Dana closed his notebook and pushed open the window, letting the sharp sea breeze from the Hebrides fill the room. The scent carried traces of salt, damp moss, and something more elusive — the pheromones of black dragons, for their breeding season was drawing near. The air seemed alive with that wild, ancient energy.
From this day forward, there would be only one Dana Emrys in the world.
He reached for the silver bell on his desk and gave it a gentle ring. Within seconds, the old house-elf appeared, bowing deeply.
"Master, is there anything Kreacher can do for you?"
Dana's voice was calm but decisive. "Summon Ewoyn, Elisa, Jack Murray, and Nikolai Vavilov."
"Is Master holding a meeting?"
"Yes."
Kreacher bowed again and disappeared with a soft pop. Dana rubbed his temples, feeling old memories stirring — memories of war, of revolution, of the long, dark years that had led to this moment.
Ewoyn was now the nominal head of the Fire Serpent Party. In truth, he handled training for new recruits and managed the party's numerous external affairs.
Elisa served as the Earl's chief steward, overseeing all finances — not just for the Fire Serpent Party, but also for the Merlin City Central Bank.
Jack Murray commanded the Fire Serpent Party's combat division — a seasoned officer leading more than ten thousand armed wizards.
These three had followed Earl Dantes since the earliest days, when his name was still spoken only in whispers.
As for Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov, once a political commissar in the Soviet Union's Ministry of Magic, he now managed the entire Overseas Department of the Fire Serpent Party. After the Soviet Union's collapse, countless disillusioned wizards had wandered the world, yearning for a new ideology. Drawn to Earl Dantes' doctrine of wizarding class revolution, they found renewed purpose under his banner. Thus, the Overseas Department had swelled to over thirty thousand members, many of them seasoned combat veterans who now served under Jack Murray.
Minutes later, in a modest conference room on the castle's third floor, the four figures entered in turn.
"Boss!"
"Earl!"
"Comrade Dantes!"
They greeted him in unison before taking their seats.
"Sit," said Dantes. His tone carried both calm authority and quiet menace.
Once silence filled the room, he began.
"After our last operations, the old pure-blood families are on their last legs. It's time to push them out completely."
Nikolai's eyes gleamed. "And then the time will come for the proletariat — for us — to take power? Comrade Dantes, did you summon us because the Overseas Department is finally moving into Britain?"
A faint smile touched the Earl's lips. "Not so fast, Comrade Vavilov. Every revolution must unfold step by step. Driving out the pure-blood families is only the first move. Once they're gone, no one will stand in our way at the Ministry of Magic. And when we control the Ministry, we can complete our revolution without shedding a single drop of blood."
He looked pointedly at Nikolai. "Remember this, Comrade — we are not the Muggle Soviet Union. The life of every wizarding comrade is precious."
Nikolai rose to his feet, his face flushed with conviction. "Comrade Dantes, we are not afraid of sacrifice!"
The Earl shook his head with a quiet laugh. "I know you're not afraid. You're all brave men. But our current enemies are not worth the lives of our warriors."
Ewoyn leaned forward, eager to agree. "Exactly, Boss. With your brilliant strategy, those pure-blood lords have already lost their bite. All that's left is to sweep them into the dustbin of history."
Still, Nikolai frowned. "If we're taking the path of peaceful evolution, why expand the combat division? Why build an army if not to fight?"
Jack Murray answered before the Earl could speak. "Comrade Vavilov, the Earl knows better than anyone that peace must be guarded by strength. If those pure-blood nobles won't step down willingly, we'll help them step down."
Nikolai grumbled under his breath, "So in the end, we'll still need force." But he fell silent. Deep down, he knew Dantes's mind worked on a level few could grasp. Under the Earl's careful manipulation, the entire British wizarding aristocracy — and even the great western guilds — now teetered on the edge of ruin.
Elisa spoke up next, pushing her glasses higher on her nose. "Earl, regarding the Merlin City Phase II project — thirty-seven families and merchant guilds issued bonds through our bank. Aside from the Avery Family, most British pure-blood families didn't issue bonds directly, but they sold off their estates to buy those bonds. Now they've lost nearly everything. Only a few retain enough to barely get by."
"Barely getting by?" Dantes repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Is that the same kind of 'barely' you and your siblings once experienced?"
Elisa fell silent, lowering her eyes.
The Earl smiled faintly. "It seems you've forgotten what true hardship feels like. These so-called 'impoverished' pure-bloods still live in comfort compared to most wizards. Some of their core industries remain intact — and that, Elisa, contradicts our ultimate goal."
"You mean to strip them of even those last industries?" she asked hesitantly. "That would be difficult. They've already suffered enormous losses. It won't be easy to trick them into another trap."
Dantes steepled his fingers, eyes glinting with amusement. "Tell me, how are housing prices in Merlin City these days?"
"Prices?" Elisa seemed puzzled but answered anyway. "Because many great families sold off large portions of their property to pay debts, housing prices in Merlin City have plummeted. In Phase I, values have already dropped by half."
"Half?" The Earl shook his head. "Not enough. They must fall further — to the point where even low-level wizards can afford them."
Elisa blinked in confusion. "What good will that do us?"
Dantes's smile widened. "Simple. When prices hit bottom, we'll buy. Then, when the nobles think they've found hope again, we'll sell that hope back to them."
He turned to her again. "You'll announce that I've obtained another grebbato magic crystal and that I intend to personally restart the Merlin City Phase II project."
Elisa's eyes widened. "Restart Phase II? After all the financial damage we took last time?"
"Yes," said Dantes evenly. "You will also say that the Earl suffered immense personal losses to acquire this new magic crystal, and now requires a capital injection. Thus, the Phase II project will open for pre-sale — at a forty percent discount."
"But with Phase I prices already collapsing," Elisa objected, "who would pay even that much?"
The Earl leaned back in his chair, smiling like a serpent basking in the sun. "Phase I and Phase II are not the same thing. Phase II is not merely a city in the clouds — it's a dream, a chance for those ruined families to reclaim their former glory. They'll rush to invest. Desperation makes for excellent buyers."
Then he turned to Ewoyn. "And for that, Ewoyn, I'll need Young Master Wang to make a return appearance."
Ewoyn's face lit up. "Really, Boss?"
"Yes. The role suits you."
But then his enthusiasm dimmed. "But last time Young Master Wang left without saying goodbye. Won't those pure-blood families hate me for that?"
"Hate you?" Dantes chuckled. "Not at all. When the project was suspended due to their own incompetence, you simply withdrew as any investor would. Now that the mighty Earl Dantes has regained control and revived the project, it's only natural for you to return — the prodigal heir who still believes in Merlin City's dream."
Ewoyn exhaled in relief. "Alright then. What exactly do you need me to do this time?"
A cunning smile played on the Earl's lips. "You'll purchase a massive number of off-plan properties — drive the prices up. Once others see Young Master Wang investing again, they'll follow like moths to flame."
Ewoyn grinned, his earlier doubts fading. "Boss, you really do think of everything."
"Of course," said Dantes softly. "That's why we're still here — and they're not."
The meeting continued late into the night. Under the flickering chandelier, strategies were drawn, numbers whispered, and empires dismantled on parchment maps.
Elisa recorded every detail, her neat handwriting a quiet counterpoint to the roaring storm they were about to unleash. Jack Murray discussed troop placements for the coming "peaceful revolution," while Nikolai drank heavily, muttering slogans about the red dawn of wizardkind.
Outside, the sea crashed against the cliffs. The wind carried the distant cries of dragons, echoing through the night like an omen.
When the meeting ended, the Earl stood by the window once more, gazing into the dark horizon. His reflection in the glass was sharp and cold — the face of a man who had long since ceased to dream, and instead learned to create dreams for others to chase.
"Soon," he murmured to himself, "the pure-bloods will be history. And from their ashes, a new order will rise."
Behind him, the great clock in the hall struck midnight.
Somewhere far away, the black dragons roared again — as if saluting their new master.
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