Will you take on a task assigned by the client? Upon hearing this, Amorsta was taken aback for a moment, but then immediately understood.
In the past half year, I have been enjoying my old age at Hogwarts. I almost forgot my "proper job", but after snapping out of it, Amorsta did not immediately respond. He looked at Calicus with an expectant face and saw a glint of thought in his eyes.
Calicus should be aware that he is currently swamped with various matters. Even if he wanted to make a profit from intermediation fees, he wouldn't pick such an inopportune time. It seems likely that he must be dealing with some tricky commissions.
There are not only one job broker named Calicus·Fry in the underground world. This industry also has competition.
An excellent broker is the most important to have resources.
It's not just task resources that are important; the resources of bounty witches are equally crucial. Otherwise, if clients post tasks with you but you consistently cannot find skilled bounty witches to complete them, over time, your credibility will undoubtedly be affected.
"How, have you encountered some trouble?"
"It is indeed a troublesome matter, Mr. Golden Viper --"
Personality is one thing, business is another, and this, Calicus was clear about. He sighed and said,
"Tanatos·Hoded, I'm sure you won't forget him?"
Amorsta's eyes narrowed instantly, and there was a hint of astonishment and alertness in his tone.
"Tanatos? Do you mean he placed the commission with you?"
"Yes, Mr. Golden Viper, it is indeed a troublesome task –" Calicus rubbed his own temples, looking distressed as he said,
"You won't forget the task of bringing back artifacts from Egypt, will you? When you returned to England and landed, you had a fierce fight with the Aurors led by Scrimgeour. In that battle, Tanatos's fossil dragon was destroyed by Scrimgeour. As you know, Mr. Golden Viper, Tanatos belongs to the school of ancient secret wizards who specialize in summoning undead creatures. The loss of that fossil dragon has significantly affected his strength."
Not long after that task, Tanatos posted a commission with me, hoping to find a way to acquire the skeleton of a fire dragon. But isn't that difficult? Wild fire dragons are very dangerous, and they are also key protected magical creatures by the magic departments of all countries, strictly guarded. Even after death, their decomposing bodies are subject to strict supervision. And commercially bred fire dragons are too weak to meet Tanatos's requirements.
"In these few months, the bounty witches I've hired have been active in various protected areas for wild fire dragons, but they have all returned empty-handed."
Calicus subtly glanced at Amorsta.
"Mr. Golden Viper, I seem to recall that a couple of years ago, you obtained an egg of the Norwegian Spine Dragon from the Norwegian Fire Dragon Nature Reserve and slaughtered a Norwegian Red Scale Dragon at the time. Remember that red-scaled dragon?"
"I've decomposed the valuable materials into usable form, and the skeletons... I discarded them in the reserve."
Amorsta pursed his lips and said, "At the time, I didn't realize that there was a market for dragon skeletons. Otherwise, I could have made a bit more gold."
"Too bad."
Calicus sighed and looked regretful.
"So, do you think you would be interested in taking on this commission task?"
"How much is he willing to pay?" Amorsta asked with interest.
"Six thousand gold Galleons!"
He saw a glimmer of hope in Amorsta's attitude and quickly said,
"If you can provide a recently deceased fire dragon skeleton, he is willing to pay that amount. Of course, we all know that the price of a wild fire dragon is far more than this. So, Tanatos is willing to offer some of his valuable collections or magical artifacts as collateral to offset the payment. If the skeleton of a fire dragon that has been dead for a while, the payment might have to be significantly reduced."
Amorsta nodded slightly, the price was still fair.
To be honest, Amorsta hadn't expected Calicus to come up with such a task. For other commissions, he really wouldn't have necessarily agreed to help.
After all, things are different now. Amorsta is now 'on the surface' and engaging in too much underground world business always carries some risks. His magic, after years of rapid growth, has become more stable. He can no longer gain any progress by fighting with mediocre wizards.
And the orphanage no longer needed his financial support after the dormitory building was completed, so there was no need for him to take on commissions for gold any more.
This task is also connected to Tanatos, which is an amazing coincidence since there's something he needs Tanatos to help him with.
"Alright, Calicus, I'll take on this commission."
Amorsta's straightforward acceptance of the commission brought Calicus great joy. With Amorsta's involvement, his reputation was likely to be preserved.
"Then what about Tanatos?"
"Don't worry, Calicus, I will communicate directly with him."
Amorsta waved his hand, leaving a remark and disappearing from this small village untouched by the world.
"Direct communication."
Calicus leaned against the doorframe, furrowed his brow, and whispered the last words of Mr. Blythe. The rules in the underworld are generally that the client and the contractor of a task do not meet directly, and any questions about the task are relayed through brokers. Amorsta·Blythe is also an 'old-timer' in the underworld. How could he easily break the rules?
The news of Sirius Black being apprehended again by the Ministry of Magic was like a huge stone crashing into the water, stirring up a big wave on top of the ripple caused by the annihilation of Greubec and his followers. This once again caused a major upheaval in the magical world.
The journalists who had come to interview Amorsta·Bryne for the previous event had already left for Britain and were still on their way back, not having had a chance to rest. They received emergency notices and were racing to Britain, fearing they might miss out on the latest media feast.
For several days, the entrance to the Ministry of Magic was packed with frenzied journalists, trying to find every British magical official they could get their hands on to glean more valuable information.
However, after the official announcement published in The Daily Prophet, the Ministry of Magic remained silent, unwilling to make any formal responses. Moreover, the Ministry also refused to grant any interviews to journalists seeking information about Black.
People were speculating left and right, wondering if the Ministry of Magic had cooked up a sensational lie in order to put an end to the escape of Sirius Black. However, even so, Cornelius Fudge remained tight-lipped, merely announcing that Black was receiving a hearing from the Ministry of Magic. Once all things were sorted out, the Ministry would reveal the truth to the public.
But such vague statements were certainly not enough to satisfy the journalists who seemed like they were on an adrenaline rush. Now, in front of every senior official's home at the Ministry of Magic in Britain, a large group of reporters was waiting.
Because what was about to happen involved internal conflicts within the Ministry of Magic, Amorsta did not intervene in this storm.
He did not return to Hogwarts but stayed in a hotel in London, waiting for things to escalate, waiting for Little Peter to appear in the public eye, and by the way, dealing with fan mail from all over the world.
Thud-thud——
On a sunny morning, after enjoying breakfast, Amorsta returned to his hotel room. Just as he sat down at his desk to reply to an email from the American Magical Congress requesting him to share his experience in efficiently hunting werewolves and vampires, the door to the room was suddenly knocked on.
(Chapter complete)
