trip. The most important thing is that we can record the competition and produce videos... we can't just rely on the Weird Sisters to promote the Magic Phonograph, can we?"
For wizards, storing sound and storing images are not that different. Similarly, comparing a flat image to a 3D projection isn't a pipe dream.
Lupin lowered his head and thought for a moment. After a while, he slightly turned his head towards Felix.
"I'm not against it, but there are a few issues we need to address. Unless you're willing to help—our next project is in February, right?"
"February 24th."
"That should be manageable", Lupin mused, looking at Felix. "Everyone in the company admires you, even the new recruits have heard your legends. You know, during the summer, you solved most of the problems in a short time, and once you stepped back, our research progress slowed down significantly."
"Alright, I'll be at the company this weekend", Felix said, somewhat reluctantly.
...
With his involvement, the research progress accelerated visibly. Often, researchers would present their problems, and Felix would quickly simulate solutions in the Mind Chamber, providing theoretically sound plans within minutes.
Everyone in the company, from new hires to veterans, was bustling around, but their expressions were filled with excitement.
"Is this the level of our boss?" an Irish redhead wizard whispered. He had recently joined the company and was skilled in cutting charms and synchronization transfigurations.
"You should have seen how he dominated at the Quidditch World Cup!" a young researcher said.
"I was abroad before..." the redhead wizard mumbled, but despite this, he couldn't help feeling a deep admiration for his boss. The man was just too knowledgeable.
Felix was methodically assigning tasks. "This time, we'll try two new methods—Group One, use the Teleportation Charm; Group Two, combine Synchronization Magic with Transfiguration. This one is more complex, so I'll handle it personally..."
A few minutes later, a golden mist, like liquid gold, quietly flowed around. Above the mist, light refracted, forming blurry images.
"There's an issue... We should try to contain the mist. How about the Placement Charm? Or the Smoke Lock? Runic Circuit?"
Felix kept thinking, while Clemmy quickly recorded his words and the results of the experiments. By the end of the afternoon, most of the problems had been resolved.
In the evening, the company staff bid him farewell, their faces full of genuine respect.
"You see, you're the real boss of this company", Lupin smiled.
Felix rubbed his forehead. Intense use of Mind Acceleration wasn't easy, especially when he had been at it for so long. He didn't want to think about anything and lazily lay on the sofa in Lupin's office.
"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking", Felix said with half-closed eyes. "I just don't want the company to always rely on me. It's fine now, but in the future—"
He suddenly stopped.
"What about the future?" Lupin looked at Felix curiously.
But to his frustration, Felix began to hum, sipping his tea slowly. "In the future, of course, I'll just sit back and collect the money. I don't want to put in the effort."
"I remember you didn't say that before", Lupin said. "Including the 'Future World' you registered with the Muggle government, I always felt... you seem to anticipate some changes in the future, like the Secrecy Act becoming completely ineffective?"
"Felix, are you preparing for that?"
Lupin was surprised by his own words. His mind was slower than usual, and he had to think several times before reaching a terrifying conclusion. He said, almost in a whisper:
"Are you planning to follow Grindelwald's path and force the abolition of the Secrecy Act?"
"Of course not." Felix laughed and opened his eyes. "I don't think that far ahead, and I don't want to be a Don Quixote, tilting at windmills alone..."
"Hmm?" He rubbed his chin, pondering, "Upon closer reflection, I do have the ability to cut through windmills."
Seeing Lupin's expression growing increasingly serious, he muttered, "Why are you so much like Percy, with no sense of humor at all..."
Lupin laughed weakly, "This is no laughing matter, especially when you're the one saying it. I can't take it as a joke. So, what do you think? You're leaving the company to me, and I have to manage it according to your ideas."
"My idea is simple", Felix said, raising a finger. "First, gradually make Wizards aware of Muggle development. As pioneers, we have the responsibility to combine the wisdom of both sides and showcase it to one party. Clearly, we have no other choice for now; our clients can only be Wizards..."
—But who knows about the future?
"Second, prevent Voldemort's return."
—In other words, gather resources.
"Voldemort?" Lupin looked at him in surprise, his expression shifting from disbelief to worry.
"Has anyone mentioned this to you before?" Felix asked curiously.
"Sirius", Lupin frowned, reaching behind the chair to grab a bottle of eggnog, pouring himself a glass. "Would you like some?"
Felix shook his head slightly.
Lupin took a large sip and said, "He didn't go into detail, but it seems to involve a big secret. Headmaster Dumbledore prevented him from sharing it with others... However, he told me not to slack off in training. The war from over a decade ago is far from over—"
"All the hatred will come to a head in the future." He gripped his knee tightly.
Felix looked at Lupin, knowing that Lupin had an enemy who was still at large. He said softly, "You're right, Sirius is correct. No one knows what the future holds. For decades, Hogwarts' Defense Against the Dark Arts has been subpar, and the Ministry of Magic lacks a sense of crisis after the war. Apart from Aurors, most people can barely cast a complete Shield Charm."
"It's only been in recent years that the Dueling Club has become a regular activity and is now an elective this year. It partially fills the gap left by Defense Against the Dark Arts, giving graduates basic defensive skills. But if they neglect their training, they'll forget what they learned in a few years... Have you thought about what they can do if the war really comes?"
Lupin was also aware of this issue. Why was Voldemort everyone's nightmare over a decade ago? First, he was incredibly powerful, even Dumbledore couldn't contain him. Second, his Death Eaters were formidable, and he had rallied a number of dark creatures, causing countless atrocities.
He couldn't imagine what another war would be like, especially given the short interval between them. If Voldemort returned, those who had experienced the war would submit even faster to avoid further harm. As long as they weren't Muggle-born, they wouldn't be slaughtered. Of course, few would genuinely support the Dark Lord's rule.
This trend had already emerged at the end of the last war.
Dumbledore, the only person the Dark Lord feared, remained secluded in the school. Many were critical of this, but a few believed that Dumbledore had already confronted Voldemort and won, which is why the Dark Lord refrained from harming Hogwarts students during the war—his character wouldn't easily spare the Muggle-born young wizards in the school.
But it was clear that Dumbledore couldn't subdue Voldemort, at least not like the first Dark Lord. Rumors suggested that the Dark Lord was skilled in a form of escape magic, mastering it to a miraculous degree. There were also whispers that he had used the darkest of dark magic to transform himself, making him unrecognizable and able to recover quickly from any injury, bouncing back to full strength...
Lupin's mind was a jumble of thoughts when Felix's voice seemed to come from another world.
"As for the third point, I am indeed dissatisfied with the Secrecy Act and the incompetence of the Ministry of Magic... But what good does my dissatisfaction do? Use force to become the second Dark Lord? Oh, sorry, the third. Either way, it's a bad move."
"So I consider myself a variable", he suddenly grinned mischievously, twirling the teacup in his hand. "Yes, the original variable, the first variable... Change some things, facilitate some things, push some things, and then wait for the storm to come."
"Even though I've never passed Divination class, I have a firm premonition—I might live a long time", Felix said with a smile to Lupin. "So I can afford to wait."
(End of Chapter)
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