Dumbledore put down his knife and fork, picked up the silver teaspoon and stirred the black tea in the cup.

"My advice is......" he took a sip from his teacup and looked at Scott, "your decision depends on your heart." ”

Scott gave a puzzled look back.

Dumbledore put down his teacup and smiled as he spoke, "I mean, you can join the League of Scholars. ”

In Scott's astonished eyes, he continued, "But remember, you'd better just use their [knowledge bank] as a trading platform to make the necessary transactions in a measured manner, and of course, be careful to keep your sanity at all times and not be tempted by the greed in your heart." ”

He said in a serious tone: "If you can do this, then joining the so-called Scholars Alliance will not have any bad effect on you. ”

Scott nodded, wanting to inquire more, and said, "It seems that this organization is not exactly harmless, as Miss Grapeland says. ”

"The League of Scholars is led by seven wizards who have been awarded the title of [Scholar], and Nicol was one of them." Dumbledore said, "Since Nicol's death, I have no access to their information. ”

Scott listened quietly.

Dumbledore gave him some useful information.

"I can tell you two things."

"First, Nicol had hinted that there were also conceptual differences among the [scholars] who led the Scholars Alliance."

"Second, Nicol had shown me some of the things in that organization that could be redeemed for credits, and I was glad I hadn't joined them."

"Can you elaborate on that?" Scott pleaded, and he wasn't satisfied with the general-sounding information.

Dumbledore did not refuse Scott's request, explaining some of the situation to him in detail.

"In the past, Nicol joined the League of Scholars only to communicate alchemy with people, but as he lived longer and became more famous, he finally received the title of [University Scholar]."

"More than 100 years ago, at the initiative of another [scholar], seven [scholars] at that time worked together to produce what they call the supreme masterpiece of fusion magic ritual and alchemy—the [Knowledge Bank]."

"The emergence of [the Knowledge Bank] was initially a good thing for the Scholars Alliance, a magical device that could be called a great magic device that facilitated communication between the members of the Society, and brought the members of the Association closer together that were otherwise too loose."

"More importantly, its existence can allow the Scholars Alliance to better preserve the wisdom of wizarding civilization, and also make the purpose of this magic association to inherit wizarding civilization easier to achieve."

There must be but, Scott thought.

As he thought, Dumbledore immediately said but.

"However, in the decades following the advent of [the knowledge bank], two different currents of thought emerged among the members of the scholars' alliance."

"Some wizards believe that they just need to keep their original obscurity, gather the wisdom of everyone to devote themselves to research, and when they have new knowledge that is beneficial to the wizarding civilization as a whole, they will secretly promote it and imperceptibly promote the development of wizarding civilization."

"Another group of wizards believes that the development of a civilization requires the best people to stand up and guide the ordinary people, and they believe that a coalition of scholars with a deep foundation of wisdom and wisdom should stand up and become the leader of wizards."

Sure enough, where there are people, there is strife.

Scott thought.

Even if it is the same organization, it is unlikely that there will be absolute unity of thought, especially the ancient magical society of the Scholars' Union.

Dumbledore stopped at this point.

He took a few bites of the cream cake and drank half a cup of black tea before he spoke again.

He asked Scott with some interest, "What do you want to hear, Scott, which of the two schools of thought do you think is more correct?" ”

Scott thought for a moment and replied, "They are all right and wrong. ”

"Oh?" Dumbledore looked at him curiously.

Scott explained, "If their claims are realized, they are indeed likely to advance the development of wizarding civilization." Their disagreement is just that they do it differently to achieve their goals, so I would say that they are all right. ”

Dumbledore nodded lightly and asked him again, "Then why do you say they're all wrong?" ”

Scott said without hesitation: "It is absolute arrogance for them to put themselves in a higher position than everyone else, to look at everything with condescending eyes, and to decide how to promote civilization on their own." ”

Dumbledore had a surprised look on his face, as if he hadn't expected Scott to say that.

He asked, "Do you think that wizards who have the first idea are also arrogant?" Even if they just want to study academics in obscurity, they will subtly promote the progress of wizarding civilization. ”

Scott laughed and said, "If the results of their research that gather the wisdom of many people can really promote the progress of civilization, wouldn't it be better to publish it openly and be admired?" ”

He was genuinely puzzled by this, "I think it's an honor, it's not something to hide from the public. ”

In the shadows...... Exert a subtle influence on...... He always felt that this statement was an awkward hypocrisy.

And......

"In the past, what contributions did they make to the development and progress of wizarding civilization? Without them, would our civilization not be able to progress? ”

"Not really." Dumbledore blinked slightly, "Ever since the members of the Scholars Alliance had a disagreement over their ideas, they had been busy convincing each other and had delayed something else. ”

"......" Scott was a little speechless.

How could this alliance of scholars be even more pulled than he imagined.

Dumbledore's statement, while it sounds a little exaggerated, is enough to show that the organization has now deviated from its original purpose.

Dumbledore sighed, "For more than a decade, Nicol has ceased to be involved in the Scholars Alliance. He believes that once scholars' attitudes towards scholarship become no longer pure, the organizations established in the name of scholars will completely deteriorate. ”

Scott understood.

He said to Dumbledore; "It seems that you are not optimistic about this ancient magical society, even though they have the great [Knowledge Bank]."

"Yes." Dumbledore admitted, "Nicol wasn't worried about them making a big deal out of control, because it was the magic device he helped build that held the wisdom of the people, not a wizard." ”

Scott got it again.

"Master Nicol Lemay is not worried about the knowledge stored in the [Knowledge Bank] being stolen by some wizard."

Dumbledore smiled, "Indeed, it is what Nicol considers to be the proudest of his own, and he used alchemy to construct the core of [the knowledge bank], which means that the great magical device is unassailable." ”

"That is, even [university scholars] who are now leading the Scholars Coalition must exchange their credits for knowledge in the [knowledge bank] through formal means," Scott said. ”

Dumbledore nodded again, then said, "Even Nicol, who has lived for more than six hundred years, has far from enough knowledge to exchange all the knowledge in the [Knowledge Bank]. ”

Scott got it thoroughly.

"Looks like I can join the Scholars Alliance." "At the very least, the knowledge transactions [of knowledge banks] are equal and harmless," he said. ”

At this point, Dumbledore admonished him again, "Remember, don't be blinded by greed. ”

Scott solemnly agreed.

Instead, Dumbledore recounted the past, "When I was younger, I had the same ideas as I do now, and I even proposed to create a new order in which wizards would dominate the world for the greatest good. ”

Scott closed his mouth and didn't interject, listening quietly to him again.

"Later ......"

Dumbledore's voice became a little low and hoarse.

"After some things, I began to recognize my arrogance, and at the same time began to admit one thing, which is that the world has never needed anyone to dominate. So I made a new choice and took a different path than when I was younger. ”

He recounted his past very briefly, but there was a different kind of emotion and power in his tone.

After that, he quickly smiled again, "Interestingly, it was only after I came to my senses that Nicol showed me some of the things in the Scholars Union that could be redeemed for credits. ”

At this, he showed an expression of amazement.

"There's something amazing." "I can't help but be glad I didn't join Nicol when they were first invited," he said. ”

He does not shy away from the mistakes of his youth, and even rejoices that he did not cause more serious consequences.

"At that time, when I was younger, I might have been blinded by greed and driven by the so-called 'greatest good' to do something irreparable by the existence of [the knowledge bank]."

Scott was a little touched.

Dumbledore was glad that his young self did not join the League of Scholars, but that did not prevent Scott from joining.

This shows that he does not trust himself when he was young, but he is willing to trust Scott, who is also young now.

Of course, on the other hand, it can also be said that he is fully aware of the destructive power of his youth, but does not think that Scott can make any waves.

But Scott decided to look at the old headmaster from a sunny perspective.

After that, they started chatting and talking about light topics while enjoying their food.

After watching Dumbledore, who was in his hundreds, eat five sweet-looking cream cakes without changing his face, Scott offered to take his leave.

After thanking Dumbledore and saying goodbye, he walked directly out of the Headmaster's office through the side door on the eighth floor and through several corridors to Professor Flitwick's office.

Probably due to a meaty burp as soon as he entered the door, Professor Flitwick didn't greet him with a small snack as usual.

Scott sat down with his bloated stomach and told Professor Flitwick what he meant—as well as explaining Graplan's invitation to the professor and asking about the Scholars Alliance.

After listening to Scott's story, Professor Flitwick first cared about Milton.

"Is Mr. Graves okay?" The professor said with some concern, "It seems that the kid has been regretting the loss of his musical talent." ”

Professor Flitwick, who has always been emotional, is also very empathetic, and he seems to understand Milton's feelings.

"I'll talk to him." He said.

He was not surprised by Graplan's true identity, and it seems that he had known about it for a long time.

"Oh, the League of Scholars." He told Scott, "I used to receive invitations from this organization, but I turned them down. ”

Scott asked curiously, "Can you tell me what your reason is for refusing to join them?" ”

"I don't approve of them." Professor Flitwick said with a frown.

He doesn't seem to have a good impression of the Scholars League at all.

"I don't approve of the system in which they quantify all their knowledge and trade it as a bargaining chip at any time." "I don't think there's any need for any organization in research scholarship, I think I can find more, better, more like-minded wizards to communicate with," the professor said. ”

As he spoke, he looked at Scott again.

"Of course, I'm not against you joining them." "Everyone can have their own choice," he said. ”

He lowered his head and took a sip of hot tea, then continued to speak.

"When I was younger, I had a fiery temper, and I used to give a hard lesson to those who laughed at me."

He said in a nostalgic tone.

"The wizard who wanted to recruit me into the Scholars League was a German wizard who participated in the dueling tournament with me, and his attitude was too arrogant."

He began to speak calmly about the things that had made him angry.

"I still remember the look in his eyes, the tone of his voice, and the way he invited me to join them almost in an attitude of charity, as if it had been the greatest honor I had ever had since I was born. Of course, I firmly rejected him and taught him a hard lesson during the game. ”

At this, Professor Flitwick laughed.

"In later years, I also reached out to other people in the Scholars Alliance." As he spoke, he lowered his voice, "I even think that the people in this organization are a little abnormal. ”

He looked at Scott again, "Like Miss Grapeland you encountered, it would be a great failure for her to think of threatening you with Mr. Graves' affairs." ”

Professor Flitwick shook his head, a look of disapproval.

"The wizards of the Scholars League are always like this, they are all about to be driven crazy by the credits in their cards."

Seeing that Scott was a little puzzled, Professor Flitwick explained to him, "In the Scholars Alliance, credits are everything. Their credits are like the average wizard's deposit in Gringotts, and the size of the value will always trigger their anxiety. ”

Scott nodded his head to indicate that he understood.

He did get it.

In his previous life, he had also been anxious because of the deposit in his bank card, and he understood that feeling.

Moreover, Graplan's way of inviting cannot really be said to be normal, it can only be said to be a little crazy.

Afterwards, Scott left after half an hour of conversation with Professor Flitwick and went to the Room of Requirement.

He was going to talk to Tutor Ravenclaw about it as well.