Chapter 54: Contract
Chapter 54: Contract
Despite Stephen's eagerness to write and Ved's assurance that he was fine on his own, Stephen remained dutiful and didn't leave.
He discussed the wording of the letter with Ved and then began to talk about the magical creatures he kept as pets.
Although Professor Mori didn't approve of him traveling to places where dangerous magical creatures lived, he didn't completely dismiss Stephen's dream. After graduating from Hogwarts, Stephen acquired a farm where he had kept many "little darlings" over the years.
Ved knew that Hagrid from Hogwarts loved to keep all sorts of dangerous creatures, like fire-breathing dragons, and referred to them as "cute little animals." He had assumed Stephen was the same, but upon learning more, he discovered that Stephen kept truly adorable and mostly harmless magical creatures, such as the Pokedex, the Silencing Charm, the Puffskein, the Fairy, and the Crup, among others. The most dangerous among them was a Runespoor, a creature capable of freely altering its size, sometimes resembling a massive dragon, yet its diet consisted of insects, birds, and rodents.
"I've always wanted to keep a Granian," Stephen said. "You know, it's a breed of winged horse. Granians can fly and run faster than the wind. But aside from the mythical Siegfried, no one has ever tamed a Granian."
"Is this breed of winged horse difficult to tame?" Ved asked.
"They are graceful creatures that yearn for freedom and resist being bound," Stephen explained.
As he spoke, Stephen went on to talk about other winged horses—the Thestrals of Hogwarts, the Palominos of Beauxbatons, and the fire-breathing winged horses, the Aethonans.
Some wizards looked down on any magical creature aside from their own kind, considering them inferior beings. But Stephen was fascinated by them all, reciting facts as if they were old friends. Ved felt that just by chatting with him, he had learned a great deal.
Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of someone.
It was the blond wizard they had met earlier at the stone table, his face now bearing an air of decadence and regret. He greeted Stephen and then turned to Ved, forcing a smile as he said, "Mr. Greig, it's a shame we didn't get to work together this time. I hope that if you have any new pieces in the future, you will contact me. I assure you I can offer a price that will satisfy you."
He handed over a business card with his name and contact information.
Stephen's eyebrows furrowed, his smile fading as his previously warm and gentle demeanor turned somewhat cold.
Ved took the card and replied with a smile, "I hope we will have that opportunity in the future."
The blond wizard relaxed a little and hurriedly bid them farewell before leaving.
"You're not seriously considering working with him, are you? He got your surname wrong," Stephen said, sounding somewhat displeased.
"Yes, he did," Ved acknowledged as he put away the card. "But it doesn't matter because I don't intend to remember his name anyway."
It was as if the blond wizard had flipped a switch, as two more wizards soon approached to bid them farewell. Before leaving, they echoed similar sentiments and gave their business cards to Ved.
However, this time, they remembered Ved's full name.
After they left, Stephen whispered an introduction to Ved.
"Don't collaborate with Bolton. He may seem easy to get along with, but he has a sinister and ruthless side. He often pulls tricks with contracts, but he dare not cross my father."
In other words, if Ved dealt with him, he would be at a severe disadvantage.
A man with a center-parted hairstyle and a circular beard approached to say goodbye. He carried a distinctive black cane in his hand.
"Mr. Gray, I truly admire your talent, but I'm afraid Professor Mori and I have significant differences in terms of pricing. I hope we can stay in touch, as new opportunities may arise in the future.
"Of course, and thank you for your time and effort." Ved took the card, expressing his gratitude.
The name on the card was [Cyrus Sharp]. This was the name of the wizard.
"Sharp is a capable man. He always manages to get his hands on hard-to-find things, including many prohibited items. I heard he's been to Azkaban three times during his younger days—my father doesn't particularly like him, but he still buys things from him occasionally," Stephen explained.
"You can get out of Azkaban?" Ved was surprised. In his impression, Azkaban was an isolated island in the vast sea, a prison with no escape.
Stephen misunderstood Ved's surprise and explained, "Yes, he's very cunning and good at covering up his crimes. Each time he was sentenced, he managed to get out in less than half a year."
"Oh—uh—I see," Ved stammered.
He immediately realized how foolish he had been—the movies only portrayed Death Eaters who were sentenced to life imprisonment, but that didn't mean there weren't other types of sentences in Azkaban.
The wizards gradually left, and finally, Marioni emerged from the small stone table, complaining loudly as he walked, "Dear Professor Mori, I was once your student too, but now I feel like I never received any special treatment from you—of course, I'm not complaining, but I just want to tell you that even though I've left school, I will always respect your decisions and look forward to a little bit of your attention and care."
He made a tiny gap with his thumb and index finger to show how humble his request was.
"Cut the crap. When have you ever been wronged?" Professor Mori retorted impatiently.
Indeed, despite Marioni's complaints, he couldn't hide the smile tugging at his lips. With light and quick steps, he approached Ved, removed his hat, and bowed. With a beaming smile, he introduced himself, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Ved Gray. Allow me to introduce myself—I am Marco Marioni, dealing in various types of magical item trades. I believe that our encounter today is destined to bring good fortune, and I look forward to establishing a deep friendship with you. Together, we can bring about positive changes to the wizarding world, or should I say—make a lot of money!"
"Uh—hello?" Ved was taken aback by his exaggerated gestures and unconsciously looked towards Professor Mori.
Professor Mori nodded and directly announced the final outcome, "Marioni is willing to pay fifty thousand galleons for the technical authorization of the Friend's Account. Additionally, for every galleon he earns using the Friend's Account in the future, he will pay you three sickles."
A hint of stiffness crept into Marioni's brilliant smile—clearly, while this price would still allow him to make a substantial profit, he couldn't help but feel the sting of paying more than he might have had to.
So, he continued to grumble, complaining that Professor Mori was being too partial to Ved and that he, a poor businessman, was being taken advantage of.
Unfazed, Professor Mori ignored Marioni's complaints as if they were the buzzing of a fly. He quickly drew up a contract and, as a witness, urged Marioni and Ved to seal the deal.
One of the benefits of the magical world was the assurance that business partners would not renege on their agreements. The consequences of breaking a contract were often more terrifying than death itself.
(End of Chapter)
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