Lockhart's request made Dumbledore feel a little confused.
It reminded him of many years ago when Gellert wanted to join forces with him, also for the sake of wizards.
And now, hearing the same request again brought Dumbledore back to those past memories.
Thoughts were swirling in his mind, and Dumbledore fell silent while Lockhart waited patiently for Dumbledore's reply.
Whether Dumbledore agreed or refused, Lockhart could accept it.
He was even prepared for Dumbledore to refuse.
However, after a moment...
"Lockhart, since it is beneficial to the development of wizards, I think I have no reason to refuse." Dumbledore showed a gentle smile to Lockhart and nodded slowly to express his agreement.
"Really? Headmaster?" After Lockhart heard this, a trace of astonishment flashed across his face, and he asked subconsciously. He had been prepared for Dumbledore to refuse.
"Of course, Lockhart." Dumbledore stroked his beard and said kindly, "As the Daily Prophet said, meditation is an epoch-making miracle. I have no reason to let a miracle like this disappear."
Lockhart's words reminded Dumbledore of his good friend, Gellert Grindelwald.
They both had talents far superior to ordinary people, similar ideals, and they even made the same requests of him.
The only difference was that now he was old, but at the same time, this time, he was not bound by a blood oath and had no emotional grudges.
Because of the blood oath, he could not take action against Gellert. Because of his sister's accidental death, the relationship between the two became extremely complicated.
He could only watch as Gellert became the enemy of the entire world step by step, and finally...
But this time, he didn't have so many constraints.
Lockhart was his student, and meditation is the most promising research result he had seen in recent years that could change the world.
Although it is still immature, as the Daily Prophet said, it is an epoch-making miracle.
There was no way he could let such a miracle die.
But equally, it was impossible for him to watch his student's conflict with the pure-blood families become more and more intensified, leading him down a path Dumbledore did not want to see.
Since he couldn't stop the promotion of meditation, he decided to join it.
He just wished it could be done in a more peaceful way.
Dumbledore thought silently to himself.
At this moment, Lockhart felt as if a pie had fallen from the sky, and his heart filled with ecstasy. With Dumbledore joining him, he knew that many problems would be solved at once.
For example, Dumbledore could directly resist the pressure from the school board.
Also, given Dumbledore's status, as long as he was willing to speak, Lockhart believed that the top magical journals in Europe would treat him objectively.
While he was thinking about how to solve a series of difficult problems through Dumbledore,
suddenly,
"Lockhart, I will discuss your status as an honorary school board member when I get back to Hogwarts."
"However, you mentioned before that you had experienced a Muggle war. Can you tell me more about your experience in the Muggle world?" Dumbledore's question surprised Lockhart.
The surprise was that the honorary school board membership seemed secure.
However, what was surprising was why Dumbledore was so curious about the Muggle world?
At this moment, Lockhart's mind was racing.
Could it be that Dumbledore agreed to join because of the potential threat from the Muggle world?
It was also possible that, given the rapid development of the Muggle world, in a few years, the wizarding world would no longer be able to remain hidden.
As the most powerful wizard in the world, it was normal for Dumbledore to be wary of danger in times of peace.
In this case, it's time to put a little more pressure on him.
Looking at Dumbledore's gaze, Lockhart organized his thoughts and began to speak in a somewhat deceitful (but not entirely untruthful) manner: "Headmaster, when I was on an expedition, I stayed at a Muggle's house for a while."
"It just so happened that the person was a technology expert in the Muggle world, much like a master of potions or alchemy in our wizarding world."
"When I was chatting with him, he talked freely about his research and the advancements in his field. After listening, I was actually shocked inside, as if a new world had opened up. I have to say that the Muggles we have often ignored have mastered a power that is no less than magic, and this power is called technology."
"For example, he mentioned developing something called the Internet. Information can be spread thousands of miles away with just a few keystrokes. It is said that in the future, pictures and videos can be transmitted, and even face-to-face real-time communication can be achieved, much like our two-way mirrors."
"I was thinking at that time, if this technology is truly implemented in the future, will our Statute of Secrecy still be effective?"
"Also, it is said that those large Muggle countries have launched satellites into outer space. They are reaching distant stars, an area we have never touched, and Muggles have already begun to explore it."
"Furthermore, according to my friend's chat, they are researching some space-based weapons that can be launched directly from the starry sky. With just one strike, an island could be destroyed in a very short period of time."
"And..."
"..."
Dumbledore's face grew more serious as he listened to what Lockhart said.
Originally, he just wanted to know if Lockhart had changed because of his experiences with Muggles.
But he hadn't expected that after so many years of not paying attention to the Muggle world, there would be so many changes.
It seemed that he should pay more attention to the Muggle world in the future.
Afterward, Dumbledore silently memorized what Lockhart had said, preparing to verify them one by one later.
He preferred to trust what he witnessed with his own eyes.
Nurmengard, Austria
Nurmengard is located on a high mountain in Austria. It is a huge castle, or rather, a small city would be more appropriate.
When it was founded, Nurmengard was famous throughout the wizarding world.
It was the stronghold of the Saints.
As for the Saints, this was the organization of followers of Gellert Grindelwald, the previous Dark Lord of the wizarding world.
At its peak, thousands of wizards lived here, and it was extremely prosperous.
But as Grindelwald admitted defeat and imprisoned himself, Nurmengard became more like a prison, becoming desolate and lonely in a short period of time, with its streets and alleys deserted.
In all of Nurmengard, it seemed that only the self-imprisoned Gellert Grindelwald and some Squibs with custodial duties remained.
There were no other wizards, as they seemed to be wary of Grindelwald's influence.
Despite this, the Squibs with custodial duties were reduced to servants delivering food in Nurmengard.
At this time, Grindelwald was in his study, sitting at his desk, motionless, as if deep in thought.
He had white hair and a somewhat aged face, but what was strange was that his left eye's pupil was platinum-gold, and paired with his serious face, it revealed a hint of majesty.
In front of his desk, an open newspaper was placed on the table.
It was the Daily Prophet from the British wizarding world.
On the front of the newspaper, there was a picture of Lockhart giving a public lecture. At the same time, the headline read:
Meditation, an Epoch-Making Miracle - Make Wizards Great Again!
After a moment, Grindelwald's platinum-gold left eye pupil returned to its normal black color.
At the same time, he muttered to himself.
"It's interesting. He won't be easy to handle in the future."
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