Chapter 327: Lu Xiusi's Blueprint

When the conversation between Hoffa and Lu Xiusi was about to begin, Lu Xiusi suddenly said: "I think, perhaps it's better to chat with both of you at the same time, because what I want to say are some common things."

"Common things?" Harry looked at Sirius, and then said without any objection, "That's not bad either."

Sirius pulled out a chair, sat down at the tea table, and then smiled and nodded, signaling Lu Xiusi to start.

"Friends, when I say this, I sincerely hope that we can chat as friends." Lu Xiusi said gently. "Let's speak from the heart and communicate sincerely, that is to say, setting aside the Dark Lord, what are everyone's dreams?"

"I can say it first; what I seek, from beginning to end, is just the continuation and growth of the family, or even to say, growing the family is also to better continue it." Lu Xiusi smiled slightly. "This is a dream that sounds quite traditional or even old-fashioned, but people, I mean, after having enough to eat and wear, will always have a kind of emptiness; you will want to find a goal, a goal enough to struggle for a lifetime, and this is the meaning of a dream."

"A dream is not about what will happen after it is realized, but in the process of pursuit, the process of paying efforts for the dream is enough to fill our inner emptiness." Lu Xiusi said very sincerely. "So, I want to ask you two first, what are your dreams?"

Harry's brows were tightly knit. His own dream was quite clear; he wanted to build the British Wizarding World into a more beautiful society as much as possible, and use the convenience of magic to try to verify the possibility of a communist society. Although he hadn't seriously considered the way to realize his dream, he was also taking it one step at a time, trying his best to fight against the forces that would inevitably hinder the realization of this dream.

However, for Hoffa, Hoffa's dream was vague, and Harry didn't know what dream Hoffa should have, nor did he know what dream Hoffa should have.

"Then let me talk about it first." Seeing that Harry was still thinking, Sirius spoke first. "Once, I lived entirely in the expectations of others; when the family needed me to serve the Dark Lord, I also took advantage of the situation and regarded it as the entire meaning of my life. However, after the Dark Lord fell fifteen years ago, I fell into loss and confusion."

He had seriously studied Regulus's persona, so he sounded quite credible as soon as he opened his mouth.

"After more than ten years of world travel, I still haven't figured out this problem," Sirius laughed at himself. "I yearn for a free life and don't want to be bound by anything. Perhaps, I still need a long time to find my dream, but before that, I will develop my power so that I can freely choose my dream in the future, without being interfered with or bound by anyone or any force."

The confusion in Sirius's tone didn't seem fake; Harry could feel that the fake "Regulus's life" and the real "Sirius's life" converged at the moment Voldemort died, and the confusion in his mouth was not necessarily not Sirius's own confusion.

"Then what about you, Hoffa?" Lu Xiusi asked with a smile.

"I," Harry hesitated, and then started to fabricate Hoffa's dream based on his own feelings. "When I parted with Tang Mu, I entrusted the meaning of life to his commission. But soon, when I lived in other countries and witnessed all kinds of... different lives, I felt that the weight of that promise in my heart seemed to be getting lighter and lighter; I no longer focused all my attention on Tang Mu's task, but paid more attention to the things in front of me."

"Now that this day has really come, perhaps for me, there is still a feeling of being caught off guard." Harry said sincerely; he also felt this suddenness in his heart after listening to Barty Jr.'s last words in the time rift.

"I don't know what pushed me to this step either; I sat at your round table, feeling out of place. I told myself several times, don't get involved too deeply, I'm just here to fulfill a promise from many years ago, but things are so complex, and this promise cannot be easily achieved." Harry feigned a sigh. "I am also hesitating, I am not sure how to make decisions next."

"For you, Hoffa, in fact, you had already found your own life, it's just that the Dark Lord's matter broke that peace." Lu Xiusi raised his eyebrows and said softly. "Actually, you are also hoping that the matter here will be resolved as soon as possible, right? So that you can return home as soon as possible and reunite with your wife and children."

Harry's heart moved; he felt that this was Lu Xiusi probing Hoffa's detailed information. If Hoffa really had a wife and children, then his life was traceable; but if Hoffa had no family, then he actually had nothing 'more worth putting on his mind than the Dark Lord', which is to say he didn't tell the truth before.

Harry knew a very simple truth: compared to fabricating a brand new persona, disguising as someone you know is easier. So, he recalled the identity of a middle-aged man who was alone and shouldered a mission in his mind, and soon thought of one: Neville's tutor, Mr. Li Ao.

"In fact, I don't have a wife or children." Hoffa said quite naturally, with a look of slightly happy recollection on his face. "I live in an old friend's house, teaching her grandson for her. That is a very intelligent child, quite capable... cough, off-topic. I just want to say, I have plenty of time to deal with these things, no need to rush back."

"Ah, I see." Lu Xiusi immediately changed his words to cater to Hoffa's persona. "So, you just want to complete the Dark Lord's commission well, not hesitating to spend some time and energy, and also want to draw a perfect period for this childhood promise."

Harry felt that this persona would be a hard bone for Lu Xiusi, because this meant that Hoffa wouldn't give up resurrecting Voldemort. But this was a benefit for pushing Saruman in the future: inheriting his own ideals and career through a carefully cultivated (although it was a cuckoo-in-the-nest style cultivation) biological child was undoubtedly another kind of resurrection, even more perfect than simple resurrection, because this was the embodiment of the greatness of the human species.

"Right, that's exactly what I think." Harry admitted this persona, and added, "Of course, I also know that it seems quite difficult to resurrect Tang Mu now, so I don't mind you discussing some other alternative plans. If I am dissatisfied with those plans, I can still do it myself."

"Alright, I am quite grateful that you are willing to share these with me." Lu Xiusi said. "Looking at it this way, I probably know how I should adjust my election strategy."

"You really have ideas about the position of the Dark Lord." Sirius sneered.

"Right, yes, I don't avoid this point." Lu Xiusi said slowly. "I think since we don't possess an overwhelming military advantage now, politics becomes more and more necessary. The Ministry of Magic's proposal is quite good; we and the Order of the Phoenix should indeed change places to compete."

"Publicly, I am quite good at political tricks and have the ability and confidence to lead everyone to fight well with the Order of the Phoenix." Lu Xiusi said with a smile. "Privately, I am very happy to provide actual benefits for the two of you, including providing help for your dreams."

"Regulus," Lu Xiusi said first, "your Running Wolf canned goods are selling very well, but I must say there is still plenty of room for growth. If you want to expand your product line or further monopolize the domestic market, we can all use the influence of the Death Eaters to help you. I even know a few friends on Wall Street who can provide many conveniences when you enter the NASDAQ."

Harry's brows knit together; he had always thought Lu Xiusi was indifferent to the Muggle world.

"This counts as growing your power, right?" Lu Xiusi said with a smile. "And if you value Gilneas more, I will also try my best to promote the exchange and cooperation between the two wizarding worlds; these are not problems."

"Very tempting." Sirius said stiffly. "At least you have more sincerity than Bella."

Lu Xiusi's complexion brightened all of a sudden; he turned to Harry again and said: "Yes, and regarding your appeal, Hoffa, I think it is not entirely impossible to satisfy."

"We perhaps don't need to resurrect the Dark Lord in the end, and we can still master this world." Lu Xiusi didn't hide his ambition at all. "But we must possess the ability to resurrect the Dark Lord; this is where our confidence lies. We will find a way to get the ring as soon as possible, and then, we can hand over all the Horcruxes to you for safekeeping."

"But if you feel that our approach is even a little bit unsatisfactory, or violates the Dark Lord's principles, you can warn us, because you possess the ability to resurrect the Dark Lord at any time." Lu Xiusi said sincerely. "You will become our whip."

Harry himself had to admit that this proposal was simply too tempting; whether it was Hoffa or Harry, they were very willing to agree to this matter. Perhaps Lu Xiusi had prepared a series of means to corrupt and buy off Hoffa, but Harry only needed to get the Horcrux and then turn his face.

"Of course, I also admit that if I become the Dark Lord, I will inevitably try to seize interests for the Malfoy family." Lu Xiusi continued. "But this is human nature; I know it's impossible to deceive the two of you who are also smart people, so let's agree in advance that these interests can always be distributed among us; these are all negotiable."

"Interests won't be produced out of thin air." Sirius said calmly. "Unless you really have such confidence to bite meat from the mouth of the Order of the Phoenix, otherwise you can only be wanting to occupy the things of other Death Eaters."

"Why can't we?" Lu Xiusi revealed a treacherous smile. "I think, among those present, there is no one who looks at Lestrange pleasantly, right?" ===== CHAPTER 328 =====