Chapter 700: Sand of the Moon and Forest in a Bottle
Chapter 700: Sand of the Moon and Forest in a Bottle
That evening, Madam Bones and several students emerged from Gringotts, surrounded by a group of goblins. Journalists who had been alerted in advance immediately swarmed around them. Flashbulbs blinked brightly. Madam Bones announced to the public that the negotiations had gone smoothly, and they had reached an agreement on several issues.
The goblin spokesperson confirmed this and provided an explanation for the recent dragon escape incident.
"That dragon had long been unable to handle its duties. If you are aware, Gringotts has recently been seeking alternatives. Yes, the dragon was transferred to another location for processing. During this period, the most important vaults have been guarded by a sphinx. We considered having a troll wear goblin armor, which would provide dragon-like defense."
When a journalist pressed for the reason behind the dragon's escape, the goblin spokesperson replied curtly:
"The Council of Elders decided to transfer the dragon to avoid scaring our esteemed guests. Unfortunately, an accident occurred during the transfer. The person in charge was an outsider unfamiliar with controlling the dragon... Bode, the cross-eyed one, who unfortunately died in the incident. We cannot disclose further details."
The impromptu press conference ended, and Harry and the others came out to meet Ron. Ron suggested they have a drink, so the group headed en masse into the Leaky Cauldron. The bar was packed, with Wizards everywhere discussing the event. Just as they were at a loss, Neville poked his head out from a dark, hidden corner and waved vigorously.
"Harry, Ron—over here!" he called excitedly.
Once everyone was seated, Ron was not pleased to find Draco Malfoy sitting next to him. "I thought you went home", he said with a frown.
"The negotiations aren't over, so I can't leave", Draco replied with a disdainful glance at Ron, which made him glare. "Of course, since you were excluded from the negotiations, you wouldn't know the role I played."
Ron paused, then looked at Harry, who reluctantly nodded, acknowledging Draco's contribution.
"Alright, um, so—can anyone tell us what happened during the negotiations? Why did a dragon escape?"
Harry gave a brief overview of the entire negotiation process.
"Sounds like it wasn't an accident", Tonks said. "Oh, thank you, Tom." She accepted the drinks from the bar owner, Tom, and distributed them to everyone. As she bent down, a bunch of sparkling grapes fell from her pocket, looking very tempting.
"Oh", Tonks pouted. "I bought these from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. You can try them; they're called Flavorful Grapes, a bit like Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans."
Neville picked one up. "Purple cabbage flavor", he said, relieved. Hannah also took one, flicking her ponytail. "Pumpkin pie flavor." "Spinach, not bad at all", Collins said, taking a small bite. "Celery", Harry grimaced, then grabbed a glass of water to rinse his mouth. Hermione and Ginny, hearing they were from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, didn't even touch them.
After the interlude, they returned to their earlier topic.
"It's definitely that cross-eyed guy's fault", Ron said confidently. "They tried to scare us with the dragon, but it backfired. As soon as Madam Bones gave the signal, the Aurors outside would have rushed in, right, Collins?"
Collins nodded.
"What happened after that?" Neville asked curiously. "You talked for another two hours after the dragon flew away."
Harry turned to Hermione. "Nothing else happened. Most of the time, Hermione was speaking, occasionally pausing to consult Madam Bones or to answer questions from the goblins. They often debated a single word for ten or even thirty minutes, making me feel like I was back in History of Magic class."
Everyone laughed. Hermione rolled her eyes and picked out a few key points. With her explanation, they managed to grasp the main points of the negotiations.
"We avoided some thorny issues", Hermione said. "These are the deadlocks between Wizards and goblins, not easily resolved. Perhaps in the end, a professor will have to step in."
They then discussed the goblin spokesperson's words.
"‘Esteemed guests,’" Ron said with a look of disgust. "I've never heard a goblin speak so sweetly."
"If you rent a high-security vault at Gringotts and deposit a large sum of money", Draco Malfoy said mockingly, "you'll hear it all the time."
"How much money do you have? Just you?" Ron countered. "I have over a thousand Galleons to my name."
Draco Malfoy was taken aback.
"Where did you get so much money?" he couldn't help but ask. A thousand Galleons was a significant amount even for him.
"I worked hard for it", Ron said without hesitation. "Tournament prize money, royalties from match broadcasts, essay fees—oh, right", he slapped his forehead, "I also have a large sum of money deposited at a Muggle newspaper. If the negotiations succeed, I wonder if I can go and collect it?" he said uncertainly.
"Are you obsessed with money?" Ginny said.
"It's what I deserve", Ron said indignantly. "Do I ever skimp on gifts for you?"
Ginny pouted. Draco, smugly, said, "After graduation, my family will provide a substantial sum—tens of thousands of Galleons, at least..."
"Does that have anything to do with having a Knut?" Harry asked, repulsed.
"Harry's vault also holds a substantial sum, but he never mentions it", Ron said immediately.
"Oh, please", Hermione said impatiently. "When did you start competing over this? I don't think money can solve the problems we face—"
"Small families don't understand the benefits of wealth", Draco sneered. "My father has connections with many prominent healers—possibly in a few years, I'll be the Head of House at the first Wizard-Muggle joint hospital."
"Is that so", Hermione retorted sharply, "then can the Heir of the prestigious Malfoy family tell me why no one else is involved in this business if it has such a bright future? Is it because of the Malfoy family's reputation? Or the money and power you're so proud of? Oh, I almost forgot, the Malfoy family only has money left."
Draco's face darkened. Because Hermione was telling the truth.
The Malfoy family's wealth and prestige had significantly diminished after the war, and their influence was far less than it once was. The only reason no other Pureblood Families had interfered with the hospital was that they all believed it was Professor Hep's compensation to Lucius for his role as a spy.
But the truth—
Draco remembered his father's words. "He never promised anything, and he might not even know about it. Keeping the Malfoy family intact was his reward for me being a spy." Lucius had said this in the study.
"Then—"
"Because of you. At the time, the wizarding world hadn't been exposed, and you were the only one among the people he met who showed this potential. He was happy to support you." Lucius analyzed calmly. "The wealth accumulated by the Malfoy family over generations and our connections with the Muggles would make this easier. But remember, you're not the only candidate, which is why I've been promoting this openly and warning some Pureblood Families in secret." He gave a cold laugh.
"The noble Pureblood Families? Now, being Pureblood isn't worth much; they're just blood remnants."
...
In the following days, the negotiations got on track. With the help of many mediators, both sides entered substantive negotiations, overcoming one obstacle after another. As Hermione had predicted, only a few extremely stubborn issues remained, such as the ownership of items crafted by goblins and whether goblins could hold wands.
"These are just details, and details don't matter to me. We're discussing whether goblins should join the Pan-Magical Alliance—where most intelligent beings are already members", Felix said, appearing at another negotiation session and taking his seat.
"Goblins can hold wands, but there must be a price. The day goblins can hold wands is the day their unique metal forging techniques are made public." He turned to Hermione. "Write this into the notes of the clause."
"Oh, yes, Professor!" Hermione said hurriedly, adding the note to the parchment.
An awkward silence fell. The goblins and wizards present were dissatisfied with the outcome, feeling their side had been shortchanged. But after careful consideration, this seemed to be the best way to bypass the controversy.
Theoretically, goblins had gained a right they had been fighting for centuries. This right had previously been legally restricted, with non-wizards prohibited from holding wands. Today, a crack had been made. But the price was staggering—
What were the goblins' unique metal forging techniques?
They were tied to the goblins' natural talents and their specialized magical systems. Once these were unraveled, the goblins would have no secrets left.
If anyone else had said this, the goblins might have dismissed it with a sneer or even a curse, looking at the wizard with disdain. Goblins took great pride in their magic and didn't believe anyone could achieve this. But when these words came from a great mage comparable to Dumbledore, they were skeptical yet uncertain.
Especially since this great mage had a precedent—nearly independently creating (or rediscovering) the Runic Script system. He was only in his mid-twenties and had likely spent less than a decade studying Ancient Runes, making his words carry significant weight.
The goblins exchanged glances, each seeing hesitation in the other's eyes.
Some clever wizards also thought about this, but from a different angle: goblin-crafted swords and armor were legendary, and their silverware was highly sought after by wizards. If they could obtain this technology, they would be happy to make the exchange.
Previously, wizards could not replicate goblin magic.
Several wizards looked at Felix with intense interest. Faced with such a vast benefit, they were tempted to start a war, but Felix's cold stare quickly extinguished their greed.
After another intense round of negotiations, the goblins agreed to join the Pan-Magical Alliance, retaining internal influence but aligning their external stance with the wizards.
"We will retain our right to appeal, as we signed a contract two hundred years ago", the goblin elder said, half-relieved and half-reluctant.
Felix remained silent, but the notion of constructing a magical city gained momentum in his thoughts. He recognized that the wizarding world was a complex, interconnected web, and altering one aspect could have far-reaching, potentially disastrous consequences. Felix had no desire to drastically alter the wizards' way of life, as that could be detrimental. Instead, he yearned to create something from scratch, where he could experiment, make mistakes, and start anew without constraints. The existing world was too fragile to endure such turmoil, and he believed that forging a new path was the most viable approach.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Magic officially contacted the Muggle government, still without discussing the main issues. This was a follow-up to Felix's first visit to the Queen with his students. Neither the Muggle Prime Minister nor the Minister of Magic appeared, but both sides sent officials and representatives. The nominal level of the meeting was much higher.
Both sides presented their histories, cultures, beliefs, and technologies (magic) in a formal and lengthy manner, similar to government reports.
The Ministry of Magic sent Mr. Weasley, whose status had risen with the restructuring of the Ministry. During the meeting, Mr. Weasley showed a keen interest in various technological products. Upon learning that Mr. Weasley was the wizard father frequently mentioned in the popular "Wizard School Life" series in the newspapers, the government staff decided to give him a set of wrenches with various sizes of bolts and nuts.
"Thank you so much", Mr. Weasley said enthusiastically. "I didn’t bring personal gifts, but when I came, Minister of Magic Madam Bones entrusted me with two gifts for the Muggle government—"
He opened the box, revealing a simple dish and an ornate crystal bottle inside.
The crystal bottle contained a miniature forest landscape. The government representative glanced at it briefly before turning his attention to the dusty dish, which had faded and incomplete patterns, lacking any aesthetic appeal.
"Uh", the government representative was a bit confused, "Does this dish have any special significance?"
It didn’t seem to have any artistic value. Their side had also prepared gifts, carefully selected artifacts from a museum, each with significant artistic and historical value.
"The appearance isn’t important; what matters is its origin", Mr. Weasley said. "It comes from the Moon."
The government representative’s eyes widened.
"The Moon?"
"Yes", Mr. Weasley nodded and smiled, but at that moment, the representative felt his smile become enigmatic, contrasting sharply with the lively expression he had while listening to the report.
Once the meeting ended, the government representative immediately headed to a conference room to be questioned by the entire cabinet. The Prime Minister seemed eager. "How did it go? What was their reaction?" He turned to look at a rather unassuming person behind the representative. "You’re the country’s best psychologist; what are your conclusions?"
The psychologist was lost in thought.
"He might need some time to adapt to the psychological impact of magic... I’ll go ahead and speak." The representative opened the box, and just as before, everyone was drawn to the contents inside.
"A miniature landscape in a bottle?" The Prime Minister glanced at the unremarkable dish, assuming it was some kind of artifact, but his attention was on the intricate crystal bottle. He leaned down to examine it closely. "Interesting, I see birds, and they’re moving—magic, right?" The others murmured in amazement.
The representative pursed his lips.
"It might not be what you think. This is indeed the result of magic, but it also involves something else", he said with a peculiar expression. "Inside is a real forest, using the Undetectable Extension Charm—you can think of it as a magical application of spatial expansion technology."
The conference room seemed to freeze. The Prime Minister, still bent over, turned to stare at him.
"Is this technology—well, I mean, the application of this magic—quite advanced? Of course, the magic on this bottle will only last a week. They learned that the parliament is planning to build a garden, so they sent us a..."
"They sent us a bottle garden?" a minister groaned.
"Using it is simple", the representative continued, though his voice betrayed a hint of uncertainty. "Within a week, smash the bottle in the center of the designated area, and the magic garden will return to its original size. It will have trees, flowers, and even a fountain, just like the real thing."
Silence. The ministers in the room silently pondered the implications of this magic, growing increasingly uneasy. After a while, the Prime Minister forced himself to ask, "What about the other one?" He found his throat dry.
"The other one..." The representative hesitated, his demeanor making the others tense. Could the dish also be extraordinary, hiding some unknown magic?
"The dish is quite ordinary, without any magic. The key is its origin. I can’t judge, but I’ll relay what the Wizard said", the representative cleared his throat. "Mr. Felix Hep climbed the Moon a few days ago and, by luck, found a Wizard relic—"
"Are you joking?" the Prime Minister interrupted.
"Perhaps the Wizards are playing a joke on us, but that’s for you to decide", the representative said. "This event has been widely publicized in the Wizard community. Hep—last time’s visiting Wizard professor—claimed that the first landing on the Moon wasn’t well-prepared, so he only searched the surrounding area..."
Amidst the puzzled looks, the Prime Minister suddenly jumped up.
"Call the best scientists! Right now! Immediately! Have them drop everything—also, don’t we have a Moon soil sample? Find it, divide it into several portions, and I want the most accurate conclusions!"
"Mr. Prime Minister, the Moon soil is very precious; we only have a little", a staff member whispered.
The Prime Minister pointed at the dirty dish and roared, "Precious? If this is real, Moon soil will be as common as dirt. What do you think that bottle means? The Wizards are clearly telling us they can hollow out the Moon!"
"Where will they put all the extra soil?" a minister called out.
Everyone glared at him as if he were an idiot.
"That is indeed a problem", the Prime Minister said grimly. "What about piling it on top of us?"
In the silence, the representative cautiously spoke up. "On the bright side, it means space travel could become possible. With all due respect, Mr. Prime Minister, gentlemen, a simple crystal bottle can hold a garden. If Wizards put their full effort into it, they could build a magical spaceship—of course, it could also be a meteorite headed for us, depending on our choice. If Wizard magic combines with our technology, interstellar migration could be possible within decades."
"Despite my low rank, I sincerely advise all ministers that only cooperation can secure our future!"
...
"Kingsley Shacklebolt has reported that the Muggle government is prepared to negotiate with us", Madam Bones told Felix.
"Our strategy seems to have worked: avoiding rash actions, gradually revealing valuable information, and making the Muggle government weigh the consequences of war against the benefits of cooperation. They will weigh the pros and cons and come to the negotiating table. We have finally passed the most unpredictable period."
"It’s time to set our sights abroad."
Felix looked into the distance, where a lighthouse stood. He whispered softly.
"In the sudden arrival of a new era, how many will seize the opportunity and rise up? And who will foolishly harbor hostility towards an unfamiliar group and fall into decline? Time will give us the answer."
(End of Chapter)
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