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Chapter 142: Galleons Down the Drain
Chapter 142: Galleons Down the Drain
As soon as Kael finished speaking, everyone in the carriage turned to Cedric with peculiar looks.
Fred, sitting beside him, immediately distanced himself, saying in a sarcastic tone, "Who would've thought, a guy with such thick eyebrows would be like this."
Although Fred's thoughts were similar to Cedric's, it didn't stop him from taking advantage of the situation.
Long journeys always called for some entertainment to avoid boredom.
Of course, the joke was always at someone else's expense.
"I'm not, I didn't, don't talk nonsense," Cedric protested, feeling uncomfortable under everyone's gaze. "I was just speaking the truth. You all must have been thinking the same."
"Ohhh," Kael drew out the word. "Fred, George, what about you two?"
"Of course not!" Fred spoke first.
George, with a serious expression, said, "I'm an honest merchant. I wouldn't do something like selling inferior goods."
"Conna, what about you?" Kael asked.
Conna shook her head repeatedly, causing the hair ornament on her head to fall off. "No..."
"Autumn?"
"No..."
...
"Look, none of us would do this," Kael said, raising his eyebrows. "Only you, Merchant Cedric."
Cedric's face turned red instantly, and he looked at everyone in disbelief.
This wasn't right; the truth was different.
In that moment, Cedric felt betrayed, and his whole being seemed to falter.
"Give up, Merchant. We would never do such a thing," Kael said, handing the stack of maps to Fred. "When the train reaches the station, you must dispose of them in front of everyone."
"Leave it to me," Fred said solemnly, taking the maps with a serious expression, as if he had just been appointed by someone important.
"By the way," Kael reminded him. "You must do it before Hagrid arrives, so the first-year students can see it too."
Fred responded instinctively, but something felt off.
Kael's serious tone didn't seem like a joke.
Merlin, he couldn't be serious...
Fred felt his mind spinning. He licked his lips and asked, almost against his will.
"Kael, we were just joking with Cedric. Look, his face is red."
Kael shook his head. "No, I'm not joking. These must be destroyed, not a single one can remain."
Seeing Kael's seriousness, Fred and the others couldn't help but feel the gravity of the situation.
George spoke up, "But... these are Galleons."
"I know, but there's no other way," Kael said, spreading his hands. "The words are out. If we don't want trouble, this is what we must do."
"It's okay. I have plenty of unicorn mane hair, and those gems are from fire crabs fighting. They're not worth much either. With the parchment, the cost is barely two Galleons," Kael assured them.
For some reason, Fred and George felt a strong urge to punch Kael after hearing his tone.
Barely two Galleons? Is that all?
Is this even a reasonable request?
"Can't we think of another way?"
Autumn also felt uneasy. She thought for a moment and suggested, "Like using a Transfiguration Charm to turn regular parchment..."
Before she could finish, Kael cut her off.
"No, we must leave enough evidence. It's the only way."
Fred and the others couldn't help but feel the weight of Kael's words.
Looking at the others' conflicted expressions, Kael smiled and said, "You don't expect everyone to believe me just from a few words, do you? Only by doing this will more people willingly buy those twenty-Galleon maps, and we won't lose out."
"I understand the logic..." Fred hesitated, looking at the map in his hand, "But destroying something worth ten Galleons just like that seems a bit too wasteful."
Fred felt like he had just heard someone asking him to play a game of skipping stones with Galleons. After enduring a decade of hardship, he couldn't accept such a lavish decision.
At this moment, Cedric, who had been silent all along, suddenly leaned in and stared intently at the map in his hand, saying, "It's okay. If you can't bring yourself to do it, you can leave it to me."
Fred immediately hugged the map tightly. "No need, I'll do it."
Although he couldn't accept it, if he had to play a game of skipping stones with Galleons, he didn't want to let this rare opportunity slip away.
...
The atmosphere in the carriage completely changed within just a few minutes.
The others sat there with little enthusiasm, sighing and feeling dejected, lamenting the wasted ten Galleons.
Only Cedric seemed to have drunk a Happiness Beverage, looking at them with a mischievous smile.
The sky gradually darkened, and the villages and wheat fields outside the window transformed into a landscape of mountains and forests.
The train was approaching the station.
After changing into their robes, Fred also became increasingly nervous. He opened his trunk and searched for something inside.
At this moment, two first-year students suddenly knocked on the door of their carriage.
It was Hermione, whom they had met on the platform, and behind her was a very nervous Neville.
After hearing their request, Kael asked, "So, you want me to help you find the toad?"
"Yes," Hermione said. "We've searched every corner of the train, but we couldn't find it. Do you have a way?"
"This isn't difficult," Kael thought for a moment and said, "If you didn't lose it on the platform, a simple spell will do the trick."
As he spoke, he took out his wand.
"Levitation Charm!"
A croak suddenly sounded from the luggage rack of a nearby carriage, and a toad flew straight towards them.
"Levitation!" Neville exclaimed in delight, reaching out to catch the toad floating in mid-air.
"Neville, I think you can try learning the Summoning Charm," Kael said with a smile. "Once you master it, you won't have to worry about losing keys, textbooks, or pets anymore."
"Yes, you're right," Neville sniffed. "But I don't know if I can learn it. I'm not very smart, and I always mess everything up."
"Have some confidence in yourself, Neville," Kael said with a smile. "Whether you can learn it or not, you have to give it a try, and I can teach you as well."
"And me," Hermione said. "Learning spells isn't that difficult. I've already learned several during the summer vacation."
"Th-thank you," Neville said, his head lowered and his face slightly pale.
At this moment, the train gradually came to a stop.
Fred took a deep breath, stepped past Hermione and Neville who were standing at the door, and said with a heavy expression, "Then I'll be off."
"Don't dally," Kael reminded him. "Make sure to go before Hagrid takes the first-years away."
(End of Chapter)
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