Chapter 249: Shopping Concluded
Chapter 249: Shopping Concluded
In the dim, cold shop, a middle-aged man and an elderly man stood on either side of the counter. Their four eyes were fixed intently on the object on the counter.
The object on the counter was a drum. The drum had a shape somewhat like an hourglass, formed by two hemispheres joined at their tops. The drumhead was about the size of a soccer ball's cross-section, and the drum body was intricately carved with patterns of skeletons in a frenzied dance. Mr. Borgin picked up the drum and found it cold to the touch, with a faint aura of death. The drumhead was made of a strange green leather, which had a slight brown tinge after being treated.
After examining it for a long time, Mr. Borgin reached out his hand toward the drumhead. Seeing that Liam didn't stop him, he gently tapped it. As soon as his hand touched the drumhead, a skull formed from black smoke appeared, and Mr. Borgin felt a momentary numbness in his mind.
When he regained his composure and saw Liam's unperturbed expression, his tone became more respectful: "This should be a Skull Drum made from a giant's skull, capable of directly attacking the soul. But why is the skin green?"
"That's my special technique", Liam replied coldly. "Now, give me a price."
The reason he hadn't shown this item to the Weasley Twins earlier was that it was indeed somewhat sinister. To maintain his image as a young, innocent boy, Liam naturally couldn't bring out such an item.
As everyone knows, in the Radiation World, there are creatures called Mutant Raiders. They destroy fields, loot, and kill everything they see. Although they are intelligent beings, in the eyes of everyone in the Federation, they are beasts. After the Federation was formed, its armed forces began a comprehensive purge of the Mutant Raiders on this land.
During this time, Liam visited the Radiation World for alchemy practice and participated in a few clearance operations. With the help of powerful magic, the Federal Armed Forces were able to eliminate the entrenched Mutant Raider gangs without casualties, something that would have otherwise required significant loss of life.
After killing these Mutant Raiders, Liam combined Life Magic and alchemy to extract the souls of the hundred strongest Mutant Raiders. He chose the skulls of the two most vicious ones to create this Skull Drum, sealing these souls inside. Honestly, this method of Life Alchemy was cost-effective. If it weren't for moral and ethical concerns, as well as the vulnerability of such items to targeted attacks, Liam would have been tempted to use this method for all his magical artifacts.
Although Liam had abandoned the idea of creating a set of Life Alchemy products, he wouldn't waste his resources. Besides making this Skull Drum to sell for money, Liam also used the Mutant Raiders' essence to create a dark green gemstone filled with Life Force, planning to use it in the future for crafting magical artifacts.
After repeatedly probing, Mr. Borgin mistakenly assumed that Liam was a powerful Dark Wizard from Southern Europe or South America, specializing in Necromancy and possibly needing to stay away from people. So he held up two fingers: "200 Galleons."
Liam was amused by Borgin's audacity, truly fitting for a merchant who could swindle Slytherin's Locket for just 10 Galleons. He wrapped the Skull Drum in a cloth and made a show of leaving.
"Sir, can we talk about the price? Please don't be so upset." Liam had just taken two steps when he heard Mr. Borgin's call from behind.
"Why should we negotiate? Although I rarely go out, I am well aware of the prices of magical items. This is a fairly powerful weapon of war, not to mention the materials come from a giant. Just think about how few giants are left, and you'll understand how valuable this is. If I were to sell it, it would fetch at least 1700 to 1800 Galleons, and with a bidding war, it might even go for over 2000 Galleons. I only came to you because I need money to buy some things urgently, and you're trying to buy it for 200 Galleons!" Liam said, feigning anger.
"This thing doesn't distinguish between friend and foe, and Britain has been relatively peaceful in recent years. So, it's really hard to sell something like this—" Seeing Liam turn back, Borgin quickly listed the flaws of the item, trying to talk Liam out of the deal. Unfortunately, Liam was currently playing the role of a powerful and irritable older brother, so he slapped the counter and said:
"Your lack of strength is the reason it doesn't distinguish between friend and foe. When I use it, I don't have any problems. As for the peace here, shouldn't weapons always be updated, regardless of the time? I don't have the patience to haggle with you bit by bit. Let's make it simple. How about 1300 Galleons?" Liam said decisively. To be honest, his strength wasn't as strong as Mr. Borgin's, but his ability to be immune to all the alchemical products he created led Mr. Borgin to misjudge his true power.
"1300 Galleons, I really can't make a profit." Borgin cried, but seeing Liam's impatient expression, he quickly added, "How about this, let's round it off. 1000 Galleons, what do you say?"
"Alright, but you need to throw in some materials as a bonus." Liam pretended to think for a moment before conceding. He then pointed to the bottles and jars behind Borgin, "Give me a pound of Mummy Powder and two ounces of Vampire Blood."
"These things combined cost over 30 Galleons—" Borgin habitually complained, but seeing Liam's expression, he immediately changed his tone, "Of course, I'm willing to pay this to make a new friend."
The deal was quickly struck. Liam stuffed the money and the items into his Spatial Bag, tightened his robes, and walked out of the shop.
As soon as Liam left the shop, Borgin dropped his business facade, "Goodbye, you country bumpkin. Threatening me in Britain." Mr. Borgin muttered angrily, pulling the copper chain by the counter before heading into the back room.
As soon as Liam stepped out of the shop, he felt an unfriendly gaze on him. After walking about twenty meters, he clearly sensed that two people were following him.
"Are they planning to double-cross me?" Liam thought, quickening his pace and then abruptly turning into a smaller alley.
The two followers, seeing their target about to slip away, hurriedly ran into the alley. When they turned the corner, they found the target, wrapped in a cloak, squatting motionless by the roadside.
"Hey, why did you stop running?" The younger of the two Wizards approached and grabbed the cloak, but as soon as his finger touched it, he sensed something was wrong: his finger met a cold, hard object, not the body he expected.
"Little—" He turned to warn his companion, only to see his companion convulsing and falling to the ground. At the same time, a blue-purple current hit his face.
"Done." Liam looked around to ensure no one else was nearby, then prepared to collect the loot. When he entered the alley, he had formed a mound of earth and draped the cloak over it to create the illusion of a person. He then used his Grapple Hook to climb to the second floor to set up an ambush.
The two Wizards didn't notice the danger from above. When one of them approached to investigate, Liam jumped down and used Palm Thunder to easily knock out the one behind. When the other Wizard realized something was wrong, Liam delivered a direct Electroshock.
"To be honest, not many people willingly face an Electroshock." Liam commented as he turned over the young Wizard, whose face was charred black. In reality, Liam had controlled his power, ensuring they would only be unconscious for an hour or two. These injuries, though severe-looking, could be healed with a single potion.
"Poor enough to come out and rob." Liam shook his head, cut a piece of cloth from one of their clothes, and wrapped the loot into a small package before leaving the alley. Behind him, the two stripped robbers were tied together and left face-to-face.
Finding a corner to wait for the Polyjuice Potion to wear off, Liam left the Leaky Cauldron and took a ride home. He felt that this shopping trip had been fruitful, ensuring he wouldn't need to buy more materials during the holiday.
(End of Chapter)
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