International Confederation of Wizards Conference
In 1104 AD, a great fire broke out in Venice.
To protect the church from burning down, a witch used her powerful magic to sink it entirely into a canal and then protected it with magic.
From then on, this place became a legendary secret meeting place in the Italian Wizarding World.
Because the church was upside down when it sank, the meeting hall was actually inside the church's dome.
The arched dome that was originally the ceiling has become the ground. Walking on the huge and colorful stained glass windows, you can see schools of fish swimming in the canal and the changing light and shadow on the water.
Such a beautiful place is perfect for holding important meetings.
This International Confederation of Wizards meeting was arguably the most important in the last 10 years, especially given the leak of magical information in Berlin and the election of the new president; every prominent journalist was present.
And this meeting, which could potentially influence the future of the Wizarding World, would naturally include the renowned Rita Skeeter.
Despite being explicitly forbidden from entering, she managed to sneak in by bribing an employee of the Italian Ministry of Magic.
From the moment he saw her, Fudge's good mood plummeted.
"Minister Fudge, I heard that you strongly promoted the election of your new president, but you are not running for the position. Do you think the time is not right yet?"
Timing? What timing?
Fudge's face darkened. "Miss Skeeter, Wayne Enterprises has long been blacklisted by the British Wizarding World. I will not answer your question."
Rita's eyes shone brighter than her jewel-encrusted glasses. "Minister Fudge, Wayne Enterprises is Wayne Enterprises, and Wayne Media is Wayne Media. The two are completely unrelated."
If there's really no connection, then what kind of Wayne is he!
Fudge cursed inwardly, but maintained a polite smile on the surface. "Really? I remember Wayne Media is a subsidiary of Wayne Enterprises."
"No, not anymore." Rita's eyes were sharp, her expression resolute and upright, revealing not a trace of hypocrisy. "I, Rita Skeeter, am determined to sever all ties with dangerous individuals like Vincent Wayne!"
It sounded so Diadem that Fudge almost believed it.
"Miss Skeeter, I trust you, but I have an urgent matter to attend to."
"It's okay, I'll arrange a separate interview with you after the meeting."
"Good."
If it weren't for the presence of representatives from various magical governments, Fudge would have had his guards throw Rita out long ago.
A solo interview? He left as soon as the meeting ended, let's see how she manages to conduct the interview.
Fudge made an excuse and slipped away, but Rita's eyes still sparkled.
She turned on the projection screen and uploaded the video she had just secretly filmed to Dubidubi, giving it the title "Ambitious Minister Fudge believes the time is not yet ripe for running for office."
In less than 10 minutes, the video had already received over a thousand views, and the comment section was bustling with activity.
Rita pinned a comment that read, "The British Ministry of Magic blacklisted Wayne Enterprises, but hypocritically continues to enjoy its advanced technology. The German Ministry of Magic next door is the real tough guy."
"Big reporter, are you fabricating facts again?"
She looked up and met a pair of incredibly familiar deep blue eyes.
"You are—" she quickly covered her mouth, "I knew you wouldn't miss this meeting."
The owner of the eyes was very young and handsome, with long, smooth, black hair. "I just happened to have nothing to do lately, so I came to join in the fun."
"Haha—" Rita grinned, "Looks like something big is going to happen today."
The young man gave a wicked smile, his expression somewhat intriguing. "Why do you always tend to overthink things?"
Rita toned it down a bit, saying, "Because I'm a media person, I love big news."
The young man glanced at the butterfly-shaped brooch she wore on her chest. "Well, you'll have to wait and see."
He waved his hand and then left.
Rita didn't look away until his figure disappeared from sight.
With a faint smile on her lips, she strode towards one of the candidates for president.
At 10 a. m., representatives from various magical governments gathered in the magnificent temple hall.
Babajide Akinbad, the acting president of the International Confederation of Wizards, loudly announced the start of the meeting.
The revision of the "Joint Memorandum on the Management of Cross-border Trade in Fantastic Beasts and the Regulation of Trade in Dark Magic Items" went very smoothly, perhaps because the latter two issues were more explosive, and the "Memorandum" was formally passed without much discussion.
Next, we will discuss the second topic: the leak of magical information in Berlin, Germany.
German Ministry of Magic Thaddeus Belg stated sternly that the Germany Wizarding World had done its utmost to prevent the news from spreading, but because the incident occurred during the day and in the city center, they had no choice but to steer the narrative towards extraterrestrials.
"Our German Ministry of Magic has specially ordered a batch of metal flying saucers. Although it is a bit late, as long as they are randomly deployed around the world, and with the cooperation of Muggle governments in various countries, the existence of magic will be completely hidden."
Minister Belge's proposal was strongly endorsed by the acting president, Akinbad, who immediately initiated a vote, and the proposal was ultimately passed by a large majority.
The young man in the corner shook his head in disappointment.
A handsome, blond-haired, blue-eyed man next to him seemed somewhat surprised. "Didn't you already guess this would be the result?"
The young man pointed to the metal flying saucer that Belg had shown him, "They think they can get away with this shoddy stuff? They think Muggle are all idiots."
The handsome middle-aged man shook his head upon hearing this, "This is how a bureaucratic system has existed for hundreds of years. Haven't you experienced it firsthand?"
The young man remained silent.
Just then, Fudge also stood up and offered his own suggestion.
"The Berlin incident was caused by Vincent Wayne, who caused such a serious leak of magical information. I recommend that the magical governments of various countries issue formal arrest warrants for him."
This suggestion caused an uproar.
The last wizard to be wanted by the entire Wizarding World was Grindelwald; even Voldemort did not receive this honor.
After a brief uproar, Belg was the first to respond, "I agree with Minister Fudge's proposal. Vincent Wayne has released dozens of serious criminals from Erkstag and Azkaban. Coupled with the Berlin incident, he has seriously violated the provisions of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. Continuing to let it go will only lead to greater disaster."
The handsome middle-aged man in the corner looked at the young man with a mocking expression. "Not bad. At this rate, even if you do nothing, you'll soon become a true Dark Lord."
The young man's deep blue eyes revealed determination and resolve. "You still have the nerve to joke with me? They're all in position?"
"Just waiting for your signal."
The projection screen in the lobby was playing footage related to the Berlin conflict, and to emphasize the level of danger Vincent was in, it consisted almost entirely of images of buildings being destroyed.
The young man slowly rose and walked forward, attracting the attention of the entire hall.
The acting president Akinbad, who was about to initiate a vote, looked at him with a puzzled expression.
If I remember correctly, this is the heir of the Strauss Family in the United States Wizarding World. What is he doing not quietly sitting in the corner listening?
Rita, who was sitting relatively close to the front row, excitedly recorded the moment he took off the Imposter Mask.
With deep blue eyes and light golden hair, he had shed his black tuxedo disguise and was now wearing a white sleeveless cloak.