Chapter 689: Improvement
Chapter 689: Improvement (Request for Subscription, Favorites, and Votes)
During his last investment in Hogwarts, Liam knew that even in the Wizarding World, precious metals like gold and silver, as well as various gemstones, were highly liquid forms of hard currency.
This was because gold, silver, and gemstones played significant roles in the creation of magical items and potions, often being indispensable. Therefore, these symbols of wealth from the Muggle World also served the same purpose in the Wizarding World.
After discussing the specifics and signing a series of documents, Liam officially became the largest individual independent shareholder of the yet-to-be-established Tianchao Fangshi Bank's Hogsmeade branch.
"Well, I wish our cooperation goes smoothly." After all the documents were signed, Xiong Duosu extended his large paw and shook hands with Liam. "We'll be leaving now, as the bank is set to open this week, and there are many things we need to handle."
"Best of luck to you." Liam waved goodbye to the two Panda People. As the Celestial Alchemists had said, these Pandamen were fundamentally focused on making money when not in a state of war, even unwilling to waste a minute on trivial matters. Hence, the two Panda People had hurriedly bid farewell after securing the investment.
"I finally see what they have in common with Goblins", Hermione whispered to Liam, watching the two Panda People's bulky figures struggle down the narrow staircase. "To them, time is money."
"That's why they make so much money", Liam said with a smile. "Whether it's Goblins or Panda People, these creatures who prioritize making money as their life's most important goal can only achieve their maximum earnings by being this way."
After handling all the matters in Hogsmeade, Liam and Hermione returned to their Manor with the materials they had purchased. With the first batch of materials in hand, the two wandmakers got to work smoothly. Since there was nothing else to do at the Manor, their efficiency was higher than before. At their current pace, they should be able to replenish the missing wands before Christmas.
After sorting out the wandmakers' affairs, Liam began his next plan. He did not intend to spend much effort on Voldemort, as Professor Dumbledore was keeping an eye on him. For Liam, the most important thing now was to reduce the number of innocent Muggles who were needlessly victimized by the Death Eaters' random acts of evil during the war.
Unfortunately, only Liam and Hermione were currently working towards this goal. The Order of the Phoenix and the Ministry of Magic in Hogsmeade had to focus most of their efforts on protecting wizards, leaving them unable to spare enough resources to protect Muggles.
Lupin had written to say that some Werewolves were willing to help, but considering the importance of the Hogsmeade Guards' duties and the cultivation of magical plants at the Norwegian Plantation, the only Werewolves available were the elderly, sick, and weak. These Werewolves would face significant risks when facing Death Eaters. Therefore, Ryan and the others wrote back to politely decline the Werewolves' offer.
For Voldemort, these random attacks by his followers served two purposes: they created a climate of terror and disrupted social order, while also diverting the attention of the Ministry of Magic in Hogsmeade and the Order of the Phoenix, thus covering up his and his core Death Eaters' sinister plans. He encouraged these newly recruited foreign Death Eaters to indulge in their inner evil.
However, for Ryan and the others, defeating ordinary Death Eaters, especially such ragtag groups, was not difficult. The challenge lay in intercepting these Death Eaters, particularly those recruited by Voldemort with money, who conducted random attacks on the streets.
However, after careful consideration, Liam realized that a piece of knowledge he had acquired from World of Ice and Fire could solve the problem. This knowledge was given to Liam by the Azure Starstones after he obtained the Ancient God Position, and it involved using Weirwood trees for surveillance.
Of course, since the Harry Potter world lacked Weirwood trees, Liam spent some time adapting this magic using technologies from multiple worlds. After the improvements, he found that he could carve a thumb-sized human face pattern on any plant that had been growing for over 30 years, and that plant would then function like a Weirwood. The older the plant, the more extraordinary powers it would possess.
Thanks to the British people's growing environmental awareness over the past century, Liam found it relatively easy to locate plants over 30 years old. The thumb-sized human face pattern was also discreet and unlikely to arouse suspicion. Within just a month, with the help of Rose Crystal and his puppet sisters, Liam had established a surveillance network that covered most of the British Isles and the areas near the Northern Europe planting bases.
In addition, Liam used his Metamorphmagus abilities to control a group of crows, setting them to patrol several major cities to fill in any gaps. Since crows are common in British cities, these reconnaissance crows did not raise any suspicion.
By the time all this was set up, winter had arrived. One midday at 12 o'clock, Liam was sensing the newly established intelligence network when he heard a knock at the door. He went to the door and opened it to find Hermione standing there, having just returned from Hogsmeade where she had delivered the newly crafted wands and magical items.
She was wearing a red wool cloak with white trim and had her hood up. Liam noticed some melting snow on her head and shoulders.
"Did it snow in Hogsmeade?" Liam stepped aside to let Hermione in and asked. "It seems the weather forecast was accurate. I was right to tell you to bring an extra layer before you left."
"You're right", Hermione extended her wand to turn a nearby feather duster into a small bird, which fluttered over to brush the snow off her. "I should have known. It always snows in Scotland in November. Unfortunately, we live further south this year, so the temperature hasn't dropped that much. I just forgot about it."
"So, how is the situation in Hogsmeade now?" Liam asked. Recently, he had been busy making artificial Weirwood trees and crafting magical items, so he hadn't kept up with the latest developments.
"The situation is gradually improving", Hermione replied, handing her coat to a handyman before walking into the living room in a white wool sweater and fuzzy slippers. "At least from my perspective, the chaos has subsided, and things have returned to order. For example, the people of Hogsmeade are resuming their normal lives, no longer living in constant fear."
"That's great to hear. This war doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon. If people don't maintain a calm mindset, I'm worried they might break down before the war is over", Liam said, sitting on the sofa and handing Hermione a cup of hot chocolate.
"You're right", Hermione nodded. "By the way, I noticed that Tianchao Bank has opened in Hogsmeade. This is one of the reasons why Hogsmeade has become more prosperous recently."
"Really? How is the bank doing?" Liam asked, sitting up straight. "Are they popular? Have people been accepting them?"
"None of your concerns have materialized", Hermione raised an eyebrow. "At least for now, their reputation is quite good. On one hand, they are different from goblins; they have hired many locals, providing jobs. On the other hand, I suspect they might have some innate charm magic, similar to Veelas. People's perception of them is much better than that of goblins."
"Maybe it's because the Panda People are just cuter", Liam defended his compatriots. "Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many people visiting the pandas at the London Zoo."
(End of Chapter)
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