Lord of Entertainment

Chapter 172: Almost hitting a billion

The Sorting Hat ceremony introduced the four houses: Gryffindor for humans like Harry, Ravenclaw where Hermione surprisingly joined the elves, Slytherin housing demons like Draco Malfoy, and Hufflepuff with its diverse mix. The magical world mesmerized everyone - the sight of wands amplifying spells so dramatically had audience members wishing they owned such powerful instruments.

Then came the ghosts, and Mark found himself puzzled. Nearly Headless Nick appeared to welcome Harry, Ron, and Hermione to his ghostly party, floating transparent through the great hall. The Bloody Baron, The Fat Friar, and The Grey Lady drifted in the background, passing through walls with eerie realism.

Mark couldn\'t figure out how Hellfire Studio had achieved these effects. Even the most sophisticated illusion magic couldn\'t make actors appear truly transparent or pass through solid objects so convincingly.

The thought that they might be actual ghosts crossed his mind, but he dismissed it as impossible. Still, the effects were unlike anything he\'d seen in other films.

The audience delighted in the ghosts\' humorous interactions, and Mark eventually decided to stop analyzing the technical aspects and simply enjoy the story unfolding before him.

The flying lesson scene had the audience fascinated. A wizard professor in the crowd watched intently, wondering if such broom flight was truly possible.

Harry took flight for the first time, his natural talent was obvious - he moved through the air like he\'d been doing it for years.

As the story moved forward, Harry discovered the Mirror of Erised, revealing his deepest desire. His conversation with Albus Dumbledore about the mirror\'s power left many in the theater feeling sympathy for the young wizard.

The film continued, with Mark and other viewers completely absorbed. Harry and his friends faced off against a Primal Troll - a creature far larger than the trolls that roamed the world today. Despite the odds, they emerged victorious.

Time passed in the story, leading to Harry\'s first Quidditch match. Gryffindor\'s victory brought smiles to everyone\'s faces, including Harry\'s.

"Makes me wish I could play that," someone whispered in the audience, voicing what many felt, though they knew magical flying brooms weren\'t exactly common.

The story took a more serious turn when Hagrid revealed the truth about Harry\'s parents. "Lily and James Potter," he said warmly, "weren\'t just known for fighting dark forces. They worked hard to bring humans, demons, and elves together when everyone was divided. They believed working together was the only way to keep peace in our world."

His words resonated throughout the theater. The world outside remained deeply divided - humans maintaining their superiority over demons, elves clashing with dwarves over environmental issues, dwarves claiming intellectual supremacy, and demons nursing centuries-old grievances from their fallen empire of four hundred years past.

The audience understood why the Potters\' cause had been so important.

The story built toward its climax, drawing stronger reactions from the audience with each scene.

When Quirrell revealed Voldemort\'s face on the back of his head, children throughout the theater gasped in fear. Even adults recoiled - a dwarf in front involuntarily touched the back of his neck, shuddering.

Though Mark knew Harry would survive, he still found himself tense. Next to him, an elf couldn\'t contain herself. "Run!" she cried out as Quirrell cornered Harry with a wall of magical flames.

"This is it, you brat. Give me the stone!" Quirrell advanced menacingly.

"No!" Harry backed away, only to burn himself on the flame wall.

"There is no other way, Harry. Give me the sorcerer\'s stone!" Voldemort\'s face demanded.

The audience leaned forward as Harry gritted his teeth before saying, "You want the stone?" He held it up.

"Yes, yes." Quirrell\'s eyes gleamed with greed. "Hand it!" Voldemort echoed.

"Here!" Harry tossed it past the flames.

Quirrell rushed through his own flame wall to catch it - a decision that proved fatal. The magic, amplified by his wand, set him ablaze. Yet his obsession drove him forward.

Harry, seeing the flames die down after Quirrell passed through, followed and grabbed the stone. He watched as his pursuer writhed in agony.

"Ahh!!!" Quirrell screamed, Voldemort\'s shrieks joining his own.

The audience couldn\'t help but appreciate the irony, some even chuckling at Quirrell being consumed by his own spell. When Harry\'s touch turned the already burning professor to dust, a demon in the crowd remarked, "What an idiot. Done in by his own flames."

Scattered laughter filled the theater - the villain\'s downfall proving both satisfying and slightly amusing.

***

Harry Potter\'s opening day exceeded even the most optimistic predictions. Rather than losing momentum, the film\'s popularity grew stronger each day. When Titan Pictures released "Great Knight Conqueror," their stubbornly scheduled competitor barely made a ripple in the market.

While Titan Pictures struggled with disappointingly low numbers, Harry Potter dominated screens across Empirica, Anatolia, Evros, Eden, and the Middle East.

A week into its release, the film stunned the industry by reaching 310 million dollars in box office earnings.

Records fell one after another.

Arthur watched these numbers with a mix of satisfaction and concern. The fact that one dollar here equaled ten in his previous world\'s economy made this achievement even more staggering. Three hundred million dollars meant the equivalent of three billion in his old world\'s terms - an almost unthinkable sum for a single film to generate so quickly.

He could already see the coming rush - major corporations would be scrambling to invest in film production, attracted by such astronomical returns.

With Harry Potter\'s massive earnings, media outlets dusted off their old economic concerns. These were the same headlines they\'d used when Lord of the Rings had broken records - warnings about "economic shock" and "rising inflation."

The newspaper on his desk read: "Harry Potter Earns Astronomical 310 Million Dollars! Economic Experts Warn of Potential Market Destabilization"

The article speculated about the "Dollar" currency facing significant inflation. But Arthur viewed these concerns differently. He understood this world\'s currency dynamics - value would hold steady overall, with inflation varying by nation rather than hitting globally.

Horn Kingdom\'s cost of living was rising, true, but salaries kept pace. The simple equation of one dollar here equaling ten from his previous world no longer held up, as currency values had been gradually shifting anyway.

Wealth itself wasn\'t Arthur\'s primary concern - he focused more on accumulating Entertainment Points. Though he recognized his growing fortune would attract unwanted attention from both government officials and criminals, the Horn Kingdom\'s authorities posed little threat.

Criminals, however, warranted caution. Arthur flexed his fingers absently - it had been a while since he\'d had a good fight.

***

(Arthur POV)

Five weeks in, and "Harry Potter" finally hit its ceiling at 800 million dollars.

[Congratulations! Your film has set new records and earned 800 million dollars!]

[Reward: Bracelet of Lifeblood Veins]

[A delicate band of darkened metal interwoven with crimson veins that pulse with a subtle glow. The veins contain an ancient enchanted substance that resonates with the world\'s mana, creating an elegant interplay of deep crimson and gold that seems to breathe with life.]

"A bracelet?" I examined its functions, finding it could enhance magical spells like my Devourer Ring.

The interesting part was its {Heartbeat Sense} ability, supposedly letting me feel the world\'s "heartbeat" and detect shifts between secret realms and the surface world.

World\'s heartbeat? I wondered if it was sensing something like tectonic movements or magnetic field fluctuations - there had to be some scientific explanation behind this mystical description.

It also came with {World Traversal}, allowing one teleport per day through the Lifeblood Veins\' power.

"Nice bracelet, but..." I frowned. "For 800 million dollars? Really?" The teleportation seemed particularly underwhelming - I rarely left my office anyway.

Still, I pulled it from storage. The thin band looked decent enough on my wrist, at least.

While admiring the bracelet\'s design, I felt the ancient amulet in my pocket suddenly vibrate.

Pulling it out, I watched with raised eyebrows as it reacted strongly to my new accessory. The bracelet sent an odd sensation through my wrist - somehow it could detect that the amulet held information about various secret realms.

My curiosity peaked when the amulet began glowing helplessly, as if the bracelet was forcing it to reveal its secrets. It surrendered the location of one realm.

Information flooded my mind through the bracelet: "Glacia Expanse... Anus Gate..."

I processed this new knowledge. Glacia Expanse lay at the world\'s end, far south of Horn Kingdom - essentially this world\'s version of Antarctica. And within it stood the Anus Gate, supposedly a portal to the Netherworld.