https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-530-We-Will-Use-Imagination-Monsters-to-Defeat-Imagination-Monsters-/13448797/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-532-His-Power-Is-Simply-Unimaginable-/13448870/
Chapter 531: Legilimency!
Chapter 531: Legilimency!
Hearing Ivan's words, Dawgert felt quite disappointed.
Since Ivan asked this question, it proved that he indeed intended to recruit those Pureblood Wizards. Forming an alliance with Rochelle and others was now almost inevitable.
Given the circumstances, Dawgert couldn't explicitly oppose the idea.
After all, this wasn't entirely a bad thing. With the help of these Pureblood Wizards, many future tasks would likely become much easier. After some consideration, Dawgert spoke up.
"Rochelle definitely has the ability to do this. If you agree to his request, he can use it as leverage to ease the previous tensions among the Pureblood Wizards.
If he's clever enough, he might even persuade the captured Pureblood Wizards to surrender, forming a faction. As for his desire to eliminate Old Nott, it's probably because Notte has a certain level of prestige among the Pureblood Wizards, which could become an obstacle for him."
Dawgert spoke confidently, having guessed Rochelle's intentions with reasonable accuracy.
After this, Dawgert hesitated for a moment before continuing, "No matter what, Rochelle is ultimately a rebel and may not be able to win the trust of everyone. You could plant a spy among them to ensure they remain under your control."
Ivan nodded, agreeing with Dawgert. Some precautions were indeed necessary.
Especially since Rochelle and the Pureblood Wizards had only recently joined and were formerly enemies. If they conspired together in secret, it could be disastrous.
Ivan, having seen many political dramas in his past life, understood the importance of mutual checks and balances.
However, Ivan didn't immediately agree to Dawgert's suggestion. Instead, he asked for Dawgert's opinion on Old Nott and how to handle him.
After Dawgert provided his answers, Ivan dismissed him, needing some time to think things through.
Although he didn't get a clear response from Ivan, Dawgert left the room in high spirits. He knew Ivan had likely accepted his proposal, and his previously anxious mind felt much more at ease.
As long as the Pureblood Wizards couldn't truly unite, Rochelle's threat to his position would be significantly reduced.
"I really have it tough!" Once Dawgert left the room, Ivan muttered to himself, feeling a headache coming on.
He had never been particularly interested in managing subordinates or engaging in political struggles. He was a half-hearted leader, relying on snippets of knowledge from books he had read in his past life.
As a result, each time he sat in the main seat to arrange matters, he was always on edge, afraid of saying the wrong thing.
If only the System could quantify people's affection and loyalty, showing him who was truly loyal and who was plotting against him.
At the very least, if it could reveal what each person was thinking, that would be helpful.
Ivan greedily thought this, even calling out a few times in his mind, but the System paid no attention to his wishes.
Fortunately, Ivan soon realized he had an alternative: the Magic of Legilimency!
Once he learned this, he could easily see through others' thoughts and intentions. In Ivan's view, it was a must-learn spell for any leader, a cheat code for managing complex interpersonal relationships!
Of course, Legilimency wasn't without its weaknesses. Typically, it could only read surface thoughts, and delving deeper into memories could easily be detected by the subject.
There was also a way to defend against it: Occlumency!
Ivan had deep feelings about Occlumency. It not only set up protective layers in the mind to resist Legilimency but could also create false memories to mislead others.
In the original timeline, Snape relied on his exceptional Occlumency to play both sides, becoming a double agent in front of two Legilimency Masters!
This proved that if someone placed too much faith in the information obtained through Legilimency, they could be severely misled when facing an Occlumency master!
However, in the British Wizarding World, few Wizards could master these two forms of Magic, likely due to the need for certain innate talents.
Otherwise, such a practical Magic wouldn't be so rare. Thus, for dealing with ordinary Wizards, there was no need to worry about encountering someone who could counter Legilimency.
With this in mind, Ivan left Borgin and Burkes without hesitation, heading straight for his own Library.
Since the last time he moved all the books from Borgin and Burkes, the collection here had grown to rival those of some Pureblood Families.
It took Ivan over an hour to sift through the vast pile of books and find a few that mentioned Legilimency. He then sat among the stacks and began to read through them one by one.
It felt like he was back in his days of intense study. For three days, Ivan devoted himself to learning Legilimency, only pausing to eat, sleep, and meet with Rochelle once, where he agreed to his request. The rest of his time was spent delving into the secrets of this Magic.
This Magic that allows one to pry into the minds of others is much more challenging than Occlumency!
It involves a lot of advanced knowledge, and the relevant books are mostly ancient texts from centuries ago, not professionally edited or refined like modern textbooks. They are filled with unnecessary rambling and are incredibly profound and difficult to understand!
Perhaps those old scholars thought that making things more convoluted made them seem more sophisticated?
Ivan couldn't quite figure it out, but when he closed the book *Legilimency—The Magic of Mind-Reading!* the System's notification chimed.
【Ding, after a period of diligent reading, your proficiency in Legilimency has slightly increased.】
【Legilimency has been upgraded to Level 1, current proficiency (1/200).】
Ivan glanced at the new spell in his Magic list. As usual, reaching Level 1 meant he could now use this Magic to some extent, though his mastery was still limited.
Achieving this in just three days was largely due to his advanced level in Occlumency. The two types of Magic share many similarities, both dealing with memory and the mind.
The difference lies in their application—one is used on oneself, the other on others!
However, advancing this unique Magic further would not be easy. Reading alone would have minimal effect; he needed a lot of practice!
Ivan put down the book, eager to test the effects of this Magic. Just as he turned his head, he spotted a thin, skittish mouse scurrying through the library.
Squeak, squeak, squeak
The black-furred mouse immediately sensed Ivan's gaze, its fur bristling. It quickly turned to flee.
"Accio Mouse!" Ivan slowly drew his wand and tapped the air.
The black mouse, in the midst of its escape, suddenly found itself flying. The scenery around it rapidly receded.
It let out a shrill squeal, its limbs flailing in the air to no avail. Moments later, a large face appeared before it.
Ivan maintained the Magic, keeping the mouse suspended in mid-air. To avoid contamination, he didn't touch it with his hands. Instead, he used Magic to rotate its body, keeping it in a position where their eyes met.
Legilimency!
Ivan stared at the mouse and activated the Magic. Gradually, a jumble of emotions surfaced in Ivan's mind.
Fear, anxiety, terror, confusion
Though Ivan could deduce these emotions from the mouse's huddled, trembling body, this time it was different. He felt as if he truly experienced the mouse's feelings.
"Legilimency! (Legilimency)"
Ivan spoke the spell aloud, intensifying the Magic. The emotions became even clearer.
Unfortunately, that was as far as it went. He couldn't directly read the mouse's thoughts or access its memories through eye contact alone.
Ivan wasn't sure if this was due to the choice of his subject or his own lack of skill.
To confirm, Ivan waved his wand and shouted again.
"Legilimency! (Legilimency)"
The moment Ivan recited the spell, the black mouse's eyes widened, and its gaze became vacant. In Ivan's mind, some disjointed memory fragments appeared.
No, he even felt as if he had become the mouse, emerging from a dark, damp hole, starving, and ready to search for food.
Ivan stumbled, bumping into a cabinet, and the Magic was immediately interrupted, leaving only some residual memories.
Ivan rubbed his forehead, feeling puzzled. According to the books, Legilimency usually allows one to observe a memory from a third-person perspective, with minimal impact on the caster. It shouldn't affect the caster like this.
Could it be because I have a natural talent for this?
Ivan thought. Legilimency combines the ability to sense emotions and probe memories. When these two aspects merge, one can experience a memory from the subject's perspective.
However, this wasn't necessarily a good thing. If the memories probed were too frequent, they could easily affect one's own emotions. Someone with weak Willpower might even struggle to distinguish their own memories from those of others.
Ivan sighed. Controlling Legilimency would likely be even more difficult than he had imagined.
Additionally, Ivan was disappointed to find that from the recent experiment, Legilimency at a low level requires the use of a wand and the incantation of a spell to probe someone's thoughts and memories!
This was entirely different from his initial expectation that a mere glance would reveal someone's thoughts.
But it made sense. He remembered that in the original timeline, only Voldemort and Dumbledore could casually use Legilimency.
As a beginner, he was far from achieving that level.
Ivan shook his head. It seemed that before he mastered Legilimency, he couldn't rely on it to discern what Rochelle and others were thinking.
He couldn't very well wave his wand and cast a spell in broad daylight, could he?
That would be too foolish!
No Wizards would want their thoughts probed and all their secrets exposed to others. Even Voldemort, when using Legilimency on his subordinates, made sure they didn't notice to avoid fostering resentment.
The only thing Ivan was relieved about was that they had captured many prisoners when they stormed the Wizarding Market. After interrogation, a few of them were particularly vicious, making them perfect for him to practice his new Magic!
In the evening, in the basement of Borgin and Burkes, Old Rosier, led by two Werewolf Wizards, walked deeper into the facility.
Over the past few days, the basement had been renovated to serve as a temporary prison, housing over twenty captives.
Important Pureblood Wizards like Parkinson and Abbott were kept in the deepest part of the basement.
One of the Werewolf Wizards led Old Rosier to a converted storage room, unlocked the door, and the other Werewolf Wizard said, "They're in there. Go ahead!"
"Thank you! You two have been very helpful these past few days", Old Rosier said with a smile. He then took a small bag from his pocket, covered it with his sleeve, and passed it over, lowering his voice. "I'd like to speak with a few old friends privately. Could you give me a moment? It won't take long!"
"We must stay and listen!" The Werewolf Wizard didn't take the bag, just stared at him coldly, unmoved.
They were living well and were grateful to Ivan. They wouldn't violate orders for a little money.
If Fenrir found out they had taken money, they would face severe punishment or even be kicked out.
Old Rosier's face twitched. He hadn't expected the Werewolf Wizards to refuse so bluntly. Weren't werewolves supposed to be greedy?
"Cough, you may have misunderstood me. Lord Hals sent me to persuade them to surrender. We'll all be on the same side soon. If you stay, it might interfere with my work!"
Old Rosier tried to reason with them, careful not to say anything too sharp. After all, he had only recently switched sides and had no solid support.
However, no matter what Old Rosier said, the two Werewolf Wizards remained firm.
"Rochelle, you traitor, you have the nerve to come see us!"
Just as Old Rosier was about to continue persuading them, a sharp female voice came from the storage room.
The soundproofing was only average, and Old Rosier's conversation with the Werewolf Wizards was clearly audible inside.
Old Rosier shrugged in resignation, no longer trying to persuade the werewolves. Instead, he opened the storage room door and walked in, explaining, "Don't say that, Fiona. I'm here to help you!"
Under Old Rosier's watchful gaze, Fiona and the others were brought out in Magic-restraining shackles. They didn't appear to have been tortured, but their spirits were clearly dampened.
For Pureblood Wizards who were used to a life of luxury, being prisoners was a bitter experience.
Fiona Parkinson and Fury glared at Old Rosier with hatred. If not for his betrayal, they wouldn't be in this situation.
(End of Chapter)
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