Now that the dimensional chat group existed, and summoning beasts could leave the shinobi world to "work," it made sense to raise as many as possible.
"Ah, well…"
Kizaru was momentarily speechless. Were Konoha's ninja trying to turn into Pokémon trainers now?
Still, just imagining a future where Naruto, upon encountering an enemy, casually threw out Kurama like a Poké Ball—Kizaru couldn't help but chuckle at the mental image.
"Hogwarts has no need for assassinations, nor do we require any organizations to provide violent services."
Dumbledore frowned, immediately and firmly rejecting Orochimaru's suggestion. If they could use magic, he might not have minded hiring a few to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Although this year they already had Gilderoy Lockhart, that unfortunate soul who took the bait.
Still, Dumbledore seriously doubted that peacock of a man would last the whole year.
Professor McGonagall, standing off to the side, instinctively tightened her grip on her wand. Her wariness toward Orochimaru only grew. Her earlier instinct had been right—this man truly felt like another Dark Lord.
"Is that so? What a shame. Aside from assassinations and mercenary work, we also take all kinds of commissions—bodyguarding, intelligence gathering, bandit suppression..."
Orochimaru shook his head in disappointment. With the most profitable avenues—assassination and war—shut down, he could only scale back.
Feeding tens of thousands of ninjas in the Hidden Leaf Village was no easy task. In peaceful times, the funds allocated by the Daimyo couldn't compare to those during war.
Even if the Land of Fire's current mission allotment could still support the village's shinobi, as the Fourth Hokage, Orochimaru had to plan ahead.
Competing with other nations for missions was unrealistic. Small neighboring nations aside, the other four great countries could barely meet their own quotas—they wouldn't tolerate Konoha muscling in.
Thus, Orochimaru was exploring new directions. And the dimensional chat group was clearly full of limitless potential.
That was why he was so eager to exploit its loopholes. Outside of the Zoan-type Devil Fruits, over 80% of his dozens—possibly hundreds—of experiments had been attempts to cross into other worlds.
"I'm afraid that won't work,"
Dumbledore said, his expression softening slightly after hearing the alternative tasks, but still refusing the offer.
"Hogwarts is a school for young witches and wizards. We cannot allow dangerous individuals to mingle among them."
While the era Dumbledore grew up in had seen the decline of old mercenary groups, he knew well enough how ruthless and unscrupulous mercenaries could be.
To give a simple example: in European history, one of the most notorious mercenary companies, the White Company, made more money at their peak than an entire ducal estate.
That alone was evidence of their chaotic behavior. Shopping themselves to both sides before battle, choosing whoever paid more—that was standard procedure.
Extorting their employers, former employers, or even potential future clients for massive "protection fees" was one of their main revenue streams.
And then there were those outrageous incidents—like raiding both sides after a war, looting their employers and enemies alike when both were weakened.
No matter how nicely Orochimaru phrased it, Dumbledore would never allow such mercenary-like outsiders to walk openly into Hogwarts.
"Then we'll use gold as a universal equivalent,"
Kizaru cut in before Orochimaru could respond, making the decision himself.
"If other members of the chat group need gold, they can exchange dimensional coins with me. Coincidentally, I'll be needing to hire some help soon as well."
With the vast gold reserves of Skypiea under his control, Kizaru had every right to say that confidently.
Even the wealthiest among the group—Tony Stark—couldn't compare to him in personal assets.
After all, in the Marvel world, gold was valued at over $100 million per ton. And even if Iron Man liquidated everything he owned, the gold he could afford still fell far short of what was used to forge the Golden Bell on Skypiea.
"…Would you mind explaining what you mean by 'dimensional coin'?"
Dumbledore was silent for a moment before turning to Kizaru and speaking.
From what Kizaru had just said, he had keenly picked up on something special.
In truth, Hogwarts was far from poor. The school not only owned large tracts of land and assets, but also received substantial funding each year from its twelve governors.
Without that, Hogwarts wouldn't be able to afford the scholarships and subsidies it offered to many underprivileged young witches and wizards—those who couldn't afford tuition were still provided with enough Galleons to continue their magical education.
Of course, that amount wasn't excessive. Those students still had to use secondhand cauldrons and textbooks, and even worn-out robes were rarely replaced.
But when you added up the expenses for all such students, year after year, it was no small sum.
Yet Hogwarts had operated for over a thousand years without serious financial strain—a testament to how well-funded the magical school truly was.
So while acquiring large amounts of gold was certainly tempting to Dumbledore, it wasn't a life-or-death necessity.
"That's a currency I issued with another group member inside the chat group. It's pegged to the purchasing power of gold and the currency in his world…"
Kizaru glanced at Dumbledore with a hint of surprise, then casually explained the currency he and Tony Stark had developed—dimensional coins—and their general use within the chat group.
As a monetary system still in its infancy, dimensional coins were undeniably basic. But as a prototype of a universal currency for the multiverse, its potential was vast.
As long as Kizaru and Tony Stark could sustain its development, the power that currency could one day wield would be astonishing.
"…That's truly astonishing…"
After listening to Kizaru's explanation, Dumbledore had to admit that his view of the chat group members had shifted.
Before this, he had assumed it was merely a gathering of individuals blessed with unique powers. But upon hearing about dimensional currency—especially how Kizaru and Tony Stark had generously distributed the coins to other members—
Dumbledore began to realize that the chat group was something on a far higher level, something akin to the early form of the Wizengamot.
One day, as more members of the chat group matured and rose to prominence in their own worlds like Kizaru had—
The dimensional chat group could evolve into a governing body connecting their worlds, even expanding to countless other realms.
In fact, the chat group already bore the early framework of such a governing structure:
A recognized and accepted currency of its own—dimensional coins.
A system of unspoken laws and shared expectations—informal rules and common agreements spearheaded by Kizaru.
A means of enforcing those rules through strength—Kizaru himself, along with other powerful group members and Konoha's ninja forces.
While most of the group was still naive, Kizaru and a few others—whether intentionally or not—had already begun constructing a platform that extended its reach into all worlds.
Even their recent move in the Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber world—encouraging Zhang Cuishan to join a rebellion and overthrow the Yuan dynasty—could be seen as the chat group collectively attempting to expand its influence.
"So?"
Kizaru observed Dumbledore with interest. He had already guessed that Dumbledore had seen through something, but he didn't mind.
After all, this was an open scheme—a plan that was plainly visible to all. And Kizaru's original intentions weren't nearly as deep or calculated as Dumbledore imagined. Most of what happened had unfolded naturally.
When members of the dimensional chat group began seeking greater benefits, it was only natural that they would band together to use collective strength to pursue shared interests.
And the emergence of dimensional currency was similar to how real-world currencies came into existence.
When barter was deemed inefficient, someone—if not Tony Stark—would eventually propose a system like this. It was inevitable.
The only difference was that without major funders like Kizaru and Tony, the development of a group-wide currency would've been much slower.
Still, as more members joined, it would eventually have come to fruition.
"Hogwarts is willing to accept your dimensional currency, but in return, you must also grant Hogwarts access to more tradeable goods and permissions."
Dumbledore, after a long moment of contemplation, finally made a decision that left Professor McGonagall visibly shocked.
The momentum behind the dimensional chat group was already unstoppable. Even if he convinced Hermione to reject everything about it, as long as people like Kizaru still sought magical goods from this world, it was only a matter of time before their defenses failed.
Given his age and responsibilities, Dumbledore couldn't always keep an eye on Hermione.
And as for using a Memory Charm—or worse, eliminating the problem entirely—Dumbledore would never do such a thing.
Even if Hermione were removed, what guarantee was there that Ron, Harry, or even Malfoy wouldn't end up joining the chat group someday?
It was far better to keep everything within Hogwarts, where at least he and his successors could try to manage things before worse consequences occurred.
"That's fine by me," Kizaru replied with a shrug, "but is Hogwarts capable of meeting demand? What we need is quite substantial."
He didn't comment on Dumbledore's strategic thinking. Instead, as a member of the chat group, he expressed doubts about Hogwarts' production capacity.
Even without factoring in other chat members, he alone planned to supply every Rear Admiral and higher officer in the Navy Headquarters with at least one vial of Felix Felicis.
Tony Stark and Orochimaru probably had no small need for the potion either, and Kizaru had no intention of allowing Hogwarts to adopt a "highest bidder wins" model.
°°°
If you want to read ahead and access 20 advanced chapters, check the patreon
Link: Patreon/Moziel
Subscription should be made thru the web and never the ios app, it helps you and me.