Hermione, join me as Minister of Magic!

If the pure-blood family really did this, then it would be a very normal choice.

After Lockhart transformed Hogsmeade for profit, the appreciation of Hogsmeade land is obvious. As a group of conservative egoists, the pure-blood family cannot let go of this stable wealth appreciation opportunity. .

"This is only one aspect... In fact, nearly half of the real estate here is already ours, and we have shares in many shops here." Gemma knew that he really misunderstood, and quickly clarified, "My father explained to me , we really didn’t get involved just for the money.”

"Oh, then I would like to hear how you plan to persuade me." Lockhart decided to listen carefully to what she had to say, "Although I have no influence on the decision-making at the moment,

But sabotage is always okay, right? "

After hesitating for a long time, Gemma finally told the truth.

"Mainly...we don't want Muggle technology to enter the wizarding world too early.

"...Why." Lockhart looked a little confused, "Obviously you are also using it yourself, your family uses natural gas, and the Malfoy family also bought a plane... You seem to be no strangers to the Muggle world, but ordinary wizarding families Yet there appears to be an almost absurd ignorance of Muggles."

"It's for... the traditions and order of the wizarding world." Gemma thought for a long time before using such a euphemism.

After hearing this, Lockhart woke up like a dream.

Of course he knows all about this political jargon What Tradition and Order?Isn't it destroying the class structure created by vested interests?

When the peasants were forced to go to the city to become workers, the aristocratic lords on the land tried to use the law to prohibit the tenant farmers from fleeing. Isn't it the same meaning?

There is also the empire called "Manchu" in the east. Many people think that it is backward, closed, and arrogant. It was still fighting the West with cold weapons when the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded.

In fact, people spend most of their time in banning the sea. The emperor obtained Western intelligence through commercial channels, and he knew the political situation in the West very well. During Napoleon’s time, he even sent a congratulatory gift to congratulate him on his ascension to the throne. Otherwise, how could Napoleon say that? The famous "Lion Theory" that was truncated in half by later generations.

Kangxi not only used a large number of firearms when he was in charge of Zhunminger, but even hired a Western advisory group—not to mention that Zhunminger also had a large number of firearms, and the consultants also hired Swedish military instructors.Even during the First Crow War, there was almost no technical difference between the wooden ships of the Qing Dynasty and the British wooden ships. What lagged behind was only the tactics and understanding of war. In terms of firepower, both sides were actually using solid bullets with similar ranges.

The artillery fired at each other.

But the problem is that these equipments are all in the full camp and the Eight Banners camp, and the green camp of the Han army does not have them, and these technologies are strictly blocked by the Han generals, so that Zuo Zongtang was shocked when he saw the firearms left by the Ming Dynasty—in fact, the Qing Dynasty Even heavy machine guns were used during the Westernization Movement

In other words, it is not that the rulers of the Qing Dynasty did not know how good these technologies are, but the priority of defense against Han is higher than that of defense against foreign countries, so some technologies cannot be promoted even if they are good. It is for them to let the ruling class master these technologies Optimal solution.

Similarly, the pure-blood families are really as stupid as the Nott and Gunter families, they have long since declined, and the rest are people who know how to obtain the latest information from the outside world, especially after the Grindelwald Rebellion. in this way.

But Gemma's words clearly told Lockhart that the pure-blood family does not want these technologies to be extended to all wizard families.

The ancient magic, spells, magic items and land they master are the advantages of pure blood families, but if ordinary wizarding families can rely on technological items obtained from muggles to do the same, their wealth will undoubtedly be greatly improved. shrink.

In other words, these wealth will immediately become worthless.

Just having a pile of gold around your house doesn't make people work for you, gold only makes people work for you when they don't have gold, you have it, and they all want it.

In other words, even if you have [-] million Galleons, when others can live well with a stable income of hundreds of Galleons, they will not work for you just because you have money, and even laugh at you Miser, "Why save so much money, you can't take it with you when you die"

Therefore, it is actually not in the interest of the ruling class to make everyone prosperous together. If the pure-blood family finds that they can no longer control people, then those who do not want to work on their own can only sit back and eat.

This is the so-called "tradition and order" in Gemma's mouth—it's nothing more than that.

"So that's why... that's why you want the reforms to be limited to Hogsmeade, isn't it?"

Gemma lowered her head to take a sip of tea, but she didn't say anything, just as acquiescence

"So it must have bothered you guys that I'm moving so fast?" Lockhart asked.

Gemma honestly admitted: "Yes, after hearing about the budget approved by the Ministry of Magic, my father thought that you would not make any moves in the short term. We can wait a little longer, but... your actions are too fast It’s a little too much, and the budget doesn’t seem to be doing much for you.”

When she said the last sentence, Gemma's voice had changed from dull to relaxed, even a little more playful.

Lockhart felt very helpless: "The money is so small that I can count it in one minute. If it is hard to spend, it is really useless. I hope it didn't cause your father a headache."

"He does have a headache... but I have to tell you that in the past 18 years of my life, I have rarely seen my father have a headache for someone. There are not many people who are qualified to give him a headache." Gemma said in a different way. Knowing whether it is admiration or ridicule, he responded.

"Okay... so since you plan to buy me, what price are you going to offer?" Lockhart asked.

Chapter 190 Four Large and Small

Gemma knew that her father and the others originally wanted to delay Lockhart's action by means of blocking funds.

They even arranged for people to attack Lockhart with public opinion when he used his private property to make up for his official duties, so that he could not use his methods.But no one thought that Lockhart completed the initial layout without money.

And checking the accounts didn't help, because Lockhart's behavior was completely in line with the civil servants' standards, and they couldn't accuse him of being too disciplined, and actually used the funds completely in accordance with the regulations of the Ministry of Magic.

At this point, they had no choice but to quickly bring Lockhart over and control the situation within Hogsmeade's range.Either something would have to be done to mess with Lockhart, move him somewhere else, or make it impossible to get things done.

They began to think carefully about the possibility of both, and finally decided to try together

So Gemma Farley actually came here with a mission, not just gold-plated like Lockhart thought, he underestimated this young lady.

"We hope to fund your new project, and we are willing to find sponsors for you... Of course, those who have made outstanding contributions to the Ministry of Magic should also be promoted." She offered the price on behalf of her father.

Lockhart hesitated, not immediately agreeing, but not immediately rejecting either.

As long as you are eager to express your opinion on this kind of thing, no matter which side you stand on, you will suffer.So he decided to take a vague attitude and put the matter away.

If the pure-blood family wants to benefit him, they should accept it for the time being. As for their requirements, they have to analyze specific issues, such as Hogsmeade transformation and

The Triwizard Tournament was originally a win-win for both parties, and he did not believe that the other party would refuse to invest because of his neutral attitude.

If everyone is willing to reach a consensus on this matter, I will be very happy, but the development of the situation is often not satisfactory, and all I can do is to do my job as well as possible. " Lockhart replied quite tactfully.

Gemma was obviously relieved—even though she didn't get the best result, Lockhart's statement was not bad, at least it was within the bottom line acceptable to her father.

Seeing her like this, Lockhart couldn't help but relax a little, because she seemed very worried about whether she could complete the "task"

The little girl still hasn't experienced too much experience, and her thoughts are written on her face. Even though getting along with this kind of person who lacks the city is sometimes a bit laborious, her mood will be much easier.

Of course, Lockhart didn't know that Gemma was worried that he refused not only because of his father's mission, but also because of other careful considerations.

"You just came today, and you still need time to settle in, so our task today is very easy - next, we will go to inspect the construction site that has been built, and then go to the third project site to talk about it together planning issues, and then we can start working tomorrow.”

"I'll do my best to make it right," Gemma promised.

She didn't ask what job Lockhart would give her, because she knew exactly why her father had sent her.

Her job is to record the progress of Hogsmeade's transformation, and then use it to lobby the major wizarding companies that have shares in the pure-blood family, seeking investment and advertising sponsorship.

As they left, Lockhart gave Rosmerta a wink, only to receive a warning look from her.

Lockhart thought she didn't want to appear frivolous in public, so although he didn't understand why, he restrained himself a bit.

Lockhart drove away the dementors first, took Gemma to the lake to show her how the tap water works, and then returned to the village, gestured to the location of the open-air cinema for a while, and motioned to himself A movie theater is going to be built here.

Although the open-air cinema currently has a gross profit of 50-80 Galleons per week, considering that it is still in the freshman period of wizards, Lockhart set the expected weekly income of the cinema at 25 Galleons.

And because buying new movies and new equipment will require money in the future, Lockhart doesn't plan to spend all the money on building a house. Fortunately, wizards don't have to pay Muggles for broadcasting rights, otherwise he can stay. less money.

If Zhuangkouguo only relies on movie ticket income, it will take at least two years to get together the construction fee of [-] Galleons, but we don't have that much time. ' Lockhart told her.

"Three thousand Galleons!" Gemma was a little surprised, "With such a large amount of money, do you plan to build a large theater?"

"Grand theater?" Lockhart asked suspiciously, "A movie theater that can accommodate 200 people is enough."

"It's already very big." Gemma said, "After it's completed, it will definitely become a landmark building in Hogsmeade."

Lockhart has not been able to transform from his inherent thinking for a while. After all, Muggle theaters with less than 300 people are considered small theaters, and 600 people are considered medium-sized theaters. As for those that cannot accommodate 2000 people, they dare not call themselves large.

As for whether this theater, which is only as big as seven or eight classrooms, will become a landmark building after completion, Lockhart has never thought about it.

...That's right, even if you build a movie theater for 1000 people, there must be so many people in the wizarding world to watch it.

"Very well, Miss Farley, a landmark building—we can promote it to sponsors in this way." Lockhart decided to praise his subordinate.

"Can this also be sponsored?" Gemma didn't think about it, "Sponsor what?"

"There are many things that can be sponsored, such as the naming rights of the cinema, and the tables and chairs in the cinema, and the advertising space on the wall can also be sold. We can also rent the waiting area of ​​the cinema to catering companies and toy companies. In addition, if someone pays enough Gao, we can even advertise them on the screen before the screening - of course, this kind of thing should be done as little as possible, and it would be best to accept a marriage proposal... Well, what's wrong with you?"

"Proposal, proposal advertisement?" Gemma swallowed.

"Yes, there are always young people who are looking for romance who want to express their love in public here, and this kind of advertisement usually doesn't cause other viewers to be disgusted...except for single dogs."

"I see." Gemma Farley didn't know what to think, "I can try it first."

Lockhart didn't notice her expression, but pointed to the mountains in the distance.

"As for our third project, it's almost time to say - I'm going to build a small... er... large sauna."

Yes, large, although it can only receive a hundred tourists at the same time, it is the only one in the wizarding world.

It's a big deal, Lockhart finally adjusted his mentality

Chapter 190 The Small Country Model Applicable to the Wizarding World

After the night life of wizards in taverns and cinemas, Lockhart naturally hoped to find something for them to do in the morning.

Unlike Orientals who like to take a bath at night, people in many countries in Europe and the United States like to take a bath in the morning, because it can make them feel "refreshed" and let them go to work refreshed.

Therefore, when Chinese students going to the UK go to the school bathroom at night, they will be surprised to find that there are almost no local students taking a bath at this time, and East Asian students can completely "book out"

Which of these two habits is better, everyone has their own reasons: for example, taking a bath in the morning can relax the mood, work more efficiently at work, and be easy to get promoted; taking a bath at night can get better sleep, and taking a bath before going to bed is never a problem. In the long run, you can save the quilt and bed sheets from washing a few times.

Of course, for nobles, they usually don't make this choice, just wash once in the morning and at night

Anyway, what they need most is time, not to mention the second hand on a pocket watch, even if it has points, it would be a shame to them.

Gemma thought for a while, and then asked: "Is it a public bath? Like Bath?"

Embankment's. ' Lockhart answered her immediately.

"I think it's going to be very popular because everyone likes to take a bath."

Gemma first agreed with Lockhart's idea, but then asked her own question in a roundabout way: "But there are no hot springs here in Scotland, which means we need to buy firewood or use magic flames to maintain the temperature of hot stones or water. Although The cost is definitely lower than that of Muggles, but with the addition of labor costs and the provided shampoo, towels,

— Disposable slippers and other items, I think its price may not be affordable by the villagers of Hogsmeade. "

Lockhart was a little surprised: "Have you ever done this?"

If it is not someone who has opened a bathroom by himself, it is hard to imagine that a person will be so clear about the costs of opening a bathroom.

Gemma puffed up her chest a little proudly: "I'm not the kind of person who does nothing but watch the servants and housekeepers do the housework. The Farley family never raises idlers.

"That's nice, it looks like I'm going to apologize for my offense."

"No offense, Mr. Lockhart, everyone will misjudge without knowing each other." Gemma acted like a proud swan

It's so coaxing.Lockhart thought.

Just like all fresh graduates, they always seem to be confused about the situation, and they don't understand that work is work, instead of waiting for the teacher to praise after doing something good like they did in the student days.

"So to get down to business, I plan to use fire crabs as the daily source of heat in the baths—the professor of protection of magical creatures at Hogwarts said that as long as we provide food for them, he is willing to lend us 3 fire crabs.

He wanted to lend it to us for free, but I turned him down, saying it wasn't in compliance and he had to accept the rent of a fire crab for 5 Galleons a month. "

Gemma understood: "In this way, the monthly fuel cost is 15 Galleons, plus the food for the fire crab... it will not exceed 25 Galleons, which is half the cost of hiring a wizard who can use "flaming bears". "

"Yeah, if we want to hire someone to make a fire, we need to hire at least five or six employees, not to mention whether it will be annoying if they keep using magic to set the fire, even the ash snake eggs produced by the magic flame are also a problem, one carelessness will destroy the whole

the village burned

"In this case..." Gemma thought for a while, "Although I'm not very good at digital divination, I think it shouldn't be a problem if the villagers bring their own bathing utensils and the cost can be reduced to one-third of the original cost." .”

"It's almost the same number." Lockhart didn't delve into it, "But we can't rely on this for profit. It mainly depends on the Muggles."

Gemma was a little uneasy: "Are you really going to bring Muggles into Hogsmeade?"

"Of course, we must show the strength of our Britons in front of other countries, so the construction of Hogsmeade must surprise everyone in the world. But in order to maintain these facilities, we must expand the market." Lockhart said so explained

Gemma thought for a while, thinking that this was a decision made by Lockhart for his political achievements.

Her father had already reminded her when she came here that because Lockhart was a fledgling and was entrusted with important tasks, he would definitely do a lot of actions during this period to prove his ability.

“Don’t confront him at this stage, because he’s definitely not going to let it go. Watch, listen, and influence things subtly to get things into our orbit.” That’s what Mr. Farley told her.

So Gemma didn't express any further objections, anyway, she said what she should say: the main person in charge of this department is still Lockhart.

Of course, she didn't know that Lockhart hadn't been completely honest with her.

The reason why Lockhart must do business with Muggles is not only to increase communication and understanding, but also to expand the economic aggregate of the entire wizarding world.

Whether the wizards are willing to admit it or not, in terms of the size of the government alone, they are undoubtedly "small countries" compared with Muggles

As we all know, the economic strategies of large and small countries are quite different.

A big country requires "big and comprehensive", and a few of them are sophisticated and cutting-edge, even if their basic industries

It is not the most advanced, but it must be there, because if there is a problem in a big country, no country can save it, so everything has to be done by itself.

But small countries are different. Regardless of the issue of being constrained by big countries, they should give priority to the development of advantageous industries in terms of industry, so as to obtain a higher status and more profitable position in the international division of labor.

In Lockhart's view, it is a waste for someone with wizard talent to let him/her do housework and farm the land, because a Muggle can also do these things, even if it is less efficient