Mysterious Journey
Chapter 498 The Hearts of the People
"Gringotts Wizarding Bank continues to massively buy up rubles, temporarily stabilizing the global exchange rate of the ruble..."
"Wizards claim to have seen high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Magic entering and leaving Gringotts Wizarding Bank multiple times recently..."
"The people of the Soviet Union live happily, society is stable, and supplies are plentiful..."
"Due to a global wheat shortage, the international market for grain import and export trade has plummeted..."
"The Soviet Ministry of Magic Internal Affairs ceased operations a week ago, and most wizards have already left the Soviet Union..."
Hogwarts, the warm Hufflepuff common room.
The biting wind and snow were kept outside the castle by the thick stone walls. Students gathered in twos and threes by the fireplace and tables, either pondering the assignments given by the professors or flipping through books borrowed from the library. The atmosphere was quiet and peaceful.
Aileenna sat in a corner near the fireplace, quietly flipping through several reports from various channels.
Most were related news sent back by "Destiny" employees, some from the magical world, some from the non-magical world, some collected through formal channels, and some "accidentally" intercepted by the old grandpas using magic.
After all, Aileenna hadn't even been born when the Soviet Union collapsed in her previous life. Her understanding of this thrilling history was mostly limited to sporadic records on the internet and in books, and she didn't pay much attention to details.
In fact, the level of chaos in the Soviet Union was even more severe than Aileenna had imagined.
This winter, strictly speaking, was not the most brutal winter the Bear had ever experienced, but it was definitely the most despairing. Many well-informed people chose to flee, and the first to leave were the Soviet wizards.
The global food shortage and the dire social situation were indeed depressing.
However, what truly broke the camel's back was the Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion that occurred a few years ago—faced with that accident, the Soviet wizards, who had once fought to the death in Stalingrad, chose to stand by.
In theory, a disaster that could have been quickly controlled and contained by only three or four top wizards ended up relying on the conventional forces of the non-magical world and the lives of tens of thousands of Muggles as the price.
Even worse, the effects of nuclear contamination directly destroyed the possibility of cultivating over 5,000 square kilometers of land.
"The real Soviet wizards are long gone."
Faintly, Aileenna seemed to hear Grindelwald's gloating sigh echoing in her ears.
The brutal secret war did not necessarily bring about close-knit camaraderie. The relationship between the non-magical and magical worlds in the Soviet Union after the war had always been in a very delicate position—both sides were wary of the power the other had displayed in the war, and both were pained by the heavy price each had paid in the war.
The young generation of Soviet wizards who grew up in this atmosphere naturally did not have much sense of identification or belonging to the non-magical world. With the exception of a very few, most of the shrewd Soviet wizards had already left the country.
As a result, when the Saints, or rather the "Destiny Organization," entered Soviet territory, they encountered almost no resistance or investigation from the magical world. According to Grindelwald, the entire Soviet Union was now like a completely undefended lamb, possessing coveted fat, without any ability to protect itself.
"Gringotts, the Soviet Union... Ha..."
Aileenna raised her eyebrows noncommittally, let out a soft laugh, threw the papers in her hand into the fireplace, patiently watched the flames devour the writing, and then used the tongs to thoroughly stir the black and gray ashes.
Since it had lost its mass base, there was nothing left to salvage in the Soviet Union.
The course of history had not changed, or rather, all those who had attempted to change this fact had mysteriously disappeared.
In the current Soviet Union, Americans, British, Germans, and even Russians and Ukrainians... all the forces were like hunters before dawn, quietly lurking, waiting to participate in this most delicious feast in human history.
However, as the old saying goes—at some point, the hunter will become the hunted.
"Ugh, it's so hard... How much more do I have to memorize?!"
Just then, Aileenna heard a dejected sigh beside her. Hannah threw the book in her hand onto the table and collapsed onto Aileenna like a sloth who had lost her ideals, her face full of listless despair.
"It's just the most basic glycogen protein content. If you want to be a healer, you must master this knowledge."
Aileenna glanced at Hannah's empty eyes, thought for a moment, and continued.
"Besides... these days won't last too much longer. You'll have a lot easier time next year."
"Next year? You mean I won't have to memorize these next year?!"
Hannah perked up immediately, her limp body straightened up with a snap, and she looked at Aileenna with burning eyes.
Along with their discussion, Hermione and Luna, who were sitting around the table, also subconsciously stopped writing and secretly pricked up their ears, listening to what Aileenna had to say—these days of demonic tutoring were really too terrifying.
"Not really. Next year, there should be special teachers to guide you, but language will be a problem... Besides that... the textbooks and teaching direction may also..."
Aileenna explained a few words, but before she could finish, the smile on Hannah's face had completely disappeared, and her whole person was sprawled on the small table in front of her, as if her soul had been drawn away.
"Mom... Uncle... I want to go home... I don't want to memorize... Waaah..."
*Thud.*
That was the sound of the quill falling from Hermione's hand.
*Click!*
That was the sound of the ruler in Luna's hand rubbing against the table as she was drawing a ray diagram.
Looks like everyone is very excited to hear this news?!
Aileenna smiled slightly, patted the heads of the little wings beside her one by one, and comforted them softly.
"It's okay, if nothing goes wrong, the whole school will have to take extra classes—think of it as a good thing, at least by then, you'll be much more relaxed, whether it's homework or classes, you'll be a few steps ahead of others."
"...Oh."
"...Oh."
"...Oh."
Faced with Aileenna's explanation, the three little wings rolled their eyes at the white-haired furball in unison, responding with expressionless faces.
After spending so many days together, they had long seen through the essence of this seemingly cute silver-haired little witch—besides her hair and the fur on her body being silver, Aileenna was as black as could be, even to the bone.
"Oh—what does that mean? Have you finished your homework for tonight?!"
Looking at the three little lolis who were entering a period of learning slump, Aileenna raised her eyebrows, and was about to speak.
"I'm not learning! I'm not learning!"
Before she could finish her words, Hannah glanced at the thick "Introduction to Biology" book, spread her body and started rolling back and forth on the table, like an Akita Inu who had given up on herself.
"Aileenna, you have the ability to beat me to death! Anyway, I can't memorize it!"
"It's so hard... Waaah, I want to go home and write, I don't want to study..."
"Why do I have to learn advanced math?! It's not fair... I've lost so much hair these days..."
"Resist Aileenna's tyranny!"
"Overthrow the white-haired furball!"
"We can't let her run rampant anymore!"
"I'll hold her down! You guys go grab the ahoge!"
"Tickle her waist, she'll be weak!"
"Hmm, I'll create illusions, you guys go ahead!"
39 days before the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Nana-min combo officially declared an uprising.
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Chapter 1, there will be an extra chapter later tonight~