I, the leader of the esoteric sect, am doing great things in the infinite world!

"Come on, children."

"The decision rests solely with me—"

"Don't you want to enter Gryffindor? The hero draws his sword; this is the only way."

"Can you refuse Ravenclaw? The wise wear crowns and seek the truth of this world."

"Would you underestimate Hufflepuff? The benevolent hold the golden cup, and kindness is my true nature."

"Don't you envy Slytherin? The strategist's necklace signifies his position at the pinnacle of power."

"Now, open your hearts, open your eyes wide, and show your true selves. Let the sorting begin!"

"Great!"

The students, tormented to the point of exhaustion by Li Lin, began to cheer. No one noticed that the petty Master Li had already set his sights on the Sorting Hat, who was making a great splash.

Professor McGonagall, whose face was also somewhat ashen, felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She picked up the list and began calling out names: "Students whose names I am now calling out, please come to the front and put your hats on your heads."

The somewhat dizzy young wizards quickly rallied their spirits.

"Katie Bell!"

A little girl ran up quickly, wearing the Sorting Hat, its thick brim obscuring her eyes.

A strange voice rang out from above: "Gryffindor!"

As the first student was successfully assigned to a college, waves of applause filled the auditorium.

The branching ceremony proceeded quickly, and soon it was Qiu Zhang's turn.

Marietta nervously squeezed Qiu Zhang's hand.

"Mariette Eckmore".

She put the hat on her head, and the moment it touched her head, the Sorting Hat declared her destination: "Ravenclaw!"

Compared to the enthusiasm of Gryffindor, the excitement of Hufflepuff, and the restraint of Slytherin, the applause of Ravenclaw seemed rhythmic.

"Autumn Zhang".

After reading out the last name on the list, Professor McGonagall's usually stern face broke into a kind smile. She remembered the girl who had displayed extraordinary talent in the wand shop.

He may be the only naturally born Animagus in the entire magical world.

Qiu Zhang reached out and straightened his wizard robes before walking toward the high stool.

All the students unconsciously fell silent, gazing at the girl who had captivated them.

Without the slightest shyness or impatience, she quietly picked up the hat and put it on her head.

"Hmm, your heart is gentle yet firm, and you are not lacking in courage... You are determined to be utterly loyal to those you love and those who love you... You possess extraordinary wisdom, and a thirst for knowledge dominates your heart."

In Qiu Zhang's thoughts, the sound of the Sorting Hat echoed repeatedly, as if it was hesitating about which house to place him in.

After what seemed like an eternity, a voice finally rang out from above Qiu Zhang's head:

"Cho Chang... Ravenclaw!"

Thunderous applause filled the auditorium.

Dumbledore had to stand up again to signal everyone to quiet down and for the banquet to begin.

As beams of light flashed, the tables in the entire auditorium were instantly filled with a sumptuous feast.

The Hogwarts banquet began, and naturally, the other creatures residing in the castle were not absent.

One by one, ghosts that roamed Hogwarts flew out from all over the Great Hall with giggles, and some even suddenly popped their heads out from under the dining tables.

If you want to study at Hogwarts, you have to get used to the ghosts living in Hogwarts Castle, and these ghosts will accompany you until you graduate.

Taking this opportunity, Dumbledore retrieved the Sorting Hat, placed it on the table, and seemingly casually turned to ask Li Lin, "What spell did you use to subdue the giant squid? It doesn't seem to be one of the spells currently in use at Hogwarts."

“Of course not,” Li Lin stared intently at the Sorting Hat, reaching inside to try and pull out the Gryffindor sword. “The giant squid went mad due to the influence of R'lyeh, so the one who can stand against the Lord of R'lyeh must be another great being.”

"Besides, I'm not a student at Hogwarts..."

Before he finished speaking, Li Lin continued working, putting the hat on his own head.

Dumbledore smiled gently: "The Sorting Hat is only useful against unsuspecting young wizards."

Suddenly, a piercing voice rang out from above Li Lin's head: "Help! Help! Help!"

Within the shallow wisdom of the Sorting Hat, a blazing sun is burning fiercely, and the color of lost rose has never been so intense.

Seeing that no one was around to remove himself from the terrible creature's head, the Sorting Hat's voice grew even shrewder.

Its body twisted and convulsed in pain.

"How could someone like you exist? You're terrifying! Azkaban... no, Nurmengard!"

Dumbledore quickly removed the painful Sorting Hat from Li Lin's head, signaling everyone to eat and drink as usual.

"I think this Sorting Hat is targeting me," Li Lin demanded, rolling up his sleeves. "Don't give me the chance, I'll fucking beat you to death one of these days—"

Mr. Li, who was making unwanted advances, was pulled out of the Great Hall by Dumbledore.

Bounty closed, data statistics compiled.

The bounty ends today. I rounded it up and found I owe about seventeen chapters. Subtracting the three chapters I've already paid back, I still owe fourteen.

I will gradually make up for these fourteen chapters in the future. I initially thought it would be more than enough, but I didn't expect it to accumulate into such a terrifying amount (I'm in a coma).

I probably won't be offering any more bounties until I finish updating this post. It hurts, it hurts too much.

110 to check Gringotts status

Night fell heavily.

However, a new trend began to emerge in the magical world.

The economic beast has finally broken free from Diagon Alley and Flip-Over Alley.

Mr. Arthur Weasley, who was completely unaware of this, was hurriedly using Apparition to get to the Ministry of Magic.

The Ministry of Magic, usually bustling with wizards and filled with noise, was now deathly silent. When Arthur appeared, everyone standing in the main hall of the Ministry of Magic turned around and stared at his face without saying a word.

Arthur scratched his head in surprise, realizing that everyone present was a pure-blood wizard.

Except for the pure-blood families whose lineage has been severed, all the others were present.

Arthur even saw Ollivander, the wandmaker—although strictly speaking he was a half-blood wizard, he was naturally the most qualified person to attend from the Ollivander family, which was famous for making wands.

Lucius Malfoy, standing at the very front, slowly turned around, his face ashen as iron.

"Our Mr. Weasley has finally arrived." Lucius chuckled and shook his head. "Perhaps you're the only pureblood who won't be affected."

“I have never believed that bloodline determines a wizard,” Arthur retorted sharply.

“Fool.” Lucius chuckled and shook his head, but in an instant, his face darkened again.

Even if you win the verbal battle against the Weasleys, what good will it do?

The newly appointed Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, sat in his seat. This bureaucrat, who had been so confident and high-spirited not long ago, now looked grim and was covered in sweat.

After a moment of stalemate, Connelly finally lowered his head, his spine seemed to have been removed, and his body gradually slumped down.

“Mr. Weasley, Mr. Malfoy, fellow pure-blood wizards... I’m afraid we have to face a reality.”

The Minister of Magic's voice became hoarse and low, "The Galleons in our hands are... worthless."

Even if they had only vaguely learned about this through their own channels, when the Minister of Magic personally admitted to it, all the pure-blood wizards present felt it was utterly absurd.

Why are Galleons worthless?

“Why?” Arthur Weasley shouted.

“Mr. Weasley, you may not know this, but this conspiracy against Galleons has been in full swing for months.”

Cornelius Fudge said helplessly, "At first it was just Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley... but because of some people's compromises, counterfeit Galleons began to flood the market—"

“Watch your words, Mr. Fudge.” Lucius Malfoy tapped his cane, his face also somewhat pale. “We are victims too.”

“Well.” Fudge sighed and shook his head. “In any case, the Ministry of Magic and Gringotts are trying their best to control the market to prevent it from collapsing completely, but the people who orchestrated this conspiracy are clearly well-prepared. Their counterfeit Galleons are irresistible to us, and prices are skyrocketing. In Muggle terms, what’s it called again?”

“Inflation,” Arthur blurted out instinctively.

“Whether it’s expanding or exploding,” Fudge said, his face pale. “At first we could hold our own, but soon all the wizards were complaining about it, purebloods and Muggles alike. They were complaining that Butterbeer was too expensive to afford, that the Knight Bus was too expensive… A cup of Butterbeer costs more than ten Galleons, and the price is skyrocketing every second. —Damn it!”

This was possibly the most unfortunate Minister of Magic in history. Finally, unable to contain his pain and indignation, he clenched his fist and slammed it on the table in front of him.

Soon, he slumped weakly against the high-backed chair.

"Gringotts has disbanded. They had too much money, so it's worthless. Those damned goblins escaped from Diagon Alley the night before last."

If Gringotts were to come and help, the Ministry of Magic would be completely dominating, but unfortunately, they can't.

Fudge frantically tried to check Gringotts' status, but Gringotts was nowhere to be found.

Cornelius Fudge looked at the ashen-faced pure-blood wizards in front of him with a wry smile: "The Ministry of Magic has a lot of Galleons, but they're no longer money."

“Is there no way to control it anymore? I mean, I find it hard to feel this pressure…” Arthur said subconsciously.

“If you want to try, I can give you a bag of Galleons. You can go to Diagon Alley now and see what you can buy.” Lucius slammed his cane down menacingly, staring fiercely at Arthur.