Chapter 685: A Smooth Plan
Chapter 685: A Smooth Plan (Please subscribe, add to favorites, and vote!)
After spending over ten minutes, Liam finally finished inventorying and handing over the Magic Artifacts he had brought. This batch of Magic Artifacts was diverse, including not only the defensive ones used previously but also some new offensive items.
"What is this?" George took a velvet-covered slender box from the Spatial Bag and opened it, pulling out the contents. "It looks a bit like a wand."
"Stop!" Liam quickly stepped forward and snatched the wand, then placed it back in the box before looking up at George. "Please, in the future, if you come across a Magic Artifact you haven't seen before, ask me first. Otherwise, you might really hurt yourself."
"You mean this isn't an ordinary wand?" George asked, looking at the blue box now in Liam's hand. "Like the dummy wand Fred and I sold before?"
"Kind of, but not exactly the same thing", Liam said, reaching into another Spatial Bag and pulling out a wand used for testing. At this point, George noticed that this wand, while looking like a regular one on the outside, was much more ornate. It was adorned with intricate silver patterns and small Crystals.
"It does look a lot prettier than a regular wand", George commented. "But I don't think many Muggle-born wizards who have lost their wands will appreciate such a lavish, Pureblood Family-style wand. And I can't see what makes this wand special."
"Hahaha—" Hermione couldn't help but laugh at George's earnest observation. After her laughter subsided, she said, "I can't believe this thing managed to fool you. This wand is actually a consumable; it can automatically cast Magic."
"Automatically cast Magic?" George's eyes widened in surprise. "I know some Magic Artifacts can automatically release Magic when needed, but I've never heard of a wand that can do that."
"To be precise, this is a simplified semi-automatic wand. It doesn't require a verbal incantation, but the user still needs to mentally lock onto the target. Additionally, it can only use one type of Magic", Liam explained, shrugging. "I have to say, creating a truly automatic casting Magic Item is incredibly difficult. Even if it were possible, the cost would be so high that almost no one could afford it."
"Even so, this wand is quite powerful", George said, looking at the wand in Liam's hand with awe. "What's most surprising is that you managed to mass-produce this thing—"
"Alright, let's test this wand now", Liam quickly interrupted George before he could launch into a lengthy praise. "I need to show you the wand's capabilities so you can explain its use to those who need it and develop appropriate usage methods."
"Fire!" In the courtyard, Liam raised the wand and aimed at a stone in the center, instantly firing a Magic energy projectile that exploded into a baseball-sized crater.
"Pure Magic energy?" After a few minutes of practice, George mimicked Liam and used the wand to create a similar-sized crater in the stone, then examined the wand closely.
"Although the attack isn't very strong, it can be quite effective in wizard battles. Especially with pure Magic energy, it can effectively damage and destroy most magical defenses. In short, it's a very suitable Magic Artifact for combat."
"What do you think the price should be?" After a brief introduction to the wand's features, Liam asked. In reality, this wand was a modified version of an Arcane Missile Wand, a technology Liam had obtained during his last trip to Silvermoon City. He had been trying to replicate Silvermoon City's series of Magic technologies ever since.
However, replicating technology in a different world with a different background was a complex process, especially since the Magic level in that world was significantly higher than in this one.
This led to the Arcane Missile Wand becoming the first Magic Artifact that could be mass-produced using local Raw Materials after a long period of research in that world. Moreover, the wands produced here had significant differences from their prototypes.
"Regarding the pricing, each wand stores 20 Magics. After they are used up, the wand becomes obsolete. You told me the cost is around 12 Galleons", George said, tapping his chin with his finger. "I think a price of 30 Galleons would be more appropriate, as you've underestimated the complexity of producing such a Magic Artifact. However, I think we should wait for Fred to return to finalize the price."
"No rush, I’m not in a hurry", Liam waved his hand, indicating he wasn’t pushing for a quick decision. "By the way, why are you the only one in the shop? Where are Fred and Penelope?"
"Penelope went to the Werewolf Cultivation Base in Northern Europe today to restock", George explained. "The sales of Magic Artifacts almost depleted our inventory, and the workshop on the other side of town needs more Raw Materials to keep production going."
"As for Fred, he went to Hogwarts to see Hagrid. You know, Hagrid often finds some good stuff in the Forbidden Forest. After discussing with Dumbledore and Hagrid, we can now obtain some rare materials from Hagrid at regular intervals. Honestly, I hope they get back soon; working alone in the shop, even for just a morning, is exhausting."
"I see", Liam nodded. The number of people at Weasley's Joke Shop was far fewer than before. Most of the former employees were now working at the new Ministry of Magic.
Previously, Ryan and the others had recruited and trained a large number of Muggle-born wizards for their grand plan. At the time, the goal was to improve the overall level of Muggle-born wizards so they could fight for their rights when the opportunity arose.
However, Liam didn't expect the opportunity to come so quickly, nor did he anticipate that so many in the wizarding world would oppose the new order established after the last war, always hoping to destroy the existing system and return to the old ways.
This led to a situation where, even with Professor Dumbledore still alive, Voldemort managed to seize the only moment when Dumbledore was unable to intervene. With the help of the opposition, Voldemort took control of the Ministry of Magic and gained a significant advantage. Due to various reasons, Headmaster Dumbledore was unable to reclaim the Ministry of Magic in the short term, and the war became prolonged and drawn out.
In this context, the Hogsmeade Ministry of Magic was established. The extreme shortage of personnel, caused by the majority of Pureblood factions aligning with the London Ministry of Magic, led to the recruitment of a large number of new employees. This provided Liam with an opportunity to act, allowing more Muggle-born wizards to secure better jobs and gain the status and influence they deserved.
As expected, after years of training at the Joke Shop, these Muggle-born wizards successfully passed the exams and were recruited by the Ministry of Magic. This was a good thing for Ryan and the others, but it also meant fewer people at the Joke Shop. Fortunately, after the war broke out, the Joke Shop shifted its focus to producing Magic Artifacts related to the war and closed its Diagon Alley store, allowing it to barely remain operational.
However, the shortage of personnel remained a significant issue. Although they recruited some new people from those who had fled, the store would continue to face operational difficulties until these new recruits were fully trained.
"Then, we won’t disturb you any further", Ryan and the others said their goodbyes after instructing George to help gather the materials needed for wand production. George waved them off and resumed his work on extracting Elderflower Essence.
(End of Chapter)
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