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66.76% Marvel's Hogwarts Professor / Chapter 231: Chapter 231

Chapter 231: Chapter 231

Magic Luggage Space, Spell Training Room

"Okay, mentor."

Ian, Remy, and Vera nodded in unison.

Steve, who was standing beside them, smiled after hearing Lockhart's praise.

Steve then promised, "Lockhart, don't worry, Ian, Remy, and Vera all have great potential."

"With their efforts, they will definitely improve quickly."

Hearing this, Lockhart nodded with satisfaction. He then stretched out his wand and tapped it gently in the air.

A light-yellow ball of information appeared at the tip of the wand.

At the same time, Lockhart explained, "Captain, this is some information I collected. I'll leave the subsequent combat training to you. You can choose the appropriate mission targets based on their progress."

This information was, of course, obtained from Sitwell.

Now that he had planted a mole in S.H.I.E.L.D., it would be a waste not to use it.

It just so happened that Sitwell was the head of the intelligence department. It would be foolish not to take advantage of this opportunity to gather more intelligence.

With these thoughts, Lockhart flicked his wand, and the pale-yellow ball of light flew toward Steve.

Seeing this, Steve said solemnly, "Okay, Lockhart."

He had no objections to having the students engage in practical training.

In his day, they would have to train in the army for a few years before going to the battlefield.

Therefore, the more they sweat in peacetime, the less they bleed in wartime.

Especially when it comes to evil organizations like the Hand, Steve would show no mercy.

Lockhart nodded slightly, satisfied with Steve's response.

Then, he said to Steve, "Steve, I need to discuss something with my disciple. It won't take long, please excuse us."

He had two main purposes for coming here.

The first was to observe how Steve was teaching Ian and the others.

Lockhart had watched the entire process just now.

He had to admit that good teachers share one common trait—they know how to teach students according to their individual strengths.

Steve not only had experience in this area, but he also paid great attention to tailoring his teaching to each student's needs, helping them search for, explore, and develop a fighting style that suited them.

Lockhart was very reassured by what he saw today.

The second purpose was to discuss the Vientiane Book Cafe with his disciple.

Lockhart had originally arranged for Vera, Ian, and Remy to take turns managing the Book Cafe.

It turned out that Ian was fine, but Remy was a bit out of place. He was always a little restless when asked to manage the cafe, and sometimes things even went wrong.

As for Vera, perhaps due to her female advantage, she had a softer temperament and was more patient.

Most of the Sorcerers of Kamar-Taj were willing to become friends with Vera. Even Kaecilius had personally praised her.

Well, although the male Sorcerers admired Vera's exquisite appearance, the female Sorcerers also appreciated her gentle yet firm personality.

It was clear that Vera was the best suited for operating the cafe.

Seeing this, Lockhart decided to let Vera continue managing the Vientiane Book Cafe and make the most of her strengths.

Of course, Lockhart was also concerned about how this might affect her magical practice, so he made sure to provide her with ample resources.

Overall, Vera's progress in magic had actually improved, and she was quite comfortable managing the cafe.

Even Ms. Peggy had praised Vera's talent for management and suggested that Lockhart train her further in this area.

So, Lockhart usually discussed matters related to the Book Cafe with Vera.

After hearing Lockhart's request, Steve nodded slightly to Vera, his brows furrowed but he said nothing more.

He had always been a person of strict self-discipline. Although he was slightly unhappy about interrupting training, he wouldn't say much.

What's more, this was Lockhart needing to speak with his own student.

After Vera saw it, she politely thanked her instructor Steve and walked toward Lockhart.

Seeing this, Lockhart stretched out his wand and drew a slight circle in mid-air.

A portal opened, leading Vera into his study.

It was now night, and the silvery white moonlight shone through the glass onto Lockhart's desk, illuminating the books, notebooks, and cups scattered on it.

At the same time, the soft chirping of cicadas could be heard, making the night even quieter.

Suddenly, a portal with sparks opened.

The entire study seemed to sense the return of its owner, and bright lights quietly appeared, illuminating the entire room.

The next moment, Lockhart led Vera into the study.

"Vera, sit down."

Lockhart stood in front of his desk, pointed to the seat opposite him, and gestured for Vera to sit.

"Okay, mentor," Vera nodded gently and sat across from Lockhart.

"Vera, would you like some coffee, tea, or honey?"

"Just tea, please."

After hearing her choice, Lockhart stretched out his wand and pointed lightly at the cup in front of Vera. Tea rose into the cup, stopping at three-quarters full.

At the same time, an identical cup of tea appeared before Lockhart.

Vera was not surprised by this. She held the cup in both hands and took a sip of tea.

Lockhart didn't go straight to the topic. Instead, he asked with concern, "How have your recent classes with Instructor Steve and Ms. Peggy been?"

"Instructor Steve is very experienced and very patient with us," Vera replied thoughtfully. "Although Ms. Peggy is a bit strict, she also takes good care of me and shares a lot of her management experience. It's been very helpful."

Hearing this, Lockhart nodded slightly.

He didn't just ignore the instructors he hired.

Occasionally, he would have private tea sessions to discuss the students' performance.

Overall, the three students had different personalities. Although Remy was a bit impatient, he corrected his mistakes when pointed out. Ian was very calm, thorough, and rigorous in his approach.

Vera, though gentle in nature, was very determined and always committed to what she set out to do.

It could be said that all three of them were excellent.

After chatting for a while, Lockhart shifted to the main topic. "Vera, you've been in charge of the Book Cafe for some time. Let's talk about the current situation."

Regarding her mentor's question, Vera paused, as if considering something, and then slowly said, "Mentor, as you mentioned before, the hostile Sorcerers from Kamar-Taj's side seem to have started taking action."

"In recent times, the number of Sorcerers visiting Vientiane Book Cafe has decreased significantly."

 

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[Read up to 100+ chapter ahead and more Weakly Chapter Update at p@treon.com/goldengaruda]

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Chapter 232: Chapter 232

"Teacher, the number of Kamar-Taj masters visiting the Vientiane Book Cafe has significantly decreased recently. To be precise, it's the decrease in the number of Sorcerers who come to trade."

"From my observations, I've noticed that the Sorcerers who used to come to us to buy potions have hardly appeared lately. We have reason to suspect that they've made an agreement with some other Sorcerers not to visit the Vientiane Book Cafe, leveraging their advantages in potions and alchemy."

Hearing this, Lockhart nodded slightly and continued to ask, "Anything else you've discovered?"

Vera paused, as if trying to organize her thoughts, and then said solemnly, "Teacher, I spoke to some of the Sorcerers from Kamar-Taj and learned something that I'm not sure is true or false. If it's true, it could be very problematic."

"When a friend was talking with me, they mentioned that there's a teahouse in Kamar-Taj that completely imitates the Vientiane Book Cafe in every aspect."

At this point, Vera hesitated, glanced at Lockhart, and then continued slowly, "Including the magic card you created, I heard that they've copied it as well. The effects are exactly the same, but the name has been changed. The magic card has become a 'Sorcerer Card,' and magic points have been renamed 'Sorcerer Points.'"

Lockhart showed no expression after hearing this but nodded to indicate his understanding.

In fact, he had already asked Kaecilius and Morin to investigate the situation.

After all, he had only been involved with Kamar-Taj for less than two months, whereas Kaecilius and Morin had lived there for many years and were well-connected.

Based on their feedback, Lockhart had determined that the rival teahouse had a premeditated plan to counter Vientiane Book Cafe.

After Lockhart refused to cooperate with them, they opened the teahouse in a very short time. The most important thing was that, except for the name, everything was an imitation of his establishment.

Lockhart believed that if Kamar-Taj didn't already have a library, the rival might have directly chosen to open a book cafe instead.

If that had happened, it wouldn't just be imitation—it would be outright copying.

"Vera, did you gather any other information?" Lockhart continued to ask.

This time, Vera shook her head, and Lockhart encouraged her by saying, "Vera, do you have any good solutions to the problem?"

"Mentor," Vera hesitated, but seeing Lockhart's encouraging eyes, she expressed her thoughts: "I personally don't have a perfect solution. Although the other party imitates us, their advantage is that they are located in Kamar-Taj, which is a natural gathering place for Sorcerers."

"And we're in New York. Because of your relationship with Master Kaecilius, the Sorcerers from the New York Temple tend to visit us, but there are very few others."

"But..."

"I discussed this with Ms. Peggy, and she gave me a suggestion that sounded promising. She suggested rebranding the Book Cafe, raising the threshold for entry, and specifically catering to elite Sorcerers with strong abilities or special talents."

"This would allow Kamar-Taj's teahouse to become a gathering place for ordinary Sorcerers, while we would become the trading hub for high-end Sorcerers. At that point, if the other party tries to compete with our Book Cafe, they won't be able to."

Vera's tone became more excited as she continued, "According to Ms. Peggy, the advantage of this approach is that it would completely change how Sorcerers perceive us."

"In their minds, the Sorcerers associated with the other shop would be seen as ordinary or low-level, while we would host the elites. This would immediately set us apart. Those elite Sorcerers would consciously avoid the other side and choose our Book Cafe. The most important thing is that elite Sorcerers are more powerful, wealthier, and have more valuable items to trade, which could further increase the income of the Vientiane Book Cafe."

Clap! Clap! Clap!

After listening to Vera, Lockhart gently clapped his hands, his eyes filled with approval.

Peggy, being the founder of S.H.I.E.L.D., indeed had a wealth of experience.

This plan was very effective and could completely help the Vientiane Book Cafe overcome its current predicament.

It aligned almost perfectly with what he had been thinking.

If they were to compete directly with the rival teahouse, even if they won, it would likely be a costly and bitter victory.

So, he didn't want to directly confront them head-on.

"But..."

Lockhart detected the concern in Vera's tone and instantly understood her worries. He reassured her, "Don't worry, Vera. Don't be concerned about resources."

"I won't boast, but when it comes to money and magical resources, even the average pure-blood family can't compare with me."

After all, he had emptied the Lestrange family's treasury and taken many of Voldemort's precious magical items.

Not to mention, he had made a significant profit by reselling magic potions and items from the Marvel universe earlier.

In short, he was wealthy, with no concerns about resources.

Hearing this, Vera nodded silently, feeling somewhat relieved.

Immediately afterward, she heard her mentor ask with a testing smile, "Vera, aiming for a high-end market is a very good idea, but Ms. Peggy should have mentioned that to be a high-end cafe, the most important thing is to raise the threshold and decline entry to unsuitable Sorcerers. If you don't know how to refuse, it will be difficult to maintain a high-end standard."

"Secondly, you must increase the price. The most obvious difference between high-end and low-end is the price, which is also a key factor in many people's judgment. Currently, we have quite a few members, most of whom are ordinary Sorcerers."

"So tell me, how would you handle these ordinary Sorcerers when we raise our standards and fees?"

At this point, Lockhart smiled lightly and continued to ask, "One more thing: have you thought about how, if we go high-end, we can ensure that the other party can't imitate us?"

After hearing her mentor's series of questions, Vera felt excited, sensing that her mentor supported the direction she was proposing.

So, she organized her thoughts and spoke slowly but clearly, "Mentor, I think the first thing we need to do is redecorate the Book Cafe environment."

"..."

"To make it impossible for the other party to imitate or dare to imitate, we could..."

"..."

As Vera continued to speak, her tone grew more excited. Lockhart nodded slightly, looking at her with eyes full of admiration.

Peggy was right—Vera truly had a talent for management and should be nurtured.

In the future, Vera might become his right-hand woman.

That night, at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, the Triskelion Building...

Nick Fury, sitting in his office, looked at the old boss in front of him with a dazed expression.

It was as if he had been transported back more than 20 years, to a time when Director Peggy Carter was at the height of her power, leading S.H.I.E.L.D., along with Pierce and himself, under Chief Howard.

Step by step, they had fought against the FBI, CIA, military, and other forces, winning each battle and gradually growing to become the world's top organization.

Soon, Nick Fury came back to his senses, his tone tinged with excitement, or perhaps with a hint of respect that he wasn't even aware of.

"Director Peggy, congratulations on your return to youth. I wonder how the Wizard Professor's affairs are being handled."

 

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[Read up to 100+ chapter ahead and more Weakly Chapter Update at p@treon.com/goldengaruda]

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