Marchioni was a man driven by the pursuit of wealth, and he always displayed this very directly.
After the contract was signed, Marchioni urged them to proceed immediately; he wasn't willing to waste a single second of money-making time. This time, Professor Murray sent Steven to entertain the guests at the party while he accompanied Wade to Marchioni's magic workshop.
"We need to get the first batch of goods on the shelves before school starts," Marchioni said enthusiastically. "Students and their parents will surely empty their wallets to buy our products! We can also offer different packaging, different quantities, and different qualities. Even if we just add some prints and sprinkle some gold dust on parchment, Pure-blood nobles will be willing to pay three times the price. Oh, and I need to quickly print a batch of posters and put them up in Diagon Alley tomorrow morning!"
Wade couldn't help but gasp, asking, "Will you have enough time?"
"Of course!" Marchioni winked. "My dear Wade, anything is possible in the world of magic!"
Wade thought he had some marvelous spell to speed up production, but when they arrived at Marchioni's company via Floo Powder, he realized it was simply the power of money.
The company hall was very spacious, with a flowing miniature waterfall in the center, and the words "Aslan's Magic Workshop" shimmered in gold on the water's surface. The arched ceiling was painted with images of various magical creatures, some still slowly moving. A circle of burning fireplaces surrounded them, green flames flickering intermittently, and wizards occasionally emerged from them.
"Why are we suddenly told to work overtime during the Christmas holidays?" a young man complained loudly, apparently not noticing his boss nearby. "I was planning to travel to Italy!"
"I heard it's because there's an urgent product that needs to be made," another witch said happily. "Overtime pay is three times the usual rate!"
The short-haired young man immediately calmed down. "Oh, in that case, that's not bad."
"Excuse me—please make way—"
A Goblin shouted loudly, directing a box as tall as a small mountain, moving it with difficulty. He advanced very slowly because the hall was crowded, which made the Goblin look very irritable.
The sudden increase in work made everything chaotic. Several House-elves darted between people's legs, scurrying back and forth, delivering various items.
Above the hall, colorful paper airplanes circled in groups, occasionally swooping down on someone with a whoosh.
"Oh, damn it!" A paper airplane suddenly pierced a wizard's hat. He took off the airplane, unfolded it, and immediately yelled, "Why are we only just realizing there's not enough Stone Scale Fish Oil now?! We said to check inventory and restock in time before the holidays! Don't let me find out who was slacking off!"
He rushed through the crowd and ran off, nearly knocking over the Goblin, who, enraged, dropped the box and cursed loudly.
Wade was greatly surprised.
Judging by the chaotic state of the magic workshop, Marchioni must have ordered all employees to prepare for overtime immediately after seeing the Book of Friends' effects—at that time, everyone was still hoping to negotiate with Professor Murray, but the determined Marchioni had probably already planned how to proceed with the work.
"Sorry, it's really messy here today! It's not usually like this. Wade, Professor, follow me, this way."
Marchioni led Wade and Professor Murray through the crowd into a private elevator, finally letting out a sigh of relief. He pressed the "Sixth Floor - Technical Department" button and loosened his collar.
"Your workshop has seven floors now?" Professor Murray narrowed his eyes at the row of elevator buttons. "I remember it only had five floors last time I was here."
"Yes, we've developed quite well these past few years," Marchioni said proudly. "The modification of magic radios was a big part of it, and that's largely thanks to the Professor's willingness to authorize us."
"There aren't many wizards willing to embrace new things, let alone modify Muggle objects. Many people still think Muggles are some kind of stupid, inferior creatures, which is utterly foolish!"
"The first time I went to school, when I saw that scarlet train speeding across the Scottish Highlands like a giant beast, I was deeply shaken by the wisdom and power of Muggles—after graduating, I originally wanted to sneak into a Muggle university to study, but due to various reasons, I regrettably gave up in the end..."
"—What 'various reasons'? Wasn't it just because you couldn't understand them?" Professor Murray acidly exposed the truth.
"Hahaha—in front of the young ones, don't be so blunt, Professor!"
Wade suddenly realized that although Professor Murray often complained about Marchioni, their relationship was much better than it appeared on the surface. When they talked in private, there was a special understanding between them.
He silently listened, not interrupting, as he looked at the posters pasted on the elevator.
The Technical Department had two Goblins and five or six wizards, who had already prepared all sorts of tools and were waiting in the office. This place was different from a Muggle office; it had all sorts of wondrous, slowly moving magical objects, with various colored lights flashing occasionally, and the room was filled with many subtle sounds.
Once there, Professor Murray and Marchioni found an empty table and sat down to drink tea, leaving Wade to communicate with the Technical Department staff.
Wade first demonstrated the process of making the Book of Friends, bringing ready-made potions for the time-consuming compounding step. Everyone present was an expert; they grasped the general process after just one viewing. Then, they broke down the entire process step by step, aiming for a point where over eighty percent of the small steps could be completed even by a Hogwarts third-year student. Some were constantly calculating how to further reduce costs, bringing in various materials for compounding. In less than half an hour, the Technical Department had already finalized the production process for the first batch of products, and the entire magic workshop truly entered a phase of high-speed operation.
During this time, although Marchioni only occasionally chatted quietly with Professor Murray, he had been subtly observing Wade.
The black-haired boy wasn't very tall yet. After demonstrating his work, he spoke little, but every time he did, he had something meaningful to say and hit the nail on the head. Members of the Technical Department tried to alter his Magic Rune Circuit several times, but before they even started, he pointed out the consequences of doing so—either it would reduce stability or cause information transmission to be delayed or even lost.
It turned out he was right every time.
Marchioni secretly stuck out his tongue. He finally understood why Professor Murray always looked down on his skill level—even though he had scored an E (Good) in the Ultimate Wizard Registration Exam—
Look at this child; he not only had brilliant creativity and a diligent study attitude but also an extremely practical, well-honed experimental spirit—if he hadn't tried dozens, even hundreds of times, how could he be so familiar with every change?
No wonder, given Professor Murray's current standing, he was willing to put aside his pride to advocate for this child, personally stepping in to secure greater benefits for him.
The world was full of geniuses, many of them. Marchioni himself was called a genius by some, which made him understand even more—many geniuses, if they only had a clever mind, would eventually fade into obscurity, or even, due to being overly "clever," head straight to Azkaban for further study. Only a genius like Wade—as long as he didn't die prematurely—his achievements were beyond doubt, his glory was clearly visible.
How should he win over such a genius?
Marchioni revised the strategy he had already adjusted three times in his mind.
Eleven years old... This child, was he really only eleven...? It made his own thirty-plus years of life seem like he'd lived it as a Flobberworm...
Could it be...?
Suddenly, Marchioni leaned forward, lowering his voice. "Professor—Professor Murray—just tell me the truth—this child is actually your illegitimate son, isn't he?"
Wade, who was discussing the proportion of lead powder with the Technical Department, suddenly heard a scream. He turned his head and saw Marchioni had rolled from the table to the floor, while Professor Murray smiled, indicating that everything was fine.
—But for some reason, his smile was a bit distorted.
Wade blinked blankly.
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