"Conditions?" Seeing Dumbledore so eager for him to return to school, Alan couldn't help but feel curious. "Alright, I'd like to see what price the Headmaster is willing to pay."
"Are you interested in this?" Dumbledore took a small box from his person, opened it, and pushed it in front of Alan. "If you're willing to join Hogwarts, I can provide you with five identical materials."
"Flamel alloy?" Alan looked at the familiar magic alloy in front of him and couldn't help but sit up straight. This was truly good stuff. After so many years, he only had two pieces from the Silver Spears, and he had even used one recently. So, five pieces of flamel alloy were indeed a big deal.
"Sorry, if it's just this, I'm afraid it's not enough." After a moment of hesitation, Alan still shook his head decisively. Although these flamel alloys were precious, he wasn't without them, so the demand wasn't very urgent.
Seeing Alan's expression, Dumbledore was certain he hadn't failed to recognize what it was. For an alchemist to remain so calm when faced with flamel alloy proved that he must have seen it before, and perhaps even had some on hand at that moment. He didn't expect this young man to have such a rich family background. Could he even be unfazed by flamel alloy?
Feeling quite helpless, Dumbledore had no choice but to reveal his trump card. "Then what about the Philosopher's Stone? Are you interested in it?"
"The Philosopher's Stone? Are you referring to Nicolas Flamel's Philosopher's Stone?" Alan's eyes widened when he heard the name of the Philosopher's Stone, and he looked at Dumbledore in surprise. "The only remaining one seems to be in Nicolas Flamel's own hands, doesn't it? How do you have it? And even if you do, are you willing to give such a valuable item to me?"
"It is indeed Nicolas's Philosopher's Stone, and it is indeed in my hands, but I am only temporarily keeping it for him." Seeing Alan's interest, Dumbledore immediately showed a triumphant smile. "Besides, I didn't say I would give it to you. I don't have the right to make decisions for others, but I can ask Nicolas for you to see if he can lend you the Philosopher's Stone for research. Of course, whether Nicolas agrees or not, I cannot guarantee."
"The Philosopher's Stone..." Alan fell silent upon hearing this. The Silver Spears had specifically gone to France for the Philosopher's Stone, yet after decades, its whereabouts remained unknown. Now, he actually had the opportunity to glimpse the mysteries of the Philosopher's Stone. To be honest, Alan was truly tempted this time.
"Furthermore..." Dumbledore, seeing Alan's interest, added, "if you want to promote your Magic Communication System in the international wizarding world, I can also help. After all, I am currently the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. With my endorsement for this system, I believe it can alleviate many foreign ministries' concerns. Additionally, I will also find a way to help Sirius Black return to Britain sooner."
Three years ago, because Alan had perfectly cleared the remnants of the Silver Spears in Germany and simultaneously brought huge benefits to Britain, the Order of Merlin and the Wizengamot also very readily completed that internal transaction. Sirius Black was indeed exonerated and stripped of his criminal status.
However, since Peter Pettigrew was still at large, the Ministry of Magic was concerned about causing panic and dissent among common wizards. Of course, in Alan's view, it was the Wizengamot's people trying to preserve their reputation, so they couldn't publicly execute this order. Currently, Black was only secretly released, and he was required not to remain in Britain after his release. Alan couldn't demand anything more about this. After all, such an internal transaction could easily attract criticism if it got out. Being able to free Sirius was already a good outcome. Currently, Black, under Alan's arrangement, had temporarily settled in France, with his public identity being an employee of the Silver Lightning Trading Company's French branch.
It was precisely for this reason that Alan felt so at ease letting Aseria leave the French branch to go to Durmstrang to guide the Tactical Training Studies course. Now, besides her younger sister Anais, Black was also there to look after things in France.
"I have to say, you are truly an excellent persuader." Alan sighed softly. "Alright, I'm convinced, Headmaster Dumbledore. I accept the job of going to Hogwarts to establish Tactical Training Studies."
"You won't regret this decision." Dumbledore breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Alan finally give in.
"However..." Alan's expression immediately became serious again. "Since I will personally teach Tactical Training Studies, I must do my best. Therefore, whether it's regarding material preparation or curriculum arrangement, I will need the school's absolute support. I hope you are mentally prepared."
"No problem!" Dumbledore agreed without hesitation. "Just tell me what support you need; even if it requires other subjects to cooperate, it's fine."
"That's good!" Alan nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this. After a moment of thought, he took out a parchment from his person and began to write and draw. Soon after, he handed over the parchment filled with writing. "This is the teaching equipment procurement catalog for the next school year, covering all years from first to seventh. These items will be available at the Silver Lightning Trading Company within two weeks. Please include it with the admission notices."
Dumbledore took the catalog and quickly scanned it, finding that they were all very basic teaching aids and textbooks. He immediately nodded in agreement.
Alan then added, "Also, my class schedule will be different from other subjects. There's no need to divide each year into two classes. I will send you the class schedule later."
"No problem." Dumbledore knew why Alan had made such an arrangement. He was, after all, a busy man and couldn't devote all his energy to the school.
At Hogwarts, to ensure teaching quality, compulsory courses for years one to five were taught in two separate classes. After passing the O.W.L. exam, each subject for years six and seven would condense into one advanced class. In other words, at school, every professor had to teach at least twelve lessons per week, which meant at least two lessons per day from Monday to Friday. The school schedule always had one lesson in the morning and one to two in the afternoon.
Therefore, all compulsory course professors were very busy every day. Alan's training method was to start from elementary school, so it would definitely be a compulsory course. This meant that if he were to have the same schedule as other professors, he would have very little personal time from Monday to Friday. And once the courses for years one to five were not taught in separate classes, it meant that Alan would only need to teach seven lessons a week, which would save him one to two days of time.
Seeing Dumbledore agree so readily, Alan also nodded in satisfaction. It seemed that the Headmaster had indeed come with sincerity. Since that was the case, he also had to get serious, so as not to let people underestimate his Tactical Training Studies.
"Very well. As my schedule will be quite tight recently, the coordination meeting before the start of the school year can only be held at least a month from now... Could it be set for July 15th? At that time, please trouble yourself to invite the Heads of Houses of the four houses, the Matron of the Hospital Wing, and Hagrid back to school. I will then transport the necessary teaching equipment to the school and attend the meeting," Alan suggested to Dumbledore after a moment of thought.
"Ah? Another meeting?" Dumbledore was a bit bewildered when he heard this, mainly because he had never worked with Alan before and wasn't very familiar with his way of doing things. Wasn't he just going to teach at the school? Did he really need a special meeting? And he had to call the Heads of Houses? Also, why did the Matron of the Hospital Wing also need to be present?
One question after another flashed through Dumbledore's mind at this moment, and for some reason, a faint, ominous premonition suddenly arose in his heart.
"Aren't teaching coordination meetings held every school year?" Hearing Dumbledore's question, Alan, on the contrary, found it strange.
"Uh... during the summer holiday, unless it's something urgent, we usually communicate via owl post. How about you tell me what needs each house's cooperation, and then I'll communicate with them?" Dumbledore suggested to Alan with a smile.
"No!" Alan shook his head decisively. "How can teaching at school be so trivial? Moreover, Tactical Training Studies is a serious subject with very strict requirements for diet, nutrition, medical care, rest, and the teaching arrangements of all other subjects. A teaching meeting must be held at that time, and not a single person can be absent!"
"This... Alright." Dumbledore could only agree, seeing how serious Alan was, but he could already imagine the looks the Heads of Houses would give him when he returned, especially Severus.
"Well, these are all the preparations needed for the new subject for now. I'll contact you if anything else comes up." Alan said, then stood up and personally saw Dumbledore out of the Silver Lightning Trading Company.
After walking out of the shop's doors, Dumbledore couldn't help but reveal a wry smile. "It seems my understanding of Minerva's 'grand' was still not deep enough. Perhaps once Alan returns to school, it won't just be the students whose comfortable days are over..."
On the other side, after seeing Dumbledore off, Alan immediately found Shalltear. Since he had taken on the teaching job at Hogwarts, many arrangements needed to be redeployed.
"You're going to teach at Hogwarts? My Lord, you haven't been affected by Headmaster Dumbledore's Imperio, have you?" Upon hearing Alan's decision, Shalltear stared at him in astonishment. She even wanted to put her hand on his forehead to see if Alan had a fever.
"The conditions the Headmaster offered were simply too difficult to refuse. You and Hog, prepare yourselves. You will also return to school with me." Alan ignored Shalltear's playful remark and ordered calmly.
"What about the Magic Communication System then? That thing is a large alchemy project; not just anyone can do it," Shalltear asked, puzzled.