Chapter 854
You and I Are Both Defined
Chapter 854 You and I Are Both Defined
Antoine fell completely silent after that. Wied glanced at him and saw him typing away furiously.
Wade shook his head, turned his gaze to the big screen, but his thoughts drifted for a moment.
He himself looks back at the present with the perspective of thirty years in the future, so his vision is naturally more profound and complete than that of people today.
It's not that Kingsley, Antoine, or even Grindelwald weren't wise enough, but rather that everyone's thinking is inevitably constrained by the era in which they live.
Technologies yet to be developed, and war mentality yet to be experienced, will naturally form invisible barriers due to their unfamiliarity.
Therefore, when they hear his proposal, they are all convinced because they feel it is impeccable.
Kingsley believed that a media-driven conflict could perfectly resolve the issue of magic being exposed; Antoine believed that cognitive taming of Muggles would allow the magical world to integrate more smoothly, reducing conflict and bloodshed.
But actually, there's a third purpose behind this—
To get Muggles to willingly accept the existence of the magical world, to develop feelings of admiration, worship, and longing for wizards, and to firmly believe that integration will bring great benefits rather than fear...
Therefore, the image of the wizard will be refined layer by layer by various literary and artistic works, and shaped into a perfect work of art.
Under this trend, the Muggle community also actively produces a massive amount of works, which in turn define their imagined wizards—
Wizards are powerful; they can unleash tremendous power with a mere wave of their hand.
Wizards must also be mysterious, walking in the shadows of the city, fulfilling people's romantic fantasies about the unknown;
Wizards are supposed to be kind and just, and perhaps not so "law-abiding," but they will become the punishers in the shadows, judging the sins that ordinary people are powerless against, turning the tide, and never asking for anything in return.
Compared to men, women, who make up half of the world's population, are actually more easily moved by this image.
Therefore, wizards can still be affectionate.
They might silently protect an ordinary woman because of a single moment of attraction;
They will spend the rest of their lives in solitude because of the loss of their loved ones;
She will be heartbroken and lonely because of her lover's betrayal, until she is saved by a new and perfect love.
but……
When Muggles all over the world sing praises of the greatness of wizards, yearn for the justice they bring, and idolize them... what will happen to the wizards themselves?
Multiple definitions, including praise and worship from another group, can also become shackles, binding the wizard.
They would subconsciously make their behavior more in line with the image of wizards on screen, and would naturally quote those wizard proverbs that were fabricated for propaganda purposes, and in their hearts they would regard themselves as the real guardian deities!
Ultimately, most wizards will likely present themselves as the world believes them to be, and when some are driven by selfish desires to act recklessly, many others will spontaneously step in to uphold the "honor of wizards."
Wade silently gazed at the elegantly dressed crowd on the screen, the chaotic light and shadows swirling in his eyes, as if he were staring at the woven patterns of the world.
……
In the hall, Victor and Vilan, wearing headphones, reflected the flickering images on the screen in their eyes, occasionally rewinding and pausing the recording to focus on the changes in expression of one or two people.
As soon as the banquet began, Vader released a large number of beetle puppets, whose telescopes recorded everything in the room.
The turn of events happened so suddenly that even the most skilled at disguising themselves could not control their expressions without leaving a trace.
"Wizards really exist!"
The Muggle man's roars played repeatedly in the headphones, mixed with the gasps of the guests, some in shock, some in fear, and some in bewilderment.
On the largest screen was a magnified image of Nicklo Hawthorne's face. His usual gentle yet dignified demeanor was gone; his eyes were sharp and cold, like a tiger on the hunt.
He gripped the armrest of the seat with extreme force, every muscle seemingly poised to unleash its power, silently brewing a thunderous aura.
Victor gazed at the scene for a moment, capturing it, and then his pen wrote a single word—
[Hunter].
Vilan nudged his arm, gesturing for him to look at another image:
The instant the sound rang out, Ezra Hughes leaned forward almost imperceptibly, like a cheetah about to pounce, his focused scrutiny and icy rage seemingly about to burst forth!
At the same time, his feet unconsciously slipped, one hand gripped the wand, while the other hand instinctively stretched out, palm facing backward, fingertips slightly curled inward.
This is a protective posture.
And the person he was tasked with protecting... was none other than Chairman Nicklo Hawthorne!
Vilan and Victor exchanged a glance, having already reached an unspoken agreement.
Vilan glanced at the word "hunter" his companion had written, grinned, and added a word next to Ezra Hughes's file—
【hound】.
On the screen, another focus of attention, Leila Picqueli, was different from the others. Instead of staring intently at the screen, she immediately turned her gaze to Chairman Hawthorne.
Those eyes, where even each eyelash was always perfectly poised, held no tension or concern, only cold observation and consideration.
In just a fleeting moment, the shrewdness in her eyes was replaced by seriousness and concern, as if she had already drafted a plan to deal with the crisis in her mind.
Vilan took off his headphones, leaned closer to Victor, and whispered, "What do you think she is? A fox?"
Victor looked up for a moment and said, "Lion."
Vilan pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "That's right, this one is more suitable."
"You can put these aside for now. Take a look at this."
Victor adjusted the camera to the moment when the gold dust burst forth. Compared to the fear or bewilderment on most people's faces, the expressions of a few people were quite different.
— Sharp, astonished, unbelievable.
Victor pointed at each of them in turn: "They definitely know what the gold powder represents... Look at their expressions of having their understanding turned upside down."
“These people… must be the American Silencers, right? I heard their identities are kept secret from the outside world,” Vilan said with certainty.
Victor: "Hawthorne knew it too, but he didn't make the connection for the first two seconds, and then he froze."
Vilan flipped through the documents in his hand: "Nickloo Hawthorne must have applied for a time-twister to aid his studies when he was young. The amount of academic work he completed and the number of papers he published in the last few years before graduation was simply excessive."
“The same goes for Leila Picqueli; they were probably the American versions of Percy Weasley in school,” Victor added.
“But Aldridge Corbett doesn’t have the same impressive resume.” Vilan pulled out another video and laughed, “See, he knows it all too well.”
(End of this chapter)