Harry Potter and the Great Old Ones

Chapter 700 Base Area

“Mr. Tierra, as per your request, we have located over two hundred abandoned, unused castles or building complexes throughout Britain.” Arthur Weasley placed a list in front of Tierra while directing staff from the British Magical Union to carry in a heavy, cabinet-like machine and a curtain.

"Um, Mr. Weasley, what are you doing?" Tierra put down the list and asked casually.

"Hehe." Arthur Weasley rubbed his hands together like a child who had just received a new toy. "Wait, Tyella, this is the latest Muggle technology, it's absolutely amazing!"

Tierra looked at the bulky machine, opened her mouth, then closed it again.

The specific name is unknown to Tiera; it was probably something like an old-fashioned projector or an educational projector. It consisted of a heavy platform, a lens parallel to the platform, and an adjustable metal support connecting the two.

This old-fashioned projector doesn't require a computer connection. You simply place the exam paper you want to present on the platform, and it projects the paper onto the screen using optical principles. Then, you adjust the size of the projected image by adjusting the height of the stand.

Tierra's teachers used to use this old-fashioned projector to explain problems to students when she was in elementary and high school. In high school, when teaching equipment was updated, Tierra's school started using projectors that could be connected to computers.

Of course, for Tierra, this kind of machine was an outdated technology that had been swept into the corner of his memory and was covered in dust, but for Arthur Weasley, who had hardly ever seen the world, it was a very ingenious and novel toy.

After all, it was Tyella who suggested that wizards in the magical world should have more contact with Muggles. Arthur Weasley did a great job, so Tyella couldn't say anything. She could only watch as Arthur Weasley and his staff fiddled with the screen and turned on the machine, and then Arthur Weasley put a dozen photos on the platform one by one.

“Well then, Mr. Tierra,” Arthur Weasley said with a tone of pride and boastfulness, “I shall now formally report to you on my research—”

"The photo is upside down," Tierra pointed out.

"Oh, oh, oh!" Arthur Weasley glanced back at the screen, then turned the photo around.

“There are many vacant houses in Britain,” Arthur Weasley continued. “There have even been cases of entire villages being abandoned, such as Tenham, located south of Dorrest in England. During the Muggle Wars, it was requisitioned as a training base for the Muggle army and abandoned shortly after the war ended. Now, apart from some wildlife enthusiasts and adventurous young people, almost no one goes there.” “What about the village’s capacity?” Tierra asked.

“It can hold 1000 to 1600 people,” Arthur Weasley replied. “That’s the number of people it could hold when it was used as a training base for the Muggle army. There’s also a huge cave underground in Tenham Village, which seems to have been used by the Muggle army for shelter.”

“Air raid shelters,” Tierra explained casually, “used to shelter from air raids.”

“Ah, an airplane.” Arthur Weasley’s eyes lit up with excitement. “You know, one of those metal things that can fly in the sky. I went to Dorest’s south specifically to make one of these.”

“Mr. Weasley, please give your report first. We are currently in a meeting.” Tierra tapped the table lightly and gestured to Venda Rosie sitting next to him, as well as the wizards from Germany and the former British Ministry of Magic who supported Tierra. “I’m not alone here.”

“Yes, yes.” Arthur Weasley continued to report, “We have now renovated, rebuilt and restored the village of Tenham, and cleared the surrounding farmland. We expect to start moving in in three months, at which time we expect to be able to meet the daily needs of at least 300 wizarding families.”

Tiera nodded.

"What about the Muggles?" Tyella asked again.

"The government in Dorest County has already made arrangements. They're just waiting for us to finalize the list of personnel so that we can turn Tenham Village into a legal wizarding community."

“Very good, thank you for your hard work, Mr. Weasley.” Tyella praised with a faint smile, then turned to Venda Rosie and asked, “How many wizarding families, Squibs, and Muggle families that have produced wizards are willing to immigrate from the former Soviet republics?”

“Only,” Wenda Rosie said hesitantly, “only 267 families.”

(End of this chapter)