"I have come to make up for my regret –"
After AmosTa spoke these words with a casual, almost indifferent tone, a brief silence fell over the room. Mr. Bana observed AmosTa·Brian across from him with an unreadable expression. The wrinkles on his leathery skin deepened further.
"It's quite a surprise, Mr. Brian--"
Mr. Bana spoke slowly, not revealing the swirling surprise in his mind, wondering how a sorcerer like AmosTa·Brian could overturn a decision he had already made. He squinted his eyes, showing just the right amount of joy,
"I must thank you for your leniency, Mr. Brian. Of course, you need not worry about compensation. The faeries will not charge anything for this matter. All the advertising fees belong to Hogwarts."
"Please don't misunderstand, Mr. Bana--"
AmosTa smiled lightly,
"I still don't intend to allow those workshops or companies of mixed quality to advertise during the Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts. This is not the field for the Quidditch World Cup, and it's not appropriate for something too commercially tinged--"
Under Mr. Bana's focused gaze, AmosTa took out an object from his chest and handed it to the little goblin beside him. Gizmo had been nervously guarding AmosTa and only came to his senses after a few seconds. With one hand, he fumbled with the object and delivered it quickly to the other side of the table.
"This is..."
Mr. Bana played with the object that AmosTa·Brian had produced, adjusting his old-fashioned spectacles on his nose, and said without a pause,
"This is the surveillance mirror that you submitted to the event jury in the Wizards' Conference as part of your safety report. It's an interesting invention with great practicality. The faeries have internally assessed it, and if this product could be mass-produced, it would be a huge market."
There was more interest in Mr. Bana's voice.
"Yes, this thing does have wide applications, but--"
AmosTa smiled and said,
"For some reasons, I personally don't want it to be widely used in the daily life of wizards. Mr. Bana, since you already have some understanding of the surveillance mirror, have you considered using it to broadcast the scenes of the Triwizard Tournament?"
The old goblin was truly taken aback this time; he had completely not anticipated that AmosTa·Brian would suggest such an idea, but—
"Live the Triwizard Tournament in all countries with Gringotts Bank."
The murkiness in Gerzon Bana's eyes was quickly replaced by a sharp glint,
"Can the images be broadcasted at the right time?"
Gerzon Bana sat up straight, with a questioning tone in his voice.
"We'll need some methods."
AmosTa nodded slightly.
"You can cooperate with WWN (Wizards' Wireless Network) and pay to borrow their signal reception stations established in various countries in Europe. Just adjust the surveillance mirror slightly, and there won't be any problems. Although the Triwizard Tournament is just a competitive event for young witches and wizards, this traditional event has a significant position in the magical history of Europe. I believe there will be a lot of interest from people."
It's not just interest!
Even Gizmo and Riddle, the two little goblins, could sense the wealth hidden within!
Basic tickets to the matches are just the beginning. The ads placed at each venue and the additional galleons earned from betting organized by the faeries are unimaginable. When AmosTa·Brian refused to cooperate in mass-producing the surveillance mirror, Mr. Bana felt a bit disappointed, but now, the blood flowing through his ancient body has surged with renewed vigor.
"This is indeed a very good business opportunity, Mr. Brian..."
The old goblin's hoarse voice was filled with excitement.
"You will become one of the wealthiest groups of witches and wizards, thanks to this brilliant idea, Mr. Brian. If we can apply this method to Quidditch matches, the—"
AmosTa raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised in his heart.
Gizmo's commercial instincts are indeed good, and he can come up with new ideas quickly just by starting with a hint.
This is indeed a money-making idea that can bring continuous wealth, but many bottlenecks need to be cleared before it becomes a stable source of wealth.
Watching the old goblin daydreaming about the industry's prospects, AmosTa tapped the table with his fingers.
"Your commercial instincts are very sharp, Mr. Bana. However, these long-term things can wait for another time. Right now, we need to focus on the broadcast of the Triwizard Tournament."
"Ach, I apologize for my rudeness, Mr. Brian--"
The old goblin quickly came back to reality, bowing slightly to AmosTa.
"I haven't encountered such a wonderful idea in a long time. Ah, of course, we are discussing the live broadcast of the Triwizard Tournament. We need to act quickly to reach an agreement with WWN and borrow venues and newspapers for promotion in various European countries. But this will still bring us huge profits, isn't it?"
"The faeries need to pay me ten percent of the profits--"
AmosTa smiled as he uttered a statement that astonished the goblins.
"The ten percent of profits will be paid to the participants of the Triwizard Tournament as a thank you for contributing splendid matches to the European magical community."
That means that AmosTa·Brian does not intend to interfere with the remaining profits; all of them will belong to the faeries?
This is impossible!
Gerzon Bana instantly made up his mind.
Throughout his long career, Gerzon Bana had encountered many cunning traps set by sly wizards, all wrapped in enticing disguises. But if one were truly blinded by greed and dared to take the bait, they would inevitably suffer an unbearable loss.
Goblins pursue the biggest profits, but this does not mean they will be blinded by gold. In fact, it is precisely because of their greed that they are more cunning than most wizards.
"Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Brian--"
Gerzon Bana calmed down, and its voice returned to a state of vigilance.
"But I believe that as you have contributed this excellent idea, you and Hogwarts should also receive a generous reward, shouldn't you?"
"Don't misunderstand, Mr. Bana--"
AmosTa maintained his graceful smile.
"We will not take a single gold coin from the profits of the live event, but that does not mean we have nothing to ask for."
Looking at the old goblin listening attentively, AmosTa spoke calmly,
"Publicly, goblins focus on the banking business at Gringotts, but in reality, you are involved in many private industries. Besides investments, you have your own directly controlled alchemy workshops in various countries. What I need is a fully operational alchemy workshop within Britain."
The old goblin's lowered eyelids twitched.
"A fully functional production alchemy workshop, Mr. Brian--"
Mr. Bana's voice carried a faint hint of disapproval.
"You should be well aware of its value."
"I am well aware of its value," AmosTa said calmly. "But I believe the profits from the live broadcast of the Triwizard Tournament should be enough to cover the cost of purchasing an alchemy workshop. In fact, I can use my share of the profits to acquire it. However, I do not have much time and energy to spend on this matter, so I chose a convenient way."
Gerzon Bana quickly did the math in his mind and then fell silent.
As an objective observer, this transaction is not disadvantageous, but the lack of understanding about AmosTa·Brian's urgent need for the alchemy workshop makes it somewhat uneasy. As it meditated, its gaze suddenly fell on the surveillance mirror placed on the table in front of it. The old goblin's eyes brightened, and he blurted out,
"Do you want to establish an alchemy workshop for mass-producing surveillance mirrors, Mr. Brian?"
Bana felt that he had uncovered the truth. The applicability of the surveillance mirror as an alchemical device is very broad, and as the inventor, AmosTa·Brian would presumably be able to easily obtain a production license. This means he could enjoy the profits from this invention alone, and in the long run, he could also gain from using this invention in the Quidditch League. No wonder he had previously found excuses to refuse cooperation on the surveillance mirror.
"Hm, as I've already said, Mr. Bana--"
Just as the old goblin was certain he had discovered the truth, AmosTa shook his head slightly and chuckled.
"I do not intend to widely promote this invention into the daily lives of wizards. I need the alchemy workshop because I have something else that needs to be mass-produced."
(Chapter completed)
