"Good…"
Lucius Malfoy stood up, seemingly about to say something harsh, but after a catch in his throat, he said in a stiff tone, "Thank you for your generosity, Dumbledore… I… I might need to talk to my son again."
"That's as it should be," Dumbledore said. "There's an empty classroom on the seventh floor. I believe Severus would be willing to take you there."
"Of course."
Snape swished his robes and, as he walked out the door, shot Wade a glance.
His look seemed to say—"You wait for me!"
Malfoy followed, his face tight, as if he didn't want to say another word to Dumbledore.
He glared at Draco with icy eyes and said, "Come with me!"
Draco flinched, but Narcissa had already stood up.
She took her son's hand and led him out of the Headmaster's Office.
His mother's presence seemed to give Draco a lot of courage. After they stepped outside, Wade could still hear him whispering:
"I really didn't mean to, Mum… Could you please talk to Dad for me…"
Narcissa said softly, "You shouldn't have done that, Draco. Vincent is a friend you've grown up with."
"He changed!" Draco said angrily. "He was talking bad about me behind my back…"
Wade made a face as if he had a toothache.
How had Draco defended himself earlier?
His current explanation sounded deliberate.
Perhaps he felt safe enough to whine and complain, thinking only his mother was nearby.
However, the Headmaster's Office tower had a spiral staircase structure, and the automatic staircase was surrounded by a circular shaft, like an echo chamber, allowing the people inside to clearly hear their hushed conversation.
Crabbe Sr. inside the room suddenly looked particularly fierce.
Seeing Wade looking at him, Crabbe Sr. quickly dropped his hostile expression and stood up to say goodbye.
"I must leave as well, Dumbledore."
He said hoarsely, "Vincent and his mother are still at St. Mungo's."
"I'm very sorry that Vincent had such an accident at school…"
Before Dumbledore could finish speaking, the half-closed door was pushed open with a bang.
Malfoy Sr. stood at the doorway, his pale blonde hair seeming to carry a chill.
"Ah, Lucius," Dumbledore asked gently, "Is there something else you need?"
Malfoy struggled to maintain his politeness.
"Sorry… for the interruption."
His gaze shifted to Wade, and he said, "I want to buy this set of mirrors—name your price."
After leaving, he had suddenly remembered that even though they had reached an agreement with the Crabbe family, the footage recorded by the Streaming Mirror was still leverage and could negatively affect Draco at any time.
So, Lucius didn't even bother to greet the others and rushed back immediately.
Wade hesitated for a moment.
Although the Streaming Mirror had already begun production, its price had not yet been finalized.
According to Marchioni, the Streaming Mirror was a groundbreaking invention, and he needed to conduct market research before determining the initial selling price.
But in any case, due to production limitations, it couldn't be sold cheaply.
And this was only the Sub-Mirror.
They currently had no intention of selling the Master Mirror.
Within the two seconds of Wade's hesitation, Malfoy, perhaps making some association, immediately named a price himself.
"Six thousand Galleons."
He said straightforwardly, "I'll pay six thousand Galleons for that set of mirrors, along with the images inside!"
"Deal!"
Wade said decisively, and under the gaze of Dumbledore and Crabbe Sr., he shrunk the enlarged Sub-Mirror again and folded it together with the Master Mirror.
With a flourish, as if performing a magic trick, he pulled out a palm-sized box from his pocket, placed the two mirrors inside, snapped the clasp shut, and handed it to Malfoy.
"These are your mirrors, Mr. Malfoy."
Lucius Malfoy gave him a deep look and said, "I'll send you the money by owl."
"No need," Wade said. "Just transfer it directly to my vault—number 317. You can contact the Goblin Kuller at Gringotts. I hope to see the Galleons credited in Monday's mail."
Next Monday, Gringotts would, as per usual, send Wade a statement of his vault's financial changes, detailed down to every Knut.
It was Saturday now.
This meant Malfoy had better pay up as soon as he got back.
In most people's minds, teenagers only complained about having too little pocket money, but they wouldn't openly demand payment like this.
Malfoy gave Wade a strange look, then took the box and left without a backward glance.
Afterward, Crabbe also said his goodbyes.
"The Streaming Mirror is an excellent invention; perhaps every wizarding family will want one in the future. But at six thousand Galleons, only the nobility might be able to afford it."
Dumbledore said with a smile.
"Professor, if you want to buy one, a Sub-Mirror only costs 30 Galleons."
Wade paused, then added, "That's the internal price."
"So, what's the normal price?" Dumbledore asked curiously.
"Around a hundred, probably? That depends on Marchioni's decision."
Wade thought for a moment before answering.
Dumbledore, remembering Malfoy's generous 6000 Galleons, couldn't help but fall silent for a moment.
When Malfoy found out the normal price, who knew how furious he'd be!
Of course, considering how rare Two-Way Mirrors used to be, this price didn't seem so outrageous.
Wade cleared his throat and explained, "Well, the thing is, he bought a set... The Master Mirror isn't for sale, it's much more expensive."
"If you sell it for 100 Galleons, can you make a profit?" Dumbledore asked.
He rarely concerned himself with business economics, but since it involved Wade, he wanted to understand it.
Wade said, "Only a little. But any more expensive, and many people wouldn't be able to afford it. Television... I mean, something like the Streaming Mirror, its value only increases with more viewers."
100 Galleons sounded like a lot, but in fact, most people could afford it.
For example, Filch, with a weekly wage of 15 Galleons and room and board at the school. He could easily buy himself a "television" after saving for just two months.
Or take the Weasleys; they were known throughout the Wizarding World as a poor family, but with Arthur Weasley's salary, a few months' savings would be enough if they scrimped and saved.
The main reason the Weasley Family lived so frugally was that the couple had no habit of saving; they were essentially living paycheck to paycheck, to the point where they couldn't find two Galleons in their entire vault when their children started school.
In reality, most Wizards, being highly self-sufficient, cared far less about money than Muggles. If they wanted to, they could even go without spending money for years on end.
For example, Dumbledore, whose Headmaster's salary wasn't particularly high, still managed to save a considerable sum.
But after hearing Wade's price, Dumbledore immediately paid up and bought a Sub-Mirror from Wade.
He fiddled with the mirror, noticing some switches on the side. After turning it on, he asked curiously, "Why is there no picture?"
"It won't show content until the broadcast begins."
Wade leaned in and explained to the over-hundred-year-old man:
"If someone doesn't have magic, they can adjust the sound with this knob on the side."
"Currently, the Sub-Mirror can only play the exact same picture, but within a year, we'll ensure viewers have at least three or more program options at the same time..."
Dumbledore instantly understood, "Like Muggle television... you can change channels?"
"Yes."
"Can this mirror do that?"
"Of course not." Wade showed the same smile as a capitalist. "It doesn't have that function yet!"
Dumbledore smiled, looking at him. "...Wade?"
"Hmm?"
"You know magic is very dangerous, right?"
Wade blinked. "Of course."
"Then do you know how many attacks Mr. Marchioni has encountered?" Dumbledore asked again.
Wade was silent for a moment, then said, "Perhaps then... there will be services like trade-ins?"
Dumbledore nodded in satisfaction.
No staying up late tonight, just one chapter.
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