Chapter 556: You Always Manage to Surprise Me!
Chapter 556: You Always Manage to Surprise Me!
Ivan spent over an hour flipping through the thick booklet, his expression growing increasingly complex.
The *New Century Manifesto* was divided into three parts.
The first part was a detailed analysis and summary of his previous speech, with each sentence broken down and presented on a separate page, accompanied by at least a thousand words of commentary.
Just looking at it made Ivan feel both uneasy and embarrassed. Even the reading comprehension exercises he did in his past life were not this exaggerated. It was almost like a Magic version of the Bible or the Analects.
The second part detailed his legendary experiences over the years.
However, the language used in this section had a certain degree of deification, to the point where it had been so heavily modified that Ivan could hardly recognize the Ivan Hals described—a born genius with great wisdom and formidable magic, destined to lead the wizards into a new era. The "Sir" they referred to was, of course, himself.
It was all too much.
The third part, based on his theories, outlined the future transformation of the Wizarding World. This section seemed more reasonable to Ivan.
The book particularly emphasized the need to liberate wizards from their mundane, meaningless tasks by changing outdated mindsets, allowing them to focus on more meaningful Magic research.
“Gryson?!” Ivan slammed the *New Century Manifesto* shut after flipping to the last page, muttering to himself with a headache.
How could these people be so troublesome?
He had even retreated to the Paris Safe House, yet they still wouldn't leave him alone.
If he could, Ivan would drag Gryson over to give him a good scolding, to stop this man from constantly trying to create new ways to curry favor.
Ivan was so angry that he felt like grinding his teeth. After calming down, he looked at the book again, unsure of what to do.
Putting aside his prejudices, Ivan had to admit that the *New Century Manifesto* was indeed a book with progressive ideas, summarizing his own concepts very well.
The content was simple, easy to understand, and thought-provoking, presenting the current problems and challenges of the Wizarding World in a clear and detailed manner. It also proposed practical solutions through analysis and summary.
Even Ivan found himself benefiting from reading it, occasionally experiencing a sense of déjà vu, thinking, "I originally thought this way; I had such foresight."
As for the deification in the second part, Ivan carefully considered it and understood the deeper meaning.
Clearly, Gryson believed that Ivan wanted to cultivate a cult of personality.
Ivan had read history books and knew that, in extreme situations, such propaganda could significantly enhance a team's cohesion and create a group of fervently loyal followers.
However, history also proved that a cult of personality was a double-edged sword. Most of the extreme examples Ivan could think of had ended in disaster.
The reason was simple: followers often believed that their "god" was perfect and could never make mistakes, leading to absolute authority where no one dared to question the "god."
Unfortunately, no matter how much they were deified, those elevated to the status of gods were still human.
As humans, they were bound to make mistakes and could not always make the right decisions in every situation.
Once an error occurred, the blind loyalty of a large number of followers could easily amplify the mistake, making it difficult to control.
Ivan reached for a piece of parchment and held a quill, but hesitated for a long time before putting pen to paper.
Originally, he had planned to write a stern letter, reprimanding Gryson for his unauthorized actions, urging him to tone it down, and either burn or seal the book.
If Gryson's plan to distribute a copy of the book to every wizard in Knockturn Alley went ahead, Ivan would be in for a lot of trouble in the future.
Being deified is not a good thing; it means that every word and action must be carefully scrutinized to maintain one's image.
When Ivan first returned to Knockturn Alley, he had to deliberately act strong and intimidating to keep the Dark Wizards in line. Even after just a week, he was almost driven to hide in this safe house for refuge.
If he had to keep up that act for years or even decades, he would surely go insane!
Another concern for Ivan was that the *New Century Manifesto* portrayed him as too powerful. If he couldn't live up to that image and the charade was exposed, it could lead to a collapse of faith.
The Wizards who realize they've been deceived might do something drastic.
This is why Ivan believes the *New Era Manifesto* should be sealed away; it could cause him a lot of trouble if it were to be widely circulated and caught the attention of the Ministry of Magic.
From his interactions with Fudge, Ivan knows that the Minister of Magic is a staunch conservative, focused on maintaining stability. He would never support such radical ideas and might even suppress and investigate the source.
In the end, the investigation would lead back to Ivan, as the *New Century Manifesto* is centered around him and clearly bears his name.
Of course, given his age and reputation in the Wizarding World, publishing a book that promotes radical reform and self-deification is merely considered very unconventional, not outright illegal. At worst, Fudge could issue a ban on the book's distribution.
However, if it were discovered that Ivan was harboring a large group of Dark Wizards in Knockturn Alley and training them to attack the Wizarding Market, the situation could be much more serious!
Fudge would never tolerate a group of Wizards capable of threatening the Ministry of Magic.
The Minister might even see Ivan as the next Voldemort, as the actions of gathering followers, spreading ideology, and fostering a cult of personality are eerily similar to Voldemort's rise to power.
So, if things go wrong, Azkaban could very well be his final destination.
As for disbanding his group of Wizards and offering a goodwill gesture to the Ministry of Magic to prove his harmlessness?
Ivan hasn't even considered it; only a fool would do that!
The unreliability of the Ministry of Magic has been proven multiple times in the original timeline.
In the tumultuous times when Voldemort is about to return and Dumbledore is nearing the end of his life, Fudge will be lucky to maintain stability without causing more chaos.
To protect himself, Ivan has only two choices.
He can either abandon all his friends and leave the British Wizarding World to hide somewhere, or he can strengthen his own forces. If he can't win in a one-on-one fight, he can at least fight as a group to avoid being an easy target for the resurrected Voldemort.
Surrender is not an option. Ivan is well aware that Voldemort will remember the two bombs very clearly, which is why he is actively destroying the Horcruxes.
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(End of Chapter)
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