"And Thunderbird,"
Sagres continued, "Last Christmas, Headmaster Agilbert Fontaine mentioned in his letter that he was getting old and planning to retire. I believe you are the perfect candidate for the next Headmaster."
"I'm not young anymore, and my energy might be lacking…" Thunderbird slowly shook his head.
"Oh please—" Kestrel seized the opportunity to interject, "Over a hundred years old is the prime age for working hard! Don't forget, we have the Philosopher's Stone as our fallback!"
"For once, Kestrel spoke wisely!" Everyone echoed with laughter.
"Boo! You guys are so mean!"
Then Sagres collected his thoughts and continued to make arrangements for the others.
"Robin, you work in the International Floo Network Coordination Office. If possible, we will help you become the office director, or even further, take the position of Director of the International Magical Transportation Department."
Robin straightened his back, revealing a capable smile.
"Nightingale, you teach Potions at Beauxbatons. I was hoping you could become the Headmistress in the future.. But Madame Maxime doesn't seem to have any immediate plans to retire; her physique and energy are quite abundant. However, if the opportunity arises in the future, I will talk to her about it. Please don't plot her death, though."
Nightingale nodded understandingly, shrugging with a hint of French elegance and helplessness.
"Stork, you work at the International Confederation of Wizards Gazette. If you are interested and the time is right, we will find a way to promote you to editor-in-chief. After all, the high ground of public opinion is crucial."
Stork pushed up his glasses, a sharp glint flashing behind the lenses. "Controlling the mouthpiece is what I'm good at. I will closely monitor the editorial department's movements."
"Snowy Owl, you are rooted in the Magical Creatures Merchant Guild and also have deep connections in the African Gemstone Merchant Guild. If possible, we will integrate resources and try to help you ascend to the position of Guild Master."
Snowy Owl nodded steadily. "I already understand the operational context of the guild, and the position of Guild Master is indeed my next goal."
"Also, Swift," Sagres turned to the Gringotts curse-breaker, "it's almost impossible for you to hold a high position at Gringotts. Senior curse-breaker or curse-breaking team leader is the limit you can reach. After all, Goblins are extremely xenophobic, and they have absolute control over Gringotts, so I'm afraid I can't help much with this."
Swift frowned slightly, clearly a little disappointed.
Sagres then shifted the topic. "However, if you can uncover the secrets of Gringotts' core high-level personnel… then, when the time is ripe in the future, we might be able to launch a financial revolution in the Wizarding World."
"What did you say?" Swift couldn't help but ask, his brows furrowing tightly, clearly not fully grasping the core of the idea.
"It's about dismantling Gringotts' monopoly foundation."
A strange silence fell over the room. Thunderbird stroked his beard, his eyes clouded with confusion; Robin opened his mouth but made no sound; Nightingale's beautiful face was full of question marks; Snowy Owl and Stork exchanged a completely bewildered look; while Swift, as the one directly involved, wore an expression that said, Are you serious?
Only Kestrel's eyes were shining, though clearly in the wrong direction—
"Sounds exciting, but what exactly are we going to do?"
Sagres looked at the circle of bewildered faces and decisively chose to skip the theoretical groundwork. "Alright, details later. I can briefly explain the operating steps to you."
He extended his slender fingers, explaining each point in a calm tone:
"First, we can create a liquidity crisis, for example, by spreading rumors:
Gringotts embezzled Wizard vault funds to invest in a dragon sanctuary, resulting in losses so severe that not a single Knut was left…
Or, even more explosively, say that Gringotts' underground vaults were infiltrated by a mysterious spy, and the Galleons flowing out are substandard, mixed with inferior metals…"
Sagres's first step made everyone's eyes widen, as if struck by lightning. But he ignored their shock and continued:
"Then hire a group of House-elves and have them queue up daily at Gringotts' entrance waiting to withdraw money, creating a panic atmosphere and triggering a bank run."
As he spoke, a cold arc appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Then use the Homorphus Charm to mass-produce a batch of fake 'Ghost Galleons' and inject them into the market, diluting the currency's value and leaving the Goblins in a state of chaos."
"This… this is simply…" Swift murmured, his quill unconsciously poking the parchment, as if recording a fantastical tale.
"This is just the first step. The next, second step can be more radical, such as triggering a systemic risk in Gringotts Wizarding Bank."
Sagres's voice carried a nearly cruel rationality. "Find a way to replace the reserve currency in some of Gringotts' core vaults with a large batch of 'Galleons' that are indistinguishable from real ones. Once this 'gilded outside, rotten inside' hole is exposed—even if it's just a rumor—the foundation of trust upon which the entire Goblin system relies will instantly collapse."
It had to be said, this was insidious, but very effective.
"The final step is to build a new order." His tone was absolute. "On the ruins of Gringotts, establish a new trust bank—a financial system completely controlled by Wizards."
He paused, then threw out an even more advanced concept:
"After that, we can also introduce decentralized magic currency, creating a type of cryptocurrency based on magical contracts; then establish a Wizard credit system, providing low-interest loans to attract young Wizards. Of course," he added lightly, "to control risk, Legilimency can be used to efficiently verify their repayment willingness and ability."
Everyone was dumbfounded.
If these words had come from anyone else, they would have scoffed, dismissing them as the drunken ramblings of a fool.
But this man in front of them… they all knew how intelligent and powerful he was!
And he spoke with such clarity and logic—even if they didn't quite understand.
"Where did you… where did you get all this from…?"
"I thought about it alone in the attic before…" Sagres took a sip of the drink before him. "Of course, it was mainly based on Muggle books and wisdom."
"Based on Muggles' wisdom..?"
Everyone, including the usually calm Nightingale and Snowy Owl, showed expressions of disbelief.
"You must not underestimate Muggles."
Sagres looked at the doubt on their faces and said earnestly, "To be honest, you Wizards, apart from using magic, are actually inferior to Muggles in many aspects."
"Hm?"
Nightingale keenly caught the oddity in Sagres's words. She tilted her head slightly, her eyes—always sharp, as if seeing straight into people's hearts—gazed at him with a playful smile. Softly, she corrected: "Raven, you just said… 'you Wizards'? Shouldn't it be 'we Wizards'?"
Sagres's gaze met Nightingale's. The usual composure on his face faltered for the briefest moment, but it vanished instantly.
He then smiled gently, even approvingly, and admitted without hesitation:
"You're right."
He nodded, as if correcting nothing more than a casual slip of the tongue. Yet the fleeting, complex emotion that passed through his deep eyes went unnoticed—even by Nightingale.
"Finally, Kestrel, you…" Sagres paused, seeming to give it serious thought. "You… be careful when you travel!"
"Wait!" Kestrel instantly bristled. "Why does it become this when it comes to me?!"
"Because you're the only one here who's always idle, wandering all over the world," Thunderbird ruthlessly exposed her, though with a tone full of schadenfreude.
"Like a Bludger with legs…" Stork immediately added, seizing the chance to jab as well.
"I…" Kestrel was momentarily speechless.
Sagres raised his hand to stop her, smiling. "It's alright, as long as you don't cause big trouble. You are our technical core, and the future direction still needs your guidance."
Kestrel was still fuming, but when she heard "technical core" and "guiding direction," her eyes lit up again, her chin unconsciously lifting a little. Although she still grumbled, "That's more like it…" her lips couldn't help but curve into a slight smile.
~~~~~~~
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