Chapter 657
The Black Wizard's Transformation
Chapter 657 The Black Wizard's Transformation
“Some of us mixed-race young people did market research in Muggle society—hair growth, beauty, weight loss, and…”
De Laine took a sip of coffee, gave a cryptic smile, and said casually:
"—Aphrodisiacs. The demand for these drugs among Muggles far exceeds expectations. With these, we can easily amass a great deal of wealth."
“Muggles have long studied that money can reshape the world more silently than force. They have used the weapon of ‘economics’ to accomplish what neither the Killing Curse nor the Imperius Curse could do—to make the whole society willingly tame itself.”
Wade frowned slightly, his fingertips tracing the rim of his glass, and said, "Don't be too careless. Their social legal system is very complex, with various patent laws and anti-monopoly regulations. If you accidentally cross a line, they will use legitimate means to plunder all the interests of emerging companies."
Derain's lips curled into a smile: "Have you forgotten who we are, Vader? Competition within the rules has magical effects; Muggles can't compete with us. As for methods outside the rules..."
He smiled but didn't continue.
There are indeed sorcerers in this world who abide by the law and restrain their power, but such sorcerers absolutely do not exist within the Sorcery Party.
"and many more!"
Antoine, who was leaning against the side eating snacks, suddenly looked up and said, "Beauty potions are one thing, but wouldn't weight-loss potions be fatal to Muggles?"
De Laine and Wade exchanged a glance, both somewhat surprised by Antoine's unusually long reaction time.
"If used directly, there are indeed certain risks."
De Laine said, "But by finding a way to replace it with some common materials and dilute the drug, a relatively safe standard can be achieved—this has already been proven."
This process was certainly not as simple as it sounded, but the Potionists had some extremely talented potion masters, some of whom had even experienced world wars and had potion experience that was almost unmatched.
Wade, however, seemed to sense something; his eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly as he asked, "...relatively safe?"
De Laine patiently explained, "It does cause some harm to the body, but it's not more dangerous than the ham and cheese they eat. As long as you stop taking it for a while, your body will naturally heal itself."
Wade glanced at him speechlessly, never expecting that Deleine would make such a hellish joke in such a serious manner.
Just two years ago, a large batch of ham and cheese was contaminated with Listeria, resulting in the deaths of dozens of people. Even the Daily Prophet reported on the incident, reminding wizards to be careful—because some wizards also buy food from Muggle stores.
He paused briefly, then asked, "You conducted human experiments using Muggles?"
Antoine's shoulders tensed slightly. He glanced at Wade, then turned to look at Derain.
"This is an essential part of drug development; otherwise, the drugs we manufacture will only be more dangerous."
De Laine said calmly, “Don’t worry, we didn’t capture any innocent people to use as test subjects. The ‘materials’ we used were all people in Muggle society who deserved to die. If I told you all the things they had done, you would only think they died too easily.”
Wade slowly exhaled: "Sorry, I... I'm a little sensitive about this kind of topic."
He had always been aware of the way the UMNO operated, and knowing that they hadn't used ordinary people for experiments was enough to make Vad feel relieved.
As for other things... even the production of ordinary drugs inevitably involves human trials. The embodiment of the "human spirit" in Muggle society is paying subjects to "voluntarily participate".
“I understand.” Derain nodded slowly. “I know you once set foot on the island that gave birth to the Obscurians.”
Seemingly recalling similar scenes they had witnessed, the group fell silent. The flames in the charcoal stove roared and leaped, and a wisp of steam rose from the kettle placed on top, making the air inside the tent warm and humid.
After a moment, Wade asked, "Have there been any recent reports of Muggles experimenting on underage wizards?"
"There have been no new discoveries for more than half a year. But Mr. Grindelwald believes that there must be similar organizations, only they are more secretive, and only a few people among the Muggle elites know about them, which is why they can keep it from our eyes."
"And you know, there are some areas... that our influence can't penetrate either," De Laine said.
The boy nodded slightly, his gaze still lowered.
Outside the tent, the sounds of fireworks exploding, along with laughter and screams, could be heard.
Vader skipped over the unpleasant topic and returned to the previous question, saying, "I've been thinking, perhaps it would be better to make the improved potions into cosmetics in the future."
“…Cosmetics?” Antoine tilted his head. “Wouldn’t that exclude most men from the customer base?”
Upon hearing this, DeLayne couldn't help but smile.
"How could that be? As long as it's effective, both men and women will rush to buy it."
He said slowly, “Human desires are endless and cannot be limited by simple definitions. As long as it benefits them, Muggles will naturally create all sorts of new rules to prove their rationality.”
"and……"
He looked at Wade, a hint of understanding in his eyes: "Things applied to the skin, even if they contain toxins, are far less harmful than if swallowed directly—is that what you think, Wade?"
"It's more than that."
Wade objectively stated, "If you've studied Muggle law, you'll know that obtaining production qualifications for pharmaceuticals is far more stringent and complex than for cosmetics. Moreover, most cosmetics don't require experimental data, have a wider range of usable raw materials, and even if quality issues arise, the penalties are far less severe than for pharmaceuticals."
De Laine said thoughtfully, "I've been reading Leviathan and Capital lately, and it seems I should also learn more about Muggle law."
Wade chuckled, “Then you should also take a look at the prices in Muggles—some cosmetics, even if the net content of a single item is only 1 grain (≈0.06 grams), can easily sell for a very high price. If medicine were sold at that high price, it would cause an uproar throughout the Muggle society.”
"Hey, you rascal!"
Antoine's eyes widened suddenly, and his lips twitched: "No wonder Aslan's Magic Workshop is so profitable. I originally thought it was because of Machione's ingenious ideas, but you contributed quite a few ideas, didn't you?"
Wade blinked. "How could that be? Mr. Marchionne is exceptionally gifted in business. Your speculation is an insult to him."
Antoine curled his lip, rolled his eyes at the ceiling, and scoffed, "Do you think I believe that?"
De Laine glanced helplessly at Antoine, tapping his knuckles lightly on the table: "Antoine, is this the first time you've met Wade?"
How can such a stupid question still come up these days?
If Wade Gray were truly naive, simple, and generous, why would Mr. Grindelwald value him so highly?
He rolled his eyes at Antoine, then turned to Wade and said, "Mr. Grindelwald is planning to send 'Braun' to some events recently. Do you have any instructions for it?"
There is now a "Brown" in the UMNO party, who is a puppet sent out by Vader and his stand-in outside.
When Vader let the puppet leave, he spoke with Derain, explaining that the puppet's purpose was to conceal Vader's identity and prevent people from associating the "Vade Grey" who was still in school with "Brawne."
In this way, even if Wade accidentally reveals something in the future, others will not easily equate them due to preconceived notions.
In Vader's original plan, the puppet Braun only needed to make occasional appearances—such as when Vader was participating in the Triwizard Tournament, just to let others know that he existed. But now it seems that Grindelwald intends to involve him in some more important events.
Wade hesitated for a moment before shaking his head and saying, "You can decide based on the situation. I have nothing to say."
Hogwarts is a closed fortress; its ancient stone walls shield him from the wind and rain, preventing him from clearly understanding the changes in the outside world.
How can one make the right judgment if one cannot understand the full picture in time? It is better to remain silent and leave the decision to the parties involved.
Derain narrowed his eyes slightly: "Can you really trust that guy? A magical object that can think is more dangerous than a human who can lie."
Wade laughed: "Is there anything more dangerous in the world than humans?"
After a pause, he asked again, "It sounds like you have some issues with it... Did it offend you?"
"No, but..."
"It's too human," De Laine said in a low voice. "It makes me feel a little..."
"—Terrible?" Antoine blurted out instinctively.
De Laine did not refute this.
After a moment's thought, Wade smiled and said, "You remind me of some Ministry of Magic officials I know."
"Because there have been several instances of house-elves betraying their owners, people have come to believe that all house-elves are untrustworthy, and thus deny their loyalty and self-worth."
The person Vader was referring to was Cedric's father, Amos Diggory. During the events of the World Cup final in the original story, he stubbornly insisted that the Crouch family's house-elf, Sparky, had released the Dark Mark, completely ignoring the well-reasoned objections of others.
“But think about it carefully—” Wade continued, “Are there more cases of house-elves betraying their masters, or are there more traitors among humans?”
"Or rather, because most people assume that house-elves are necessarily loyal to their masters, it seems so incredible when one or two exceptions occur... leading to prejudice that blinds them to the loyalty of the entire species."
"The same goes for puppets—the commands written into them at the beginning of their creation are to obey their master's orders and protect their master's rights. If a puppet were to betray them one day, the reason would definitely not be solely because they have thoughts."
“Draen, if you look at them as a person or a colleague, instead of just as tools, you will find that puppets are more reliable than most humans.”
After a long silence, Derain finally chuckled softly: "Treat it as a person? So that's what you were thinking... Well, now I believe your puppet won't betray you."
But at this moment, he became even more determined not to buy a magical puppet as a pet.
Their creators unconsciously endowed them with the seeds of the idea of being "human" from the very beginning. Perhaps Wade did not realize what impact this idea would have, or perhaps this faint spark would never truly ignite in his lifetime.
But if one day, the puppets awaken this consciousness, can those masters who neglect, abuse, and exploit them still gain the puppets' loyalty?
A hint of amusement flashed in Derain's eyes. The more he thought about it, the more interesting it became, and he even secretly looked forward to that scene happening.
However, Wade's attitude did indeed resolve Deline's concerns.
Just think of it as having another colleague who doesn't know magic. If "Brown" does anything inappropriate, just deal with it. Thinking like this makes things much easier.
He picked up his coffee cup and smiled, "I will convey all your ideas to Mr. Grindelwald... So, to the new era of wizards, to my goals, cheers?"
Wade smiled, raised his glass, and clinked it with his: "Cheers."
The flickering firelight reflected the different lights in their eyes and the faint yet obvious smiles on their lips.
Antoine: "..."
He glanced at his empty coffee cup, which he hadn't noticed before, and hesitated whether to touch it and pretend to take another sip, while the other two had already finished theirs.
Antoine: ...Just pretend I don't exist?
……
As I stepped out of the tent, dusk had already enveloped the village. A cool night breeze brushed against my cheeks, carrying the scents of grass and flowing water, sweeping away the stagnant air inside the tent.
The number of students and tourists in the tent camp seemed to be no less than before, and some even lit bonfires. In the distance, there were sounds of laughter, vendors' calls, bargaining, and melodious piano music.
All this ordinary, bustling noise makes you feel like you've suddenly returned to the human world.
Antoine said with some surprise, "Mr. Grindelwald used to think that Muggles needed to be ruled or eliminated. Now he's actually accepting your advice... He really values you, Wade."
Vader gazed at the distant lights and said softly, "Times have changed, Antoine. Mr. Grindelwald simply realized this sooner than most wizards. The violent methods of suppression of the past would only backfire now."
"But if it weren't for you, he wouldn't have made the decision so quickly..."
Antoine hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
He only learned today that Wade had once written such a letter to De Laine.
He wanted to tell Wade how dangerous it was to write that letter—in the past, today Derain would be the one to execute him, or even both of them.
But Antoine swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
Wiede's identification with Mr. Grindelwald and the Malay Party is gradually increasing, and their relationship is like a honeymoon. If that man were to find out that Antoine was "sowing discord" among them...
To be honest, although Antoine had followed Grindelwald for longer, he didn't feel at all that he could gain the same trust and tolerance from that man as he did from Wade.
He would never forget that person's cold, scrutinizing gaze, and the occasional flash of ferocity in his eyes.
Antoine paused, then changed the subject: "Speaking of which, Lucius Malfoy returned unharmed a while ago, without missing any limbs or being killed, which many people found quite regrettable."
"And for some reason, after he came back, he turned his guns on his former partners, and many pure-blood families began to have a hard time."
A slight smile appeared on Wade's lips.
"It seems you know what happened?" Antoine suddenly lowered his voice, leaning closer to Wade and saying, "When you helped Malfoy, did you foresee this situation today?"
Wade laughed and said, "Why Lucius Malfoy changed his stance is a question for Dumbledore."
After all, according to the "setting", he shouldn't know that the toad brought out of the Forbidden Forest was Lucius Malfoy.
Antoine curled his lip and scoffed in the exact same tone as before, "Do you think I believe you or not?"
(End of this chapter)