Chapter 558: Nick: If Not for This Book, I Wouldn't Have Known You Had Such Ambitions
Chapter 558: Nick: If Not for This Book, I Wouldn’t Have Known You Had Such Ambitions
After seeing Ivan off, Nicolas Flamel sat on the living room sofa with the blueprints, sipping his morning tea while pondering improvements to the device.
Suddenly, a series of hurried thuds echoed from the nearby staircase, sounding rather frantic.
Nicolas Flamel turned his head in surprise and saw a seventy-centimeter-tall Little Robot bouncing down the stairs, holding a book in its hands.
Perhaps due to its small size and the urgency, the Little Robot missed a step, lost its balance, and tumbled down the stairs, thudding all the way to the bottom.
The Alchemical Creatures that made up the robot panicked and screamed, clutching each other tightly, but many were flung away by the momentum, scattering and breaking apart upon impact with the floor.
Nicolas Flamel shook his head, realizing that these Alchemical Creatures needed further refinement.
After a few seconds of chaos, the scattered Little Turnips quickly reorganized themselves.
However, instead of reassembling, they worked together like ants, lifting the thick booklet and slowly moving it to Nicolas Flamel’s feet.
“What’s this?” Nicolas Flamel picked up the booklet, immediately captivated by the illustration on the cover.
New Century Manifesto?
Nicolas Flamel frowned slightly as he read the title.
The small Alchemical Creatures chattered excitedly, their voices a mix of “urah urah,” but Nicolas Flamel could understand their intent clearly.
“So, you found this in Hals’s room, did you?” Nicolas Flamel nodded, realizing it must be something Ivan had forgotten to take.
Nicolas Flamel reached for his wand, intending to cast a spell to notify Dumbledore to send Fawkes to retrieve it for Ivan when he returned to school.
However, as he looked at the cover illustration, he hesitated.
This small, portable booklet with its eerie designs reminded him of the widespread chaos that had engulfed Europe a few decades ago.
Back then, Grindelwald had risen to prominence in the European Wizarding World, often using speeches and pamphlets to spread his ideology.
This New Century Manifesto seemed to be a similar kind of propaganda, and Nicolas Flamel couldn’t help but worry that Ivan might be influenced by it.
After all, a young wizard of fourteen or fifteen is at a crucial stage of forming their worldview and is highly susceptible to extreme ideas, potentially leading them down a dangerous path. Nicolas Flamel, who had already considered taking Ivan as his apprentice, was even more determined to intervene.
With this in mind, Nicolas Flamel opened the booklet and began reading the preface.
【We should measure a wizard’s worth by their magic level, not their bloodline — Ivan Hals】
Seeing the content of the preface and the signature at the end, Nicolas Flamel’s expression changed, a hint of surprise crossing his face.
He had initially thought that someone had given Ivan this New Century Manifesto to influence him, but it turned out to be the opposite. The content of the booklet was written by Ivan himself, clearly intended to express some form of ideology.
“Anti-bloodline theory, huh?”
Nicolas Flamel raised an eyebrow, guessing the implications from the few sentences in the preface. After a moment’s hesitation, he continued reading.
The more Nicolas Flamel read, the more serious his expression became, but it soon transformed into one of deep contemplation.
He realized that the New Era Manifesto did not simply oppose Purebloods; it did not condemn all Pureblood Wizards. Instead, it advocated for equality and aimed to reduce the advantages and influence of Pureblood Wizards.
The ideas presented in the manifesto also intrigued Nicolas Flamel. They addressed the current flaws in the Wizarding World, seemingly incorporating some Muggle philosophies.
As for the sections that deified Ivan, Nicolas Flamel paid them no mind. Personal cults were a common tactic among emerging forces.
"Truly remarkable that Hals could have such profound thoughts at his age", Nicolas Flamel murmured, slowly putting down the booklet, his voice filled with admiration.
It was normal for a young wizard to have sudden ideas about changing the Wizarding World, but what was truly exceptional was Ivan's ability to analyze the underlying reasons and propose solutions.
"Is he a genius?" Nicolas Flamel whispered to himself.
He recalled his conversation with Dumbledore last year. No wonder Britain's most powerful White Wizard was so attentive to Ivan Hals, even to the point of feeling wary.
Now he understood.
During the one and a half months they had spent together in this mansion, Ivan had been polite and well-mannered, like a precocious young man. If not for this New Era Manifesto, Nicolas Flamel would never have guessed that Ivan harbored such grand ambitions!
The level of restraint and disguise was truly astonishing!
"No, that's not it", Nicolas Flamel shook his head, dismissing his previous thought. Having lived for over six hundred years, he had developed a keen eye for people. A young wizard, no matter how skilled at disguise, could not fool him.
Having lofty ambitions and being polite were not mutually exclusive.
"Unfortunately, he's still a bit too young", Nicolas Flamel said, looking at the booklet on the table.
The ideals of disregarding bloodlines, treating everyone equally, and judging by ability alone were too idealistic. Shouting slogans was one thing, but actually implementing such ideas in the Wizarding World would face significant resistance and opposition from various factions.
Of course, in Nicolas Flamel's view, these were minor issues. With Ivan's talent, the Wizarding World would have no equal in ten years, and he could simply crush any opposition.
The crucial point was that Ivan wanted to thoroughly reform the Wizarding World and promote interaction between Muggles and Wizards. This would touch on many people's bottom lines, breaking the centuries-old agreement between Muggles and Wizards and leading to unpredictable consequences.
It was important to remember that the signing of the Secrecy Act, which isolated the Wizarding World from Muggles, was not just a decision made by Britain or Europe but a consensus across the entire Wizarding World!
Over the past few centuries, many intelligent people had noticed that the balance of power between Wizards and Muggles was gradually tilting towards the latter.
There were no shortage of Wizards who wanted to fight and break tradition, and Grindelwald was merely the most radical in the past century!
But all of them had failed without exception.
The authorities who quashed these reform efforts were not fools. Isolating the Muggle world from the Wizarding World was the most peaceful and only feasible solution they could think of!
Thank you to the following for their generous donations: 1000 coins from a reader who wishes to remain anonymous, 700 coins from Scarab Anthony Stark, 600 coins from dsf23dd, 200 coins each from Reader 20180222162706940 and Reader 20190917071457184, and 100 coins from Ghostly Heart.
(End of Chapter)
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