The Middleman's Cut

The Quidditch match hall was in an uproar until late into the night before gradually quieting down.

It wasn't that everyone was tired; rather, the England National Team players had been captured by the Ministry of Magic and taken to Azkaban.

Fudge said he would arrest the troublemaking wizards, but he couldn't actually do it.

There are 100,000 wizards here, and United Kingdom only has so many Auror... Who are you going to arrest? Azkaban could be overflowing with them!

Finally, with no other option, Auror had to take the England National Team players away... In reality, it was a temporary protection measure to prevent further extreme actions by the fans.

A beating to vent anger is fine, but you can't actually kill him.

However, it's not safe for them to be with the Auror either; there are several people who want to kill these good-for-nothings.

After all, 10:390... I could do that too!

England fans were also attacked. They felt wronged, saying they had agreed to stop fighting amongst themselves and unite against external threats.

Didn't you agree to no blacklisting during the Quidditch World Cup?

It was agreed upon...

Screw you!

If you can't tolerate criticism of food, are you going to try to win people over with love?

Scotland fans, in particular, were the most excited. After all, they were runners-up in the last Quidditch World Cup.

At the time, I was criticized for "dropping a broom" and "swimming back"... but everything is subject to comparison.

Compared to a terrible team like England, Scotland is truly bringing glory to the nation.

Sure enough, England was just having fun; the real championship belongs to Scotland.

The funniest thing was the wizards from Argentina; they burned photos just like everyone else.

However, they didn't distinguish between England and Ireland; they took out a picture of Irish National Quidditch Team Seeker Aidan Lynch and burned it.

This is not surprising; Argentina have never been able to distinguish between other countries.

Last time, the Argentina Magical Congress subtly mocked the South Korea National Quidditch Team's elimination, and their official newspaper featured a photo of the North Korea Muggle government's eternal chairman, Jong-il.

Then, the Argentina Quidditch Team was fouled in a friendly match.

Argentina's bizarre actions have put the already tense relationship between fans on the verge of exploding.

Not only are Scotland fans clamoring for a referendum on independence, but Ireland wizards are also clamoring to form their own second Ministry of Magic, to rival the United Kingdom Ministry of Magic!

The opening match turned the Quidditch World Cup camp into complete chaos.

The England National Team is really full of villains; they'd be better off not being sent to Azkaban to cut sugarcane... as they're practically expendable as commoners.

The next morning, William and Hermione stepped out of the tent.

The entire camp was in a mess, as if it had been robbed. Wizards lay scattered on the ground, empty wine bottles in their hands.

Many of the tents around had been splashed with paint and had slogans written on them.

"You are a disgrace to the team's 520-year history!"

"Shameless people, get out of here!"

"You are no longer welcome in this land!"

Clearly, the England National Team has broken the hearts of many fans by being unilaterally stripped of their citizenship.

Especially those fans who thought they were guaranteed to win the game, they bet a lot of money.

I was queuing at the Quidditch Pitch this morning, waiting to jump off the sports platform.

William and Hermione paid no attention, huddled under a small umbrella, avoiding the gazes of the surrounding wizards, and headed towards the Goblin tent.

The creditor... went to collect the debt!

Two hundred and twenty thousand Galleon!

"So, Professor Babbling has made contact with that person," Hermione whispered.

"No, the professor didn't agree immediately; he's deliberately keeping Tom hanging on."

Gazing at the misty sky in the distance, the young girl smiled knowingly, slightly narrowing her beautiful eyes, and said with a smile, "

I understand... it's about playing hard to get... You're a pro at this, with a wealth of theoretical knowledge and unparalleled practical experience."

William looked bewildered, with a hint of innocence in his eyes, as if he couldn't understand what the girl was saying.

Hermione's lips curled up slightly, and she reached out to take William's arm.

Overall, Professor Babbling is indeed very capable.

She had her eye on William's face from the very beginning.

Yes, what face could attract Tom's attention more than William's?

This was a face he couldn't refuse.

Professor Babbling then fully utilized her identity as a professor of Ancient Runes, mentioning some kind of ancient power in class.

Bringing up this kind of thing in another profession would seem out of place, but the identity of Ancient Runes professor... is just right.

Sure enough, Tom's attention was immediately drawn to her, and he also took the initiative to approach Babbling last night.

William suddenly recalled Professor Babbling's words, "Someone has worked with Death."

This statement really bothered him.

Both William and Nicolas dreamed of Death and received guidance from him.

There's a strange connection between them, but it's not a cooperative relationship. In this Wizarding World, is there anyone who has ever cooperated with Death?

As William passed by Malfoy's tent, he discovered the disgraced GG who had been taken in.

However, Malfoy is definitely gone; those fat peacocks have long since been eaten by who knows who.

At the water-drawing spot, William noticed the well was yellowish, indicating that a group of wizards had used it as a toilet the previous night.

Luckily, there was water in the tent, so they didn't use it from there. I wonder who will be the unlucky one to use it.

As William approached the Goblin tent, he unexpectedly saw two familiar figures at the entrance.

--Ludo and Fudge!

Late last night, Ludo tried to find William.

However, knowing that the camp would be in turmoil, a lot of magic was cast outside the tents, making it impossible for him to get in.

After Ludo had no choice but to arrive at the betting place early in the morning to wait for people.

My goal, of course, was to place bets with him and, incidentally, discuss the 30/70 split... oh no, the 20/80 split.

Unexpectedly, Minister Fudge had the same idea and arrived at the Goblin tent early in the morning to wait for them.

"William, I have something important to discuss with you. We need to talk about GG's problem," Fudge said in a low voice.

"Let's go inside and talk," William nodded.

The four walked towards the Goblin tent, and Minister Fudge asked for a quiet room.

Hermione didn't go with them; she took the vault key and went to the Goblin to collect the 220,000 Galleon.

William sat down in the chair and asked in confusion:

"Hasn't the GG fee already been agreed upon?"

Like many Muggle Dobby, the Quidditch World Cup is sponsored by GG.

After all, this is a grand competition open to wizards from all over the world.

However, it certainly won't be as expensive as the Muggle Super Bowl, where the GG fee is so high.

In William's previous life, the average cost of dropping a 30-second GG during Super Bowl game had reached a terrifying $5.6 million, averaging a staggering $186,667 per second.

In 1994, a 30-second blooper had already grossed over a million dollars.

But look at their viewership ratings! What kind of trash is the Quidditch World Cup?

There was no live television broadcast, only radio broadcast. The global wizarding population is only so large, so the price of GG (game currency) is naturally much cheaper.

Even at the lowest rates, a single match can easily cost anywhere from several hundred to over a thousand Galleon. For example, the 58 players who lost in the Quidditch World Cup final earned nearly ten thousand Galleon.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a den of iniquity.

"William, you've already bet on three GG slots for the finals, don't you want to think about betting on some more?" Fudge suggested.

William earned 200,000 Galleon in one night; he can spend even more now.

The Quidditch World Cup has dozens of matches, and if it's not a top favorite team, there won't be many spectators, and ticket sales will be poor.

There aren't many GG slots available, and Fudge is getting anxious.

These are all golden Galleon!

"Of course I can buy more, seven or eight more wouldn't be a problem, I could even book the whole place. But..."

William for a moment, then laughed and said, "I'm not buying the GG seat, I'm buying other things."

"What are you buying?" Fudge asked, puzzled.

"The final round will feature a mascot performance, and I hope to have 30 seconds of screen time afterward."

"What?!" Fudge was stunned, and blurted out, "No way."

The Quidditch World Cup has never been played like this before.

"I'm offering a very high price," William said with a smile.

"How much?" Fudge asked immediately.

William picked up a cup of coffee and took a small sip.

"Ludo, go check the odds for me tonight," Fudge said knowingly.

"Minister..."

"Hurry up and go."

Ludo reluctantly stood up; it was normal for them not to let him hear such trade secrets.

After Ludo left, William said softly, "I'll offer 50,000 Galleon."

"Fifty thousand Galleon..." Fudge's heart skipped a second.

What a tycoon! He throws in so much money right off the bat!

However, they only earned 200,000 Galleon last night, so what's 50,000?

Fudge's gaze towards William instantly became intense.

"William, we get along well... but this position is very important, there's never been a precedent for it... I'll be under a lot of pressure..."

"Sixty-five thousand, that's the most I can ask for," William said.

The 30-second KO in the 1994 Super Bowl earned him only a million dollars. At the exchange rate between Galleon and the dollar, 100,000 Galleon would be worth $730,000.

But the Super Bowl is televised, while Quidditch is not. Furthermore, the number of wizards is far fewer than that of Muggle.

Therefore, a mid-range price of 60,000 to 70,000 Galleon is reasonable.

Fudge for a long time, then suddenly said:

"William, we have a good relationship, and this is a completely new kind of 'GG' (gay/gay) situation, so it's hard to give an estimate."

But since it's my first time testing the waters, I can only charge 30,000 Galleon.

William was taken aback; he had expected Fudge to ask for an exorbitant price, but he hadn't expected him to lower the price on his own initiative.

William only thought for two seconds before instantly understanding.

The amount of GG fees collected now belongs to the Ministry of Magic, and has nothing to do with the Minister for Magic!

Anyway, this is a new form of GG, Fudge even deliberately lowered the price, only charging 10,000 Galleon... But as a middleman, he always has to make a profit.

In Fudge's opinion, what did those Ministry of Magic officials know? Galleon... should be kept by the right people!

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