Ammosta weighed the bag in his hand, whose space had been expanded by the Untraceable Stretching Spell. After the weight was weakened by a constant floating spell, it still felt heavy, which brought him immense pleasure.
Seven hundred galleons - this was the reward he had exchanged for spending half a month in the wilderness of the old forest in the French Jura Mountains, where he had survived by eating and drinking wherever he could find it. It was enough to equal the annual salary of a formal professor at Hogwarts or even a senior official in the Ministry of Magic.
After checking that the heart of the chicken-man snake-tail monster brought by Amostar was in perfect condition, Kakus covered the rough wooden box opposite him with satisfaction and smiled.
"Your reputation is the brightest beacon in the underworld, Mr. Gold Viper! Every transaction with you is a sheer delight!"
Amostar silently put away the money pouch, ignoring Kakus·Fly's compliments. After all, everyone in this world was after the bright galleons, and there was no need to make unnecessary connections.
"What's the latest in terms of substantial assignments?"
"You remain as industrious as ever, Mr. Gold Viper."
Amostar's indifference did not make Kakus uncomfortable. In fact, most people who operate here are careful and discreet, so his polite and enthusiastic nature is rather unusual.
Kakus maintained his smile, all the while silently flattering and unobtrusively flattering, while he dug into his pocket and pulled out a notebook, flipping through its pages.
"What are your requirements for the type of task and compensation?"
"My habits haven't changed, Kakus. Don't waste each other's time," Amostar coldly said.
"Certainly, certainly, your requirements I could never forget--do not accept any assignments targeting wizards or muggles, assignment fee over five hundred galleons, and the time needed to complete the task should be as short as possible...I will never forget any client's habit, Mr. Gold Viper...However,"
Kakus flipped through the notebook in his hand, muttering under his breath, but his brow gradually knit together. He couldn't find a task that met Amostar's requirements until he reached the latest page of the notebook.
"Um...I'm sorry, Mr. Gold Viper. Tasks that meet your habits are usually in high demand, and there was a task offered before that, providing raw materials to make a magical potion that inhibits magical activity, with a value of 550 galleons. Unfortunately, it was taken by someone else three days ago..."
Upon hearing this, Amostar stood up and turned around, ready to leave in a decisive manner.
"Please wait, Mr. Gold Viper!"
Seeing Amostar's disdainful gaze, Kakus quickly spoke up to stop him. Facing Amostar's unfriendly gaze, Kakus's forehead veins twitched as he feared that the one in front of him would pull out a wand and use a spear to pin him to the ground like he had done to those lawless werewolves.
"I apologize for any offense, "
Kakus hurried to explain, "I don't have any assignments that meet your requirements here, but there are some tasks with very high bounties, though they are riskier. I don't know if you would be interested in hearing about them?"
"Riskier?"
The task that Kakus·Fly, who has been living here for years, considers high risk is definitely not a minor smuggling job. Amostar hesitated in his mind but decided to sit back down after a moment's reflection and nodding to Kakus.
"Let's hear what you have to say."
Kakus unconsciously relaxed. It's not an easy job to make a profit as an intermediary for dangerous wizards like Mr. Gold Viper. You have no idea where you might anger them for no reason, which could lead to your death, so you must always be prepared to flee at any moment.
"The first assignment pays two thousand galleons..."
At the mention of the sum of the bounty, Amostar's brow immediately twitched, and he held his breath.
"--The client sent me a magical contract from Albania. He hopes someone can help him rescue the Leystrand couple and the Carrow siblings from Azkaban--what do you think?"
"Hmph, I'm not that stupid, Kakus. I refuse this assignment."
Amostar refused without hesitation.
If it were just to save people, Amostar might hesitate a bit given the amount of galleons involved. Although the Dementor at Azkaban is dangerous, it is something he can deal with for him.
The real danger of this task lies in the people being rescued.
No one in the magical world would be unaware that the Leystrandi couple and the Carrow siblings are the most radical Death Eaters. Once someone is rescued, it is predictable that Dumbledore, who has spent his latter years challenging Voldemort, would intervene to investigate. Amostar didn't want to spend the rest of his life in hiding.
Moreover, the location of Azkaban is a top secret in the magical world, and it would take a lot of time to find it.
Kakus was not surprised by Amostar's decisive refusal. In his view, the person who posted the task was probably drunk on Fire Whiskey to the point of being slightly incoherent. After all, who would willingly face such repulsive and terrifying creatures as Dementors?
"Your choice is very wise, Mr. Gold Viper. So, let me think---there's another assignment. Someone claims to have found the address of a magical relic built by a powerful wizard from ancient times and wants to recruit some exceptional wizards to act as bodyguards. The client says they can't provide a direct high bounty, but they are willing to share the discoveries from the relic with the explorers. What do you think of this assignment?"
Searching for a relic could indeed bring in high rewards, not just in gold, gems, and other items. It is quite likely that the relic contains many ancient magical spells that have been lost over time, which would be invaluable if they could be learned and used.
However, after some consideration, Amostar still refused the assignment.
It was not because of fear of risk. Exploring relics also requires a lot of time for preparation, and the most likely outcome is to come up empty-handed. Amostar did not like to rely on luck, which he found unreasonable for profit.
Kakus was very patient. He introduced several valuable assignments to Amostar, but every single one either had an uneven ratio of profit to risk or would bring him huge trouble after completion, and they all got rejected without exception.
In the end, even Kakus was frustrated by Amostar's pickiness. He sat there, frowning and deep in thought for a long time, not uttering a word.
"There is one more, the last one, Mr. Jinqui, if you are not satisfied---"
For a while, Kakus stretched his head, his expression cautious. Although he couldn't see the face of Amostar in the swirling vortex of magical energy, he was still making an effort to observe the dangerous guy across from him.
"Have you heard about…the Slater's Chamber?"
"Slitherin's Chamber?"
Amostar's body trembled slightly. Although the memories of the previous life's plot were mostly lost, but anyone who studied at Hogwarts could not have failed to hear about it. Amostar had been in physical combat with people in the underworld. The spells he cast and his casting habits clearly showed he was trained in modern mainstream magic education, with nothing to hide.
"It's just a legend of Hogwarts. Why bring that up?"
Seeing Amostar bite, Kakus secretly rejoiced, but still maintained his composure.
"You don't often stay at home, so you may not know that although the Prophet has no related reports, rumors have spread privately, and it is said that the chamber was indeed opened, and someone in Hogwarts is using the power of the chamber to create panic, Dumbledore can do nothing about it…"
"Wait!"
Amostar didn't hesitate to interrupt Kakus, "What does this have to do with the assignment? Are there someone who hired me to protect those kids in the school?"
"Of course not!"
Kakus smiled cunningly.
"But, isn't the name of Salazar Slytherin enough to attract people? The client believes that a hidden treasure was left by Slytherin in the chamber, and it was obtained by the so-called heir. Otherwise, how could such a powerful individual as Dumbledore not find any clues?"
Amostar fell silent, he didn't remember much of the original book's plot, but at least he remembered that there was nothing valuable, magical, or powerful alchemical devices left in the chamber.
However, according to the greedy nature of wizards here, it's not strange for them to make such assumptions.
After all, the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were all powerful wizards with a historical record, possessing abilities far beyond the ordinary person's reach. Once their legacies appeared, people would naturally be eager to obtain them.
"Even if it's true,"
Amostar remained unmoved. "Would anyone dare to storm Hogwarts and steal from Dumbledore? It's safer to go after those madmen in Azkaban."
"Maybe not steal, but in a more reasonable way."
Kakus was excited and showed a determined attitude to convince Amostar.
"I can offer some assistance, such as allowing you to enter the school under the guise of an external investigator appointed by the Board of Governors—"
"Our Board of Governors needs to respond to the increasing public discontent due to the terror activities happening on campus, but at the same time, they are also worried that their appointed wizards are not doing anything to prevent the attacks and risk becoming a laughing stock."
However, if a reliable wizard is there, they are willing to negotiate with Dumbledore—after all, Dumbledore's performance in this series of events has been disappointing. They might think he's old and a bit slow on the uptake…"
"It seems like you've been watching me from the start."
If Amostar hasn't discovered this yet, he would really be too stupid. Kakus wasn't without offers that suited his taste. The high-risk tasks he had proposed earlier were just bait. His true intention was to take on the last assignment.
Indeed, he was seen through.
Kakus' heart tightened, and he revealed a humble smile.
"After all, the selection of investigators needs the consent of Albus Dumbledore. So, wizards from Hogwarts are the first choice. Their strength and reputation are also very important. Here, only you meet the requirements."
Amostar remained noncommittal.
"How do you plan to handle the issue of identity confidentiality? You should know that it will expose my true appearance."
Cunning as Kakus Fli, he had naturally considered this problem from the start. He could not wait to assure.
"The client will not know that it is Mr. Gold Viper who has taken on the assignment. The Board of Governors will know about your reputation outside, but they also won't find out about your identity in the underworld from me."
"And you?"
Amostar pressed, "In your plan, you are the only person who knows both my identities. How can I be sure that you are trustworthy?"
"A sworn oath that is unbreakable, with the lives of all members of the Fli family as the guarantee, to keep your identity secret forever."
Amostar stared at Kakus' face, which wasn't young, without haste.
"It seems that you can get a very large return from this assignment, right?"
"That is a secret of my own, Mr. Gold Viper."
Kakus smiled as if he had won.
"8,000 gold, plus thanks from the Board of Governors, perhaps even an award from the Ministry of Magic. In exchange for the secrets of Slater's Chamber---Mr. Gold Viper, this deal is very profitable..."
………………
