Huh? There's a magic school here.

"Those students whose Illusionary Body Charm isn't working so well are in luck! Our research has found that spending a long time as a companion to an Illusionary Body Serpent amplifies the Illusionary Body Charm! In fact, we underestimated the power of pet companions, especially since we arrived on the continent of Karen! So the school is increasing its investment in this area, so I think you should consider it for the sake of your future!"

"Thank you, Professor Qi. We will consider it carefully!"

Qi Yongqiang looked at the children before him and understood what they were thinking. They had all been young once, and it was natural for young people to want to serve their country with fervor. However, these children didn't understand that the development of a civilization couldn't rely solely on force; internal strength also needed to be cultivated. But that didn't matter; weren't these old guys here precisely to cultivate these passionate individuals? Only then would the wizarding civilization have a brighter future.

"Let's go, let's keep going! Let's see what else is ahead!"

Qi Yongqiang's search team continued forward, while the entire expedition team also continued to move slowly forward.

Inside the headmaster's office at the new Hogwarts in Karen Continent.

Andres looked at the letter in his hand, which had just been sent from the Ministry of Magic on Earth. Although the letter's contents were simple, it contained a significant amount of information, as it was from a high-ranking official in the Dragon Kingdom who hoped Andres could travel there to discuss the upcoming strategy.

Andres sat in his armchair, deep in thought as he looked at the letter in his hand. Discussing the next strategy? What strategy? Wasn't it just about guarding the outposts? It seems the Dragon Kingdom's higher-ups have other ideas! This is a matter of great importance; it seems I'll have to make a trip. But before I go, I need to arrange some things.

"Dobby, please let Professor McGonagall know! I need to speak with him, and could you please prepare two cups of tea for us?"

"Yes, Principal Andres, I'll go right away!"

A short while later, there was a knock on the door of Andres's principal's office, and Professor Minerva McGonagall walked in.

"Principal Andres, I heard you wanted to see me?"

"Minerva, you're here! I have to go to China for a few days, so I'd like you to take charge of things here during that time!"

“This is what I should do, Principal Andres. Is there anything special you need to pay attention to?”

"Well, you'd better inform Professor Dumbledore and ask him to keep an eye on the team that went to explore the Edge Canyon! After all, there's a lich mixed in with them, and I'm a little worried."

“I understand. I’ll go see Professor Dumbledore when I get back.”

"Oh, right, Minerva. There's something else I need you to pay special attention to: those vampires from the City of Rest! They're the first batch of students we recruited on the continent of Karen, and I hope you'll keep an eye on them."

"Oh, okay! Those four kids are behaving themselves; they spend all their time in the library. I'll keep a close eye on them from now on, so you can go take care of things on Earth without worry. Leave things here to me."

After giving his instructions, Andres began chatting and drinking tea with Professor McGonagall until noon when she finally left. After lunch, Andres rushed to the Dragon Kingdom's outpost before the spatial rift opened, waiting to return to Earth. As usual, the outpost was filled with staff members eager to return.

Upon returning to Earth, Andres did not go directly to the Dragon Kingdom, but instead went to the Ministry of Magic and met with the new Minister of Magic, Pang Minghui.

"Principal Andres, what brings you here? Has something happened on the Karen Continent?"

Pang Minghui, who was busy signing documents, was surprised to see Andres enter, because Principal Andres had not visited the Ministry of Magic for a long time.

"Don't you know that the Dragon Kingdom invited me to visit?"

"I don't know. What brings the Dragon Kingdom to invite you?"

"They didn't say it in the letter, but I have some guesses! It's probably that the Chinese are tired of the endless defense and they seem to want to expand their occupied territory."

Upon hearing Andres's words, Pang Minghui's expression turned to surprise. As the Minister of Magic, Pang Minghui was well aware of the situation of the Beastman Empire on the Karen Continent; its vast territory and enormous population posed a formidable challenge even for the humans of Blue Star. However, he hadn't expected the Dragon Kingdom to desire expansion, something no other nation on Blue Star possessed at the moment.

Other countries on Earth have only established a few outposts; they're too busy defending to have any energy left for offense.

"Principal, how confident are you about this?"

"It depends on how determined the Chinese are! You have to give something to get something, and you can't succeed without being prepared to make enough sacrifices! I came here to find out the Ministry of Magic's attitude on this matter. They won't succeed without the support of our magical community."

Pang Minghui did not answer immediately, but tapped his fingers on the desk and thought for a moment.

“Principal, if the Dragon Kingdom wants to occupy a region, then our current strategy is no longer suitable.”

"Oh? What do you say?"

“Our current strategy is to station personnel at various outposts, only responsible for the security around each outpost. But if we were to occupy a piece of land, then we would have much more to do! For example, we would need to regularly send enough people to patrol the border, eliminate threats within the territory, establish various defensive or reconnaissance outposts, and so on. That would require a huge amount of manpower and resources!”

"I understand what you mean, I'll consider it. I think the Dragon Kingdom will provide the supplies and money, but the main thing is manpower! How many wizards do we have available right now?"

"There are currently around 230,000 adult wizards in the magical world. After deducting those stationed on the continent of Karen and those defending various spatial rifts, plus the logistics personnel, we can still spare 80,000. I think these people are enough to protect a sufficiently large territory."

"Eighty thousand? I see. It seems we're training wizards too slowly; perhaps we need more manpower!"

Upon hearing Andres's words, Pang Minghui seemed to understand what Andres was trying to express.

"Principal, do you mean we need to expand our enrollment?"

"Yes, we need to expand our enrollment beyond the five major countries. Also, if we do that, we'll need more schools; after all, children need a place to go to school, right?"

"Then what do you need the Ministry of Magic to do?"

"If we find a few suitable locations on Earth to build a school, perhaps in the near future we will have the third magic academy on Earth!"