Dumbledore's so-called compromise sounded conservative, but in truth, it was extremely radical, because he wanted to borrow from the College of Winterhold's model and turn Hogwarts into a talent reserve base for The Tower of Tomes.
But Winterhold had its own unique circumstances. The College was not only an educational institution, it was also Winterhold's political and legal system. It monopolized every link in the chain of production, from a single grain of wheat to a tractor to a ship. Nothing could be separated from the College's involvement. It was a true behemoth in every sense of the word.
Under those circumstances, the existence of the High Tower Covenant was an open secret. The mages of the College also aimed to join the Covenant, and they all had a basic guarantee of loyalty.
Hogwarts, however, was merely an ordinary magic school. It did not possess the same built-in advantages as the College of Winterhold.
The College had taken over a Winterhold that had started from nothing, a tiny fishing village, a border province devastated by civil war. Hogwarts, on the other hand, faced an ancient, heavily fortified wizarding world. The afterglow of the pure-blood families had yet to fade, and the shadow of the Death Eaters still lurked in the dark.
Starting an independent power base in Skyrim was very simple. As long as there was food and swords, people would come flying in from every direction like birds seeking shelter. But trying to build something new from the ground up in the wizarding world required far too much work.
If Dumbledore suddenly tried to promote a mysterious secret society inside the school, it would be a miracle if the school governors did not throw him out of office. Yet Dumbledore had clearly made up his mind. He was determined to anchor Hogwarts to the great ship that was The Tower of Tomes, so that it could face the great flood that awaited in the future.
Even Skyl was surprised by Dumbledore's resolve, but he soon understood. This old man had never lacked ruthlessness. During the darkest moments of the wizarding world, he had always been the one to step forward and raise the banner of resistance against the Dark Lord. It was only because he had stayed in a school for too long that many people had forgotten exactly how this wizard had first made his name.
"Professor, you also know very well that Winterhold's model is extremely difficult to replicate." Skyl set down his teacup. The teapot lightly lifted itself and poured him another steaming cup of tea. The milk jug and sugar bowl also wanted to show off, but Skyl covered the mouth of his cup, so they dejectedly shrank back into the corner of the tea table.
"We must do what is right, not what is easy," Dumbledore said with a smile. "The wizarding world is somewhat airtight. She is too ancient and too conservative. She needs a little fresh air to regain her youth and beauty. The best cosmetics are sunlight and a pleasant breeze, yet many young ladies happen not to understand that. Hogwarts has the potential to become the birthplace of a new magical industry and completely change the way wizards live. The profits generated by that change can persuade parents to trust the school."
"Professor, I'm not trying to rain on your parade, but even if Hogwarts becomes a goose that lays golden eggs, it still won't bring an entirely new transformation to the wizarding world. At most, it will make her poke her head out from under the covers for a breath of fresh air. Once that breeze runs out, she'll naturally retreat right back inside."
In Skyl's view, one major reason the wizarding world was so closed off and self-sufficient was that magic was simply too practical. The Expansion Charm and Doubling Charm could fill granaries with food, and as long as a wizard had a wand in hand, his meal ticket was more secure than any government job.
Thinking back to the Muggle society before he transmigrated, how many people had fought tooth and nail for stable civil service jobs? Wasn't it all to solve the problem of putting food on the table? Human history could never escape the fear of famine. During great disasters, tragedies of people eating each other were countless, while the history of wizards had always carried a much lighter undertone.
Skyl glanced at Afu in the corner of the headmaster's office. The dog instinctively smiled back in a fawning way. Skyl said casually, "If Voldemort were still running around throwing his weight around, perhaps the wizarding world might accept your ideals. Your magical industry hasn't even taken shape yet, but Professor Gellert is already about to turn this place into a madhouse for training duel-crazed maniacs. Just think about what their parents will say when these children go home."
He chuckled and imitated an old lady's voice. "I'm Neville's grandmother. What on earth have you people been teaching Neville? Neville is throwing bombs in the house."
Dumbledore did not lose heart. He merely sighed deeply and said, "History has told us again and again that top-down change can never completely solve a problem. I understand that truth very well. But sooner or later, the wizarding world will be exposed to the Muggle world. Ten years? Twenty years? I think thirty years at most. That is all the time we have left. And what attitude will Muggles have toward us?"
"Professor, you haven't forgotten Lockhart, have you?" Skyl lightly stroked the Book of Mora. The power of the Grand Symphony had erased the consequences caused by Lockhart, but that history had truly happened. Back then, a very small number of people had not been affected by the Memory Charm, and thus still remembered that man's story.
Dumbledore was one of them. He had actively resisted the Memory Charm. Even Afu was included, because he was a dog and could not cast a Memory Charm on himself.
"Yes. I remember the towering flames, and that nuclear bomb." Dumbledore's face darkened. There was suppressed anger in his chest, grief and fury over the fact that the human species could be so cruel and that its slaughter of its own kind could be so utterly without limits. "I must prevent that day from repeating itself."
The silver-haired old man looked like a furious lion.
"Ahem, Professor, actually, I prepared a castrated version... no, I mean a student edition of the Guide. It removes the database, as well as the task and achievement systems, and preserves only the AI teaching assistant function."
Dumbledore's eyes lit up. His tone became brisk as he said, "Skyl, my most outstanding student, guide on the road to truth, I do not even know how to thank you."
"After all, this is my final year at Hogwarts." Skyl smiled lightly and tilted his head to look around the room, his gaze carrying a touch of gentle nostalgia. "I will never forget that you were the one who rescued me when I was living on the streets. No matter where I go, you will always be the first teacher who opened the door for me."
"Skyl..." Dumbledore's eyes grew slightly moist. He laughed at himself for being old, always too easily moved by familiar sights and memories. "You are a gift, one that has brought us joy and happiness. Hogwarts will always be your home."
Afu, off to the side, wore a vivid look of disdain and resentment on his dog face. He cursed inwardly, Gift? More like a curse! This villain stuffed the great Voldemort into a dog's body!
"I've tentatively named the student edition of the Guide Caster's Beginner Handbook. Because it is not connected to The Tower of Tomes' network, using the intelligent AI will require a separate central brain to be cultivated." Skyl raised a hand, and the magical light overflowing from his palm gathered into a miniature yet complex model of a Celestial brain. "After cultivating the biological computer, we still need to perform soul-entity programming on it. Then we have to inject the data and let the central brain carry out deep learning. At that stage, it can be put into use. However, regular network maintenance will still be necessary afterward."
Dumbledore's excited expression stiffened. He had not understood any of the concepts Skyl had just thrown out. He had a premonition that building the central brain would be a major project.
Skyl narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Professor, surely there's no need for a student to handle such a small matter for you, right? You can definitely manage it yourself, can't you?"
"Of course." The old headmaster straightened at once, his tone filled with lofty spirit. "You're never too old to learn."
As soon as Skyl left, Dumbledore hurriedly opened his own Guide and searched for the method of building a biological central brain. Immediately afterward, a massive amount of information began flooding the page. It was all related to building the network, and it was dozens of times more complicated than making the Elixir of Life.
Half a minute later, he took out a handkerchief and wiped the hot sweat from his forehead. Trembling slightly, he made a phone call to Professor Gellert.
"Gellert, come to the headmaster's office at once. I need your help."
After that day, Professor Gellert often took leave from class. Some people saw him and the headmaster going to the White Tower all day long. The attentive Professor McGonagall noticed that Professor Dumbledore was growing thinner by the day, his dark circles deepening, while Professor Gellert's complexion was also becoming increasingly blue.
They were definitely up to something shady.
//Check out my P@tre0n for 30 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810.