Fudge poured out all the confusion in his heart.
He wanted to get this done so badly that he desperately needed Sebastian to answer his questions.
Facing Fudge's confusion, Sebastian smiled confidently: "How to make the prisoners commute quickly? This problem is not very difficult."
Not difficult?
Your attitude makes me seem a bit incompetent...
Fudge racked his brain but couldn't understand where Sebastian's confidence came from.
Azkaban is remotely located on a lonely island in the vast ocean, and for Wizards, it is impossible to reach by Apparition.
To go there, one can only use the Ministry of Magic's special ships.
However, the speed of those special ships is not fast, and they only sail at specific times each month, making them impractical for regular commuting.
There is a faster method—Floo powder.
It's also simple to implement: just build some fireplaces in Azkaban and connect them to the Floo Network.
But, if so many people commute with Floo powder every day, the cost would be extraordinarily high.
You should know that a spoon of Floo powder costs 2 Sickles.
More importantly, this method has a significant safety hazard.
What if a clueless prisoner, in a moment of madness while standing in the fireplace, shouts out some other place and directly escapes? That would lead to a great disaster.
At that time, the blame for the prisoners' escape would all fall on him.
Just imagining this scenario made Fudge break out in a cold sweat.
Besides Floo powder, what other fast commuting methods are there?
Fudge frowned, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the teacup in his hand, thinking for a long time but unable to come up with a solution.
"Sebastian, quickly tell me how to solve the commuting problem?"
"Minister," Sebastian said with a smile, "Do you remember a peculiar alchemy item that appeared during the last Wizard war, the vanishing cabinet?"
vanishing cabinet?
Who doesn't remember that!
The appearance of the vanishing cabinet immediately came to Fudge's mind.
These cabinets usually come in pairs; Wizards enter one cabinet, close the door, and can emerge from the other.
During the last Wizard war, vanishing cabinets saved many families.
However, wasn't the inventor of the vanishing cabinet killed by You-Know-Who?
There aren't many vanishing cabinets on the market now, and even if there are one or two occasionally, they are ridiculously expensive antiques.
However, for his political achievements, this Galleon must be spent.
Thinking of this, Fudge said to Sebastian: "The vanishing cabinet is a good method; it can solve the point-to-point commuting problem for prisoners."
"But, the vanishing cabinet isn't very large; it can't hold many people at once. To allow prisoners to commute, one or two sets of vanishing cabinets won't be enough."
"And I highly doubt if enough vanishing cabinets can still be found on the market now."
"Sebastian, does Swan Alchemy have a large stock of vanishing cabinets?" Fudge asked with a frown.
"Unfortunately, Swan Alchemy does not have any stock."
If you don't have stock, why are you talking about this...
Fudge was a bit speechless and was about to complain when he heard Sebastian speak.
"However, I have figured out the principle of the vanishing cabinet and successfully replicated a brand new vanishing cabinet."
"The original vanishing cabinet was designed for families, so its space was small and not suitable for Azkaban."
"Therefore, the new vanishing cabinet can be built in the style of a room, meeting the commuting requirements of Azkaban prisoners."
"If the Minister chooses this plan, I can offer the Ministry of Magic a preferential price, and for three years, all maintenance fees will be waived."
Replicated the vanishing cabinet?
And it can be built in the style of a room?!
This way, the prisoners' commuting problem would be directly solved.
Fudge looked at Sebastian, his eyebrows dancing with excitement, and said: "This plan is great! Fast and safe, it's decided! We'll discuss the specific details later."
As if a heavy burden had been lifted, Fudge let out a long breath, leaned back on the sofa, and took a delightful sip of tea.
"The most difficult problem has been solved, which makes me see the dawn of victory."
"Come on, let's strike while the iron is hot and think about solutions to other problems."
Sebastian smiled, his eyes gleaming with confidence: "Then let's talk about how to prevent prisoners from escaping."
"The first measure is to expand the Auror team and have the Aurors supervise."
"Secondly, if they want to come out to work, prisoners must first sign a strict magic contract. If they are unwilling to sign a magic contract, they will not have the right to come out."
"I believe those guys will make a wise choice."
"Coupled with point-to-point travel, with multiple measures working together, those guys will naturally give up the idea of escaping."
"That makes sense." Fudge nodded repeatedly, "Then Swan Alchemy will have to put more effort into the magic contract aspect."
Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he eagerly asked, "Sebastian, can those prisoners serving life sentences also sign a magic contract?"
"This way, we can prevent similar escape incidents like Black's from happening again."
The idea is a good one.
However, for this type of prisoner, they have nothing left to lose and will not enjoy the opportunity to leave Azkaban.
It's not easy to make them willingly sign a magic contract, unless it's enforced during sentencing.
Sebastian did not comment much, only saying lightly: "This will require the Minister to discuss it with everyone at the Wizengamot meeting before making a decision."
"Let's first talk about getting the prisoners to work hard."
"You're right," Fudge replied with a smile, "Let's focus on the current problem first. What other wonderful ideas do you have?"
Sebastian said confidently, "To make prisoners work hard, you must let them see the benefits."
"I suggest introducing a sentence reduction mechanism."
"To put it plainly, for those prisoners who perform exceptionally well, their time in Azkaban will be reasonably reduced."
"Under this incentive mechanism, they will definitely eagerly strive for it."
"Of course, what I have proposed today are just some rough ideas. The specific details still need to be discussed by you, Minister, at the Wizengamot meeting."
"Too modest, Sebastian," Fudge chuckled, "From zero to one is always the most difficult, with your ideas, I can finalize this matter."
Watching Fudge's happy expression, Sebastian curved his lips into a smile.
This wave, it's called a win-win situation.
Fudge gained achievements;
Auror Training Class students will have an easier time finding jobs;
Prisoners can also leave Azkaban sooner;
Swan Alchemy can also earn a large sum of Galleons;
Everyone has a bright future!
He raised the teacup in his hand and said to Fudge.
"Then let us use tea instead of wine to celebrate our successful cooperation in advance."
"By the way, Minister, I also have something here that I need your help with."
...
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