Chapter 337: The Final Piece

"Everyone here, who doesn't want to devour Umbrella? But we all know that's impossible," the American wizard said. "However, Umbrella Corporation is a multinational enterprise, vast in scale. Even if we split it into a hundred pieces, each piece would be enough for everyone here to feast upon."

"The reason Murphy ran into trouble is that he tried to swallow it all alone. But I'm not greedy. Gentlemen, after we take Murphy down together, I only want my one percent."

The wizards were tempted. In truth, they held no grudge against Murphy, nor did they care much about the so-called Statute of Secrecy being broken. They had gathered here simply because they saw the massive benefits left behind after Murphy's downfall.

"But the entire British Ministry of Magic listens to him now. What do you intend to do?" someone asked.

"How many people are in the British Ministry of Magic?" the American wizard said. "We are here from various countries. If we persuade the ministries of each nation and organize a crusade, how many people would that be?"

"Do you really intend to start a war?"

"War doesn't require us to take the field ourselves," the American wizard said. "However, war isn't the only means. We can also contact some resistance figures within Britain; there are surely many of them. I heard Murphy has nearly filled Azkaban to the brim; perhaps we could even orchestrate a prison break. In short, we can cause him trouble so he can't attend to his Muggle businesses."

"At that point, we can take the opportunity to make some commercial arrangements."

"Just as Mr. Gaston is doing," the American wizard said. "I believe everyone here must have some small businesses and channels of their own."

"Perhaps our individual scale is far from Umbrella's, but we can unite. Isn't he just selling potions? Can't we do that? It's just that he ate alone and invited jealousy, but we have strength in numbers. As long as we are united enough, we can do this more discreetly."

Only after Dumbledore exposed Murphy's relationship with Umbrella did these wizards from various countries realize how much money Murphy was actually making, and how vast a market the Muggle society had become.

Moreover, in their view, what Murphy was doing required no real technical skill. Wasn't it just packaging potions Muggles had never seen and selling them to those rubes?

If Murphy could do it, they certainly could too.

Therefore, since last year, many quick-witted wizards among various nations had begun making some surreptitious moves.

It was just that Umbrella had already occupied the market, and they weren't very familiar with the various rules of Muggle society, so the current returns weren't particularly good. But even so, the high profits made them recklessly pour in their life savings.

Murphy had indeed set a very bad precedent; with his extreme wealth, he had once again ignited the greed of wizards.

……

On the other side, having left the meeting, Dumbledore arrived at Grindelwald's hideout.

The latter was drinking.

"The French are useless at other things, but they have a knack for brewing," Grindelwald pushed a glass across. "Is that time-wasting meeting over? I guess you didn't reach any useful conclusions."

Dumbledore sat down. "You seem to be gloating."

"There is indeed some pleasure in seeing you thwarted," Grindelwald smiled. "Destroying Murphy's industries in the Muggle world has little meaning; it might even cause them to break into smaller pieces and exist in more hidden ways. But if you want to move against Murphy's influence in the magical world, you must face the British Ministry of Magic. I guess you don't want to start a war, do you?"

"Everything I do is to avoid the worst outcome of war, whether it's a war between wizards and Muggles, or between wizards and wizards," Dumbledore said.

"You are too naive, Albus," Grindelwald took a sip of wine. "Necessary sacrifices exist. Those who want to gain everything without paying a price will gain nothing."

"However, this Murphy's methods are truly admirable. By comparison, I was far too radical in my youth."

"Whether in Muggle society or the wizarding world, his influence is legal, to the point that to deal with him, one must use legal means, otherwise we would become the villains."

"Only when looking at the two worlds combined, due to the existence of the Statute of Secrecy, is he conducting illegal activities."

"But precisely because of the Statute of Secrecy, we cannot cooperate with Muggle society on a large scale. Thus, in the 'field of cooperation between wizards and Muggles,' his strength is far greater than ours. This is truly a genius design."

"No, rather, he is exploiting this massive loophole in the rules."

"Sounds like you admire him?" Dumbledore asked.

"Indeed. If I were twenty again, I might even follow in his footsteps, because his ideals are more persuasive and feasible than mine were."

"However, alas, I am old now," Grindelwald said. "So, he and I have become enemies."

"You can leave, Gellert, you are free," Dumbledore said. "This is my responsibility, not yours. In fact, lately, I've begun to feel that everything I do is merely futile."

Grindelwald was silent for a moment, then said, "If so, why not give up?"

"Albus, if I have made any progress in these fifty years, it is that I have learned to give up. Learned to accept some things, to face unstoppable fate. Resistance is honorable, but running away is not necessarily shameful. We are not saints; what is wrong with being kind to oneself and a little selfish?"

Dumbledore was stunned. "To think those words would come from you."

"Fifty years, Albus. We have both changed a lot."

"But there are things that haven't changed," Dumbledore sighed. "Let's go back to Murphy. Currently, it seems only killing him is the path that can truly stop him..."

Perhaps a war by the wizarding world against the British Ministry of Magic would work, but that was not an outcome he wished to see. Killing Murphy was the plan with the least damage to the wizarding world.

Perhaps this was what Grindelwald called "necessary sacrifice"?

But killing Murphy was easier said than done. They failed last time, and there might be even less chance in the future.

"If you still want to stop Murphy, you had better be quick," suddenly, a black-robed priest walked in from outside.

"Murphy Darkholm is building an 'antenna'," the black-robed priest ignored their wary expressions, came to the table, and said in that kind, gentle tone, "This is the last opportunity to stop him. Once his 'antenna' is built, he will be able to find the raw materials to manufacture the Magic Stone, and from then on, he will fill in the final piece of the puzzle that triggers a magical explosion."

"By then, the collapse of the Statute of Secrecy will be a foregone conclusion."

"The secret will be revealed, the oath will be broken, and the countdown to the world's destruction will begin."

"That is something neither I nor you wish to see."

"Stop him from building that antenna; this is your last chance."

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 338 =====