There were too many guests, so what was said to be a banquet today was actually a large buffet.
However, everything that could be brought out from Dentis Castle was made by top chefs using the finest ingredients—Dana even secretly hired Muggle chefs, including two master chefs from China who reportedly graduated from the Central Plains Culinary Vocational Technical School, making them truly authentic.
Reflected in the banquet scene, many people abandoned their aristocratic airs and hid in corners, feasting to their hearts' content.
Dana—no, Count Dentis—was naturally the center of the entire banquet, and everyone wanted to talk to him, so he was constantly surrounded by four or five people.
"Count, how did you think of moving to England?"
Dentis responded with a smile:
"That's because the ladies in France are too unrestrained—you know, although I am French, I was born in a large Eastern country, and my views on relationships between men and women are still very conservative. So, compared to France, the ladies in England are more to my liking.
You see, I don't have any other pursuits in this life," (the surrounding people nodded in unison) "finding a lover who can spend my life with me is the most important thing, am I right?"
"Of course! Of course! Our pure-blood ladies in England are all good girls who cherish their purity!"
People echoed Dentis, as if what he said was the truth.
And as people quietly spread the Count's views on love to the area where the family members were, many girls silently pulled up their open necklines and then cast a transformation spell to make their collars look as if they had always been that way.
However, their actions were destined to be in vain.
Count Dentis would not have any thoughts in this regard until he succeeded in avenging himself.
Moreover, what the girls didn't know was that the reputation of English pure-blood ladies had long been ruined by a certain older female youth who enjoyed looking at posters.
Cornelius Fudge, full and satisfied, walked toward Dentis.
The people surrounding the Count stepped aside, leaving this important figure alone with the Minister of Magic.
"Count!"
"Minister! After all, this is not my home country, and the ingredients are not fully prepared. Please forgive me for the inadequate hospitality!"
"Not at all, not at all. If what you serve here, Count, is considered inadequate hospitality, then I would have to suspect that what I've been eating for the past few decades has been pig slop."
This was the first time in his two lives that Dentis had heard a metaphor comparing himself to a pig, so he smiled and brushed the topic aside.
Fudge pointed to a group of sofas in the corner of the hall where no one was sitting.
"Shall we chat there for a while?"
"Of course."
The two sat down, and Fudge couldn't wait to say:
"Count, I have been looking forward to a generous figure like you for a long time—the British wizarding world has reached a point where it desperately needs fresh blood to come in."
"Oh? What do you mean by that, Minister?"
"Count, you don't know. In the past ten years, because of the mysterious man, a large number of wizards in the British wizarding world have died or fled, and the remaining families have also suffered from population decline," (Dana sneered disdainfully in his heart), "so the taxes collected by the Ministry of Magic are less than one-third of what they were ten years ago.
You know, in order to maintain the Statute of Secrecy, the Ministry of Magic needs to invest a lot of manpower and resources every year in maintaining the magic arrays that isolate the wizarding world from the Muggle world. These magic arrays are all over England, totaling more than nine hundred!
When tax revenues plummeted, our Ministry of Magic became stretched, to the point that we couldn't even pay the salaries of the Ministry of Magic employees properly—if it weren't for philanthropists like Malfoy who occasionally donate some money, the Ministry of Magic would have collapsed long ago.
However, now even large families like the Malfoys are starting to make ends meet. If we don't make changes, the British wizarding world is finished!"
Dentis laughed.
"Minister, it's not easy for you. So, you mean that as long as fresh blood like me comes in, the British Ministry of Magic will have new sponsorship and can continue to exist?"
Fudge's face was a little embarrassed.
"In theory, that's how it is."
Dentis shook his head:
"Sponsoring the Ministry of Magic is not a problem, but I need the Ministry of Magic to support me in doing some things to ensure that my investment in the Ministry of Magic is not wasted—I am not as noble as Mr. Malfoy, so I require a return."
"Of course, of course! That's only natural."
Fudge thought to himself that families like the Malfoys sponsored the Ministry of Magic, but the resources and power they extracted from the Ministry far exceeded their investment. Rather than that, it would be better to see what Dentis's conditions were.
Dentis nodded and said:
"I want to build a bank."
"But Gringotts already exists in the wizarding world, doesn't it?"
"Is the existence of Gringotts reasonable, Minister?"
Dentis asked.
Fudge didn't understand any of this and was immediately stunned by the question.
"Reasonable? Unreasonable?"
Dentis snapped his fingers, and a waiter immediately walked over with refreshments.
"Minister, let's chat while drinking tea."
Dentis waited for the waiter to set out the teacups and pastries, then casually raised his teacup and sniffed it at his nose.
"Minister, this tea is excellent tea from the East. Please try it."
Dentis took a sip of tea, then put down the teacup and said,
"I have never understood why Gringotts exists. Wizards deposit their gold with goblins, but the goblins don't pay any interest. This is simply robbery!"
"Wait a minute, Count, I don't quite understand. They keep our wealth safe for us. Why should they give us interest?"
Dentis sighed:
"Minister, money can make money! If my Galleons were not deposited in Gringotts, but used to invest in industries, as long as they were properly managed, my Galleons would only increase.
So Gringotts controls a large amount of wizards' wealth, and who knows if they have misappropriated these funds for investment! The most important thing is that they use wizards' money to make money, and even require wizards to pay for the vault!
If the Minister thinks this is reasonable, then just pretend I didn't say anything."
The wizarding world is only isolated from the Muggle world; wizards are not fools.
As soon as Dentis said this, Fudge immediately understood what he meant:
"According to you, the existence of Gringotts is indeed unreasonable."
"Right? They are sucking blood from wizards! The problem is that in the early years of the war between wizards and goblins, the goblins were still the defeated!"
Fudge felt that Count Dentis was right and nodded repeatedly.
Dentis continued:
"So, I want to establish a bank, reform the monetary system, and issue paper money to replace the inconvenient Galleon system. As long as wizards deposit their money in my bank, I can make that money make money and then give it back to the wizards—isn't that more reliable than paying goblins to keep the money?
Minister, you should be able to see that I have the strength to do this, because the property of the entire British wizarding world combined may not be as valuable as the collection on the first floor of my castle!"
Dentis raised his head, looking extremely proud.
But Fudge insisted on thinking he was right, which was very ghostly.
End of the Chapter
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