"Such a grand gesture?"
After hearing Alan's words, it wasn't just Bagnold and Fudge; even Dumbledore, who was listening in, couldn't help but show a surprised expression.
"Are you serious?" Bagnold initially thought the other party was joking, but upon seeing the firmness in Alan's eyes, she couldn't help but ask.
"As long as you agree, I can sign an employment contract with you right now, and all the above content will be written into the terms!" Alan smiled, taking out a document and pushing it in front of Bagnold, clearly having prepared it in advance.
"Phew…" After roughly scanning the terms in her hand, Bagnold fell into deep thought. It was impossible for her not to be tempted; the conditions Alan offered were simply too generous. In fact, with her qualifications, lobbying the ministers for magic of several countries to agree to establish this Magic Communication System would be incredibly simple. It was so easy that for Bagnold, completing this task was more like a paid vacation. Of course, her extensive network was itself a reflection of Bagnold's value; otherwise, Alan wouldn't have extended such a warm invitation. But it still gave her the illusion that this money was too easy to earn.
Meanwhile, Fudge, seeing Bagnold still hesitating, couldn't help but feel a bit absurd. After hearing the conditions Alan offered, he even wanted to resign immediately and throw himself into the other party's embrace. Of course, he wasn't Bagnold after all; whether Alan would even want him was another matter.
"Alright, I really can't think of any reason to refuse," Bagnold let out a long breath, ultimately succumbing to Alan's financial offensive.
"You won't regret this decision. After all, this is a convenient project that will achieve a win-win for the company and the Ministry of Magic, especially once other wizarding communities see the widespread use of Communication Terminals in Britain." Alan knew this project would take a lot of time. Even if Bagnold completed her lobbying, it would still take several years to fully roll out.
"A win-win? To me, it clearly looks like you're winning twice," Bagnold shook her head helplessly, then couldn't help but playfully scold, "You, every day you just know how to poach from the Ministry of Magic. First Moody and Aseria, and now you're even targeting me."
Alan showed an innocent expression, "You're really wronging me by saying that. Aseria isn't in an important position at the Ministry of Magic, and Moody, like you, only accepted my re-employment after he retired. Moreover, he's already a shareholder of the company."
"Don't play pitiful in front of me," Bagnold pursed her lips speechlessly. "I heard a long time ago that two years ago in North America, you killed countless wanted criminals as a bounty hunter, to the point where the MACUSA President even sent a medal to Britain. That doesn't match your harmless appearance at all."
"You can't blame me for that." Alan shrugged helplessly, "When I went to the United States, I was only there for business. Who knew those purifiers would come knocking on my door? Besides, the bonus from MACUSA was indeed tempting, wasn't it?"
"You kid, why do you seem to have fallen into a money pit these past two years?" Bagnold grumbled irritably, but in her eyes, Alan was still the firm, trustworthy person he always was, so she didn't say anything more.
Following this, Alan, Fudge, and Bagnold finalized a large number of project details, including the time and location for building the Alchemy Room on site, and the personnel for coordination. After all the details were handled, Bagnold and Fudge left the office satisfied, leaving only Alan and Dumbledore in the room.
At this moment, Dumbledore suddenly realized that the request he was about to make seemed even harder to voice. Didn't he see what Alan was discussing with others? A massive project worth millions of Galleons!
But Dumbledore could only steel himself at this point. "Alan, I never expected you to achieve so much just a few years after graduating. It truly makes an old man like me feel ashamed."
"You flatter me, Headmaster." With Alan's current status, he no longer needed to be as cautious in front of Dumbledore as he once was. "Headmaster, you personally came today, so I presume you have something important to discuss with me."
Seeing Alan get straight to the point, Dumbledore didn't bother to beat around the bush and immediately said sincerely, "Your Tactical Training Studies has caused quite a stir in the international wizarding world over the past two years. It's truly groundbreaking work. As far as I know, many magic schools are already preparing to offer corresponding courses, and Hogwarts is naturally no exception."
"Oh, that's what you meant." Alan nodded knowingly upon hearing this. Half a year after his trip to Germany, he officially published his first book, *Tactical Training Studies*. This book covered a vast amount of content related to training, tactics, strategy, and equipment usage, and also offered unique interpretations of magic, spell power, and magic sensitivity, even establishing many standards.
Among them, Alan's self-invented Wilson Training Method was particularly astonishing, as it discovered a way to improve magic sensitivity. This concept had previously been considered extremely mysterious to wizards, with some even doubting its existence. However, Alan not only provided a clear definition for this concept but also quantified its standards and provided methods for active training.
Therefore, this book quickly sparked a wave of discussion in the international wizarding academic community. Many scholar wizards raised doubts about it, but a group of official institutions, led by the British and German Ministries of Magic and the International Alchemy Association, came out in strong support of Alan. Finally, after more than a year of experimental testing conducted jointly by scholars from multiple countries, it was confirmed that the training method indeed had an effect on magic sensitivity. When they published this research finding with the endorsement of various Ministries of Magic, *Tactical Training Studies* was once again thrust into the spotlight.
Of course, Alan and the company also received further promotion. Now, not only has mainstream academic opinion affirmed Alan's achievements, but several magic schools have also developed an interest in introducing this training method.
"No problem, it's certainly no problem for Hogwarts to introduce the training method. I'll immediately arrange for personnel to be stationed at the school." Alan mumbled, looking down and calculating, "Aseria needs to go to Durmstrang, Moody has already completed his guidance work at Ilvermorny, but he still needs to go to Beauxbatons later… How about this: I'll talk to Fudge later and have an Auror who has received my personal training transferred from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to Hogwarts. Perhaps Mavis? She is outstanding in both theoretical knowledge and practical ability, and she is more than capable of serving as the school's training instructor. Then you can decide whether to have her directly join as a professor or guide for a period of time; I don't think Fudge and Mavis will have any objections." After a moment of thought, Alan immediately settled on the personnel for Dumbledore.
"No…" Dumbledore shook his head with a wry smile, "I want to invite you personally to Hogwarts to serve as the tactical training professor!"
"Me personally? And for tactical training?" Alan raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. "Headmaster, you're not joking with me, are you? Haven't you seen how busy the company is? We just finalized a project that will take years to complete. How can I possibly get away? Besides, generally speaking, the young wizards at school only need to learn the training method part, which is already sufficient. The complete tactical training is meant to train practical personnel like Aurors!"
"You heard correctly, I do want you personally, and the subject is the complete course!" Dumbledore gazed at Alan firmly. "As for the schedule, I can promise you some special privileges, such as free access to the school, reduced teaching hours, and so on. I hope you will consider it seriously."
"Hmm…" Hearing Dumbledore's solemn tone, Alan fell into a moment of thought, then still asked, puzzled, "Can you tell me the reason? Why do you need me so urgently?"
Alan could tell that Dumbledore needed him personally more than the subject of tactical training itself.
"Darkness is approaching, Alan!" Dumbledore's eyes showed a hint of solemnity. "I can feel that You-Know-Who is about to return. I think you should know that he didn't truly die, and I am old. Hogwarts needs someone strong enough and resolute to protect it."
"You mean Voldemort?" Alan showed no fear at the taboo name. "I was indeed mentally prepared for him not to be completely gone; the Dark Mark hasn't faded, and the Defense Against the Dark Arts curse is still active. But that doesn't mean I need to personally be stationed at Hogwarts, does it?" Alan looked at Dumbledore with sharp eyes. "Headmaster, I promise you, should the Dark Lord show any signs of resurgence, I will never stand idly by. I will not forget Lily's blood feud!"
"I knew you never lacked courage," Dumbledore nodded approvingly. "But his target will inevitably be Hogwarts, because Harry is there! He's enrolling this year. Don't you want to personally teach him?"
"That… I must say your reasoning is very compelling." Alan nodded. Truthfully, he was already somewhat tempted, but then he shook his head again. "But that doesn't completely convince me, because I believe with you there, Harry's safety at Hogwarts won't be threatened, and teaching him doesn't necessarily have to be within the school. I can become his guardian; with me, he can receive the best care. Just a few holidays, and I can teach him how to protect himself! Even if Voldemort were right in front of him, he wouldn't be afraid!"
Alan's confident demeanor only made Dumbledore more certain of his earlier thoughts; this young man was probably more capable than he had imagined. So Dumbledore immediately changed his smile and looked at the other party, "Alan, do you want to hear my terms?"