Chapter 212: The Director's Speech
"Honorable Wizard, surely you don't wish for your compatriots to perish here!"
"Our previous interactions may have been somewhat... intense, and our communication unpleasant, but please believe me: every wizard here is safe. We need to talk."
"Confrontation is undoubtedly foolish. Due to my own stupidity, a grave mistake has been made. Please, give me a chance to make amends, and let us cooperate for mutual benefit. I believe we have a beautiful and bright future ahead. I stake my intellect and ability on this guarantee."
This speech was logically clear and very persuasive to anyone with ambition.
The first sentence made the rescuer hesitate for fear of harming the hostages.
The second sentence guaranteed the safety of the captured Magi-Metal Wizards.
The final sentences offered a way for both sides to step down while also revealing his own thoughts: he had never abandoned his ambition, he hoped for cooperation, he hoped to advance further.
The final guarantee was also interesting. Staking his intellect and ability, rather than anything else, further demonstrated his own value.
He didn't use the safety of other wizards, his reputation, or shareable profits as a guarantee. Instead, he used his intellect and ability. This was undoubtedly a display of his competence to the rescuing wizard, and a response to the wizard's earlier remark—telling the wizard that he, the Director of the DGSE, was qualified and capable of cooperation.
"There are no eternal friends, only eternal interests!"
He cleared his throat and noticed the fire python had stopped moving. Its nine heads stared straight at the ground, as if locking eyes with him.
There's a chance!
Even if the rescuer outside didn't care about the lives of the Magi-Metal Wizards, they wouldn't abandon tangible benefits!
He was exhilarated. He had found the wizard's weakness. Anything with a weakness was human, and humans could be exploited!
And for a top intelligence elite like him, give him a leverage point, and he could move an entire order!
Fleur was appalled by the shamelessness of the self-proclaimed Director. She couldn't understand why someone of such high status would be so devoid of a bottom line, using every despicable means to achieve his goals.
Her eyebrows furrowed in anger. "This is too much! This is the behavior of bandits and thugs!"
Maxime had seen many such people. Many of her friends in the Ministry of Magic operated this way—only discussing interests, nothing else.
However, her friends weren't as decisive as this Director. "Truly an elite. No wonder he can be the intelligence chief of a nation."
"Such a person is called an elite?" Fleur couldn't understand why her Headmistress would say that.
"Delacour, you must remember that the vast majority of people are ordinary. They lack the talent to transcend the system. Don't compare everything to Ryan. For most people, to gain status and power, they can only struggle within the system, using every means to absorb nutrients for growth, strengthening themselves to climb to the top."
"The things you disdain are the very path of his growth. No one is born bad; aren't we all ground down by the world?"
Maxime sighed. She had taught batch after batch of students. Such passionate youth, so eager to improve, so sunny and cheerful... only to become dead fish eyes within a year or two of entering society, losing all the brilliance they had in school.
Ryan chimed in, "It is so. The torrent of the mundane world is vast. For most people, just gaining a foothold is incredibly difficult, let alone standing out."
Fleur shivered. She suddenly wondered if she would become the kind of person she despised in a few decades.
Perhaps it's very likely... She sadly realized that her current prominence among her peers was aided by her beauty. But these conditions... many seniors who graduated before her also had them, or at least some of them.
Yet those seniors now... was there anyone who remained as they were in their youth?
Perhaps none were left. They had become what their parents, the world, and society expected them to be.
Ryan, experienced in counseling others, could roughly guess what Fleur was thinking. "Before us lies a turning point in history, an irresistible trend. No need to worry, no need to fear, because we move forever forward.
"We can choose our changes, but we will absolutely not abandon our edges due to external grinding."
Fleur stared blankly at Ryan for a long time. "My dear... I believe you."
Ryan instinctively took a step back, feeling he couldn't handle the French passion.
It wasn't just Fleur who was deeply touched.
The three adult wizards each had their own thoughts.
Quirrell's spirit soared, as if injected with adrenaline. He could choose to be an ordinary late-onset Squib, living out a muddled life; or he could stand up and become a teacher of Magi-Metal Wizards, helping more people escape the predicament of being unable to cast magic.
Clearly, the latter achievement would deeply engrave the name Quirinus Quirrell into magical history.
Dumbledore was reminiscing. Reminiscing about the phrase "For the Greater Good," reminiscing about the high summer of yesteryears, reminiscing about the wind in the valley, reminiscing about all the mistakes, all the hate, all the tears.
Then he gathered his emotions, burying the memories deep, and returned to the demeanor of the great white wizard holding the pearls of wisdom. "A brand new magical era. We are all pioneers of this era. Ryan, there will never be a wizard with more foresight than you in this world."
Pausing, he added, "Have you found them?"
"Still can't hide it from the Headmaster," Ryan said. "I've determined the approximate range. Next, I need to instantly refine a one-time Portkey to bring them out."
Huh?
What did Dumbledore and Ryan mean? Quirrell, Fleur, and Maxime were all confused. Wasn't Ryan's plan to intimidate the French intelligence agency into backing down and obediently returning the captured Magi-Metal Wizards?
"The safety of the Magi-Metal Wizards is the top priority. Are you confident?" Dumbledore confirmed with Ryan again, not out of distrust, but to ensure Ryan maintained focus during the operation.
"Not a big problem. It's just a one-time Portkey. I'm ninety-eight percent sure."
Ryan was confident. There were no more than three people in the world who could refine a one-time Portkey remotely from over two hundred meters away, and he was one of them.
Perhaps his experience and techniques weren't as rich as long-established master alchemists, but the sheer power of the magic he could control was far greater than almost any alchemist.
Victory through brute force.
Underground, the DGSE Director was still chattering away in negotiation. On the surface, the fire python cooperated by hovering in place, swirling continuously, as if expressing its controller's inner torment and hesitation.
Holding the walkie-talkie, he felt tonight's speech was the best he'd ever given; he wanted to applaud himself.
He didn't even want to relax and take a sip of tea, fearing that stopping to drink water would interrupt his continuous flow of inspiration and ideas.
"As I said, with the help of wizards, I can topple the current President. When that time comes, France will be your most reliable ally."
~~~
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