Chapter 167: The Publisher’s Discussion

The sun was slanting, and the day was well advanced.

In a quiet room, Ino was sound asleep, until a sharp knocking on the window broke the silence.

"Knock! Knock, knock!"

A gray long-eared owl stood outside the window, persistently pecking at the glass with its hard beak.

"Lina, answer the phone... no, open the window and let it in! It won't stop knocking!" Lying in bed, Ino didn't even lift his eyelids.

After a while, a cool response came from the ceiling:

"Are you sure? If it gets scared to death, it's not my fault!"

"Uh... okay, I'll do it!" Forcing himself out of his sleep, Ino opened his drowsy eyes and started rummaging by his pillow.

With a wave of his wand, the window opened by itself under the influence of magic. The owl outside, seemingly impatient, flew in and headed straight for the bed.

A few minutes later.

Looking at the letter in his hand, Ino reluctantly walked toward the washroom, while a letter bearing the wax seal of the L.A.A. Publishing House lay tossed on the bed.

"It feels like you're busier than a king!"

On the cobwebbed ceiling, Lina looked at the listless figure below and, unusually, made a joke.

Hearing this, Ino paused and sighed inexplicably: "You'll be just as busy sooner or later. The waters in that world run deep."

From the ceiling's cobweb, a blue giant spider with eight eyes suddenly emerged: "I know, but as long as their profound codices don't reject me, I won't cause trouble."

Hearing the tone of this sigh, Ino recalled his past conversation with the dwarf Simon, about how Narnia repels all outsiders.

At the same time, he also remembered why Santa Claus chose to give gifts in the end.

First, it was his age—just an 11-year-old child at that time, which fit well with the style of the Narnia world. Secondly, his act of releasing the talking rabbit, a kind gesture, led the profound codices to accept him.

And Santa Claus was the executor of all this. Once he accepted those precious gifts, he could never leave Narnia for the rest of his life.

Shaking off these meaningless thoughts, Ino looked up at the ceiling:

"Although that story doesn't reject different tunes... forget it, we'll discuss it later. After school starts, I'll take you to the Hogwarts library. There are many books there that can't be bought elsewhere."

For Lina, or the former White Witch, he always held a sense of gratitude, much like he did with Snape.

So the best method was to give the other party some freedom, visiting like old friends every few decades, rather than forcibly keeping them close in the sanctuary, treating them like pets.

This had nothing to do with stance or societal norms; it was merely a principle of conduct.

Ino was very clear that he didn't have much of a great self-sacrificial sentiment but had the basic conscience of an ordinary person—repaying kindness was a must.

...

At three-thirty in the afternoon.

On the west side of Diagon Alley, just around the corner from the main entrance of Gringotts, at the entrance of a side alley.

Ino, holding a letter stamped with a wax seal, slowly walked into this relatively quiet alley.

"South side, number 21..."

His pace was slow because finding a small house number among these relatively tall buildings was a difficult task.

"It really is a rich person's hobby..." Ino sighed as he looked at the relatively luxurious buildings on both sides.

The south alley seemed like London's affluent area, with little population movement, but whether it was the environment or the surrounding architectural styles, it all subtly conveyed one thing: the residents here were extraordinary.

After a while, as time passed, he finally found his destination.

A white five-story building, with three light brown letters hanging in the middle: L.A.A.

Looking at the luxurious building in front of him, Ino leisurely stepped onto the white marble steps.

Entering the lobby, a buzz of noise and chatter greeted his ears.

It was a busy publishing company.

After handing the letter to the receptionist, he was guided to an office on the top floor.

...

After the receptionist witch left, Ino began to examine the surroundings.

It was an unusually simple, even somewhat plain office, completely out of tune with the style of the entire building.

Although a bit surprised, he wasn't too curious. He was here to publish a book and record an album, and the office decor had nothing to do with him.

With that in mind, he quietly sat on the wooden sofa, waiting calmly.

After about a quarter of an hour, the office door was pushed open, and a hearty laugh came from outside.

"Hahaha, finally, I've been waiting! Newt wrote to me about this!"

Ino turned his head and saw an equally white-haired old man walking in. For some reason, the shrewd look in the man's eyes seemed familiar.

Thoughts aside, Ino politely said:

"Hello, sir! I'm very sorry for the delay due to some personal matters."

"No need to apologize! We didn't set a specific time." The old man walked into the office and extended his hand seriously:

"L.A.A. Publishing House welcomes you, Mr. Swinburne! I'm the owner, Knock Flint."

In an instant, Ino realized where the familiar feeling came from—another Flint. The demeanor was exactly like Marcus Flint's, that extreme shrewdness in reasoning.

Though a bit emotional, he quickly extended his hand.

After shaking hands, old Flint got straight to the point:

"Mr. Swinburne, after receiving Newt's letter, I looked into your story. To be honest, I think you have the potential to become the next Weird Sisters, perhaps even surpass them, but it requires proper packaging..."

Here, he paused slightly, and Ino picked up on the implication. This was probably the usual negotiating tactic, likely aiming for better terms in the upcoming agreement.

However, things took an unexpected turn as old Flint resumed:

"But that's a minor issue. L.A.A.'s specialty is exactly that. Likewise, in terms of profit distribution, we'll follow the standards set by the Weird Sisters."

Hearing this, Ino found it increasingly strange, feeling like it wasn't playing out by the usual rules. But seeing those shrewd eyes, he began to understand Flint's thinking.

Flint likely had a mindset similar to Lucius Malfoy.

Because throughout magical history, most wizards were mediocre. The bottleneck at 17 years old meant that overall, wizards didn't vary much in strength.

However, there were always exceptions. Some people broke this limit, leaving a significant mark in history.

While Ino was contemplating, Flint was filled with joy inside. Months ago, upon seeing the photo in the Daily Prophet, he had been intrigued.

But after some investigation, he found that the Malfoy family had already taken the lead, and with only Marcus in the Flint family having any interaction, this was the reason he agreed to Marcus's retention this year.

Thinking he had missed the opportunity, a letter from afar brought unexpected delight.

Money could be made gradually, but one must seize opportunities. Some people were inherently different, showing unparalleled potential even during school years, a point well-documented in history, much like half a century ago...

At this moment, old Flint's eyes were filled with Slytherin cunning.

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