"Alright, since you're unwilling to say anything more, I'll have no choice but to record everything you've said and report it as is."
Mr. Cornelius Fudge, who had long been at a loss for words, could only slam his notebook shut in frustration.
He looked helplessly at the boy but still clung to a final shred of defiance as he tried to issue a threat.
"However, based on my experience, submitting this kind of testimony is absolutely not going to end well for you."
"Do as you please." Karl remained completely nonchalant. But just as Fudge got up and prepared to leave, Karl spoke casually.
"I heard you recently invested your savings into that newly-launched Wizarding Wealth Cauldron mutual fund. You know, investments come with risks."
"If there's a crash tomorrow, you could lose everything."
These words left Cornelius Fudge frozen in place. He turned his head mechanically to look at Karl, his voice trembling slightly.
"What are you trying to say?"
"Oh, I didn't say anything." Karl shrugged calmly. "I was merely emphasizing a fact. As for how you write the testimony—I imagine in a country like Britain, with its centuries-old civil service tradition, it shouldn't be too hard to find a few people skilled in rhetoric."
"As for whether the fund goes up or down tomorrow—that's your concern, Mr. Cornelius Fudge. I've said nothing at all. And you know nothing."
After saying that, Karl fell silent once again, sitting back on the sofa. The entire compartment descended into an eerie stillness.
Five minutes passed before Cornelius Fudge, his expression twisted with unease, walked out of the compartment.
Moments later, the two men in long trench coats entered the carriage. With expressions full of resentment, they drew their wands and lightly tapped the shackles binding Karl.
The shackles were quickly undone, and the heavy iron chains clattered onto the floor with a muffled thud.
Now free, Karl stretched lazily, rolled his wrists, and then reached out to take the items handed to him by the two men.
They were his personal belongings, confiscated during his arrest. Carefully, he began inspecting each item.
He checked the balance in his wallet, examined the condition of his expensive watch, and even went so far as to open his cigarette case and count the exact number of cigarettes inside.
This behavior was nothing short of a blatant insult to the two Aurors. One of them, seething with anger, couldn't hold back and growled:
"You'll get what's coming to you. Your crimes will one day be exposed under the light of day. Justice may be delayed, but it will never be absent."
Karl, however, didn't seem to care in the slightest. After ensuring that all his belongings were accounted for, he shrugged, then pointed nonchalantly at the door to the compartment.
"I believe two elite Aurors like yourselves don't need to go back to school for more education. If possible, could you give me a bit of private space now?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the two Aurors immediately turned and left, leaving Karl alone in the compartment.
Only then did Karl sit back on the sofa, silently muttering to himself.
"Alright, you damn system, it's time to tell me what you're actually useful for."
Karl Hohenzollern, who had grown up in an orphanage, was, without a doubt, a transmigrator.
As a transmigrator, he should have gained his cheat ability early on—something that would let him activate his "golden finger" and rise to the peak of life.
He had seen many Isekai animes and read many transmigration novels. Maybe with so many transmigrators in existence, accidents were bound to happen. After enduring six nightmarish years in the orphanage, Karl finally escaped that hellish place.
Relying on his unique abilities and the connections he had built up in the orphanage, he carved out a place for himself in America.
In just ten short years, he had risen to become one of the most notorious mafia bosses in New York State.
Originally, his plan was to exploit the legal world through capitalism while ruling the underworld with his special abilities.
Eventually, after twenty years, he intended to follow in the footsteps of another German-American predecessor and run for President of the United States.
But life is full of unforeseen twists. Just as he was enjoying life in New York, Aunt Rosier suddenly found him.
She revealed that he was actually a wizard, completely shattering his previous understanding of the world.
It was at that moment that his system finally awakened.
The "Ultimate Villain System." However, this time, it wasn't Karl who was surprised—it was the system.
Because the system's matching criteria were specifically designed for the magical world.
Yet, after evaluating everything Karl had done over the past ten years, it realized that he had already far exceeded the level of villainy expected in the magical world.
In simpler terms, he was "too evil for the job."
Upon discovering that it was not only late but also completely useless, the system essentially gave up, throwing in the towel and causing endless trouble for Karl.
After enduring a series of unpleasant events, the two sides finally reached an agreement: in exchange for the system providing Karl with what he desired most, Karl deliberately left an opening, allowing himself to be arrested by British Aurors.
Using this as an opportunity, he entered Hogwarts. At the same time, the system compromised and tailored itself to Karl's true desires.
[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully entered the magical world and skillfully avoided punishment. The following beginner reward is now granted:]
[Memory Palace (from Sherlock Holmes): Your brain has now become a supercomputer capable of processing an infinite amount of complex data.]
[A magical creature egg, complete with a full incubation device.]
[And Galleons…]
"Stop. I don't need money." Before the system could continue listing the rewards, Karl mercilessly cut it off.
Then, he made his own request.
"Do you have something like a storage ring, or maybe something even better?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the system, now interrupted, could only respond helplessly.
[There is something, but Host, you've just completed your first task, and now you're already asking for high-tier rewards. Isn't that a bit excessive?]
[You're putting me in a difficult position.]
"A difficult position?" Karl pulled a cigarette from his case, casually placed it in his mouth, and then looked down at his hands as sudden strength surged through them.
Without hesitation, he flipped the small wooden table next to the sofa onto the floor.
"Then how about you just don't bother?"
The wine bottle on the table shattered instantly upon hitting the ground, breaking into countless pieces. The sharp sound of glass breaking echoed through the compartment.
What he hadn't anticipated was the system suddenly speaking up again in his mind.
[Just entered the school's train and already damaged the property—a perfect display of a villain's rebellious potential. Villain points awarded: 10.]
[With the beginner reward of 90 points, your total is now 100 points. You can redeem a ring (with 5 cubic meters of space).]
[Would you like to redeem it?]
"Redeem." Hearing how tactfully the system adapted to the situation, Karl didn't hesitate for a moment and immediately requested the exchange.
[Understood. All rewards are being distributed. We hope the Host will continue to strive for greatness and achieve further glory.]
Soon, a large flaming egg, a peculiar set of equipment, and a ring engraved with the Hohenzollern family crest appeared out of thin air on the desk beside him. Karl walked over, slipped the ring onto his finger, and stored both the giant egg and the equipment into the ring.
Then he quietly sat back down on the sofa, taking time to feel the changes in his mind.
At this moment, within his brain, a grand memory palace had risen from the ground. Countless memories were neatly categorized and placed in various sections.
Walking through the palace, Karl felt both a sense of novelty and an uncontrollable surge of excitement.
He slowly ventured deeper into the palace, where he discovered a towering crystal spire rising in its innermost section.
The top of the spire was shrouded in darkness, representing the ultimate reward promised by the system: a wish-granting device similar to the Holy Grail from the Fate series.
This device could grant any wish in exchange for villain points. However, each activation required a minimum of 10 million villain points.
Gazing at his utterly pitiful balance of zero points, Karl couldn't help but shake his head. It seemed the road ahead was still long and arduous.
Just as he was about to leave his memory palace, the compartment door was knocked on from the outside, followed by a deep, somber voice:
"Karl Hohenzollern, open the door. I am Professor Snape, Head of Slytherin House."