Aslan Magic Workshop truly lived up to its efficiency. When Wade stepped out, he already held the first edition of the Book of Friends .
This was a preliminary compilation, with a minimum of two linked individuals and a maximum of fifteen. The cover was much more exquisite than what Wade had casually scribbled, with gold-edged lettering and subtly swaying Eustoma flowers.
The inner pages used different colors and flowers to distinguish the types: for instance, two-person sets featured sunflowers, three-person sets tulips, four-person sets daylilies, and five-person sets violets, all flowers symbolizing friendship.
In Wade's opinion, this Book of Friends was already quite refined, but Marchionne wasn't entirely satisfied.
"This is the version for females; they should have sprinkled some scented powder on it."
"Are there other versions?" Wade asked.
"Of course," Marchionne said. "There's a male version, which will have illustrations of green pines, crowns, scepters, bows and arrows, and the like; an animal version with unicorns, phoenixes, fire dragons, winged horses; a children's version with puffskeins and pixies; a novelty version with Dementors and three-headed dogs; a Quidditch version with famous Quidditch players and flying broomsticks; and also architectural versions, Veela versions, Order of Merlin versions, house versions…"
He rattled off dozens of types in one breath, as if he could come up with a myriad of money-making ideas without even thinking. Finally, he said, "There's a wide variety of patterns to choose from.
Many people, even if they don't need it, will buy several copies for their collection. However, our floral templates are currently the most abundant, so we'll produce those first. If you don't like this one, you can give it to a female classmate. When the other versions are printed, I'll send you a few sets of each."
Wade shook his head. "Why would I need so many?"
"You can collect them yourself!" Marchionne said with a smile. "Or give them to classmates to improve your relationship!"
"I don't like trying to curry favor with others."
Or rather, his life hadn't reached the point where he needed to curry favor with others to get by, neither in this life nor his previous one.
"It's not really currying favor. It's just that if someone helps you with a small favor, you can use the Book of Friends as a token of gratitude, not too much, just a two-person or three-person set will do." Marchionne instructed him like an older brother. "This thing costs almost nothing to you, but it's a relatively precious gift to others, and they'll surely be delighted to receive it. And, Wade—"
He ruffled Wade's soft hair and said, "We're not lone stars in the night sky. There will always be times when we need help from others—if you don't give first, how can you receive?"
"What Marchionne said makes sense, but if it makes you uncomfortable, then don't feel obligated to follow his advice," Professor Moray suddenly interjected. "Blindly imitating others will only make you lose your own judgment. Just be yourself—a lone star might be solitary, but if you're the sun, stars will naturally orbit around you."
"Alright, perhaps you're right, Professor," Marchionne shrugged. "But I always believe there's nothing wrong with getting along with most people."
"You've been thinking about how to make money since your first year, but Wade isn't a merchant; he's an alchemist. Enjoying solitude, pursuing the unknown, and being accompanied by knowledge—these are the qualities of an alchemist! Don't pollute my student with your unscrupulous business tactics," Professor Moray said, sounding displeased.
"Hey, that's slander, Professor!" Marchionne protested, immediately providing an example: "If I really was unscrupulous about making money, I should have had the technical department adjust the validity period of the Book of Friends to one year so that users would have to buy new ones every year, and then the Galleons would truly be endless! But I didn't do that, which proves that even when I'm doing business, I possess noble virtues!"
"But you definitely thought about it, didn't you? Otherwise, you wouldn't have blurted out such a malicious idea."
"—Thinking about it isn't against the law."
Their next destination was, naturally, Gringotts.
It was already evening, and there were very few wizards shopping in Diagon Alley. Instead, some cloaked, furtive figures began to emerge, almost all of them disappearing into a dark, eerie alley.
"Don't look over there! That's Knockturn Alley, where dark wizards frequent."
Marchionne blocked Wade's view, simultaneously wrapping an arm with a wide sleeve around him, almost completely shielding Wade. Professor Moray walked on his other side.
The trio successfully arrived at Gringotts, where a goblin standing near the entrance bowed to them.
"Good evening, sirs."
"Good evening," Marchionne gestured with his hand and said, "Mr. Wade Grey needs to lease a new vault."
"Wade Grey?" The goblin looked up at Wade, who was barely half a head taller than himself, and without questioning his age, nodded and said, "Alright, I understand—which type of vault would you like to lease?"
"Please introduce the types and prices to Mr. Grey first."
"Please come this way—"
Wade followed the goblin and Marchionne to handle the vault procedures, while Professor Moray approached another goblin seated on a high stool, writing.
"Long time no see, Griphook."
"Hello, Professor Moray, is there anything I can do for you?" the goblin named Griphook respectfully said.
"I need to withdraw something from my vault." Professor Moray showed his key.
"Alright, please wait a moment—I'll get the clankers."
The goblins kept a dragon imprisoned in the underground vaults to deal with ill-intentioned individuals, and clankers allowed goblins and customers to move safely through the vaults.
Wade sat in the legendary cart for the first time. Michael had once described it to him—as if it would shake your brains out.
The cart looked narrow, small, and very rudimentary on the outside, but even with two adults, one child, and two goblins, it wasn't cramped. Griphook flicked the lever connected to the front of the cart, and it clattered forward.
"Close your eyes and don't open your mouth!" Marchionne quickly yelled to Wade.
Wade, not foolish enough to question, immediately complied.
The cart sped down a steep incline, gaining speed, and soon they could hear the icy wind whistling past them. The path in the middle must have been particularly winding, as their bodies swayed uncontrollably, as if they were about to be thrown out. Fortunately, he kept his eyes closed, which greatly reduced the dizziness. Marchionne's arm was tightly clamped in front of his chest, like a safety bar.
After an unknown period, the cart finally stopped. By this point, everyone's faces were pale, and they leaned against the railing to recover for a while before Wade and Marchionne could crawl out of the cart.
As for Professor Moray, he needed to continue further down to retrieve something from his vault.
"Alright, let's go," Griphook said, flicking the lever on the cart again.
Another goblin named Kulai stood by the roadside, with the vault door beside him marked with a "317" sign. He held a slender bronze key with his thin fingers, inserted it into the keyhole, and turned it a few times. The chains suddenly came alive, creeping away in all directions, and the vault door swung open.
Wade stood at the entrance and looked inside. The empty vault was like a huge cave, with not even a blade of grass inside.
"This will be your vault from now on, Mr. Wade Grey," Kulai handed him the key. "Please make sure to keep your key safe."
Wade took the key, which had a slender silver chain long enough for him to wear around his neck.
"A bit empty, isn't it?" Marchionne said with a laugh, then signed a document and handed it to Kulai. "Transfer fifty thousand Galleons from my vault to vault 317."
Kulai took it expressionlessly and said, "Alright, please wait a moment."
It seemed only a few breaths passed before a clinking sound suddenly filled their ears. Wade was trying to locate the source of the sound when he suddenly saw thousands upon thousands of Galleons falling from the sky, like a golden rain in the vault. They clinked and clanked as they hit the ground, forming a small golden hill, gleaming dazzlingly under the torchlight.
Marchionne chuckled, "Someday, this place will be completely filled with Galleons, won't it?"