Regulus Black, having firmly reasserted the identity of Bay White, the master of coin, now surged with a palpable, focused energy that eclipsed the melancholy of his earlier reflections.
The ghost had been buried, and the financial titan was ready to seize the present. He slammed his notepad onto the table, the action sharp and decisive.
"Enough of the maudlin history, Sebastian. The Muggles are right: time is currency, and we're wasting it. Let's talk Phase Two. I need the blueprint for the next financial conquest, starting with what we've already amassed."
White leaned forward, his eyes alight with the thrill of the maneuver.
"Over the last two years, following your highly unconventional, yet frighteningly accurate, directives, we have executed Phase One: Deep Infiltration. We funneled vast sums into a silent network of Muggle agents—all completely untraceable, unaware of our common magical origin, and operating in silos across the globe. We've anchored ourselves in the bedrock industries: finance, resource extraction, next-generation energy, computing infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing."
He pulled out a slim, encrypted ledger that only Sebastian's custom magical signature could decode. "Some ventures are bleeding, some are exploding in profit, but the total portfolio growth is staggering. Our foundational wealth is now secure, impervious to localized market shocks."
White then tapped the ledger's surface, a note of amused frustration entering his voice. "And then there's your 'Prophet's List.' We invested heavily in Microsoft and Apple—a move that has yielded an extraordinary harvest, proving your foresight is either genius or madness. But your complete list contains numerous future entities that do not exist yet! Amazon, Google, Facebook—these are not companies; they are abstract concepts in your head! How do I invest in a void?"
Sebastian merely smiled, a slow, knowing, utterly tranquil expression that irritated White immensely. He picked up a fork and twirled it slowly.
"The list is less a recommendation and more a sacred text of Chronal Economics," Sebastian said, his voice dropping to a low, conspiratorial murmur.
"It wasn't gifted to me by a 'high prophet,' White. It was a divination—a perfectly executed piece of future-gazing and predictive calculus based on the inevitability of Muggle technological progression. It is a roadmap written in the logic of the future."
He leaned closer. "The fact that those digital titans—Amazon, Google, Facebook—haven't materialized yet is our single greatest advantage. They are currently seeds waiting for the precise cultural and technological rainstorm to sprout. We wait. We track their founders. The moment Larry Page or Jeff Bezos shows the slightest sign of securing seed funding, we don't just invest; we aggressively seek a controlling interest. In a few short years, the entire digital commerce of the Muggle world will flow through entities we quietly dominate."
"So," White summarised, nodding thoughtfully as he absorbed the magnitude of that strategy. "We treat these high-growth companies—the digital infrastructure of tomorrow—as our passive wealth engines. They will be our tireless Goblins, constantly mining Muggle gold. We will not interfere with their innovation; we will simply collect the tariffs on their success. Correct?"
"Precisely. Why soil our hands with management when we can simply levy a toll?" Sebastian confirmed.
"Excellent. Let's move from intangible digital assets to the very tangible, enormous tracts of land we have acquired globally. Specifically, our representative in the East is baffled. He keeps asking: 'Are we building resorts, industrial complexes, or agricultural zones?' You have acquired strategic global anchors—sprawling properties that defy any conventional investment strategy. Tell me, Sebastian, is this merely a bizarre form of land banking?"
Sebastian set down his fork, his eyes gleaming with the true ambition that had motivated this stage of the plan. He raised a suggestive eyebrow. "Land banking? White, we don't traffic in mere profits; we traffic in perceptual warfare. Think back to my original thesis: Wizarding Films and Wizarding Publishing."
"We will flood the Muggle market with diverse, exciting, fictionalized narratives of magic, creating a thousand definitions of 'wizard' that are not us. Once those characters are deeply embedded in the Muggle psyche, once their box-office returns are legendary, we need a physical focal point—a place of cultural pilgrimage."
White's eyes widened, a sudden, thrilling realization dawning on him. He slammed his hand on the table—a loud, uncharacteristic gesture. "We are going to build Disneylands of Magic! Global Magical Entertainment Precincts—sanctuaries of fictional sorcery, built on the back of our cinematic success!"
"Not merely Disneylands, White. Our parks will be bigger, cooler, more immersive, more luxurious, and exponentially more technologically advanced," Sebastian corrected, his tone radiating absolute certainty.
"This is why we acquired land on five continents—it provides the footprint for truly Global Magical Entertainment Precincts (GMEPs). We are not building theme parks; we are building cultural Trojan Horses."
Sebastian leaned back, allowing the full scope of the scheme to unfold. "The construction of these GMEPs constitutes a massive, undeniable win-win scenario that no Muggle government can refuse. Think of the leverage: they generate colossal local and national tax revenues, they provide thousands of high-wage, stable jobs, and they turbocharge local tourism and ancillary industries. Every Muggle government, from London to Beijing, will be clamoring for a GMEP in their jurisdiction."
"These governments, driven by their own greed and economic necessity, will become our unwitting allies—our greatest protectors—in the mission to normalize the word 'wizard.' They will grant us every preferential policy and tax break we ask for, making them politically beholden to the global spread of our magical mythology."
"Within ten years," Sebastian declared, his voice resonating with power, "the concept of 'witchcraft' will be a global, cultural phenomenon. The planet will be saturated with GMEP merchandise—dolls, robes, wands, armour—all tied to our intellectual properties. When Muggles see a fully robed wizard on the street, they won't call the authorities; they'll assume he's a low-budget fan, an enthusiast, or a particularly dedicated employee of the Swann Media Conglomerate."
He concluded with a look of predatory satisfaction. "This is the true, systematic destruction of the Statute of Secrecy. We will wear our robes openly in the Muggle world, and Muggles will simply believe we are in costume. We won't need to imitate them; they will be imitating us."
Regulus Black—Bay White—stared, mesmerized by the audacity and the flawless execution of the strategy. He slapped his thigh with genuine awe.
"The Dark Lord's dream was so parochial—a grubby little corner of power built on fear and inbred paranoia. You, Sebastian, are planning a global, economic, and psychological conquest! You are building an empire on the back of Muggles' own relentless, insatiable desire for entertainment!"
A profound silence fell, broken only by a cautious tremor in White's voice. "But you said this was only the first step. You mentioned the rest would be complicated. You mentioned blood being shed."
Regulus's gaze hardened, the memory of his past failures still stinging. "We are not afraid of a fight, Sebastian. We survived the war. We will not yield to any challenge, magical or Muggle."
"Excellent," Sebastian acknowledged, without a trace of flippancy. "And we will not be caught unprepared. The threat of regulatory interference, magical or otherwise, must be preempted. This is where your network of assets comes into play."
"We will make contingency arrangements. For instance, we will use our financial leverage to stay behind the scenes and support the ascent of Muggle political parties—parties that are either economically dependent on our GMEPs or philosophically inclined toward greater societal openness. We will buy their influence and their votes."
Sebastian's expression turned utterly cold. "And if political subversion fails, we will resort to overt coercion. We will use our financed assets to turn one hostile group of Muggles against another, creating the chaos necessary for us to achieve a strategic withdrawal, or, if necessary, the use of compelling magical force to ensure our assets are protected."
"The essence of the world, White, is not debate; it is winner-take-all. History is written by the one who holds the pen. Money, health, and power are universal languages, and they will attract a core of highly influential Muggle allies to our banner. We won't need to conquer the Muggle world; we will simply make it financially unsustainable for them to oppose us."
Regulus sighed, a sound of profound admiration mixed with a touch of philosophical dread. "Your vision is always so far-reaching. Voldemort's childish pursuit of the title of 'Dark Lord' seems utterly ridiculous compared to this silent, global seizure of power. He sought a throne of bones; you seek the entire geopolitical infrastructure."
Sebastian conceded the point with a slight lift of his chin. "The wizarding world remains highly complex, White, despite its small size. It is steeped in tradition, prejudice, and a crippling fear of change. I will manage the internal politics—Hogwarts, the Ministry, Dumbledore, and the inevitable return of certain dark forces."
"Your mandate, however, remains absolute: secure the Muggle world as our financial and strategic shield. Without your network of wealth, without the GMEPs, and without the perpetual flow of capital, my hands will be tied. I need the money to fund the magical side of this war, and I need the cultural saturation to protect us."
Regulus straightened up fully, the corporate titan fully engaged. "Understood. The Muggle world is secure in my hands. I will exceed your expectations and deliver the financial security required to fund this new future for the magical community. I will ensure our victory is inevitable."
"But now," White said, leaning across the table, his eyes shining with professional hunger,
"let's get into the fun part. You've given me the why and the how much. Now, I demand the what. Spell out the specific creative and strategic plans for the two central pillars of Phase Two: Wizarding Films and Wizarding Publishing. I personally oversee these two projects, and I will not permit any further vague or mysterious answers. What are we making?"