"Do you know what I consider the two keys to being a good merchant Mr. Scamander?" I asked leadingly.
"I suppose you'll tell us since we obviously don't." Newt said with a sigh.
I chuckled at that "Yes, though it ruins the feeling to have it pointed out like that. Simply put I believe the two keys to being an even halfway decent merchant is impartiality and awareness. Business and bias have no place together and you need to be aware of various things at all time. Things like turn over ease, pricing, identification, laws, Etcetera you get it. It's why of all the potential things you might offer raw materials are the best for me. Those I can turn over in relatively no time at all for profit, perhaps even to the professors here at Hogwarts depending on what they are." I said frankly.
"That's awfully well thought out for someone your age." Flitwick said with furrowed brows.
"I don't half do things. I chose to take this path and have given it a lot of thought. Honestly the research was the biggest pain to cover in the short time I was in the magical world. Did you know there are dozens of laws restricting the businesses of muggleborn wizards but purposefully exclude purebloods? It's hardly any wonder that most shops in diagon alley are owned by purebloods as a result." I said with a disdainful scoff.
"Surely it's not that bad right Albus?" Flitwick asked but the old man just sighed with a heavy expression.
"It is indeed that severe. Not only in the business sector either but throughout the entire statute of laws governing us. Young Alex has even exploited one such loophole through his use of magic over the summer." he said seriously.
"If you know this then why still pursue the path of a merchant?" The small professor asked me curiously.
"Circumstance and spite." I said evenly.
"Spite?" Newt asked blinking in surprise.
"Due to certain fortuitous events I am uniquely suited to mercantile. The fact that the laws want to restrict people like me from rising through such a route makes it all the more tempting to do it anyways. If for no other reason than to watch the ugly expressions on those bigoted faces as I ride roughshod over them with things they want but have to play nice to even hope to get from me. As I said, spite." I answered with a smirk.
"That is not a proper way to think for young men like you. It will lead to dark places." Dumbledore warned sternly.
"Would you prefer I just ignore reality then? But enough about that, we are discussing the price of this egg at this point." I said bringing the topic back in line.
Newt took that at face value and let the previous topic fade as he started listing the various things he had.-
To no surprise most of what he was offering came from magical creatures passively such as shed claws, fangs, hair and other such things. There were a few that required the creatures to die first however that caught my interest. He picked up on this and bitterly explained that sometimes when he busted a poaching ring to save the creatures some didn't make it. Rather than letting their loss be wasted he'd utilize their parts to save other magical creatures in similar circumstances. Some of his stock even left Dumbledore himself looking interested such as the Sphinx eyes, Nundu lungs, Qilin horns, Re'em blood, the works.-
In the end I chose to trade the egg for a liter of Re'em blood, a set of Sphinx eyes, a vial of three phoenix tears and a vial of Runespoor venom. I wanted the first of these things for myself due to the use it had. Re'em were large golden haired magical bulls that had a unique property to their blood that caused them to be nearly hunted to extinction, it made you stronger. If carefully used to make potions the effect was much more pronounced as it could make someone frail have a nearly bodybuilder level physique.-
I didn't know the precise amount such potions would need but it definitely wasn't too much. The other things were just rare in general and worth flipping for a profit, minus perhaps the tears that could be saved for an emergency. Still I was quite satisfied with the trade and even promised to send Newt a list of possible creatures he could get, subject to change based on my contact of course. It came as no surprise Dumbledore also want a list of that sort, no doubt to snoop about trying to figure out how I was getting it.-
Still that was the end of the nights excitement and I was let go to turn in for the day. Naturally I immediately locked the door of my room and grabbed the scepter to dive into the knowledge it held. It wasn't particularly hard either since I just tugged on my connection to it as I held it. Almost immediately I found myself suddenly standing in a seemingly endless garden with a a body that was partially see through. Sitting on a marble chair leaned against a tree was an old man with liver spotted tanned skin that sagged over his frame with a short white beard and long white hair. -
He wore a golden toga and leather sandals while a familiar spear sat tucked neatly behind his ear just barely visible under the golden leafed crown.
"You must be Zeus." I said easily figuring out who it was.
"I was, and you are heir to my legacy." he said without any change in expression.
"What is this place and why are you here?" I asked curiously.
"This is a projection within your mind and I am the here to pass my knowledge to you as fully as a mere scroll or tablet never could." he said calmly.
"I see. Why a garden though?" I asked confused by the surroundings.
"In life I often found that the best learning environment was in a natural place like this." he said honestly.