In a daze, Burke couldn't help but remember the dark-haired teenager who had come to work in the wizarding shop decades ago. They were both young, powerful, and equally ambitious…
Time and space seemed to return to that time, when two figures overlapped…
However, Burke soon dismissed this notion, as the young wizard in front of him was clearly more powerful than the Dark Lord!
In his youth, Tom Riddle knew how to win people over and form cliques, but he could never have devised such a bold scheme!
"Aren't you worried about the Ministry finding out?" Burke asked.
He was both surprised by Ivan's boldness and baffled by Ivan's confidence in being able to plot against the Ministry of Magic. If the Ministry of Magic found out about this, they would be furious!
Ivan, who is not yet fully grown, will not be able to cope with the Ministry's pursuit…
Of course I'm worried! Why am I asking you this if I'm not worried? Ivan rolled his eyes and grumbled to himself.
This idea was only a spur-of-the-moment impulse on Ivan's part. If it didn't work, he would simply give up.
As Ivan was about to explain himself, Burke's face fell and he realised something.
"No, that's not right! You had a plan and you never worried about it!"
"Remarkable!" Burke exclaimed again.
"You're smarter and more cautious than I gave you credit for! You know how to fool the Ministry first so you can gain their trust!"
Burke was quick to see through Ivan's plan. The protective props that Ivan had sold to the Ministry of Magic must have had no problem passing muster with Ministry professionals.
The goal was to lower their guard, and the real tampering was when repairing the protective props!
By then, the Aurors had probably grown accustomed to the convenience of these protective props, and were no longer suspicious of Ivan's nefarious intentions.
Nor is it likely that the Ministry of Magic will collect all the protective items distributed to Aurors and inspect them again.
Ivan could even wait until he had to deal with the Ministry of Magic, then gradually leave the secret doors open.
In which case, the likelihood of being found out is undoubtedly reduced again…
Burke was impressed by how bold and cautious the plan was, especially since it was devised by a twelve-year-old wizard like Ivan…
'Is that genius?'
Burke sighed to himself. He had a feeling that the wizarding world, which had been peaceful for more than ten years, was about to stir up trouble again… This time, the wizarding world was going to face something even more difficult than the Dark Lord!
Ivan was so confused by Burke's praise that he had no idea what Burke was talking about.
He was just a bit of a wimp and wanted to be on his guard against the Ministry of Magic, in case he got tricked by his own magical tools. Was there a need to be so surprised?
"Mr. Borgin! You haven't answered my question!" Ivan reminded him.
Burke came to his senses.
Burke paused for a moment, then continued, "There is nothing very wrong with your plan. The Department of Mysteries has wizards who are skilled in the Alchemical Way, but they are average at best. It would be impossible to discover those arrangements without a thorough investigation."
"However, I advise you to endure for a few more years and not act rashly. It won't be too late to attack when you reach adulthood and have strength comparable to the Dark Lord!"
"Otherwise, even if you destroy the Auror, it will be difficult for you to convince the people, much less control the entire wizarding community! Time is what you lack most at the moment!" Burke exclaimed.
The reason why he said this was because Burke suddenly felt that he would not die for sure. Given the ambition and courage of the young wizard in front of him, he might not be able to tolerate him. It was very likely that the other party was just testing if he was valuable enough!
Thus, after a great struggle, dignity lost to the desire for survival,
More crucially, Burke did not seem ashamed of his defeat by the future uncrowned king of the wizarding world…
Destroy the Aurors? Control the wizarding community? Ivan looked at Burke strangely.
It occurred to Ivan that she might have misunderstood, but he wasn't stupid enough to expose her.
This was because Burke's attitude had clearly changed. Unlike before, he did not say anything without asking questions. Instead, he answered all of Burke's questions honestly, sometimes even pointing out omissions.
As such, the temporary cell was soon used as a place for them to study alchemy.
Burke was experienced, had a unique heritage of alchemical knowledge, and had studied the subject diligently for decades.
Ivan had long since reached Level 5 in the field of Alchemy, and was not too far off from Burke.
This, combined with the fact that Ivan did not have to hide much from a dying man, and that he confided much of his core knowledge in exchange for Burke's knowledge, led to a tendency towards discussion rather than unilateral instruction.
During this process, Ivan rapidly absorbed Burke's alchemy knowledge. The most direct manifestation of this was that his Alchemy Proficiency had increased by over 800 points in just one day!
The hopelessly long proficiency bar directly increased by one-tenth!
Ivan left in high spirits. At this rate, it would not be long before he reached Level 6 in alchemy.
Over the next few days, Ivan spent the rest of his time learning alchemy from Burke, apart from making a few trips to Borgin and Burke's to empty the library.
Ivan found it strange that there seemed to be an unusually long stay.
He had been there for the better part of a month, but the Time-Turner was still the same, cold and emotionless, and Hermione showed no signs of being kicked back into time.
"Mr. Borgin, have you done any research on alchemical objects related to time?" Ivan asked tentatively, during a discussion with Burke.
"No, I don't know much about it. The only alchemical device I know of that relates to time is the Time-Turner.
The method of making such a thing has been lost for centuries, and only the Ministry has some in stock, though it has never been used by the Ministry, even during the most dangerous times, perhaps with great restrictions." Burke shook his head, indicating that he could not help.
Burke then seemed to remember something and continued hesitantly.
"There is one exception, however, who should know something about it…"