No matter how uneasy little Zangwill felt inside.
Some things still had to be faced.
In the end, after nearly ten minutes, little Zangwill finally gathered his courage and looked up at Link.
Their gazes met in midair. As their eyes locked, little Zangwill's expression eased quite a bit.
Because what appeared on Link's face now was not anger, but a warm smile.
Little Zangwill felt that the young man who had been so violently furious just now seemed to have regained his rationality.
This was fairly reasonable.
After all, in his view, the girl named Fleur and the young man in front of him couldn't possibly have much connection.
If they were really close, how could Fleur have ended up working as a waitress at the Zangwill Wand Shop?
This wasn't some cliché soap opera novel.
So little Zangwill guessed that the two probably just knew each other.
And from a rational point of view, making an enemy of the Zangwill family for a woman like this would be inappropriate.
The young man in front of him probably just wanted to put on a heroic act of saving a beauty, so all he needed to do was cooperate a bit and give him some face.
The more little Zangwill thought about it, the more reasonable his thinking seemed.
Because he had also read Fleur's résumé.
He clearly knew that she had once represented Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and gone to Hogwarts in England to participate in the Triwizard Tournament.
Fleur and this English young noble in front of him had most likely crossed paths during that trip.
Thinking this, little Zangwill finally felt confident.
The smile on his face also became much more natural.
At this moment, Link smiled and said, "Is what she said true?"
'He's giving me a way out!'
'My guess really was right!'
Little Zangwill was overjoyed inside, while putting on a frightened expression on the surface as he said, "Oh my! This is a misunderstanding, honored guest!"
"Miss Fleur Delacour is indeed a waitress we hired, and the services required from the waitresses serving the VIP lounge on the third floor do indeed include some paid companionship services."
"But the salaries for the third-floor waitresses are also high!"
"Compared to the ordinary waitresses on the first and second floors, the third-floor waitresses earn more than three times as much, with a weekly salary reaching 120 Galleons!"
"There are also tips! Outstanding waitresses can even earn four-figure gold Galleons per week!"
"And as for what Miss Delacour said about us deliberately hiding the job content, in principle, that doesn't exist either."
"According to the rules of our Zangwill Wand Shop and the regulations of the French Ministry of Magic, the job responsibilities of all positions are clearly written in the contract."
"Yes, you did write it!" Fleur said with a face full of sarcasm.
"But you wrote that part in Goblin language, and you even deliberately placed it near the borders. Who could even understand that?"
Hearing this, many of the surrounding guests immediately showed expressions of admiration.
This move by the Zangwill Wand Shop could be called extremely clever.
Like English, Goblin language is also a phonetic writing system.
It is also a type of script that incorporates the goblins' unique aesthetics, looking crooked and twisted and extremely complicated.
If this kind of writing is squeezed near the borders, at a glance it looks no different from decorative patterns.
Ordinary people simply cannot understand its meaning.
Logically speaking, this was actually a kind of contract fraud. After all, both parties signing were wizards, and there was no need to use a rare script like Goblin language.
But in reality, the existing financial system of the magical world was entirely created and controlled by goblins.
In such an environment, the appearance of Goblin language in any finance-related contract was perfectly reasonable.
This was a rule established by goblins for their own convenience.
So Fleur had suffered from a lack of experience.
Anyone with a bit of knowledge would not have been blinded by the extremely high salary on that contract and ignored the strange patterns around it.
She was probably a child from a poor family. Otherwise she wouldn't have been unaware of something like this.
Fleur's face grew even hotter.
Those looks of either contempt or pity were like knives, stabbing deep into her heart and leaving wound after wound.
Meanwhile, little Zangwill smiled slightly and said, "Honored guest, this was actually a rule set by my father."
"He always thinks these little tricks can bring more wealth to the family, but I believe such immoral practices will eventually bring retribution."
"So I have been working to change this situation. Up to now, the proportion of these Goblin-language contracts used in the Zangwill Wand Shop has actually become very small."
What Miss Delacour encountered was an accident. I personally also feel deeply apologetic toward Miss Delacour."
"Therefore, in my personal capacity, I am willing to terminate Miss Delacour's contract. This will surely result in punishment from my father, but for the sake of justice, that is only a small matter!", Little Zangwill spoke with righteous conviction.
In his view, this was already giving plenty of face.
Next, Link only needed to shake hands and make peace with him, then he could take out the contract and burn it, and Link's heroic rescue would be considered a success.
If Link was impressive enough, it wouldn't even be impossible for him to become the groom tonight.
After all, girls were emotional, especially in a situation like this.
Link patiently listened to little Zangwill finish speaking, then pointed his chin at the group of suited male wizards and said, "So these people were specially stopping Fleur from leaving to prevent her from breaking the contract?"
Little Zangwill, who had just been speaking righteously, instantly froze.
He stood there awkwardly, unable to say a word for a long time.
The suited male wizards who had looked somewhat arrogant before now faced Link's probing gaze like shy stone statues, eyes lowered, silent and still.
"You also know that's impossible, don't you? The employment contract itself already has magical binding."
"Breach of contract would naturally result in punishment, so why would anyone need to physically stop her?"
A pleasant and gentle female voice suddenly sounded from the crowd.
Along with the voice, the crowd that had just gathered together once again parted on their own.
A noblewoman dressed in a full black lace gown, with a black veil on her head, walked out.
"Noesa!"
As soon as the noblewoman appeared, little Zangwill, who had looked miserable before, instantly became furious and shouted at her.
But this posture had no warning effect at all on the noblewoman named Noesa.
"Little Zangwill, I told you long ago when you used those little vixens of yours to seduce my husband that I wouldn't let you have an easy time."
"What you're seeing now is just a bit of interest. The real damage is still to come!" Noesa then turned to look at Link, her red lips under the veil curling slightly upward.
"When this happened, I was on the third floor. The reason these Zangwill family lackeys were stopping this little cutie was entirely because a big shot upstairs had taken a liking to her."
"And it was because that big shot intended to use force that this little cutie tried to run."
Hearing this, Link slightly bowed and nodded to Noesa to express his thanks.
"Hehehe! Young man, you're too polite!" Noesa covered her mouth and laughed.
"You already know my name, so now we're acquainted. If you need any help, just say so. Don't be afraid of this bunch!"
After speaking, Noesa even threw Link a flirtatious glance.
Unfortunately, Link completely ignored it.
He slowly looked at little Zangwill and said calmly, "The contract?"
Hearing this, little Zangwill, who had just looked ashen and thought a conflict was unavoidable, suddenly brightened and hurriedly waved to the side.
Before long, the sales guide who had previously led Link and the others upstairs came over carrying a kraft document bag.
Link took the bag, pulled out the contract inside, and glanced through it.
Sure enough, aside from the basic contents and Fleur's identity information, there were large amounts of Goblin text engraved along the edges.
The Zangwill family had even added a circle of actual decorative patterns around the Goblin text, making it look even more like purely decorative designs.
Link then showed the contract to Fleur again. After confirming it was correct, he nodded.
Little Zangwill was also smiling broadly. He was already prepared for Link to hand the contract back to him.
Because for magical contracts within the goblin system like this, the goblin magic attached to them could only be lifted if the two contracting parties signed another additional contract.
But to his surprise, Link showed no intention of handing the contract to him.
Instead, Link actually took out his wand.
As the ebony wand wrapped with beautiful wood grain slowly swept across the paper, the words on it began to be rapidly erased.
Until finally, the entire parchment contract became blank.
Snap!
A crisp soft sound rang out in the air.
The invisible thread connecting the contract and Fleur suddenly shattered.
The contract was terminated.
Little Zangwill's pupils slowly dilated, his face full of confusion.
What Link had just done had already surpassed his understanding of common sense.
Magical contracts made by goblins naturally contained backdoors deliberately left by the goblins.
So aside from the conventional method of "signing a new agreement," this kind of contract could also actually be canceled unilaterally.
But this kind of backdoor method was an important secret the goblins relied on to survive. Wizards simply had no way to access it.
So how exactly did this young man do it?
Could it be that although he looked human, he was actually a goblin?
That was naturally impossible.
But after ruling that out, what else could it be?
Little Zangwill suddenly remembered where Link came from.
England.
And Gringotts in Diagon Alley in England seemed to have suffered a devastating blow during Christmas last year.
Since then, Gringotts in Diagon Alley had gone completely silent, suspected to have been taken over by the British Ministry of Magic.
Could the spell-breaking method this young noble possessed have been obtained during that upheaval?
If that was true, then the identity of this young noble would be even more extraordinary.
Because as far as little Zangwill knew, the ones who could divide the spoils of Gringotts during that upheaval were undoubtedly the most powerful families in the British magical world.
And judging from the earlier conversation between the young man and Fleur, this young man seemed to be named Link.
So among the current British magical world, which major family had an outstanding young member named Link?
Little Zangwill's previously scattered pupils gradually shrank.
His face also grew paler and paler.
As someone who admired the old British pure-blood aristocracy and had done considerable research on the pure-blood families of the British magical world, an "England expert," he had vaguely guessed Link's identity.
And if this guess was true, then he and the entire Zangwill family would be in serious trouble.
The power possessed by this boy named Link could no longer be described as terrifying.
It was power beyond their level of understanding.
If Link was even slightly dissatisfied, just lifting a little finger could wipe them out.
Having figured all this out, little Zangwill's knees instinctively went weak, and he almost knelt again.
But Link didn't care about his reaction at all.
He casually tossed the contract aside and led Emily, Dumbledore, and the others toward the magical elevator.
"Let's go, Fleur. Let's see what kind of person it is that could force the Zangwill family to act as pimps and even use force. Honestly, I'm quite curious.", Link spoke slowly with a smile.
Hearing this, Fleur froze slightly and instinctively wanted to refuse.
In her view, Link helping her resolve the contract issue was already very good.
She didn't expect Link to also help her vent her anger.
That would surely bring huge trouble to Link, and he had no obligation to do so.
But before she could speak, Emily grabbed her hand.
"Since Link has already said it, then this is no longer just your matter, but ours. So you just need to follow along properly."
"Don't overthink it, understand?", Emily spoke calmly. After saying that, she held Fleur's hand and led her into the magical elevator.
This scene made little Zangwill extremely anxious.
What he was worried about now was no longer the impact of a conflict between guests.
It was that Link might lose his temper here and casually tear down their Zangwill Wand Shop.
Based on the rumors little Zangwill had heard about Link, he would absolutely be capable of doing such a thing.
Otherwise, Gringotts in England wouldn't have been destroyed.
Most importantly, even if Link really did that, he would have nowhere to seek justice.
The French Ministry of Magic would never offend Link over such a small matter.
"Quick! Everyone follow me!"
Little Zangwill completely dropped the humble posture he had shown when Link was present and shouted coldly.
Immediately, the suited male wizards who had looked like clay statues earlier rushed over and crowded around him as they boarded another magical elevator.
Unlike the one Link and the others had taken.
The one little Zangwill and his group were using now was a cargo elevator meant for freight.
Its stability was worse, but it was faster.
And precisely because of this, when Link and the others arrived silently on the third floor and the elevator doors slowly opened, the first thing Link saw was little Zangwill's flattering pale face.
"Honored guest, oh my honored guest, please calm down, this is all a misunderstanding! Please don't!"
Little Zangwill still wanted to persuade him.
But before he could even finish speaking, Krell gave a ferocious grin and snapped his fingers.
BOOM!
After a loud noise, little Zangwill and several suited male wizards standing directly in front of Link and the others were all blasted away.
Link led his group straight out of the elevator as if they hadn't seen them at all.
The remaining suited male wizards didn't even dare make a sound and could only gather along both sides of Link and the others.
Link looked around the entire third-floor VIP lounge and shook his head.
"So this VIP lounge you talked about is just this?"
Hearing this, little Zangwill, who had just gotten up from the ground, nearly fell again. A bitter smile appeared on his face as he said, "It truly can't compare to your residence, honored guest, but this is already the limit of what we can achieve. Please don't take offense."
Link glanced at him and said nothing more.
Objectively speaking, the third-floor VIP lounge of the Zangwill Wand Shop was already quite impressive.
Its overall layout and materials were very refined. It even used a fully enclosed structure, employing magical curtain walls similar to those used in the British Ministry of Magic to create scenery, allowing the lounge to freely change the outside scenery and weather according to the guest's preferences.
This kind of luxurious design would be absolutely unique even among the aristocratic circles of the British magical world and would amaze people.
There was a reason it was favored by so many great wizards.
Previously, Link and Emily would probably also have thought this place was good.
But unfortunately, the decorative style of this VIP lounge was similar to the Versailles style of Nicolas Flamel's manor.
And its quality was even lower than Nicolas Flamel's manor. After that comparison, this place felt somewhat cheap.
Link didn't say this aloud and continued walking forward.
Accompanied by the crowd, after passing through a long corridor, the light in front of Link suddenly dimmed, then was replaced by warm candlelight.
What appeared before him was a massive banquet hall.
At this moment, the magical curtain walls around the hall and even on the ceiling all displayed a starry sky.
More than a dozen male and female wizards in formal attire were dancing gracefully, each accompanied by several times as many female attendants.
Perhaps they had been disturbed by the commotion Krell caused at the elevator entrance.
When Link and the others entered the banquet hall, everyone stopped at the same time and looked over.
An Arab man with a cloth wrapped around his head and a full beard opened his arms and walked over. As he walked, he spoke words Link couldn't understand.
"He said French men are all cowards. He only mentioned it casually, and those cowards really did help him capture their own wives and daughters to present to him.", Dumbledore's face showed a strange smile as he leaned close to Link's ear and spoke.
He had no intention of hiding his words and even deliberately raised his volume.
This caused Link to have no reaction, but little Zangwill and the others around him all flushed red and lowered their heads.
Because strictly speaking, what they had done was no different from what the Arab man described.
This was a huge insult to their masculinity and even their racial dignity.
Link felt that if he were the one being insulted, he definitely wouldn't tolerate it.
If he didn't go up and twist that Arab man's head off and use it as a chamber pot, he wouldn't deserve to be called a man.
But the French male wizards around him were different.
They were indeed angry.
Some even clenched their wands tightly, looking ready to fight at any moment.
Unfortunately, the target of their angry glares... was Fleur.