53

Chapter 53: Steven's Ideal

"No, sir, this number is not good... It's a bit too much... Professor, please consider me, business is not good now, can we share some profits?"

"It's a clever idea, but it's easy to copy... You should know how rampant piracy is... If the cost is too high, people would rather buy fakes... I can't make much money."

"Two-way mirrors and Floo powder can replace its function. It may not be as popular as you think. We are just testing the waters at the beginning. No one knows how it will sell... If you ask too high, I can only give up."

The crowd surrounded Professor Murray, talking one after another, as if they were besieging him.

When Marchionne started to quote, Wade was finally sure that Professor Murray's party was actually a new product launch for his Book of Friends.

No wonder he didn't let Wade sell the Book of Friends himself at school—if the information of similar products was leaked in advance, it might not have achieved the results today. Wade could only earn a little pocket money from students by doing small things at school, but how could that compare with the efficiency of these "multinational companies?"

Each of these strange wizards in the small garden could be called the head of a "multinational company"—because of the Floo Network and Portkey, it is much easier for wizards to cross different countries than Muggles. And with the Traceless Extension Charm, the cost of logistics and transportation is negligible, so wizards can easily sell goods to different countries and even different continents.

Wade followed Professor Murray and watched him argue with these wizards about how much the patent license for the "Book of Friends" should pay—someone proposed to buy it out directly with 100,000 Galleons, and was almost kicked out by Professor Murray. He raised it all the way to 200,000 Galleons, but Professor Murray insisted on not agreeing and was only willing to sell the right to use it.

At this point, these wizards no longer flattered and respected Professor Murray as before. They negotiated with great care—some pestered, some were picky, some pretended to give up, and some began to play the emotional card. But Professor Murray was like a stone pillar in the river, unwavering.

He started by asking for an incredibly high price, and then bargained with these people little by little, constantly showcasing the advantages of the Book of Friends—fast, convenient, low price, wizards all over the world will buy it, and will buy it repeatedly throughout their lives. Do you know how beautiful and stable its structure is? Counterfeit items will not have the stability of the Book of Friends at all. If you don't believe it, try it yourself! Your transformation spell may be ineffective if it exceeds 50 meters, and it is impossible to transmit complex information...

Some people saw that they couldn't convince Professor Murray, so they bypassed him and came to Wade. But Wade just smiled and didn't say anything, as if he was shy, hiding behind Professor Murray.

He knew that at eleven years old, there was no need to be so smooth, mature, and sharp—he left everything to the adults. He also knew his limitations, as if it had been just Wade himself, he might have directly agreed to the 100,000 Galleons buyout price.

Before this, Wade's best idea for the "Book of Friends" was to earn a few hundred or a thousand Galleons from his classmates at Hogwarts, which would have required him to make a large number of Friends' Books in the dormitory day and night, like an assembly line worker.

But now, he was about to sit at the capitalist's table.

Of course, the decision-making power was handed over because the adult in front of him was trustworthy and would really consider him.

Wade looked up and watched Professor Murray, who was firing on all cylinders for him—the old man's thin back was like a tall cliff, and Wade's eyes were filled with a mix of admiration and confusion.

Seeing Wade being entangled, looking a bit pitiful, Professor Murray waved his hand and asked Steven to take Wade out to play and not get in the way. Then he rolled up his sleeves, looking ready for a tough battle.

Steven, who was as quiet as a plant and was once again classified as a child, hesitated to speak but finally closed his mouth and obediently took Wade away. After leaving, he couldn't help but sigh deeply.

"If you have something to do, you can go first. I can just find a place to read," Wade said sympathetically.

Who likes to play with children? He himself didn't like it.

"No—it's not because of you—" Steven was dejected and didn't want to say it, but under Wade's gaze, he slowly expressed his troubles: "I'm already thirty-six years old, and my father still always treats me as a child. In fact, I want to follow Mr. Scamander's footsteps, travel around the world, and be a magical zoologist. But my parents don't want to let me go far away, saying it's too dangerous."

Wade looked at him puzzled. "But—they didn't put you under house arrest—"

A man in his thirties, and a wizard, can't he leave if he wants to?

"If I leave without saying goodbye, my mother will be so sad—and my father will definitely be angry," Steven said worriedly. "I still hope to get their understanding and support. Otherwise, I won't dare to come back after I leave."

Wade was speechless. He didn't expect that Professor Murray's son, who looked like a bear, had a personality as soft as a rabbit. He thought for a while and asked, "Why don't you write a letter to Mr. Scamander?"

"Write a letter? Write, what letter?"

"I heard that Mr. Scamander has many magical animals himself. Maybe you can ask him to provide you with a job as a breeder. The salary isn't important. What is important is that you can learn about magical animals from Mr. Scamander. If one day, you can deal with various magical animals as calmly as that gentleman, Professor Murray should be able to let you travel with confidence, right?"

Wade thought of the magical box in Scamander's hand that had multiple environments and climate changes and felt envious from the bottom of his heart.

"Yes, why didn't I think of this method?" Steven was overjoyed. He was happy for a while, but then hesitant. "Then how should I write this letter? Will it be offensive?"

He asked seriously with anxiety, even though the person in front of him was just a child.

"Just tell the truth," Wade suggested. "Write down your worries and ideals, as well as your understanding of magical animals. This way, even if Mr. Scamander disagrees, he won't be angry about it."

—I just hope Mr. Scamander won't think the letter was written by a fresh graduate based on its tone and wording.

When they first met, Wade thought Steven was very strong. Then he found him gentle and calm. But after getting to know him better, Wade realized Steven's true character was like a child, even simpler than many children.

No wonder Professor Murray didn't dare to let him go out. If it were his own son, Wade wouldn't dare to let him travel the world alone either.