Afterward, Antoine fell completely silent, and Vid turned his head to glance at him, discovering that he was typing away furiously, sending messages.
Vid shook his head and turned his gaze to the large screen, his mind involuntarily drifting.
He was viewing the present through the perspective of thirty years later, his vision naturally more profound and complete than those of the people at present.
It's not that Kingsley, Antoine, or even Grindelwald and others are not wise enough, but because everyone's thinking is inevitably constrained by the era they live in—
The technologies yet to be born, the war mindsets not yet experienced, naturally form intangible barriers due to unfamiliarity.
So when they hear his plans, they all feel they are flawless and are won over with admiration.
Kingsley believes that public opinion can perfectly resolve the issue of magic exposure; Antoine believes that cognitive domestication of Muggles can make the integration of the Magic World smoother, reducing conflict and bloodshed.
But in reality, there is a third layer to Vid's intent—
To make Muggles willingly accept the existence of the Magic World, to inspire feelings of admiration, worship, and longing for wizards, believing in the great benefits of integration instead of feeling fear…
Then, the image of wizards will be extracted layer by layer through various artistic works, forged into perfect works of art.
Under this trend, the Muggle community will also actively produce a vast array of works, conversely defining the wizards they imagine—
Wizards are powerful, able to wield great power with a wave of their hand;
Wizards must also be mysterious, walking in the shadows of the metropolis, fulfilling people's romantic fantasies of the unknown;
Wizards are to be kind and just, perhaps not so "law-abiding," but they will become adjudicators in the shadows, judging evils that ordinary people are powerless against, averting disasters without ever seeking reward.
And compared to men, women, who make up half the world's population, are actually more easily moved by such an image.
So wizards will also be portrayed as deeply affectionate.
They will quietly protect an ordinary woman due to a moment of affection;
Will live a lonely life for hundreds of years because of losing their beloved;
Will be in overwhelming pain and loneliness due to the betrayal of a lover, until saved by a new, perfect love.
But…
When Muggles all over the world extol the greatness of wizards, long for the justice brought by wizards, elevate wizards as idols to be adored… what about the wizards themselves?
Multiple definitions and acclaim from another group will also turn into shackles, binding the wizards.
They will unconsciously adjust their behavior to fit the image of wizards seen on screen, and will naturally quote those wizard proverbs fabricated for propaganda, secretly considering themselves true Guardian Gods!
Ultimately, perhaps most wizards will align themselves with how the world believes they should act, and when someone acts recklessly driven by selfish desires, many will spontaneously step in to uphold the "honor of wizards".
Vid silently looked at the crowd adorned in fine clothes on the screen, the chaotic light and shadow in his eyes flowing as if staring at the woven trajectory of the world.
...
In the hall, Victor and Vilan wore headphones, their eyes reflecting the bright and dim images on the screen, occasionally rewinding and pausing the footage to pinpoint the subtle changes in the expressions of one or two individuals.
Right after the banquets began, Vid had unleashed a large number of Beetle Poppets, and the Flow Mirrors they carried would record everything inside the venue.
The change occurred so suddenly that no matter how adept someone was at concealing themselves, they couldn't possibly control their expression without a single flaw.
"Wizards are real!"
The scream of the Muggle man played back repeatedly in the headphones, mixed with guests' gasps of astonishment, terror, or confusion.
The largest screen showed a magnified image of Nikolo Hossun's face.
The usual appearance of warmth and authority on him had vanished, his gaze sharp and cold, like a tiger in the hunt.
His palm gripped the armrest of the seat tightly, every muscle seemingly poised and ready, brewing thunder in the silence.
Victor stared for a moment, saving this frame, then dropped the pen to write a single word—
[Hunter].
Vilan poked his arm, gesturing for him to look at another scene:
In the instant the sound rang out, Ezra Hughes leaned slightly forward in a barely perceptible manner, like a leopard ready to pounce, a surge of focused scrutiny and cold anger seemed about to burst forth!
At the same time, his foot shifted unconsciously, one hand gripping his Magic Wand, while the other hand instinctively opened, palm facing back, fingertips slightly curled inward.
This is a protective stance.
And the one he intended to protect... was none other than Chairman Nikolo Hossun!
Vilan and Victor exchanged a glance, silently reaching an understanding.
Vilan glanced at the word "Hunter" his partner had written down, grinning as he added a word beside Ezra Hughes's information—
[Hound].
On the screen, another point of interest, Laira Piqueley, differed from the others; instead of staring at the screen intently, she immediately turned her gaze towards Chairman Hossun.
In her perfectly presentable eyes, there was no nervousness or concern, only cold observation and consideration.
In just an exceedingly brief moment, her shrewdness was replaced by gravity and concern, as if she had already begun drafting a response to the crisis in her mind.
Vilan removed his headphones and leaned closer to Victor, softly asking, "What do you think she is? A fox?"
Victor looked up for a moment and said, "Lioness."
Vilan pondered briefly and smiled, "Not bad, suits her better."
"We can set these aside for now; take a look at this."
Victor adjusted the footage to the moment when the Gold Powder burst forth; compared to most people's frightened or confused faces, a few people had distinctly different expressions.
—Sharp, astonished, incredulous.
Victor pointed to these individuals one by one: "They definitely know what the golden powder signifies… look at these expressions of cognitive dissonance."
"These people… should be the Unspeakables from the United States, right? I've heard their identities are kept secret from the public," Vilan asserted.
Victor: "Hossun knows too, but initially he didn't associate it in the first two seconds, and then he was completely stiff."
Vilan thumbed through the data in his hand: "When Nikolo Hossun was young, he likely also applied for a Time Turner to assist his learning; the amount of academic work and papers he completed in his final years before graduation is really excessive."
"It's the same for Laira Piqueley; at school, they were somewhat like the American version of Percy Weasley," Victor added.
"But Alderich Kubit doesn't have the same impressive track record." Vilan pulled up another person's video, smiling: "See, he's quite aware of it too."