great-warnovel Chapter 328 Taking the Initiative in Negotiation
Chapter 328 Taking the Initiative in Negotiation
Chapter 328 Taking the Initiative in Negotiation
Hermione's long-held dream was for a city that belonged to Hogwarts itself, a city that was self-sufficient and didn't have to depend on other settlements.
Hogsmeade was originally too small. Even though it was the only pure wizarding village in England, it was still just a village. Even if all the thatched-roof houses were rebuilt, it would not be as bustling as a single street in Malfoy Castle.
"But...but this is too big!" Gonuk stammered.
The coexistence faction of fairies only numbered a little over a hundred. Even if all the men, women, and children were involved, it would still take years to complete such a city. And that's just the surface of the project. The massive and complex sewer system, the widening of waterways, and even the construction of dams would take an unknown amount of time.
Gonuk was starting to regret his earlier deal with Hermione regarding the Cold-Transformed Mother Silver. He thought he had made a profit, exchanging the work of an entire village for a special magical metal that could be produced indefinitely.
But now it seems that the girl had planned this all along; what she gained by exchanging the coldness for the silver mother was an entire city.
In a sense, this is fair, since the production capacity of the silver mother is unlimited, while the city is always finite.
Fairies value contracts highly, especially this one, which is engraved on their precious bronze plate and protected by powerful magic.
Whether due to the values of his own race or the constraints of magic, Gonuk had to fulfill the contract. After all, the Silver Mother and the others had already received the goods and used them for a long time, and there was no room for regret.
Moreover, the girl before him had already advanced to the rank of Archmage. Gornuk had personally witnessed her pierce Voldemort with a spear. If he had previously looked down on her somewhat because of her age, now, the goblin leader looked at her with the same respect he showed Dumbledore.
"Even if the fairies have an innate talent for construction, the sheer volume of work—" He frowned, not because he wanted to renege on his promise, but because he didn't want to turn the coexistence faction into laborers who would have to work for Hogwarts for decades.
"It can be divided into multiple phases," Hermione said generously.
"The first phase of the project only needs to build the urban area where the original village was located, so that we can at least resettle nearly 10,000 people."
Gonuk immediately said, "We can't keep these Muggle idiots waiting. They can join the construction, which will greatly speed up the process!"
Hermione nodded readily. These prisoners were meant to be put to use anyway. A labor service could serve as punishment, and if handled well, it could also win over the hearts of the Muggles and make them truly become residents of Hogsmeade.
A social model where wizards and Muggles coexist peacefully, the ideal framework envisioned by Dumbledore, needs to be explored and developed through practice.
Once these Muggles, who were originally prisoners, can accept their new identities and live well with the wizards, that will be an invisible signboard, enough to attract oppressed people from all over the world to come here.
Gonuk's eyes darted around. "I can overlook the fact that Hogsmeade is so much larger than planned, after all, our cooperation has been quite pleasant. But I believe the Coexistence Faction deserves to be recognized as a construction bank in the future city—."
He hasn't given up on his plan for Gonugo, or rather, it's every elf's dream to name a bank after themselves.
"You're pushing your luck a bit," Hermione said, sitting with her arms crossed in her current Defense Strategy professor's office.
As the only organization currently possessing three Arch Wizards, Hogwarts' willingness to negotiate amicably with goblins already demonstrates its adherence to principles of justice and credibility.
Given the superiority of the contract, Hermione could have been even more unreasonable, treating the goblins as slaves to do free labor, but that would clearly not have been in line with her and Dumbledore's consistent views on good and evil.
If Gonuk had any sense, he would have stopped when Hermione was being friendly; continuing to negotiate would only provoke the Archmage's displeasure.
The temperature in the office suddenly dropped, and the cool moonlight lingered faintly in the air. Hermione's smile slowly faded.
"Alright, alright! I take back that suggestion!" The fairy quickly waved his hand, knowing there was no need to upset the other party over something like this.
"So, are there any other questions?" Hermione sat up straight with satisfaction; the large professor's chair with its backrest was still not quite suitable for her.
"The last one!" Gonuk thought for a moment.
"Building a city requires a lot of materials. Although the magic of fairies is wonderful, they cannot create things out of thin air. You must provide us with enough stone and wood."
If they were in a fairy cave, in a secret realm built by the fairies themselves, they could do whatever they wanted. But in the real world, everything must follow basic rules, and they must also quarry stone and cut down trees.
Hermione thought for a moment. The Highlands had no shortage of stone, and the Forbidden Forest could also produce some timber, but it would probably take a while to build a city.
Just as she was starting to worry, suddenly her gaze turned to the doorway, and she seemed to see through the door to the view in the hallway.
She laughed: "Looks like the problem solver has arrived."
Then came a polite knock on the door.
The witch gently raised her hand, and the wooden door opened automatically. Standing in the corridor were Beauxbatons and his group, who had wandered around the castle without catching any professors of any influence.
"There are so many people. It seems my office isn't big enough." The area outside the door was bustling with male and female witches, especially the large Mrs. Maxim, who had to hunch over to see what was inside.
As Hermione spoke, the Unseen Stretch Charm was quietly released, and the originally normal-sized office suddenly expanded into a small rotunda. Even the desk between her and Gnuck, where they sat facing each other, was lengthened and widened, turning into a conference table.
This subtle and exquisite extension spell, executed without a sound, served as a silent shock to Beauxbatons. Since they hadn't witnessed Hermione's heroic figure firsthand and were only relying on hearsay, some of them were inevitably still confused about the situation.
"Perhaps we've come at the wrong time?" Mrs. Sinta, who was behind Maxim and knew Hermione well, joked with a smile.
"It's fine if we come back after Professor Granger and this fairy friend have finished talking." Her way of addressing her changed, which was also a silent reminder from Sinta to her board members not to speak recklessly just because the girl was young.
"Come in and let's talk." After her promotion, Hermione no longer needed to pretend to be a little girl; she could act more mature.
"Beauxbatons must have a lot of business to discuss with Hogwarts, and Mr. Gonuk of the Coexistence faction happens to have just as many needs."
Mrs. Maxim breathed a silent sigh of relief. The indirect cold reception she received after arriving at Hogwarts had made her somewhat worried. The headmaster of Beauxbatons and several board members, along with many managers who were usually very influential outside, were not even offered a cup of hot water in the castle and could only stand there dumbfounded in the corridor. This was undoubtedly a bit humiliating.
But Hogwarts today is no longer the exiled force that was before the great war, begging for help and raising supplies.
The current Hogwarts is even stronger than the Mafia in terms of top-tier combat power!
Dumbledore was already evenly matched with Grindelwald, and now with two more allies, it's really hard to say who will win.
This is why these usually arrogant guys were willing to wait patiently at the door for Hermione to finish her conversation. After all, this was the only office they had found that was where their words carried weight and where Hermione was willing to see them.