Huh? There's a magic school here.

After seeing Andres and Catherine off, Torren sat quietly in the main seat, deep in thought.

"Minister, Count Andres and his entourage have already left the manor."

"Very good, you and the driver can go to the guest room to rest. I'm tired, I probably won't be leaving today."

"Okay, Minister. We'll go and rest now. Please call me anytime if you need anything."

After his two subordinates left, Torren looked at James.

What do you think of your two bosses?

"What do you mean, Grand Uncle?"

"Wasn't I being obvious enough? You're still lacking in political acumen. Fine, call Alfred over. From now on, you'll just focus on making money; the family won't treat you unfairly."

“I understand, which is why I rarely get involved in politics. This collaboration with Count Andres was purely by chance.”

"A coincidence? Silly child, there aren't that many coincidences in this world! I'll have Alfred help you more in the future!"

After finishing his lecture, he let James leave as well. A moment later, Alfred came in.

"Father, how did you find the meeting? Count Andres and Miss Catherine are not easy to deal with, are they?"

"Hehe, you're absolutely right. Are you sure this Earl of Sky Island Andres is an orphan? He doesn't seem like one at all. He's very shrewd and experienced in dealing with people. As for that Catherine, she's a little fox too, a very cunning woman."

"Oh? Such high praise! It seems Father thinks highly of these two!"

“Count Andres is a man who can take things in stride and is willing to spend money to achieve his goals. He is very efficient and decisive. He is a very good young man. You should gather more information about these two people in the future. I always feel that his purpose is not so simple.”

"I understand, I will pay close attention to it."

"By the way, after you return to the ministry tomorrow, immediately draft a proposal. It should be a plan to enhance the Empire's influence in the world. Since Andres wants to improve his political standing, we should also get some benefits! If his plan succeeds, you can also gain some political capital."

"What about the Ministry of Education?"

"It's alright, bring it up first and then communicate with him. That way, even if that old guy in the Ministry of Education is unhappy, he can't refuse! It's an open strategy! As for his quota, it's used to exchange for benefits with him!"

Meanwhile, Andres had Catherine take him to his apartment in London. Before leaving, he specifically gave Catherine some instructions.

“Catherine, I intend to continue this exchange student program long-term. So please remember to communicate with Torren and ask their foreign ministries to send people with us to visit the embassies of the other four countries in the Empire.”

"Understood, boss. Since this is a long-term plan, do we need to prepare personnel to send to these countries?"

"We'll see. We can ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a formal designation. Then we can send someone to set up an office in a foreign embassy. I don't think this is a big deal for Torren."

"Okay, I'll go prepare right away. Is there anything else I should pay special attention to?"

"Well, there's nothing else to prepare. Just keep a close eye on things. By the way, I heard that Jiatud is going to auction a batch of Chinese cultural relics soon. Go to the auction and bid on a couple of pieces; we might need them."

Catherine nodded, understanding the big boss's intention. After Catherine left, Andres Apparated back to Hogwarts.

The very next day, an official from the European Department of the British Foreign Office submitted a plan to the ministry. The plan was more than ten pages long, but it could be summarized in just a few sentences.

"Gentlemen, according to my recent research, our empire's prestige has declined significantly, and I'm extremely anxious about it! Now, the United States calls the shots everywhere, and we lack international influence!"

"In order to expand our influence on Earth, we should actively promote the exchange student program, send our students abroad to promote the glory of the Empire, and at the same time let foreign students know our strength!"

If it were just a plan initiated by an ordinary department member, it probably wouldn't even get a second glance. But the initiator is the minister's son, which makes things interesting. Who would dare to reject the plan without even looking at it! So the bigwigs in the department didn't dare to make the decision themselves, and instead reported it up the chain of command, avoiding any potentially offensive actions themselves. No wonder the birthplace of modern football is so adept at playing the game.

A few days later, when the documents were on Torren's desk, the old man put on a show. At a routine meeting, in front of the other bigwigs, he said to Alfred, the project's initiator...

We all think your plan is good, and it really should enhance the Empire's influence. But it's not that we don't support you, it's just that the ministry is broke!

The other bigwigs echoed the minister's words. "Yes, yes, it's not that we don't support you, it's that we don't have the money. As long as you can get the money, we won't stop you."

After listening to such a long and rambling speech, Alfred finally realized what was going on. His father, true to his cunning nature, had preemptively framed the objections as being about money, fearing opposition from within the department. But was money really the issue? Clearly not! But the department's opponents didn't know that!

That's brilliant. No wonder when Torren was writing the plan, he had Alfred write a version that removed the part about Earl Andres providing funding, and then he prepared a complete version himself. So that's where the problem lay.

Now the opposition is also pressing the issue of funding for the plan, saying they will support it if the plan can get the money from the Ministry of Finance.

But the Treasury's money isn't so easy to obtain. All the money is planned and allocated according to last year's budget. Where will the money come from for this sudden proposed plan? Will you divert funds from other places? Aren't you afraid of being torn apart by the legislators?

Alfred wasn't stupid; he had to play along. First, he argued with the opposition that this was a new initiative of our Foreign Ministry, so why should he be the only one going to the Treasury to ask for money? Besides, if the plan succeeded, the credit wouldn't go to him alone, so why should he take the lead?

The opposition declared, "I won't listen, I won't listen, I just won't listen! Anyway, it's your plan, you go to the Ministry of Finance and ask for the money yourself! If it succeeds, the credit will be yours, we won't be envious of you."

Alfred gritted his teeth, "You swear it!" Opposition members, "Fine, fine, fine. Swear it then, move on to the next topic! We're hungry, we need to go home and eat."

Then, to everyone's astonishment, Alfred presented his second version of the plan. Compared to the first version, it included details on funding sources and usage.

Torren didn't give the opposition a chance to speak, stating that since the money issue was resolved, then so be it. It's getting late; the remaining issues can be discussed tomorrow. You're all hungry and want to eat, aren't you? Meeting adjourned!

Then, he fled with his supporters and cronies, leaving the opposition there in despair. Damn it, they'd been fooled by the Hammond father and son again!