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Chapter 834: The Deal
Chapter 834: The Deal
To be honest, upon seeing the bag of coins Kyle presented, the shop owner's eyes lit up with greed.
Obtaining a dragon egg typically cost around fifty Galleons, and if he could safely transport it without getting caught, he'd make a whopping profit of one hundred and fifty Galleons.
In 1899, one hundred and fifty Galleons was indeed an extraordinary sum, a rare amount that most Diagon Alley shops wouldn't earn in half a year. Now, all he had to do was find a way to get a dragon egg, and this money would be his... It was hard to resist the temptation.
"Come in," the owner said, glancing around and then seizing Kyle's arm, pulling him into the shop and promptly locking the door.
Kyle gripped his wand discreetly, ready for any surprises.
"There are too many people outside. If someone reports this to the Ministry of Magic, wouldn't it cause trouble for you, Mr. Customer?" the owner said with a smile, pouring Kyle a cup of the shop's finest tea.
"As you know, the International Confederation of Wizards is planning to establish a Dragon Protection Reserve. The Ministry has been stricter in inspecting dragon-related items, especially dragon eggs. If a transaction like this is discovered, it won't be as simple as just confiscation... I'm sure you wouldn't enjoy life in Azkaban, would you?"
"So, you don't want to do this deal?" Kyle asked.
"No, no, no. It's normal to take some risks when there's money to be made," the owner shook his head. "As it happens, I know someone who has a dragon egg and is willing to sell it, but..."
He paused, leaving the sentence hanging.
"What is it?" Kyle inquired.
"The person is not in Britain. I'd have to go there in person, which undoubtedly increases the risk. And if I leave, I'd have to close the shop. It's the holidays for the Hogwarts students, and I'd lose a lot of business."
Kyle understood—the owner wanted more money.
Did he really think Kyle was a gullible rich fool?
Two hundred Galleons could buy a dragon egg even a century later, and he still wanted more?
Kyle decisively grabbed a handful of Galleons from the bag.
"In that case, one hundred and ninety Galleons," he offered.
"Wait, that's not right. We agreed on two hundred before..."
"One hundred and eighty," Kyle narrowed his eyes, setting down his teacup and preparing to leave. "I'm sure even if I reduce it to one hundred and fifty, there'd be plenty of people willing to trade a dragon egg with me."
Seeing Kyle's determination, the owner's face flashed with annoyance. He had to admit Kyle was right; not only one hundred and fifty Galleons, but even less would still attract many willing to do this deal.
He had thought he could make a quick profit, but now he had lost twenty Galleons.
"Alright, one hundred and eighty," the owner hurriedly stepped forward, blocking Kyle's path. "No matter the risk, I'll bear it."
"Of course," Kyle glanced at him. "And even if the Ministry's Aurors catch you, I won't admit to any involvement. It's all your idea."
The last trace of worry vanished from the owner's face.
"Don't worry, I understand the rules," he assured.
"Additionally..." Kyle stacked the gold coins on the table, one by one, "...if you can meet two small requests of mine, we can still consider this a two-hundred-Galleon deal..."
"Please, go ahead, Mr. Customer. Don't mention two, even ten requests are fine," the owner patted his chest.
"That won't be necessary," Kyle smiled. "First, it can't take too long."
"You can rest assured about that," the owner said. "The Hogwarts holidays are the busiest time for Diagon Alley businesses. I wouldn't want to miss out."
"Good," Kyle continued, "And my second request concerns the type of dragon. If you try to fool me with a Welsh Green dragon egg, the price will have to be renegotiated."
Although both were fire dragons, there were differences among the various species. The Welsh Green dragon was the only breed that could be domesticated, and it was the most common source of dragon blood and liver ingredients on the market.
The owner's face turned slightly embarrassed. "Rest assured, Mr. Customer. I'll find a dragon egg worthy of two hundred Galleons."
He was certain now that Kyle was no ordinary customer.
"It's not helping me, it's what you want," Kyle reminded him and stood up to leave.
However, the twenty gold coins on the table remained untouched.
Without explicitly saying so, the owner understood they were his down payment.
"Mr. Customer, please wait," the owner quickly collected the gold coins and called out to Kyle. "There's something I need to tell you."
"What is it?"
"When we were talking outside, Horken happened to be nearby. He's the limping wizard in the black robe... He might have overheard our conversation."
"Oh..." Kyle raised an eyebrow. "Is he from the Ministry?"
"No," the owner shook his head. "But he's a notorious Dark Wizard, and the reason I pulled you inside was that he was greedily eyeing your bag of coins."
"Do you think he'll make a move on me?" Kyle asked with interest.
"Definitely.
"Horken is a greedy and ruthless Dark Wizard," the boss said, "and he's probably been keeping an eye on you for a while now. After all, you've been quite high-profile these past few days..."
"Is the Ministry just going to let such a dangerous person roam Diagon Alley?"
"They dare not interfere. Horken belongs to Knockturn Alley, and he has powerful backers. The Ministry doesn't want to invite trouble."
"Really? That's terrifying." Kyle said, "But by telling me all this, aren't you afraid that he might come after you?"
"Of course I'm afraid, but the safety of the gentleman is more important." The boss spoke sincerely.
Kyle laughed. He knew that the other party was reminding him not out of kindness but only to ensure they received the final payment.
However, Kyle didn't mind. He walked out and returned to Diagon Alley.
It was almost noon, and Kyle first went to the Cauldron Pub for a quick lunch. Then, he booked a long-term room for himself.
As for going to Godric's Hollow to find Dumbledore, there was no rush; he had plenty of time.
Besides, he needed a place to stay. He couldn't keep living in the abandoned barn that Grindelwald had mentioned.
After a quick tidy-up, Kyle returned to Diagon Alley in the afternoon to continue his treasure hunt. However, he didn't encounter the so-called Horken, and everything was peaceful.
A few days passed, and Kyle's reputation in Diagon Alley grew. Wherever he went, shopkeepers warmly welcomed him, offering free snacks and drinks in abundance.
But Kyle had already visited these shops, or to be precise, he had been to most of the stores in Diagon Alley in the past few days. He had bought almost everything he needed, so he didn't enter these shops again.
Most importantly, when he checked his trunk at noon, he embarrassingly realized he was almost out of money. Although the prices were cheap, he had been buying in bulk.
Kyle regretted this. If he had known, he would have borrowed some from Norbert beforehand.
Originally, Norbert's lair was filled with piles of Galleons, but half of them had been spent on various items. Although there were still plenty left, Kyle didn't plan to use them for shopping anymore...
At that moment, he was sitting on a table in the Cauldron Pub, drinking Butterbeer and eavesdropping on two wizards with an Extendable Ear he had dropped on the ground earlier.
They were likely Ministry employees, taking a break during their lunch and having a meal.
When Kyle passed by them, he heard an interesting topic and casually dropped the disguised Extendable Ear. Now, it came in handy.
Kyle sat behind them, attaching the other end of the Extendable Ear to his clothes.
"What a nuisance..." one of them complained, "I haven't slept for two days, keeping an eye on those damn dragons. Why can't the Ministry assign more people to our department?"
"Keep your voice down; this is confidential," the other wizard said, glancing around nervously.
Kyle pretended to be nonchalant, leaning in to focus on the Daily Prophet in front of him.
"I guess they don't think it's necessary."
After a while, the wizard's voice, lowered to a whisper, reached Kyle's ears.
"After all, once the Dragon Protection Reserve is established, our department can be disbanded."
"Speaking of which, I'm furious. The International Confederation of Wizards passed the motion years ago, yet there's still no news about the Dragon Protection Reserve."
"What else could be the reason? Lack of funds, of course."
"Many capable wizards are in the dragon trade. Once the reserve is established, this business will naturally come to an end. The proposal clearly states that all dragon-related items and potion ingredients will be handed over to the reserve, and private sales will be illegal. They won't donate because they don't want to lose their cash cow, and neither the Ministry nor the Confederation has the funds, so the matter is stalled."
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"But won't they get a share of the profits if they donate?"
"That's a small portion. The majority will be used for reserve maintenance, and the rest will be distributed according to the donation plan in the proposal. Roughly estimated, it will take a hundred years just to break even. It's more profitable to do it themselves."
"And donations don't come with management rights. What if the reserve plan fails in the end? That's throwing money down the drain. No one is that foolish."
"So, we're just waiting it out? I was hoping to transfer to the Department of Law Enforcement soon."
"I wish it were that simple, but this isn't a decision we can make... Come on, let's go back. Otherwise, Babble will start scolding again."
The two wizards quickly finished their meals and left the pub.
Kyle took another sip of Butterbeer. As he got up, he dropped a Sickle without realizing it. He picked it up and also retrieved the Extendable Ear on the ground, then calmly left the pub as if nothing had happened.
He returned to the previous shop, which still had a 'Closed' sign hanging, indicating the shopkeeper hadn't returned yet.
Kyle was feeling a little disappointed. He had stayed in Diagon Alley specifically to wait for the Dragon Egg, but there had been no news, and Kyle didn't even know how to contact the person.
"I should have asked for a name," Kyle rubbed his forehead, "at least then I could have sent an owl to hurry them up."
With no word from the other party, he could only continue to wait. Kyle gathered his long black robe and prepared to return to the Cauldron Pub.
By this time, the sky had completely darkened, and the once bustling Diagon Alley had become quiet, with not a soul in sight.
Kyle subconsciously quickened his pace, mentally calculating how much Galleon in compensation he should deduct.
But soon, he realized that the road ahead seemed to be blocked. However, he didn't mind, and simply turned to go around from the left.
The group of people also moved simultaneously, blocking his path again.
Kyle also noticed something amiss and looked up... There were five of them, all wearing black hoods, their faces hidden.
"You're the wealthy wizard, aren't you?" The leading wizard, upon seeing Kyle stop, limped forward a couple of steps.
"What do you want?" Kyle asked in a low voice, showing no fear.
"This is Diagon Alley. Do you believe me if I say I'll call out, and the shopkeepers will come running?"
"I believe you." The leading wizard said, "They've made quite a profit from you, so of course they won't just stand by and watch you fall into danger."
This was Kyle's confidence. He had been splashing money around in Diagon Alley, so the locals would instinctively protect him. Protecting him meant they could make another big profit later. Anyone who crossed Kyle was crossing all of Diagon Alley, and no status would save them.
"Since you know, then get out of the way." Kyle said indifferently, "Otherwise, I can't guarantee you won't be beaten to death by an angry mob."
"I think someone must have told you about my bad reputation, causing you to misunderstand." The leading wizard limped forward another two steps.
"Allow me to introduce myself. Horken, a wizard specializing in the gray market."
"So, you want to do business with me?" Kyle was curious, "Money isn't a problem, but what do you have that will impress me?"
"Of course, this." Horken lifted his black robe, revealing a round object.
"A Dragon Egg!" Kyle immediately recognized the object, frowning, "That shopkeeper hasn't returned yet. Don't tell me you..."
"Don't misunderstand." Horken shook his head, "I did have that idea, but Willy Tom is too cunning. I lost him, and this one I got through my own means."
"You don't need to explain so much to me. I don't care whose Dragon Egg it is." Kyle said, "Since you found me, it means you heard our conversation. I'll stick to my original offer: one hundred Galleons, cash on delivery."
"But I heard two hundred." Horken said, "Or do you look down on us vagrant wizards?"
"No, no, no. I need to confirm the Dragon Egg's species first before deciding whether to raise the price."
"Rest assured, we are the most trustworthy." Horken raised his head, revealing a scarred face.
Kyle instinctively took a half-step back.
"Sorry, my appearance startled you." Horken said, but his tone betrayed a hint of pride.
He lifted his hand, and the Dragon Egg flew into Kyle's hand.
The Dragon Egg was warm to the touch, blue in color, with spikes on its top, and lines on its shell. It looked like an oversized blue pineapple, and it was more than a circle larger than a normal Dragon Egg.
"A Ukrainian Ironbelly?" Kyle was surprised, "That's quite rare."
"Impressive." Horken was equally surprised. He hadn't expected Kyle to recognize the Dragon Egg's species so quickly.
"You must be from a pureblood family, right?"
Kyle didn't answer but promptly took out a bag and threw it to the other party.
"I'm very satisfied with the Dragon Egg. Here's two hundred Galleons."
"I love doing business with people like you." Horken smiled, "I have a second Dragon Egg, and it's an even rarer Hebrides Black Dragon."
"You can get a Black Dragon?" Kyle was skeptical.
"Seeing is believing." Horken said, "But I didn't bring it with me, and it's not suitable to expose such things in public. We'd be hunted down. So, if you want to see it, you'll have to come with us to our hideout."
Kyle hesitated.
"Don't worry, it's not far, and it's also in Diagon Alley." Horken whispered, "Here, you're not afraid we'll harm you, are you? The shopkeepers would tear us apart if we laid a finger on you."
"Who's afraid?" Kyle seemed convinced, straightening his neck, "Where's your hideout? I'll come with you now. If it's a Black Dragon, I can add another fifty Galleons."
"Please follow me." Horken politely extended his arm, "It's not far."
(End of Chapter)
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