"Roger, this is so cool! Can I apply too?"
"I want to play too, count me in!"
Fred Weasley and George Weasley, the twin brothers, held a flyer, their eyes practically shining.
Virtual reality technology had the ability to complement the idealism of wizards.
The Board Members placed great importance on this.
Since they were willing, Roger had no reason to refuse.
There were no downsides anyway, and it would be another boost to his path to eternal life.
Roger wasn't someone who liked to hoard benefits; he always believed that everyone needed to gain something for things to develop better.
After the board meeting ended, within two days, the board members had coordinated all parties, and Roger's recruitment drive officially began.
Among the seventh-year students, some were indeed uncertain about their future paths, as not everyone had favorable circumstances.
However, it was slightly different from Roger's expectations. The graduating students who didn't know where to find a living didn't immediately flock to join Roger's venture after seeing his conditions.
Although Roger offered high compensation, the 48-hour workdays in the virtual world truly scared off a portion of them.
For those without great ambition, rather than working themselves to death for more money and accumulating their first pot of gold for future endeavors, they preferred to slack off a bit, earn enough to get by, and live their lives.
Instead, some high-achieving students preparing for the N.E.W.T.s, the ultimate wizard exam, and who had no worries about their future paths, were more interested in Roger's Subspace Magic Technology Company.
They believed the wizarding world had been too stagnant in recent years, lacking novelty.
And Roger's virtual reality might be a sunrise industry worth striving for.
Due to the agreement with Dumbledore, to prevent young wizards from causing trouble, the vast majority of students in school didn't know that Roger could operate at seven times the speed, and potentially reach a terrifying hundred times the speed in the future.
Therefore, their evaluation of virtual reality wasn't as exaggerated as the board's, but they were willing to gamble their future and youth on it.
There was no shortage of insightful individuals among wizards. Roger's recruitment drive was aimed at seventh-year students, but many students from other years were also interested.
This included the twin brothers, Fred Weasley and George Weasley.
However, George and Fred weren't there for reasons of future prospects. Being fond of novelties, they found the idea of personally creating a world that was almost real to be incredibly cool!
In response to their expectations, Roger gave the same answer as he did to other lower-year job seekers: "No."
"It's not time for you to do this yet..."
Before Roger could finish his prepared speech, Fred interjected, "Please, it's okay if we don't get hired, just let us do something. We really want to play... we really want to contribute to your venture!"
"Play?" Under Roger's narrowed gaze, Fred managed a strained smile. George behind him couldn't help but pat his back.
Roger looked at the two brothers, recalling the extraordinary talent they had shown from a very young age. After a moment of thought, he nodded, "It's impossible for you to be hired. I don't think you're the type to bury yourselves in tedious, hard work."
"If you simply want to experience what the virtual world looks like from a developer's perspective, that's possible." As he spoke, Roger took out the Creation Mode plugin and handed it to them.
Since they liked to play, he'd let them mess around as they pleased. Perhaps there would be unexpected gains? After receiving Roger's plugin, the two expressed their thanks and left joyfully, with no one knowing what they would get up to.
Roger didn't pay much attention.
He had other things to attend to now.
Today, Dumbledore had sent a message asking him to come over, saying he had something to discuss.
This was unusual; usually, Roger sought out Dumbledore, not the other way around.
Knocking on the Headmaster's office door, Roger found Dumbledore's expression somewhat peculiar.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, is there something you need me for?" Roger vaguely sensed something was amiss.
Dumbledore hesitated for a few seconds before speaking, "Uh, Roger, do you remember what I told you about the Ministry of Magic's judicial reform before?"
"Of course. Did something go wrong with the reform?" Although there was a great commotion outside, with frequent reports from major media outlets, and even foreign wizarding media, Roger hadn't paid much attention.
"The reform has basically been declared a failure, or rather, it wasn't entirely successful." Dumbledore's expression turned a bit awkward.
"Some old, outdated laws were changed, but some new laws, which might carry greater hidden dangers, were proposed. This judicial reform has long since devolved into a feast of power struggles among the various departments of the Ministry of Magic."
"Oh." Roger's reaction was very calm.
Throughout history, many had attempted reforms, but few succeeded in leading to better outcomes. Often, making minor changes to maintain the status quo was considered good enough, as long as the reform didn't backfire.
He had always felt that Grindelwald's raid on the Department of Mysteries was insufficient to ignite a true wave of reform.
"As you know, most of the departments in the Ministry of Magic are, in fact, the vested interests of pure-blood families and powerful wizards within the official system."
"And some pure-blood families, their power is like an octopus, their tentacles already extended into all walks of life, including... Hogwarts."
Dumbledore had taken a long detour, but Roger still understood the general meaning he was trying to convey.
"What did that group on the board do?" Roger frowned slightly.
"Several families on the board were among the victors in this power struggle, profiting handsomely."
"And they also particularly admire you and the virtual reality technology you possess."
"So..."
Dumbledore couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth at this point, then took out a letter.
"To ensure your virtual reality industry can develop better and without restrictions, they have secured a bit of power for you."
Roger glanced down. The envelope read, 'To Roger Virgil, Director of the Virtual Reality Industry Office, Department of Magical Sports and Games, Ministry of Magic.'
As Roger opened the envelope and looked at the contents, Dumbledore's words continued.
"Several pure-blood families and some wizards have joined forces to create a department out of thin air under the Department of Magical Sports and Games. On the surface, it's on par with departments like the Official Quidditch Club and the Joke Product Patent Office."
"But in reality, you have absolute authority over anything related to virtual reality. You are only accountable to the Minister for Magic. Besides the Minister and the higher legislative body, the Wizengamot, no other department can interfere with your affairs."
In other words, from now on, Roger was both the player and the referee.
"On a side note, Fudge's end has also been taken care of through connections."
Recalling how the Board Members had smiled and said they would "fully support him" during the board meeting a few days prior, Roger looked at the letter of appointment inside the envelope again.
Roger couldn't help but look up at Dumbledore and ask, "...Is this reasonable?"
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