Chapter 54: Contract

Although Steven was eager to write a letter and Wade insisted he could handle things on his own, Steven still didn't abandon his duties and leave. He discussed the wording of the letter with Wade for a while, then started talking about the magical creatures he was raising. Although Professor Murray did not agree to let him travel to places where dangerous magical creatures lived, he didn't completely crush Steven's dreams either. After graduating from Hogwarts, Steven inherited a farm, and over the years, he had been raising many "little cuties" there. Wade knew that Hagrid at Hogwarts loved raising all sorts of dangerous creatures, like dragons, and called them "adorable little animals." He initially thought Steven was the same. But after getting more details, he realized Steven raised genuinely cute and mostly harmless magical creatures, like Puffskeins, Diricawl, Jobberknoll, Nifflers, Bowtruckles, and Crups. The most dangerous one was an Occamy, a creature that could freely expand or contract its body, growing as large as a dragon, but it only fed on insects, birds, and mice. "I've always wanted to raise a Granian," Steven said. "You know? It's a type of winged horse. Granians can fly, and they run faster than the wind. But aside from the mythical Sigurd, no one has ever tamed a Granian." "Are these winged horses hard to tame?" "They're quite dashing creatures, longing for freedom and unwilling to be restrained." As Steven spoke, he continued to talk about other winged horses—Hogwarts' Thestrals, Beauxbatons' Abraxans, and even the fire-breathing winged horse, the Aethonan. Some wizards look down on any magical creatures other than wizards themselves, considering them inferior animals. But Steven was deeply fascinated by them, able to recite all kinds of details about various creatures. Wade felt that in the short time he'd been chatting with Steven, he had already learned a lot. Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by someone's arrival. It was a blond wizard they had previously seen at the stone platform. His face was filled with exhaustion and regret. He walked over to greet Steven, then turned to Wade, forced a smile and said: "Mr. Greg, I'm sorry we didn't get the chance to work together this time. I hope you'll contact me if you have any new projects in the future. I'm sure I can offer you a price you'll be happy with." He handed over a business card, with his name and contact details written on it. Steven raised an eyebrow, losing his smile. His previously honest and gentle expression instantly turned cold. Wade took the card and smiled as he said, "I hope we'll have the chance in the future." The blond wizard relaxed slightly, bid them a quick farewell, and left. "You're not seriously planning to work with him, are you? He got your surname wrong," Steven said, clearly displeased. "Yeah, he did get it wrong," Wade replied, putting the business card away. "But it doesn't matter, because I didn't plan on remembering his name either." It seemed that the blond wizard had triggered something, as two more wizards soon came over to say goodbye. Before leaving, they said nearly the same things and handed their business cards to Wade. This time, at least, they remembered Wade's full name correctly. After they left, Steven quietly introduced them to Wade. "—Don't work with Bolton. He seems easygoing, but in reality, he's ruthless and sneaky. He often tampers with contracts, although he wouldn't dare try that with my father." In other words, Wade could easily get taken advantage of if he dealt with him. A wizard with parted hair and a circle of facial hair came to say goodbye, holding a striking black cane in his hand. "Mr. Grey, I truly admire your talent. It's unfortunate that Professor Murray and I couldn't agree on the price—but I hope we can stay in touch. There might be new opportunities in the future." "Of course. Thank you for the time and effort you've put into this," Wade said, taking his business card. Cyrus Sharp—that was the wizard's name. "Sharp is quite capable. He can get his hands on all sorts of hard-to-find things, including a lot of contraband. I've heard he's been to Azkaban three times in his youth. My father doesn't particularly like him, but he still buys things from him occasionally," Steven explained afterward. "Azkaban and he got out?" Wade was surprised. In his mind, Azkaban was an isolated island in the middle of the sea, a prison from which no one could escape. Steven misunderstood Wade's meaning and explained, "Well, he's very cunning, skilled at covering up his crimes. His sentences never lasted more than six months." "Oh—uh—got it." Wade realized he had been mistaken. Just because the movies showed only the Death Eaters sentenced to life imprisonment didn't mean that life imprisonment was the only penalty Azkaban handed out. The wizards gradually left, and in the end, only Marchionne remained. He walked out from the stone platform, loudly "complaining" as he walked: "Dear Professor Murray, I was once your student too, but now it feels like I've never had any of your favor. Of course, I'm not complaining! I just wanted to say that even though I'm no longer at the school, I will always respect your decisions and hope you can give me just a bit of attention and care." He made a gesture with his thumb and index finger to show a very tiny gap, emphasizing just how modest his request was. "Oh, give me a break. When have you ever taken a loss?" Professor Murray said, sounding a bit exasperated. Indeed, although Marchionne was complaining, he couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from curving upward, his face was full of smug satisfaction. With light and quick steps, he walked over to Wade, took off his hat, bowed, and with a beaming smile, said: "Nice to meet you, Mr. Wade Grey. Please allow me to introduce myself—Marco Marchionne, at your service, dealing in all kinds of magical goods. I believe our meeting today is a stroke of luck, and I look forward to establishing a deep friendship with you and bringing great changes to the wizarding world in the future, or should I say—making more money!" "—Uh, hello?" Wade was startled by his exaggerated actions and instinctively looked toward Professor Murray. Professor Murray nodded and got straight to the point: "Marchionne is willing to pay 50,000 Galleons for the technology rights to the Book of Friends. Additionally, for every Galleon he earns using the Book of Friends in the future, he'll pay you 3 Sickles." Marchionne's bright smile stiffened slightly—it was clear that while he would still make a lot of money, the thought of paying more than he had originally hoped for pained him. So, he began muttering non-stop, complaining that Professor Murray was favoring Wade too much, and that it felt like he, the poor businessman, was being squeezed dry. Professor Murray remained unmoved, as if Marchionne's grumbling were nothing more than a fly buzzing nearby. He quickly drafted the contract and, as a witness, urged both Marchionne and Wade to sign it. One of the perks of the wizarding world is that there's no need to worry about business partners breaking agreements, because the consequences of violating a magical contract are often worse than death. -------------------------------- ????????Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member!!! Your support is greatly appreciated! Available on my P@treon page for just $4!! 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