Standing among the crowd, Gleason was deeply shaken. As quickly as he could, he retrieved a parchment and quill from the pocket of his wizarding robe. His wrists trembled as he scribbled on the parchment.
"What are you doing?" asked Doggett, lowering his voice and glancing strangely at the parchment, sensing that Gleason was preparing to record Ivan's words.
"Didn't you notice, Doggett?" Gleason asked. Doggett looked confused, then shook his head with a sigh and said solemnly, "Herr Harls's words were clear in his mind and purpose… It is clear that this is the future of the Order!"
Dougster was stunned for a moment, but he quickly recovered, annoyed with himself for not realizing it immediately enough to allow Gleason to get to him first!
He couldn't help but regret his decision to drag Gleason into this mess so early on. Given how clever she was, he feared that he would lose his position in the future!
Doggett was on his guard. He had to try harder to read Ivan's mind and not be outdone!
Gleason paid no attention to Doggett. He listened to Ivan's speech as he wrote down the important points on the parchment, his quill flying across the page.
After witnessing Ivan's unfathomable combat strength and far-out-of-age thinking, Gleason was thoroughly impressed. This was not a potential asset, but a giant crocodile that was about to subvert the wizarding world!
He was just hiding in the dark and waiting for an opportunity!
Grissom was a man who knew when to stop. He was not one to turn his back on the times, much less pass up a life-changing opportunity!
Thus, Gleason came up with the idea of compiling Ivan's every word and action in a pamphlet to serve as a mental programme for the members of the organisation, and then photocopying it in large quantities so that everyone could have a copy of it to study and learn from!
Just thinking about it made Gleason admire himself for his quick thinking! He felt that this proposal would definitely make a huge contribution and gain the recognition of Sir Harls!
In the middle of the hall, Ivan, unaware that some of his random thoughts were about to be compiled into a book, was making his final speech, his tone becoming increasingly high-pitched.
"The noble Black family, the proud Malfoy family, once fell at the feet of Lord Voldemort, and blood is but the foolish vision of the ignorant… I want you to remember this — this is the world of magic, and magic is power!"
When Ivan finished speaking, there was a strange silence.
As Ivan wondered if there was something wrong with his speech, there was a thunderous round of applause in the silent Great Hall.
Many wizards shouted with excitement, and there were sounds of praise all around.
Gleason was very excited at this rare sight, and the quill in her hand quickly sketched a picture.
He wanted to paint this exciting scene, enchant it, and use it as the cover of the brochure!
But what should be the title?
The Dark Lord's Declaration of the New Century?
Gleason slowly sank into thought…
On the other hand, Ivan was enjoying the cheers of the crowd and was very happy. It seemed that some of his random nonsense had been approved. At least he hadn't messed things up!
Of course, in his joy, Ivan did not forget that he had one last thing to do!
As the crowd cheered, Ivan raised his hand to silence them.
The noisy meeting hall immediately fell silent, and everyone spontaneously stopped applauding, waiting to hear what Ivan had to say next.
"Everyone! This is not the time to be happy… The Wizarding Market at Knockturn Alley is still in the hands of the Nottes, and it is inevitable that something sad will befall the path to greatness."
"Today, for example! Our companion, Elver Grint, was on a patrol mission when he was ambushed by the Norts and unfortunately left us!"
Ivan's words became heavy, and although he did not know the martyred Elf-Glynt, he was able to praise his bravery and decisiveness and anger the wizards present.
And just as he had imagined, the wizards, their emotions completely roused, charged into the Wizarding Market, destroying the Notts, returning the favour with blood!
"You're both right! Elver Grint didn't die in vain. I'll make sure the Norts pay!" Ivan nodded in agreement, but then changed his tone, emphasizing that the funeral of the dead was more important!
It was set for tomorrow, and he would attend in person!
"Duggart!" Yvonne said, turning suddenly.
"Sir Harls…" Dagget stepped out of the crowd, his expression humble and his usual casual manner quite different.
"What's our pension?" Ivan asked.
'Didn't you know?' Doggett was suspicious, but when he thought about it, he immediately guessed Ivan's intentions.
"It's a hundred Galleons!"
"That's too little! From today on, the pension will be tripled! Also, if there's a suitable job in the future, give it to Madam Grint, the mother of Elf!" Ivan announced.
"Three times? Three hundred Galleons?!" Dagget exclaimed in dismay, quickly refuting. "This is against the rules, even the Ministry of Magic's Auror Pensions don't amount to this, and as we've been short of funds lately, isn't three hundred Galleons too much…"
"My word is law! I hope you remember this is Knockturn Alley, not the Ministry of Magic…" Ivan snapped at Doggett, then looked around the room again.
"I don't want Elver Grint to have to worry about his family after his death! As for Galleons, they'll come naturally once we take the Wizarding Market!"
Ivan spoke earnestly, and solemnly stated that all those present were like-minded companions whose lives could not be measured in money!
The wizards on either side of him were touched. Most of them were poor and had come to Knockturn Alley because they could not survive in the wizarding world. Ivan's words made them feel valued…
One had to know that in a place like Knockturn Alley, human lives were not worth much. If it were any other employer, they would not even have the most basic compensation after death, let alone show such concern!
Thinking back to Ivan's brave words, many wizards were overwhelmed with emotions and felt like dying for a close friend.
"Alright, if there's nothing else, let's call it a day!" Ivan's lips curled up slightly, but he pretended to be sad and waved the meeting off…
The thirty or so wizards bowed and left the Great Hall with mixed emotions.
Gleason was worried that Doggett would try to steal his credit, so before he left, he warned Doggett about keeping the pamphlets a secret. He wanted to wait until the pamphlets were finished before handing them over!
Doggett pursed his lips as he looked at Gleason's handwriting all over the parchment, as well as the life-like sketch. He wondered why he had not thought of this earlier.
Within a few minutes, the wizards had vanished outside the shop, leaving Ivan, Doggett, and Alicia alone in the Great Hall.
Ivan, who had been tense all this time, finally breathed a sigh of relief. If he continued to pretend, he would be mentally weak!
"How did I do, Mom? Was it okay?" Ivan asked, turning his attention to Alicia.
"I didn't expect this… it's wonderful, impeccable!" said Alicia, walking up to him and ruffling his hair.
However, there was one thing that remained puzzling to Alicia: where did Ivan learn these winning skills, and how did he become so skilled at them?