Chapter 157 Hongmen

"They guarded for ten days, in the most brutal and arduous way." There were only a few candles lit in the middle of the hall of Ilvermorny College. In the dim light, Phil Garcia stood independently in front of the long table. Looking at the huge map that was spread out, the dense red marks on the map were really shocking. "While they were fighting bloody battles, I could only shrink here, unable to do anything." There

was also a pile of drawings and documents under the map, and he suddenly looked at it. Taking out two sheets from them, with a little folding and pressing, the flat surface on the paper was transformed into a three-dimensional model suspended in the air. The model of Ilvermorny College is the largest, covering all the surrounding overlapping mountains and forests. Following the undulations of the terrain, the castle was surrounded by circles of strangely shaped walls. It was more like a fortress than a castle, making the Magical Congress on one side look particularly small. However, the Magical Congress model is small, but extremely delicate. The little people walking and moving inside are reflected inside. Except that the proportions are several times smaller, they are not much different from the real MACUSA.

Phil Garcia paced back and forth in front of the two models. The dim candlelight made the figure sway uneasily on the wall. No one who saw it would associate the restless figure in front of him with the student leader who had long led the people to resist.

All the anxiety and recklessness generated by his every step were absorbed by another shadow in the corner. That shadow was too quiet. As time went by, he not only failed to calm down, but his steps became more and more messy. However, the shadow remained unmoving, his eyes did not shift due to this, and the tone of his words was not so pleasant.

"So what Mr. Garcia did was to attack the Magic Congress at this time - before the Muggles set out to visit the state and the most threatening enemy hidden in the Magic Congress had not yet been found. Occupy a position that is difficult to defend even if it is successfully captured."

"Mr. Snape, I don't..." Snape's speaking speed is getting slower and slower day by day, and now every syllable is like cutting flesh with a dull knife. difficult. Phil Garcia had always been tolerant of him, but this was the first time he realized how uncomfortable such a tone was.

"Can your rashness help Miss Shen get out of the extreme northern predicament and retake the capital? Can you advise Miss Shen's grandfather not to make the same mistake again and again?" Snape interrupted him and unceremoniously revealed all his worries. , "A rash attack will be of some benefit to disrupting Muggle politics and allowing Britain to take control of the Ministry of Magic. You are eighteen years old, Mr. Garcia, but you still think like an eight-year-old child."

A series of rhetorical questions made Phil Garcia dumb. He was speechless, mingled with guilt and the panic of having his secret revealed: "I won't... I just..." It

was difficult for him to explain himself. Admit that he spends time pacing here just to vent his emotions and stay rational? He has no idea of ​​​​confiding personal matters to others easily.

Snape didn't give him any chance to escape and stood directly opposite. It was only when he emerged from the shadows that he discovered how quickly Severus Snape wasted away. If it weren't for those piercing black eyes, one would almost think that what came out was a skeleton: "Ms. Shen's colleagues have been fighting for ten days, is it to make you abandon reason and disrupt the plan of Ilvermorny?" Next, together with the thirteen states, they have been dormant and accumulating energy for a whole year. Is it to die at an unnecessary moment?"

Under his pressure, Phil Garcia had to answer directly: "No."

Snape put his hands on it. On the table, there was a look of hatred on the face: "Then suppress your emotions! Control your thoughts! We are fighting now, not playing a game of heroes saving beauties. If you really..." He paused, He swallowed the word on his lips and mumbled it, "You must learn to defend your territory on the chessboard and see your position clearly."

As the emotion progressed, the look of mourning in the eyes became stronger, but when After saying these words, the fleeting sadness was like a chess piece thrown to the lake. It sank to the bottom of the water with a clang, merged with the water light, and disappeared without a trace.

"Sir, you are a great man." After a long silence, Phil Garcia stared at the two models for a long time, breathed a sigh of relief, and folded the drawings. "Without your guidance and guidance along the way, I might not be able to survive like this. "

You don't have to thank me for teaching and guidance," Phil Garcia said every time he inquired very seriously. It is this seriousness that makes people feel guilty, "I am just conveying Dumbledore's meaning, and it cannot be said to be great. "

Phil Garcia stretched out his hand and wiped the top map, and his fingertips stayed in the east for a long time: "It is not easy to suppress emotions and control thoughts." He rolled up the map, and the previous anxiety was gone, and he returned to his original state. He was a model student who never lost control, was gentle and polite, "How long have you been suppressing and controlling?"

"Those states are too quiet," Ivan raised the wine glass in his hand and shook the liquid in which he could hardly see the color. He raised his glass to Barty Crouch Jr. at the other end, "The wine here is very good. Although I shouldn't drink alcohol due to my background, it's not a big problem to try it secretly once in a while."

I don't know which corner he dug out. I found this place that was even filthier and run-down than the Pig's Head Bar. None of the tables, chairs, cups and bowls are dusty, and the darkened windows seem to have contained oil stains for decades. It makes no difference here day or night, whether the lights are on or not. Now is the time when the sunset is at its most brilliant, and there are only a few rays of blood-red light floating dimly in the bar.

Only a little bit good. The position where Ivan was sitting was facing the only clean window pane. Through the glass, the low and gray sanatorium halfway up the mountain was clearly visible.

Whenever the two of them had to discuss secret matters in private, Ivan would drag him here whenever he had free time.

"I advised you to cancel your trip to Massachusetts." Barty Crouch Jr. still didn't touch the wine. His eyes followed Ivan and fell on the nursing home, and then quickly turned back. "They won't use it easily. Assassination is used unless the conflict reaches an irreconcilable level and requires one person's death to revive the dead situation."

He was the first to respond to Dongfang. Over the past year, he has spared no effort to promote the new order and challenge it step by step. At the limit of balance, the situation has unknowingly deviated from the initial conflict between several parties, creating endless variables. With just a slight push, the entire domino will fall.

"I've made a lot of progress. To be honest, I was very worried when I picked you up. What we lack here is never smart people, but adaptors who know how to adapt." He pointed his wine glass at the sunset that happened to pass by. It added a bright color to the wine in the glass, "Death can be a means for the opponent to cause conflicts, and it can also become a resource for us. This is the test paper I leave you to see if you can apply what you have learned over time."

He said lightly. The earth has integrated death into this game called politics, playing it leisurely in its hands. Barty Crouch Jr. pushed away the cup and stared at him as if in a trance, showing no expression or speaking.

It turns out that there are people in the world who are crazier than those madmen in Azkaban, and weirder than that freak.

Ivan seemed not to notice the invisible stalemate between the two. He took a sip of wine and continued to talk leisurely: "According to the law, you will temporarily take my place. They thought so well that they thought they could resolve it one by one by pushing me down." The groups gathered around me, but I didn't expect that the person I was looking for would act as my assistant. You just need to remember that big trends never form naturally, but are fabricated by human hands. Don't expose your position too much and be careful with the flow. Make sure that the trend always leads in the direction we want. Don't even think about sitting in this position for a lifetime. The bones that think like this will be thrown in a mass grave."

He added wine to the glass: "Think about how to let it go. Preserving your own legacy and will for a long time is far more meaningful than lingering on an empty position." The newly added wine was immediately drank down, and he breathed a long sigh of relief, always looking at the distance getting darker and darker in the sunset. building, "Your master is a master. The transmission of ideas will affect at least several generations and leave a mark on history for generations to come. It's a pity that I have no chance to see it."

The last sentence was unclear. The rare admiration in Ivan's words made him feel more and more uncomfortable. He slammed the wine glass on the table and looked around to make sure that the shielding spell he cast was perfect: "You have been hanging out with Muggles for a long time. Could it be that you I really forgot that I am a magic wizard."

These words completely pointed out that he knew Ivan's true identity, and also implied something silently.

"If there are two roads in front of you, either to die in a heroic way, or to survive, but can no longer fight for your ideals and beliefs for the rest of your life, and can only hide in the shadows forever, with nothing but one life left, which one do you choose?

" The question immediately stunned Barty Crouch Jr. It’s not about getting hung up on the answer, but such a simple question is enough to expose Ivan’s true thoughts and choices. He looked at Ivan as if he were a monster: "You really did it for, that, that..."

"Liz." Ivan didn't feel the slightest bit embarrassed about having his secret seen through, so he continued naturally.

Barty Crouch Jr. subconsciously wanted to be suspicious. He never let down his guard when working with Ivan, and it was precisely because of Ivan's shrewdness that he accelerated his learning. A sophisticated politician who has been immersed in power for many years is much more difficult to deal with than Viola. Liz's biological sister Viola can't resist power, and reversing her sister's case has become an empty slogan. He simply doesn't believe that Ivan doesn't have any desire for power in his heart.

Unexpectedly, I actually met a love interest

. "Liz's father is someone who wants to do big things." Mentioning old Leon, he didn't have the slightest respect, but was full of contempt, "The reason for adopting me is to have someone who can help him when he is busy. When I was taking care of Liz, I was also refining a knife to penetrate into the No-Maj family..."

He sneered: "I was sent to a No-Maj family when I was seven years old, replacing their real son. You must learn how to be a No-Maj, understand their rules as much as possible, and climb to the highest peak of No-Maj power. The more you understand, the more ridiculous and naive the wizard's ideas are, and they are still stuck hundreds of years ago."

Little Barty. Crouch rarely took the initiative to fill a glass of wine for him, but he was in no hurry to drink it.

"I used to be more troubled by my identity than anyone else. I couldn't be a No-Maj, and I was incompatible with wizards. Only Liz, only Liz. Even her sister thought she was naive and stupid. In fact, she knew everything. . We often go to this hillside to pick fruits at the entrance of the nursing home. She told me..." He took another sip of wine, as if he could press all the old memories into his liver again. The wine did not bring drunkenness, but it made his will clear. He turned back to the excellent politician who was not surprised at all, "She is dead. I killed a No-Maj by mistake in self-defense, and the Magic Congress, which was in a special period, immediately sentenced her to death. I I vowed to give her a new society and use it in my life and the next life. No matter how difficult or impossible it is, I will do it."

She said that Ivan is Ivan and should not live for others.

He still didn't listen to her.

As dusk fell, the outline of the hills gradually became blurred, and the shadows of the buildings could not be seen clearly.

"After I die, I must be buried in the cemetery of that nursing home. Liz is there. I have many, many new things to tell her, and she likes to hear them." Perhaps because he was drunk, he suddenly Smiling at Barty Crouch Jr., "Power is a subtle and exciting game. Just a little light can attract players. But only those who don't gamble can't lose, and only those who don't participate in the game can win. We are all the same. . "

The sun went down.

Mu Yu was standing at the foot of the mountain looking up at the setting sun.

At the same time, at the same place, a few years ago, she climbed up the mountainside step by step, knocked on the door, pretending to win over power and plan for a great cause, but was politely rejected, and Shen Xu even laughed at her for being radical.

Now...

Nagini, who was wrapped around her hand, wanted to go down, but she held her tightly. From a distance, you can see Shen Yi speeding down with a few people.

Shen Yi almost bent down in front of her, and the people behind him were even more exaggerated.

As for what they revere, it is a matter of opinion.

"The whole mountain has been banned. My cousin asked me to pick you up. Please..."

Shen Yi paused. He didn't expect that she would be so undefended. All but one of her body was watching. There was no jewelry on top of the jade pendant that was about to break, and she looked completely unprepared.

Mu Yu ignored his surprise and said calmly when his eyes fell on Nagini, "It's just my pet."

There seemed to be nothing unusual about the snake. Even if there were, he wouldn't say anything based on their tacit understanding.

"Of course."

He bowed and asked Mu Yu to go first. As he turned around, a faint word floated in the wind that only the two of them could hear.

"Since you have chosen to betray the clan, don't even think about making up for it."

He raised his head suddenly, and all he saw was a figure walking away. He hurriedly took two steps to catch up, but he refused to look up again. He died. Death covered up the complicated look that flashed through him for a moment.

The further you go up, the more silent the city below becomes. The bright lights cannot hide the fact that the city is dying. In the shadows that cannot be illuminated by the light, there are countless pairs of eyes hidden in watching this hill, painting the ordinary mountain with a sacred and inviolable temperament in their minds.

It will be more interesting to them in a while.

Mu Yu stroked the snake on her body and looked at the scenery below leisurely. After a while, she stood in front of the gray building where she had stood a few years ago.

The situation is slightly similar to a few years ago.

The carved door is open, and a few more lamps are lit in the room. From the entrance, you can see the shadowy people in the hall at a glance.

She raised her legs and stepped in without hesitation, and Shen Yi closed the door behind her, blocking out the remaining sunset. She glanced at Shen Yi as if treating an insignificant object, and then walked along the entrance hall into the main hall.

The lights in the main hall are even brighter and dazzling. Shen Xu sat at the top, surrounded by a few people she either knew or were unfamiliar with. Shen Xu was the first to stand up when she came in, and only after he stood up did the others show any signs.

Shen Xu smiled even more fakely than he did three years ago: "We haven't seen each other for a few years, Xiaoyu is fine."

Most of their eyes fell on the snake swimming on the ground.

"Whether it's good or bad, don't you see clearly?" Mu Yu sat down across from me unceremoniously, "I've traveled a long way and traveled thousands of miles to come here, all out of respect for you. These false courtesies make it seem like you don't value our cooperation."

Her arrogant attitude made Shen Xu's eyes dim for a moment, but they soon turned calm. What respect is there is just because she is afraid of losing Dongfang's control.

The change in the wind direction in Europe still made this girl float and raised her heart. It's a pity that she doesn't look at whose territory the east is, how can it be compared with a small country?

"Xiaoyu has lived a good life in the past few years. There are a lot of frictions on the border between Eastern Europe and the Far North," he said with a smile, "I just don't know how Norway is."

It seems unrelated, but every word hits the point.

"You know what Norway is like." Mu Yu calmly pushed back.

"You know what you know, you know what you know," Shen Xu remained silent until now, showing no emotion or anger. "It was you who knew what you knew a year ago. It took us a year to capture the capital. Let me and My own granddaughter has been fighting for a whole year, causing us to lose countless soldiers who should not have been sacrificed. Xiaoyu, such an ally seems a bit unqualified."

He said it as if he and Shen Xitong could reconcile. Mu Yu felt sarcastic in his heart, but still waited patiently for Shen Xu's true intention.

"Only Xiaoyu must come today," Shen Xu waved, and someone presented a document to her, "It involves the development of the magic world in the two countries - of course, there is not much difference between the magic world and the real world now, so This major event cannot be separated from Xiaoyu's participation."

Mu Yu quickly browsed through every clause, and even if she was prepared, Shen's appetite was enough to make her smack her lips. He simply understood the importance of the East to her. If she doesn't work hard from within, even if she holds many trump cards, such a proposal will still be a thorn in her side, and it will be difficult to refuse or accept it.

"Opening up the East promotes friendly exchanges between the British Ministry of Magic and the East." She repeated a clause and laughed angrily, "What exactly do you want to open up to?"

Shen Xu didn't understand what she meant: "Xiaoyu felt that under such conditions How about it?"

Mu Yu leaned on the chair, and her slightly inelegant movements were made gracefully: "If you want to join the British Ministry of Magic and get involved in Europe, you must first see if I agree."

The outside looks like this . It started to rain lightly, and it was drizzling, making me feel uncomfortable.

A burst of sound broke the dullness, and with a pop, a nail drilled out of nowhere hit the snake's head, and the big snake instantly turned into a black mist and disappeared.

Today's arrangements should have been seamless, but she was smiling happily at this moment, as if she didn't care about the snake's life or death at all, which made people worried for no reason.