That afternoon, Audrey received the first loan of twelve billion Coupons.
Gringotts' strength was indeed formidable; not only did they mobilize sufficient funds in a short time, but they also quickly exchanged them into Coupons.
Hogwarts.
Headmaster's Office.
"Audrey," Dumbledore looked at Miss Astley, who had suddenly appeared, looking somewhat bewildered. He was currently wearing pajamas, half-leaning on the sofa reading a newspaper. "Could you please come through the front door next time?"
Audrey replied as if it were a matter of course, "Of course not. That ugly statue outside won't let me pass without a password."
Dumbledore rubbed the space between his eyebrows. "You came back to school early to find me. It certainly isn't for no reason. Speak, what has happened?"
"I need to find Grindelwald."
"Haha\!" Laughter came from the Headmaster's bedroom.
"What do you need me for?"
The bedroom door was pushed open, and Grindelwald, dressed in matching pajamas, walked out leisurely. He sat carelessly at the Headmaster's desk and revealed a 'kindly' smile.
Audrey paused for a moment, then spoke, "I need your help."
Grindelwald pointed his right hand at Audrey, then flipped his palm upward, gesturing for her to continue.
"I want to acquire a large amount of land, resources, and industries in Ukraine, but I don't have the manpower."
A gleam flashed in Grindelwald's azure eyes, and a sense of relief actually rose in his heart—had this little girl finally enlightened herself?
"No problem," Grindelwald laughed. "Investing in Ukraine is a good business deal, highly lucrative\!"
Audrey looked at Dumbledore. "Professor Dumbledore, I'm about to start making waves. Aren't you going to manage me?"
Dumbledore adjusted his glasses and put down the newspaper. "You are just too lazy. It is a good thing that you are willing to get moving."
Grindelwald nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, he's always watching you. If you cross the line, he will stop you."
Just like sixty years ago.
...
One hour later, at the Three Broomsticks.
Audrey sat by the window, taking a light sip of butterbeer. The taste was rich with a sweet aftertaste.
On the table, which was no longer brand new, sat a basket of french fries and a basket of fried fish fillets, steam still rising from them.
The bar door opened, the crisp sound of a bell rang out, and a tall young man walked in.
The young man shook his body, just like a cat or dog shaking off water, shaking off all the white snow clinging to his black overcoat.
Just as Madam Rosmerta frowned and was about to speak, the falling snowflakes and melted snow turned into starlight and vanished without a trace before they could hit the floor.
Madam Rosmerta muttered softly, "Do young people nowadays love showing off their magical prowess this much? Though that move was indeed quite handsome."
"The guy looks pretty good too."
The young man looked up and scanned the bar, then walked straight toward Audrey.
"Hello, Miss Audrey Astley. It is a pleasure to meet you," the young man sat down opposite Audrey without standing on ceremony. "My name is Edmond Grindelwald. Of course, in crowded places, try not to use my surname. That name is too sensitive after all."
'This person is a bit long-winded, and a bit narcissistic,' Audrey thought to herself.
Edmond added, "Under my great-uncle's orders, I will be interfacing with you regarding matters in Ukraine from now on."
Audrey looked at the young man before her. His right eye was completely gray, while his left eye was sea-blue; it was a rare case of heterochromia.
"Your eyes look very much like my cat's," Audrey said. "Though his gray eye seems to be blind."
Audrey pushed the fried fish fillets toward Edmond. She didn't particularly like this classic British dish. "And this eye of yours... it wouldn't be a hereditary trait of your Grindelwald family, would it?"
Edmond twitched the corner of his mouth, his smile strained. "Although he is my great-uncle, my eyes were not born this way."
He explained, "Even my great-uncle's eye is not the 'Eye that Sees the Future' as people speculate. That once-silver eye of his was merely a projection of his inner world."
"Alright," Audrey stopped the small talk and cut to the chase. "I hope you can help me in Ukraine..."
"..."
Ten minutes later, Edmond asked, "Are you that confident that the Ukrainian Coupon will definitely devalue?"
Audrey nodded. "I am very certain. But before I hollow out Gringotts, we must make the Coupon strong so that Gringotts will take the bait."
Edmond laughed, "What did Gringotts do to you for you to pit them like this?"
"They forced me to work for them as a Curse Breaker\!"
Edmond understood. Who knew Audrey's personality and temper better than he did?
"So, how do you plan to keep the Coupon from collapsing in the short term?"
"Import a massive amount of cheap living supplies\!" Audrey was full of confidence. "Ukraine has the Soviet Union's most advanced military technology. We will get our hands on this and have Huaxia trade supplies with us\!"
"Won't you lose money?"
Audrey shook her head. "What's there to lose? Technology is the easiest thing to replicate; having a printer is enough."
She looked into Edmond's eyes and asked seriously, "What about you? You are so young; can you actually complete my plan?"
Edmond rolled his eyes. "I am a Grindelwald\! There is nothing I cannot do\!"
"Boasting\!" Audrey laughed. "Can you bring back someone hit by the Killing Curse?"
Edmond touched his chest. "If I said yes, would you believe me?"
...
January 17, 1992.
The Christmas holidays had been over for a week. The Slytherin Quidditch team was training hard, preparing for the match against Ravenclaw next weekend.
Marcus Flint was extremely anxious, making him look exactly like a troll.
Because Audrey Astley had missed training again\!
Meanwhile, our little water snake was giggling foolishly alone in her dormitory.
The Antonov Design Bureau and the Black Sea Shipyard—she indeed didn't have the ability to swallow these two most famous former Soviet military giants in a short time. However, she didn't know how Edmond Grindelwald had operated, but he had actually poached more than half of the core technical teams from these two military titans\!
When the people came over, wouldn't the technology follow?
Ukraine was currently in chaos. No one cared about the loss of technology. The powerful and influential were all trying their best to suck the blood and essence from the corpse of the fallen giant that was the Soviet Union\!
Of Ukraine's total 3,584 military enterprises, Edmond had acquired 16, covering various fields such as rockets, armored vehicles, ships, and transport aircraft.
He also secured over three hundred square kilometers of land and 20% of the shares of the National Gas Company of Ukraine.
Even more exaggerated was that Edmond had sent a suitcase over. When Audrey opened it, she found four T-80 main battle tanks and a state-of-the-art Tu-160 strategic bomber inside\!
This bomber even came with a free gift: an RDS-37 nuclear bomb. It was said that the general trading with Edmond was very grateful for the fifty thousand Coupons Edmond had personally sponsored him with, so he added it specifically.
Audrey, who originally knew nothing about these things, discovered after some research that this nuclear bomb was actually a hydrogen bomb... a hydrogen bomb with a yield of 1.6 million tons\!
Newt Scamander's suitcase contained a zoo, while Audrey Astley's suitcase contained an arsenal—an arsenal capable of sinking half of Britain\!
Today was truly a happy day, Audrey thought. Next, she only needed to use these assets as collateral to get another loan from Gringotts... just thinking about it was beautiful\!
However, on this happy day, there was still something troubling.
Her cat had run away from home again, and she didn't know why.
Audrey had heard that some cats would find a resting place for themselves before they died, unwilling to die in front of their owners.
Jinhu was getting old. He was just an ordinary tabby cat without magical blood. He had been with her for so many years, was blind in one eye, and had become increasingly lethargic.
Could it be that he sensed he wasn't going to make it and ran out to find a grave for himself?
This was simply too sad. Audrey tried hard to squeeze out a tear—may Jinhu be well in heaven\!
...
Gringotts.
Moristor waited anxiously in his office.
In the corridor outside the office, a goblin banker ran over, stumbling.
He slammed open the office door and shouted, "Elder Moristor\! It went up\! The Coupon went up\!"
Moristor pushed off the desk with both hands and stood up abruptly. "How much did it go up?"
"Nine points\! The Coupon rose by a full 9%\!"
Moristor's eyes were bloodshot, as if he had seen mountains of wealth.
He roared loudly, "Quick, quickly approve Astley's three hundred billion Coupon loan\!"
He spun around twice on the spot. "Not enough, still not enough\! Notify the other branches to raise funds with all their might\! As long as she can use equivalent assets as collateral, we can lend her up to a maximum of two trillion Coupons. Go ask Miss Astley, how much does she want to borrow?"
The banker scrambled out of the room. Moristor collapsed into his chair as if he had suffered a collapse.
The previous analysis was correct\! Ukraine had inherited the Soviet Union's legacy and had secret help from the United States; it was bound to take off\!
And their Gringotts was going to ride the wind up using that fool Audrey Astley\!\!
Two trillion\! In three years, she would have to repay five trillion Coupons\!
And this was without even considering the appreciation of the Coupon\!
Audrey Astley\!
You will work for our Gringotts for the rest of your life\!
Ahahahaha\!
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]