Chapter 72: Reply Letter and Photos

A thin letter arrived from Gringotts.

The letter listed his recent income and an expenditure of gold Galleons that his father, Fred Grey, had withdrawn from the vault. Wade glanced at the figures on the letter and casually put it away.

The package was from Marchionne, accompanied by a letter detailing the recent sales performance of the Book of Friends, the income Wade should receive, and the next steps for the promotion of the Book of Friends. 

Despite production not yet keeping up, Marchionne had already expanded the market to Asia and Africa.

Marchionne also included sketches of several new versions of the Book of Friends that would be launched soon and "earnestly requested" Wade, as the inventor of the Book of Friends, to "provide valuable feedback" so that the new products could "achieve even greater success."

Judging by Marchionne's earnest tone in the letter, it seemed as if this business tycoon was genuinely troubled to the point of sleeplessness, and only Wade could guide him through his struggles.

Wade: ...

He finally understood why Professor Murray had once said, "Just use that guy's resources to make money, and if he bothers you often, just ignore him."

It seemed Professor Murray also frequently received this kind of owl from Marchionne in the past.

However, for Wade, Marchionne not only brought him a substantial amount of Galleons but also sent a package of alchemical materials—most of which were quite ordinary, though there were also rare items like African tree snake skin that are hard to come by even if you have the money.

Wade earnestly wrote a letter back to Marchionne.

Of course, it wasn't about trivial matters like which design was more appealing. Instead, Wade wrote about some ideas he had recently developed while studying alchemy, specifically about improving the Book of Friends.

For example, if it was preset that a Book of Friends could only connect two or more people, it would often be inconvenient in practice. He modified the magic rune structure, and now a simple spell can establish connections between multiple blank Book of Friends. (Instead of have multiple version like 2 person , 3 person or 10 person, a single Book of Friends can connect to multiple Book of Friends )

Additionally, he suggested adding a picture at the bottom of the new Book of Friends featuring various emoticons that could express emotions using simple symbols—though not particularly useful, Wade knew such features were popular among younger audiences. 

Words alone can often feel cold, but switching to emoticons or pictorial expressions could make communication witty and cute, potentially sparking another wave of consumer interest.

Moreover, some Book of Friends could be equipped with special tracking functions, allowing the holder to view the other person's location at any time.

Wade thought for a while and added a section to the letter—

"I believe that this version of the Book of Friends should prominently indicate at the top of each page that it has a tracking function, and its color and appearance should be distinctly different from a regular Book of Friends. 

If a book originally meant for communication also has tracking features, it could be seen as an invasion of privacy, which would be hard for the average person to accept.

Its buyers should ideally be parents and children, or couples in genuinely close relationships..."

He just wondered if his Book of Friends might unintentionally cause a few couples to break up in the future.

Wade imagined such a scenario—

In the past, lovers would ask: "Do you love me? How much do you love me? Swear it!"

In the future, the way lovers express loyalty might become: "Will you exchange a tracking Book of Friends with me?"

Hmm...

The test of faith will arrive unexpectedly.

Wade then considered his own situation—I don't mind my parents knowing my location. As for a romantic partner that hasn't yet appeared in my life... if I am to fall in love someday, it will definitely be with marriage in mind, and the requirement for marriage is loyalty.

Moreover, Wade had no intention of getting married at a young age—is magic not fascinating enough? Or is alchemy not intriguing enough? Dating? Why bother! It would only waste my precious time...

So the arrow he shot today would never circle back to hit him.

Wade continued writing with confidence and soon finished the letter. He handed it to the owl, along with the revised version of the Book of Friends, and watched it fly away.

...

The Great Hall, the entrance hall, the umbrella room, the library, the Black Lake, the Forbidden Forest, the Quidditch pitch, the Ravenclaw common room, the dormitory...

Wade took photos in almost every significant spot he could visit at the school. Whenever he ran into familiar classmates and professors along the way, they would also take pictures together.

Wade, though never a parent, had been a son for many years. When he used to travel, he would always take pictures of unique buildings and natural landscapes, hoping his parents could also enjoy the beautiful scenery. 

Later, he realized that his parents were not interested in the scenery itself; they just wanted to see him in those scenes.

So now, no matter how fascinating the background was, the focus was always on the people in his photos— in front of the greenhouse, he stood beside a kind and slightly smiling professor; by the Black Lake, he posed with a bright, lively classmate, arms around each other; inside the umbrella room, SSC members sat together, chatting and laughing.

Fear often stems from the unknown, like walking in endless darkness where all you can hear is your own heartbeat. In such moments, having a light in your hand to illuminate the surroundings allows you to see the thorns and mud pits clearly. Even though the road remains rugged, the fear naturally begins to fade away.

…

The cameras used at Hogwarts are very classic in style, and the process of developing photos is usually complicated and time-consuming, but magic speeds up the process.

Wade turned the Room of Requirement into a darkroom for developing photos. He placed the film in the developing solution, and after a series of steps—developing, stopping, washing, fixing, and printing—he finally got a stack of moving photographs.

He moved to a well-lit area and flipped through the photos one by one.

The camera not only captured their actions and scenes but also seemed to record the mood at the moment the photos were taken. 

The people in the photos appeared to be smiling more brightly than usual. Professor Sprout would occasionally pat his head, and Professor Flitwick sometimes jumped onto a pile of books in excitement, only to jump down again.

Professor Murray was usually kind and gentle, someone Wade saw as a source of wisdom and a mentor in life. In the photos, Professor Murray also looked as he always did, but after taking a sip of tea, his entire face suddenly scrunched up—eyes tightly shut, eyebrows raised, and the corners of his mouth twitching as if he had tasted something unbearably bitter.

—Was that tea really that bitter? Could it be that someone put American black coffee in it?

Wade tried to recall but hadn't paid attention to that cup of tea at the time. Now, as he looked at the photo of Professor Murray grimacing in one moment and curiously taking another sip in the next, only to grimace again…

Wade couldn't stop laughing.

This photo was definitely one to keep private; otherwise, if Professor Murray saw it, he'd probably destroy it to protect his image, leaving nothing but ashes!

As Wade continued flipping through the photos, his movements suddenly paused, and his gaze softened.

It was a simple family photo taken during Christmas, with the three of them sitting casually on the sofa.

But in the photo, the three of them were sitting close together. His parents were leaning on either side of him, holding hands. They gazed at each other tenderly, occasionally exchanging kisses, or they would lower their heads to gently kiss Wade's forehead in the photo.

Standing by the window, Wade gently traced his fingers over the picture, smiling as his eyes sparkled with warmth.

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