Chapter 137: Commotion
"Stop, stop," Ryan said, cutting off the increasingly absurd conversation between his two friends. He felt that if it went on any longer, it would devolve into "Ryan is a great visionary, Dumbledore is short-sighted."
"It's like this," he explained. "When the Headmaster was my age, Muggle factories were human flesh factories. I mean that literally. Every single product from those factories was stained with the blood and tears, the bone and flesh of the workers. Every day, people would collapse and die on the factory floor."
Ryan's words were like a dream. He thought of documentaries he had once seen, of a bygone era he could never return to, leaving only a sense of nostalgia. It would be a lie to say he didn't miss it, for so much had changed. But it would also be a lie to say he would give up everything to go back. There, he had been nothing more than a denominator in the demographic dividend, an inexhaustible, cheap consumable, a wage slave who could be replaced in an instant. Here, he had the qualifications and the ability to help steer the current of the entire world.
He smiled, speaking with his new friends. Outside the window, the sun was bright, the weather clear. Inside, the atmosphere was harmonious, filled with laughter and conversation.
"So, the Headmaster could not, and would not, bring that flesh-and-blood model of industry into the wizarding world."
"Of course not. The Headmaster is the greatest white wizard of the century."
"But," someone pointed out, "modern Muggles aren't like that anymore—"
Ralvin clapped his hands, gesturing for everyone to look at the waiter who was bringing their food. "It doesn't matter. We are changing, too. If Muggles can do it, why can't we? Besides, look, we have other paths we can take."
The waiter, seemingly oblivious to their presence thanks to the Silencing and Illusion Charms they had cast, placed the dishes on the table, gave a slight bow to an empty spot, murmured "Enjoy your meal," and left.
"We are wizards. We have magic. There's no rule that says if we start learning from Muggles, we have to copy them completely," Ralvin's words soothed the fear that the concept of "ten billion Muggles" had instilled in the passionate young wizards.
"Well said! We'll copy Muggle technology on one hand and develop our magic on the other. Once we're strong enough, we can repeal the Statute of Secrecy!" Everyone voiced their agreement.
Only Ryan smiled wryly. The global wizarding population was far too small to support large-scale magical industrialization. To achieve that, they would have to open up to the outside world, selling magical industrial products to Muggles. At the same time, they would need to establish a Galleon-to-gold currency system to corner the global market. The former would require repealing the Statute of Secrecy, which meant assembling the "Hogwarts Senior Supergroup" to beat the rest of the magical world into submission. The latter would involve taking on the US dollar, which meant assembling another "Magical World Senior Supergroup" to beat the United States and its allies into submission.
It was a long and arduous road.
So, let's just eat for now.
Ryan picked up his knife and fork, casually pushing the salt-baked escargot in front of him over to Ralvin. "Senior, you should try this. It's a classic you can't miss." Then, he smoothly pulled Ralvin's foie gras in front of himself.
Ralvin: ???
And so, Stunning Spells and Petrification Curses flew, accompanied by Summoning Charms and Transfiguration spells. In the end, Ryan was victorious, thanks to a two-layer Freezing Charm that also had the convenient side effect of creating some perfectly chilled foie gras. It wasn't just him and Ralvin; the whole band of brothers had started a food fight, grabbing each other's pan-fried lemon chicken and grilled fish sausages.
If it hadn't been for the Silencing Charm they had set up beforehand, given the explosive sounds, the story would have unfolded quite differently: The French police stationed in the area would have heard the commotion, assumed a gang shootout was in progress, and frantically called for military support. The army would have arrived late, only to find a scene of utter devastation. From there, two possibilities: one, Ryan and his group were already long gone, leaving behind another unsolved mystery for the city of Paris. Two, Ryan and his group were still there, and after successfully fighting off the French army, would realize the gravity of their mistake, flee back to the wizarding world, and start a rebellion as outlaws. The UN would then convene an emergency meeting to discuss the threat of wizards, or "superpowered individuals."
Ryan shuddered. The consequences were too terrifying to even contemplate.
Suddenly, someone spoke. "Look at that. We're having a chaotic brawl in here, and they're having a chaotic brawl out there. How interesting."
"Yeah, that's... interesting." Hearing this, everyone instinctively looked outside. A massive pillar of fire was indeed shooting up into the sky.
"Hey, that is interesting," Ryan said offhandedly. It certainly looked like magic, a standard Incendio... "Wait! What's happening?!" he yelped. The little "what-if" scenario he had just dismissed was now rapidly playing out, already fast-forwarding to World War III.
"It seems to be a witch," Ralvin said, moving to the window. "And a werewolf! He's transformed! The witch was forced to fight back."
Following his gaze, Ryan and the others saw that the panicked crowd was surging outward, leaving a clear space in the center of the plaza. And in that clearing, a stylish woman had drawn a wand with her left hand and was pointing it at a roaring werewolf.
It's her! Ryan realized. It was the same thin-faced woman he had seen earlier.
Julia was about to lose her mind. She was supposed to be on a happy vacation with her big sister Nava. It was her first time leaving the United States, her first time in France. Why, of all things, had she run into a werewolf?! And the werewolf across from her seemed even more nervous than she was; he had chosen to transform on the spot!
Isn't he afraid of the Statute of Secrecy at all? she thought, clutching her wand as her right hand gripped Nava's arm. She was terrified, no longer the brave witch who would slam her fist on the desk of the MACUSA Head of Security. "This is bad, this is bad... a commotion this big is going to cause a major incident. The French Ministry will definitely have words with MACUSA..."
Nava Morgan, whose arm was being squeezed, remained perfectly calm, as if seeing fire shoot out of a wooden stick was the most normal thing in the world. But she was very interested in Julia's muttering. She was also very interested in the middle-aged beggar who had suddenly transformed into a werewolf from a storybook.
Thanks to the memory training she had received since childhood, she clearly remembered that the beggar had become nervous the moment he saw her little sister, Julia. As Julia had passed by him, his tension had peaked. The next second, he had let out a roar and leaped at them, transforming in mid-air into the shape of a wolf-man: thick fur standing on end like steel needles, claws as sharp as ten small daggers, and a face pushed outward into a long snout.
"What an interesting world," Nava whispered, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks as she gently patted the trembling Julia.
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