Arthur Weasley was completely stunned.
The mysterious and influential figure everyone had been speculating about all day…
Had been standing beside him the entire time.
In Arthur's mind, Lucien was still merely a child around the same age as his own sons.
At most, perhaps a talented young wizard who might need help in the future.
Yet in the blink of an eye—
That same child had become the owner of half the shops in Diagon Alley.
Even Arthur himself might not have qualified to hold conversations with the powerful figures currently surrounding Lucien.
The shock left him unable to process reality for several seconds.
Beside him, Ginny's eyes had practically turned into hearts.
From the first moment she met Lucien, she had already been drawn toward the gentle and elegant boy.
Now, after receiving his gift and discovering his true identity—
That admiration transformed completely into a young girl's first crush.
Handsome.
Refined.
Talented.
Successful at such a young age.
Every single quality struck directly at the heart of a ten-year-old girl.
Meanwhile, Molly remained far calmer.
She simply pushed Lucien lightly toward the stage.
"Go on, dear."
"Don't keep everyone waiting."
"Yes, Mrs Weasley."
Lucien maintained perfect composure without the slightest trace of nervousness.
His posture remained graceful and steady as he walked toward the stage beside Fudge.
The reporters from the Daily Prophet had clearly prepared long ago.
The instant they saw Fudge and Lucien standing together—
Flash!
Flash!
Flash!
Camera lights exploded nonstop.
Fudge smiled brilliantly and even placed an arm warmly around Lucien's shoulder, deliberately displaying intimacy.
Naturally, Lucien didn't refuse.
After all—
Wasn't this exactly why he had handed so much profit over to the Ministry?
Meanwhile, numerous pure-blood family members watching nearby silently revised their opinions immediately.
Their children needed closer relationships with Lucien Grindelwald.
Previously, they viewed him merely as a talented junior.
But today's events proved one thing clearly—
Lucien's methods and vision had already far surpassed those of ordinary young wizards.
The future of such a genius was practically visible already.
After the photographs ended, Lucien stepped forward slightly and bowed elegantly toward the crowd.
"Thank you all for attending today."
His refined demeanour instantly won admiration from countless witches and wizards.
Then Lucien smiled faintly.
"To thank everyone for taking time from their busy schedules to support us…"
"All items within Saint Group stores will receive special discounts today."
The crowd immediately became attentive.
"Purchase one item and receive ten percent off."
"Purchase two items and receive twenty percent off."
"Purchase three items and receive thirty percent off."
"And additionally—"
"If three customers purchase together as a group, the discounts may stack further depending on total purchases."
"The more you buy…"
"The greater the discount."
The entire square instantly exploded into chaos.
"What?!"
"Thirty percent?!"
"Three people together?!"
Countless wizards immediately surged toward the various stores.
Lucien watched calmly from the stage.
He almost wanted to laugh.
These promotional methods had been completely ordinary in his previous world.
But to the backward wizarding economy—
They were practically dimensionality reduction attacks.
If he introduced things like Double Eleven shopping festivals or group-buying apps…
Britain's magical economy might genuinely collapse from excitement.
Meanwhile, Fudge's smile had practically reached his ears.
Regardless of how much the stores sold—
The Ministry still profited.
Naturally, he hoped sales became as explosive as possible.
Unlike the excited crowd around them, however—
Lucius Malfoy gradually frowned.
While everyone else busied themselves socialising, he quietly approached Lucien.
"Mr Grindelwald…"
His voice lowered slightly.
"Your sales strategy is brilliant."
"But regarding inventory…"
Lucien smiled calmly.
"Please follow me."
The two passed through several hidden corridors before arriving deep beneath the ceremony grounds.
Then—
With a casual wave of Lucien's wand—
The entire underground warehouse became illuminated.
Lucius instantly froze.
Mountains of magical creature materials filled the enormous space.
Unicorn horns.
Tail hairs.
Venomous fangs.
Rare feathers.
Exotic hides.
The quantity alone was enough to leave most pure-blood families speechless.
Lucius rubbed his eyes hard.
For a moment, he genuinely wondered whether he had hallucinated.
"Mr Grindelwald…"
His voice sounded dry.
"These materials…"
"All belong to our inventory," Lucien answered casually.
Lucius walked forward slowly in disbelief and touched one pristine unicorn horn nearby.
The Malfoy family certainly possessed larger collections accumulated over centuries.
But collections and active inventory were entirely different concepts.
Even the Malfoys would never dare release this quantity onto the market simultaneously.
"Mr Grindelwald…"
Lucius hesitated slightly.
"This question may sound rude…"
"But are these materials from old Saint reserves, or…"
Lucien smiled faintly.
"No."
"The source is entirely British."
Then his expression became rather meaningful.
"Actually, I should thank Britain's pure-blood families."
"They practically delivered these profits directly into my hands."
Lucius looked confused.
"Delivered them… to you?"
"Don't these materials look familiar?"
Lucius frowned harder.
"I've seen them before?"
"You certainly have."
Lucien smiled calmly.
"They all come from Hogwarts."
Lucius blinked.
"Hogwarts?"
"The Forbidden Forest."
Lucius inhaled sharply.
As a Hogwarts governor, he naturally understood how rich the Forbidden Forest truly was.
Countless people had coveted those resources for years.
Yet somehow—
Lucien had obtained them all.
"But…"
Lucius still didn't understand.
"What does this have to do with pure-blood families?"
Lucien's smile deepened.
"Hagrid."
"The Keeper of the Keys and Grounds."
"That half-giant?"
"Exactly."
Lucien nodded lightly.
"He previously attempted to sell magical creature materials to several pure-blood businesses in Diagon Alley."
"But everyone looked down on him."
"The offered prices were insultingly low."
"So…"
Lucien spread his hands lightly.
"I purchased everything at market value."
"And we established a long-term partnership."
"Anything he finds in the Forbidden Forest now belongs to me."
Lucius was completely speechless.
He genuinely never imagined that a simple gamekeeper could produce profits of this scale.
At the same time—
He almost wanted to curse those pure-blood idiots aloud.
How blind do you have to be to miss mountains of gold sitting directly in front of you?!
Even a fool could estimate the value of this warehouse.
Tens of thousands of Galleons.
At minimum.
Lucien quietly observed Lucius' changing expression.
He wasn't worried about betrayal.
Hagrid possessed an instinctive distrust toward most pure-bloods already.
And as for preventing Hagrid from collecting materials from the Forbidden Forest?
Please.
Would Hogwarts really interfere with someone picking things up off the ground?
After a very long silence, Lucius finally sighed deeply.
"Mr Grindelwald…"
His tone became far more respectful than before.
"Your vision truly deserves admiration."
Then he lowered his head slightly.
"The Malfoy family will become your most loyal partners."
....
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