stjorthotic Chapter 75, The First Order
Chapter 75, The First Order
Chapter 75 The First Order
Dumbledore silently flipped through the Hogwarts History Book in front of him.
The slightly yellowed parchment pages slid silently under his fingertips, each line of ancient text seeming to carry a tremendous weight.
Lin Qi's words, each and every one, felt like invisible slaps to his face, leaving a burning pain and an indelible echo.
He couldn't refute it.
Because every word Lynch uttered hit the bullseye of the truth, he, Albus Percival Dumbledore, the Hogwarts headmaster hailed as the greatest wizard of his time, was indeed so busy with other matters that he never once glanced at the castle itself beneath his feet, not even for a moment.
He simply followed the brief instructions given by the former principal, Armando Dippert, at the succession ceremony, wielding the power that guarded the castle as if it were a handy tool.
But they never thought to look down and explore where this power originated, what its essence was, or what secrets and rules were hidden behind it.
Why didn't Principal Armando specifically instruct him to enter the core space of the castle to investigate?
A bitter answer came to mind—it was probably because, in the long history of Hogwarts, no successive headmaster had ever been so indifferent to the power of the contract within the castle.
Actively exploring the core of the castle and understanding the origins of the contract should be the first task of every new principal upon taking office.
Therefore, the requirement to "enter the core space" may have long been regarded as a trivial and self-evident test that needs no further explanation.
What an arrogant and haughty act, Albus...
This self-criticism weighed heavily on his heart.
People always say that Voldemort overlooked those tiny powers, but in the end, didn't I make the same mistake as Voldemort?
Suddenly, Dumbledore's fingers, which were turning the pages of the book, paused.
His gaze locked onto a specific line of text on the page.
He forcibly pulled his thoughts out of the vortex of self-reflection.
Dumbledore read the contents carefully.
After a long silence, he slowly exhaled and looked up at Lin Qi: "The book says that those who have signed a contract cannot attack each other, and the one who violates this agreement first will have their contract terminated."
"Yes." A smile with a hint of pleasure bloomed on Lynch's lips. "You can imagine how I felt when I saw this clause not long ago."
I came here seeking power to rival you, but upon entering, I discovered something far better.
The founders of Hogwarts set this requirement a thousand years ago, which perfectly suits my taste.
"Now..." he said calmly, spreading his hands towards Dumbledore, "unless you are willing to resign from your position as Headmaster of Hogwarts."
And they are prepared to accept my suppression on a purely force-based level after losing the blessing of the contract.
Otherwise, the only, and best, option left between you and me is peaceful coexistence.
Dumbledore calmly closed the heavy book that shimmered with silver light, his voice devoid of any emotion: "This is also the situation I have always hoped to achieve, Mr. Lynch."
Lynch's smile remained unchanged: "I am very gratified. After such a long and arduous journey, we have finally been able to stand..."
"On the same side." He nodded slightly, his tone becoming more serious. "Then, it's time to clear up the fog between us and have an open and honest discussion about the real issues that concern the future."
"There's no need to rush, Mr. Lynch." Dumbledore had experienced too many storms in his more than 100 years of life, and he had completely recovered from his earlier self-blame and regained his usual composure.
"There are still some details between us... that haven't been made clear."
"Oh?" Lin Qi's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly. "About... that loophole you've been ignoring for so long?"
"No," Dumbledore shook his head slightly, his gaze as sharp as ever, "it's not about that loophole."
That was my oversight and dereliction of duty, but now that I am aware of its existence, I believe that with my passable magical skills, repairing it should not be difficult.
Dumbledore pulled something out of the wide sleeves of his robe.
He stretched out his hand, palm up, a small, round badge lying quietly in the center of his steady palm.
With the faint light emanating from the Hogwarts History Book floating in the air, the details of the badge were clearly revealed to Lynch.
In an instant, that composed smile vanished from his face.
The design on that badge—a clenched fist with the index finger pointing firmly upwards—is, for the vast majority of wizards in the magical world, [a symbol of power/representation].
It means only one thing: the logo of the Stone Tower Chamber of Commerce.
But Lynch knew the other meaning behind the badge.
The moment he saw it, he was absolutely certain that this was no ordinary chamber of commerce badge.
The reason couldn't be simpler: he had personally forged this badge in the stone house.
He was far from naive enough to believe that Dumbledore chose this moment and place to take out the badge simply to inquire about some trivial matters concerning the Stone Tower Merchant Guild's business operations.
Lynch slowly lifted his gaze from the badge in Dumbledore's palm and returned it to those piercing blue eyes.
The smile that had vanished moments before returned to his face: "I thought we'd been hiding it well." His voice was deep and steady, without a trace of panic. "How did you find it?"
"This goes back a few months..." Dumbledore said calmly, as if telling a story unrelated to himself. "The Stone Tower Company handed over dozens of wizards to the Ministry of Magic in the factory district of Lancashire. These wizards were defeated by you. Their crime was attempting to attack the factory and sabotage the production of precious magical items."
The entire handover operation was overseen by the Auror Office under the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
During the handover process, a friend of mine discovered that one of the Aurors was actually quite familiar with the leader of the guard team at the Stone Tower Merchant Guild factory.
Although they hid it well, some small details in their interactions gave them away.
At the time, my friend was just a little puzzled, because as far as he knew, the two people had no connection in their lives. But it was a trivial matter, so he kept his doubts to himself, after all, other people's private relationships were none of his business.
It wasn't until shortly afterward, when I asked him to investigate the Stone Pagoda Merchant Guild, that he remembered this matter.
I asked this friend to investigate and track down this Auror.
Eventually, he found a gathering place with a large number of people and brought back the badge.
Kingsley Shackler...what a keen eye.
A name popped into Lynch's mind.
He was silent for a moment, then looked up at Dumbledore and saw those deep blue eyes staring intently at him through the half-moon spectacles.
Lynch's smile deepened and became unfathomable, his words clear and calm: "You can call us—"
First Order.