Chapter 510: Prologue to the Diagon Alley Free Fighting Tournament

On March 3, spring arrived quietly, and Diagon Alley in England should have been a vibrant scene.

However, due to the well-known economic crisis, this once prosperous street has now become extremely depressed.

The sunlight shines through the clouds onto the earth, bringing a touch of warmth to the earth, but it cannot dispel the coldness in people's hearts.

In front of the shops in Diagon Alley, the bustling crowds had disappeared, replaced by silence.

The merchandise in the window was still neatly arranged, but there were few customers and the merchandise was covered in dust.

The shop owners had no expression on their faces, they just stared at the empty streets with numb eyes, their hearts filled with helplessness and worry.

They once thought that as long as Christmas was over, the British Ministry of Magic would definitely take measures and the economic difficulties would only be temporary.

They were disappointed, and then they placed their hopes on Dumbledore, hoping that he could use his wisdom to save the British wizarding world, just as he had done before.

What they waited for was the news that Dumbledore had resigned as the headmaster of Hogwarts and retired.

Now that a new month has arrived, people have begun to fantasize that the arrival of spring will bring new hope, but they did not expect that the economic winter has not yet passed and the contradictions in reality have begun to erupt again.

In a corner of Diagon Alley, the owner of a small restaurant was sitting at the door basking in the sun.

His eyes revealed a hint of fatigue and confusion, but also a little bit of relief, because this restaurant was the result of his years of hard work.

Out of emotional considerations, he did not mortgage his shop, thus becoming one of the few ordinary wizards with assets.

So a week ago, when the British Ministry of Magic suddenly announced in all the newspapers that it would take measures to save the economy of the British wizarding community.

He was extremely excited because this meant that the price of the shop he owned would skyrocket.

But now it is facing the risk of bankruptcy, not because of the few pedestrians on the street, but because of other neighbors who used to open shops with him.

They have now joined an organization called Asset Protection and started to intimidate small bosses like him who own assets.

Ask them to join in opposing the British Ministry of Magic's rescue plan.

These people initially just used verbal threats, but later on the situation escalated into violent actions, with several stores clearly opposing it.

It was directly smashed and looted by the other party, and finally burned to ashes.

Looking at his small but exquisite shop, he sighed and looked up at the sun in the sky, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart: "Why is it so cold in spring?"

"When will warmth return to the world?"

Just as he was feeling emotional, he suddenly heard a burst of orderly footsteps behind him, and he quickly looked back.

As a result, I was so scared by the scene in front of me that I stood up from my chair. There was a group of people in black uniforms, holding strange shields and batons.

They were marching forward in neat steps. They were wrapped tightly from head to toe, with black masks on their faces and strange helmets on their heads.

Due to the economic crisis, many wizards have to go to the Muggle world to engage in smuggling in order to make a living.

It is mainly used to purchase some daily necessities, such as grain and non-staple food.

This young boss is one of them. During this process, he has seen Muggles with similar makeup.

These guys in black often appear in hot spots in the Muggle world. They have a unified name called riot police.

But this kind of thing has never appeared in the British wizarding world, so when I saw it for the first time.

He thought that the British wizarding world had been exposed to the Muggles, and that the Muggles were going to harm them, the wizards.

But as the crowd passed in front of him, he saw the emblem of the British Ministry of Magic appear on their clothes.

And the direction they were heading seemed to be the only modernist building ahead, the First Savings Bank of the Magical World, which had been occupied by the protesting crowd.

Looking at the team that was as neat as an army, the young boss's heart, which had just been relieved, instantly rose to his throat again.

He seemed to have realized what might happen next and quickly turned around and went into his shop.

I closed the door and windows tightly and dared not look at those people in black clothes anymore.

On the other side, at the end of Diagon Alley, opposite Gringotts Bank, is the bond trading hall of the wizarding world's first savings bank.

The place is now crowded with hundreds of protesting wizards occupying the trading hall.

They were very emotional and their voices were very loud, trying to attract the attention of passers-by. Some ordinary people who were just passing by to take a look were also forcibly pulled into their team.

There was a tense atmosphere in the air; shop owners around here closed their shops early, leaving the entire street empty.

These people have been gathering here to protest for nearly a week, and Barty Crouch Sr. has repeatedly attempted to negotiate with the crowd on behalf of the British Ministry of Magic.

But somehow, the wizards who usually know nothing about finance seem to have learned everything on their own in recent days as if they had taken a rocket class.

It is very clear that if the British Ministry of Magic really starts to rescue the market according to the original plan, then many of them.

You may get a job opportunity in the future, but the house you mortgaged will never be redeemed.

Moreover, it is very likely that you will never be able to afford your own property in this lifetime. This belief spreads like a virus.

This made the protesters unusually united, and several negotiations ended in failure.

Finally today, the deadline given by the Ministry of Magic, the protesting crowd still seems to have no intention of giving in.

While they were shouting loudly, the group of "explosion-proof police" dressed in black had arrived at the door of the bond hall.

They surrounded the entire gate in an arc-shaped formation. The leading captain walked in front of the crowd and shouted loudly with an electric loudspeaker instead of using magic.

"Now, according to the emergency economic plan passed by the British Ministry of Magic yesterday, I formally warn you to stop illegal gatherings immediately."

"Leave where you are now, and you will receive the compensation promised during the last negotiation if you continue to be stubborn."

"We will take emergency measures. This is the first warning and the last warning. You have 30 seconds to consider."