Chapter 675: 675: Lockhart Pays the Bill, Gringotts Destroyed

For the current Second Dynasty, there were two matters of greatest importance.

The first was the promotion of the Young Wizard Card.

As the shrewd head of the Greengrass family, Mr. Greengrass immediately saw the enormous business opportunity within it.

"In the long run, even if we can't control half, we can at least control a third of the wealth."

A sharp gleam flashed through Mr. Greengrass's eyes.

When it came to attaching himself to powerful people, he was no match for Malfoy.

But when it came to business, he was no worse than Malfoy.

As the first manager of the Ancient Fund, Lucius had donated half of its capital to the Young Wizard Foundation.

Looking at it now, that old fox Lucius really did understand business.

For a bottle of potion, the greatest costs came down to three things.

First, materials.

Second, craftsmanship.

Third, transportation.

Material losses took up the largest share, followed by the wages paid to workers, and finally the cost of transportation.

If all three could be handled internally, then the price of a single bottle of potion could be reduced significantly.

How could costs be lowered?

Money.

Buying things worked like this. The more you bought, the cheaper the unit price became.

And the enormous amount of capital flowing in through the Young Wizard Card fully satisfied that condition.

More importantly, all three of those expenses could be handled within the Second Dynasty itself.

That meant costs could be pushed even lower.

The second important matter would, in turn, stabilise the market.

Absorb more affiliated businesses and establish pricing standards.

Once both of these things were completed, it would no longer be just the money of young wizards. The funds of all wizards would begin moving into a new place for storage.

After all, if a single card could handle everything, why would anyone keep their money in Gringotts, where they still had to withdraw it manually and put up with the goblins' sour faces?

"This is gradually replacing Gringotts."

Mr. Greengrass reached that conclusion, almost unable to believe it.

Gringotts.

The only bank that had stood unshaken in the wizarding world.

Why had it endured for so long?

Because the goblins controlled the production of the wizarding world's currency.

Goblins might not have the best character, but no one could deny their craftsmanship.

Other currencies could potentially be manipulated by magic, but Galleons and the like were unique.

Every coin was distinct and impossible to counterfeit.

By controlling that technology, the goblins had avoided ending up enslaved like house-elves, even after losing wars against wizards.

But now, something else equally impossible to counterfeit had appeared.

The Young Wizard Card.

A new form of currency controlled by wizards.

Of course, it could be counterfeited.

But only if someone possessed alchemical skill surpassing John's.

That would be even more difficult than forging Galleons.

The card was something John had created by combining goblin minting techniques with alchemy. It was not something that could be cracked so easily.

Anyone with that level of ability might as well create a Philosopher's Stone. It would be far easier and more profitable.

For now, the wizards simply had not realised it yet. Or perhaps, after so many years, they had become accustomed to believing that Gringotts was the safest place to keep their wealth.

If the Second Dynasty ever released a card meant for adult wizards, the entire wizarding world would change.

Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts would not disappear.

But only small amounts would remain in individual households. Most of them would instead be stored in the Second Dynasty's vaults.

Thinking of this, Mr. Greengrass slowly lowered his gaze.

Before him lay a row of nine black cards.

They were the same size as the Young Wizard Card, but unlike it, each black card bore the image of a tree drawn in golden circles and lines.

It gave off an ancient and mysterious air.

"The Magic Card."

Mr. Greengrass picked one up and walked to the window.

Sunlight fell across the card.

The tree on its surface seemed to emerge almost as though it were real.

This was the Second Dynasty's true trump card.

Each of the top ten ancient families had been given nine cards.

They were to bring these Magic Cards to wealthy and ancient families and persuade them to deposit their money through them.

Because of their rarity, these cards would naturally be sought after by the powerful and influential.

Then, through the effect of celebrity and prestige, ordinary wizards would begin to see both the convenience and status represented by the card.

From what Mr. Greengrass understood, there were currently one hundred cards in total.

Ninety had gone to the Ancient Alliance.

A few others had been distributed elsewhere, and Gilderoy Lockhart had one.

That flamboyant peacock would certainly make sure everyone knew how convenient the card was.

When that happened, Gringotts would no longer truly be a bank.

It would become nothing more than a mint.

...

"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight's bill is on Mr. Lockhart!"

Inside the newly opened Leaky Cauldron Music Bar in France, Gilderoy Lockhart was spending money extravagantly.

The wizards erupted into cheers.

With effortless flair, Gilderoy Lockhart pulled out his card and handed it to the waiter beside him.

Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to the sight.

The waiter respectfully accepted the Magic Card, walked to the counter, and swiped it across an alchemical device inlaid with purple crystal.

"That thing looks like a Young Wizard Card?"

The young heir of the Karma family looked over curiously.

"You're right, Karma," Lockhart said as he took the Magic Card back from the waiter and spun it around his finger. "But this is called a Magic Card."

"A Magic Card?" Karma froze.

Almost everyone around Lockhart was rich or influential.

Their gazes immediately focused on the card, which looked almost like a work of art.

A woman murmured dreamily, "It's beautiful."

"You all know my good friend, Lord Wick."

The moment Lockhart mentioned his good friend, he practically radiated pride.

"One day, he came to me and told me that this was something only distinguished clients of the Second Dynasty could possess."

At the mention of Lord Wick, everyone immediately pricked up their ears.

Lockhart loved being the centre of attention. He carefully placed the card on the table and said, "It's very similar to the Young Wizard Card, but we're adult wizards. Naturally, we adults don't enjoy the benefits given to young wizards."

"Yes, yes."

No one cared about that. They only wanted to know what the card actually did.

"The Magic Card offers convenience, but the best part is that it gives me certain privileges."

"Privileges?" Karma asked in confusion.

At that moment, crystal glasses flew over one after another and stacked themselves into a champagne tower under everyone's gaze.

A waiter approached carrying a large bottle of champagne and said respectfully, "Honoured Black Card user, this champagne tower is complimentary from the bar."

For wealthy people, what mattered most?

Prestige, of course.

They immediately caught the meaning behind the waiter's words.

Using the Black Card granted additional complimentary services.

They were not short of money.

But buying a champagne tower themselves was nowhere near as impressive as having one presented to them for free.

Lockhart stood, opened the champagne, and poured it into the topmost glass.

That glass was just like them, overflowing with vanity.

Everyone had only one thought.

They had to get a Magic Card of their own.

The influence of a top celebrity caused the news to spread rapidly from one person to ten, then from ten to a hundred.

And the families that had received Magic Cards wished they could tell the entire world that they owned one.

For a time, the Magic Card became even more popular than the Young Wizard Card.

There was even a rumour about two young heirs competing over who was wealthier.

Just as their argument became increasingly heated, one of them pulled out a Magic Card and mercilessly mocked the other with an overwhelming display of superiority.

The other young heir fainted on the spot from sheer anger.

Stories like that were hardly rare.

As a symbol of wealth and status, the Magic Card quickly became deeply rooted in people's minds.

A saying soon began circulating throughout the wizarding world.

"Rich? Then show me your Magic Card."

Relying on this gimmick, the Ancient Alliance extracted enormous amounts of Galleons from those greedy families.

Just as had once been said, as long as its reach became broad enough, the Second Dynasty would be able to replace Gringotts.

And there was another rather interesting point.

The wizarding world had no antitrust laws.

So the Second Dynasty was expanding without restraint, charging forward through this shattered world.

The benefits it brought also left the Ministries of Magic with little room to object.

Although the Second Dynasty drew away enormous amounts of capital, it never paid a single Knut less in taxes.

In fact, thanks to spending through the Young Wizard Card, the Ministries of Magic in every country were collecting substantial amounts of tax revenue.

John had originally intended to proceed gradually, first stirring the vanity of the major families before using them to influence ordinary wizards.

But then something happened that wound up his entire plan like a clockwork mechanism and sent it racing forward at an almost unbelievable speed.

That day, John had just finished dealing with a proposal for tax reductions on spending through the Young Wizard Fund, as well as completing arrangements for survivors of Grindelwald's frenzied attacks.

He stood on the balcony, letting the warm sunlight fall across him.

Tommy knocked on the door and entered, setting down a glass of water.

"How is Oz?"

"She's devastated, but she returned to work quickly." Tommy sighed. "Right now, all she wants is to find those Acolytes."

"Being Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement isn't an easy position."

John nodded and was about to return inside when an owl flew toward them.

While it was still five metres away, it dropped a newspaper and immediately veered away.

It seemed Basil had frightened the owls so badly that they no longer dared approach Silverhand Manor.

John caught the newspaper and opened it.

His hand froze halfway to lifting the glass of water.

His gaze locked onto the most striking headline on the page.

And beneath it was an image of a goblin sitting miserably among the ruins.

#Gringotts Attacked#

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