Hogwarts: From Selling White Peppers to Becoming a God

Chapter 52 Defeat Gold Coins with Gold Coins

North Sea, Shetland Islands.

A sailing wooden ship that looked like it came from the 18th century slowly docked, and two Aurors, one on each side, grabbed a wizard's arm and pulled him off the ship.

"Lucius Malfoy, your sentence is complete. You are now officially released from prison." A black Auror took a wand from a wooden box beside him and handed it to him. "Here is your wand."

Lucius looked as if he had aged ten years. His once glossy light blonde hair was now dry and brittle like straw, and he appeared dazed and numb. He was a beat slow to react before taking his wand.

The Auror opposite him was used to this and patted him on the shoulder. "Be a good person from now on, and don't come back. Oh, by the way, your family and friends are waiting for you over there. Go see them."

Lucius glanced in the direction the Auror had indicated.

Narcissa, dressed in a black suit, looked serene and sorrowful. Her pale face remained expressionless, but she appeared even thinner.

Draco stood beside her, holding his mother's hand tightly, staring at her in astonishment. He had probably never seen his father in such a disheveled state.

Lucius tried to pull himself together and tidied his hair and robe with his hands.

Cheer up, Lucius! You're out of that damn place now, you can think about happy things!

But it didn't work; it was as if those monsters had permanently taken something from his body.

Or perhaps the effects of that terrible injury had not yet faded, and he only felt waves of weakness spreading from the depths of his heart. He was already doing his best to not break down and wail, and to simply stand with dignity.

"Narcissa, Draco..." He walked toward his family, preparing to hug them, when suddenly he froze, looking at the person standing next to his wife.

"You! How did you get here?!" Lucius shouted in shock and fear.

The man removed his hood, revealing a face that had frequently appeared in his nightmares over the past few months.

Murphy Darkholm.

That villain who burned down his own house!

A viper who uses despicable tricks to frame himself!

He had assumed that the so-called "friend" the Auror was referring to was Goyle or Crabbe!

What a despicable blind man! What kind of friend is Murphy Darkholm?!

"Lucius, it looks like you haven't been doing so well these days," Murphy said, not without a hint of teasing.

Lucius gripped his wand tightly, a surge of anger rising from his empty chest that somehow gave him strength, making him feel less weak. "Don't think..."

"Alright, alright, enough with the threats, Lucius. I'm here to talk to you."

Lucius felt as if he had a breath stuck in his chest, an unbearable tightness in his chest. He turned his head, grabbed Narcissa's hand, and said, "Narcissa, let's go!"

However, Narcissa did not move. "Lucius, perhaps you should listen to what he has to say."

Lucius stared at his wife in shock, momentarily wondering if she had been under a death curse.

But Narcissa's eyes were clear; if it was the effect of a spell, then the spellcaster's power must be unfathomable.

"Sissi, you?"

Narcissa patted her husband on the shoulder, allaying his doubts, "Just listen to what he has to say."

Lucius was still somewhat surprised. He pulled Draco to his side and looked at Murphy. "What are you trying to say?"

"It's a bit crowded here, how about we walk around to the side?"

Draco Jr. grabbed his father's sleeve, glaring at Murphy. "If you dare hurt my dad, I'll make you regret it!"

Murphy laughed. This little brat is a little over eight years old now, and he's actually kind of cute.

He reached out and ruffled Draco's hair. "Don't worry, your dad's safe, as long as he doesn't do anything stupid."

Draco tried to knock Murphy's hand away, but Murphy pulled it away before he could.

Lucius hesitated for a moment, then finally mustered a bit of courage from the bottom of his heart to support himself in putting on a fearless act. He took the cane that Narcissa handed him. "Alright, I'd like to hear what you have to say."

The two walked along the rocky coast for a while and came to a hillside where a lighthouse stood higher up, seemingly abandoned for a long time.

"Alright, that's fine. What exactly do you want?" Lucius asked, catching his breath and regaining some strength.

"Lucius, do you like Galon?"

"What?"

"I really like it. One of the benefits of humanity inventing money is that it makes most things in the world measurable."

"Money can buy knowledge to make oneself wiser, can buy luxurious clothes to enhance one's charm, and can even buy other people's time and energy to accomplish more things."

"True power is built upon interests, and everything related to interests can be measured in money."

"Therefore, money is power. It doesn't directly equal everything you want, but it can pave the way for your desires. So, I like money, I like gallons."

"The world is bustling with activity, all for profit. To take someone's money is like killing their parents. Therefore, since you sent your men to suddenly attack my factory, trying to cut off my path to making money, I will definitely regard you as an enemy and eliminate you as soon as possible."

Murphy is telling a story again, this time in a version that Lucius can understand.

"You admitted it! Your factory, you put the potion..."

"Sold to Muggles? Yes, I admit it." Murphy looked at him amusedly. "Still arguing about that? Did you lose because of the evidence, Lucius? Haven't you figured out how you lost yet?"

"Do you know how much it cost me to win that lawsuit, Lucius? A full 100,000 Galleons! And that doesn't even include the annual donations to the Ministry of Magic!"

"One hundred thousand Galleons! And you, how much did you spend? One thousand? Ten thousand? Tell me, how can I lose? How can you win?"

Lucius was stunned.

He was momentarily at a loss.

Using money to pave the way... isn't that a traditional skill of the Malfoy family?

Now, someone has actually beaten me in this traditional event!

Use magic to defeat magic, use gold coins to defeat gold coins!

What unspoken rules have changed so drastically!

This made him suddenly feel a deep sense of defeat, even more intense than when he lost the case in court.

He suddenly realized that Murphy had not won by any trickery or by sheer luck, but by using far superior skills and paying a much higher price to defeat him fair and square (just kidding).

At that moment, Lucius suddenly realized his mistake and felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

Initially, he only thought about the evidence that had been taken back and the disrupted trial schedule. He thought that if he was more careful and had more luck, he could win next time.

But Murphy told him the real reason for his failure: he hadn't spent enough money.

He could totally accept that reason!

Can I afford to pay 100,000 Galleons for a trial?

I can't produce it!

Even if you can afford it, the other party can ask for more money.

Do I have as much money as Murphy?

No!

So he can't win! He'll never win!

(End of this chapter)