Chapter 315: The Ministry of Magic
As the students of the Magic Crash Course graduated, they returned to their respective cities one by one.
Hogsmeade, Bree, and Isengard suddenly became lively.
Everyone knew that more than five hundred people had been selected to study at the Lord's Castle, successfully becoming Wizards, and had remained there to learn magic. Now, with these people returning home, citizens were expectant and curious about the changes they would bring.
First came the Department of Aurors. The Auror headquarters was established in Hogsmeade, with Bróg as its Director, and branches were also set up in Bree and Isengard.
Aurors do not typically handle ordinary people's affairs and are not under the jurisdiction of the mayors. They are primarily responsible for responding to invasions by dark creatures, such as Wights, Orcs, and Trolls, and for managing magical incidents, wizardly violations, and crimes.
With over five hundred new Wizards in existence, and more to be born in the future, Kael could not guarantee that all of them would remain law-abiding. Possessing magical power and wands gave people dangerous capabilities. To prevent reckless behavior, Kael established the Department of Aurors in advance as a deterrent.
In addition to the Department of Aurors, Kael established the Department of Magical Transportation. This department manages the Floo Network, produces Floo Powder, controls Portkeys, and oversees all other magical means of transportation.
The department is small, with only a dozen employees total, including those trained to make flying broomsticks.
The Department of Magical Transportation headquarters is located in Hogsmeade, sharing a building with the Department of Aurors.
This headquarters is a tall black tower in Hogsmeade, adjacent to the Black Lake. Over five hundred Wizards worked together to build it in just one day.
During construction, the citizens of Hogsmeade did not even notice the tower being built. Concealing magic spells rendered it invisible to ordinary people. Only those with magical ability could see this tallest building in Hogsmeade standing by the lake.
Kael named the tower the Ministry of Magic, basing its internal layout and departmental divisions on the Ministry of Magic in another magical world.
The first floor is the main hall, serving as the Ministry's lobby and reception area. It features numerous fireplaces, security counters, and a central fountain. In the fountain stands a golden dragon statue with an image of Kael on its back, wearing the Crown of Wisdom, a magnificent cloak, and holding a wand. The statue was cast from gold contributed by five hundred Wizards from their personal assets, expressing their gratitude to the Lord for his kindness.
The second floor houses the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Auror headquarters, which functions as the judicial department.
The third floor houses the Department of Magical Transportation, which includes the Floo Network Administration, the Broom Regulatory Authority, the Portkey Office, and related offices.
The fourth floor is the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, currently managing the Wyverns in the Dragon ranch.
The fifth floor is the Department of International Magical Cooperation, responsible for communication and cooperation with other countries, regions, and races, particularly strengthening ties with Elves, Dwarves, Humans, Hobbits, Ents, and others to jointly counter Sauron's dark forces.
The sixth floor is the Department of Magical Games and Sports, responsible for organizing Quidditch leagues and related affairs.
The seventh floor is the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, responsible for resolving and responding to unexpected magical incidents.
The eighth floor is the Courtroom, the venue for criminal trials.
The ninth floor is the Department of Mysteries, dedicated to magical research, studying various magical phenomena and their essence, and conducting magical experiments.
The tenth floor, the highest, was specially reserved by the Wizards for Kael. It also houses the Minister of Magic's office.
Currently, except for the Department of Aurors and the Department of Magical Transportation, the entire Ministry is mostly vacant. However, Kael is not in a hurry. Once more, Wizards are trained and the Ministry develops, it will be time to expand.
With over five hundred Wizards returning to their respective homes, the Department of Magical Transportation became the first to grow busy.
Employees of the Department traveled to various locations, setting up special fireplaces for Wizard families applying to connect to the Floo Network. Wizards now only needed to buy Floo Powder to travel through fireplaces.
One large scoop of Floo Powder, enough for a family to use for a month, could be purchased from the Department for 1 Silver Sickle.
The various regions of Middle-earth currently use different currencies. Gondor's currency is the Castaur, also known as the Canutae, a silver coin. They also have gold coins called Mithril, as well as brass coins and copper coins.
Rohan uses currencies similar to Gondor's. Elves and Dwarves each have their own unique currencies.
In the Eriador region west of the Misty Mountains, currencies are especially chaotic. Gondor's southern currency, Dwarf currency, and Elf currency all circulate. Even in Bree, coins minted by the former Arnor Kingdom are still used.
These currencies vary greatly in value. Dwarf silver coins, because they contain Mithril, are far more valuable than ordinary silver coins, even more valuable than ordinary gold coins. Elf currency, due to its exquisite craftsmanship and high silver content, is also more valuable than the silver coins of Gondor and Rohan.
The currency of the once-glorious Arnor Kingdom has collectible value and cannot be treated as ordinary currency.
With Hogsmeade and Bree growing prosperous, especially after the Vanishing Cabinet connected the two cities and Isengard, which sits close to Rohan and Gondor, various currencies began circulating within Kael's territory.
Some ordinary residents holding Arnor Kingdom currency did not know its true value and treated it as ordinary currency when trading with foreign merchants, placing themselves at a disadvantage. Merchants from Gondor and Rohan also paid with their respective countries' currencies, but different values made transactions complicated.
These issues were reported to Kael by Mayors Luke and Lachesis.
Faced with such currency problems, Kael simply had the Wizards establish a bank to redefine and issue new currency. He adopted the currency system of the magical world: Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts.
However, Kael did not adopt the magical world's complex exchange rate of 1 Galleon equals 17 Sickles and 1 Sickle equals 29 Knuts, as it was unsuitable for Middle-earth's needs.
For reference, Gondor's exchange rate is 1 gold coin (Mithril) equals 4 silver coins (Canutae), 1 silver coin equals 4 tharni, and 1 tharni equals 4 copper pennies. The gold, silver, and copper content of these coins is relatively low, which explains their exchange rate.
For convenience and referencing various Middle-earth currencies, Kael finally established an exchange rate of 1 Galleon equals 10 Sickles, and 1 Sickle equals 10 Knuts.
These Wizard currencies used Goblin minting craftsmanship. They are not only beautifully and elegantly designed but also possess magical properties. They never fade and always remain lustrous, making their extraordinary nature immediately apparent.
Thus, a white marble building named Gringotts appeared in Hogsmeade.
The newly issued Wizard currency was warmly welcomed by citizens of Hogsmeade and Bree.