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It's the owner's third favorite pet!
Seeing this, Mrs. Caroline understood Morris's attitude.
She shook her head with a hint of regret. "What a pity, I really wanted to have a skeleton dog as a pet. I would put a gem on its head and make it sparkle... Oh, that would be so beautiful."
"I have no intention of selling it," Morris said firmly.
"Are you really not going to reconsider?" Lady Caroline continued, "I can offer you a very good price... How about two hundred Galleons? That's the highest I can offer. You know, your living people's pets only sell for a dozen or so Galleons."
Two hundred Galleons!
Morris glanced down at the skeletal dog in his arms, his eyes gleaming.
Skeleton Dog: "?"
It suddenly had a bad feeling.
The air was silent for a few seconds.
Finally, Morris turned to Mrs. Caroline with a friendly smile. "Then let's talk about the price, madam."
Skeleton Dog: "!!!!!"
Of course, Morris ultimately did not sell the skeleton dog.
Although it wasn't much, he still had some affection for the skeleton dog.
When Maurice revealed that he had even better-quality skeleton dogs, Mrs. Caroline immediately placed an order.
After some haggling, the final price was set at 250 Galleons.
"Then see you in two days, Mrs. Caroline," Morris said. "We'll exchange money for goods then. That's the fairest way to do business."
Mrs. Caroline nodded slightly. "It was a pleasure talking with you, Mr. Black. I like you. I hope the skeleton dog you bring will satisfy me."
After saying that, she nodded to Flick beside her and turned to leave the shop.
Looking out the window, Maurice saw a fine silver carriage that had somehow appeared at the entrance, blocking the entire passageway.
Lady Caroline boarded the carriage, took off immediately, and disappeared into the horizon.
It's worth mentioning that the carriage was pulled by two Thestrals.
Yes, Thestrals.
This was the first time Maurice had seen a Thestral outside Hogwarts.
Before this, he had always thought that Thestrals were unique to Hogwarts.
Frick, standing nearby, interrupted Maurice's thoughts, belatedly exclaiming, "Merlin! Mr. Black, you've closed a deal for two hundred and fifty Galleons!?"
When Maurice was talking to Mrs. Caroline earlier, he tried to join the conversation, but Mrs. Caroline ignored him and he has been quiet ever since.
Morris put down the skeletal dog, turned around, and replied, "I think so."
Unfortunately, this matter is still far from being finalized. He needs to prepare a lively, skeletal dog within two days in order to receive the money.
Flick remained silent for a while, seemingly lost in thought.
At that moment, Morris asked casually, "Mrs. Caroline is very rich, isn't she?"
"She's incredibly rich," Frick nodded. "Don't you know her? Lady Caroline is the lead dancer of the Skull Dance Company, the most famous dance company in the entire wizarding world."
"I see," Morris said. "No wonder Mrs. Caroline's joints are so flexible."
This remark caused Flick to suddenly adopt a hostile expression.
He said coldly, "Mr. Black, if you think you can take Mrs. Caroline away from me, you've got the wrong idea. She will only ever love me!"
"?"
Maurice's small face showed great confusion.
Aren't these two people a customer and a shop owner?
Morris didn't know how to respond, and could only say dryly, "I just want to make money."
Frick scoffed, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "Really?"
"Really!" Morris replied decisively.
Although everyone is free to have their own preferences, he still hoped that Frick would see the doctor at St. Mungo's.
I heard that hospital, just like the one in the Muggle world, has a position for a psychologist.
"Ahem… Let's get down to business, Mr. Frick," Morris cleared his throat, steer the conversation back on track, "I don't intend to pursue the matter of the incomplete swallowtail dog skeleton you sold me before."
"But you must sell me another swallowtail dog skeleton, and guarantee it's intact without any defects."
Upon hearing this, Frick turned his gaze to the skeleton dog in Maurice's hand and said loudly, "Don't think I don't know what you're up to! You want to turn my Swallowtail dog skeleton into a skeleton dog like this and sell it to Mrs. Caroline to win her favor, don't you?"
"Ah, I've seen that before! A young, handsome wizard, with all sorts of novel trinkets, seduce her with sweet talk, and then...and then..."
He was panting heavily and didn't continue speaking, but the anger on his face was obvious.
This guy is hopeless; he's definitely got something wrong with his head.
Morris sighed and rubbed his temples helplessly. "Mr. Frick, please calm down. I'm only eleven years old, just a child."
Frick frowned again and looked Morris up and down.
"I don't believe it," he said.
Then, as if remembering something, Flick pulled out something that looked like an electronic scale from the bottom of a shelf in the corner.
After he had Maurice stand on it, several lines of glowing text immediately floated in the air.
This includes Morris's age, weight, height, and a range of other physical information.
This appears to be some kind of health monitoring tool, which is quite convenient.
Once Flick confirmed that Maurice was indeed only eleven years old, he immediately became friendly.
He not only called Maurice by his name affectionately and readily agreed to sell the skeleton, but also fitted the skeletal dog with a suitable toe.
Finally, upon learning that Maurice had been introduced by his mother, he even agreed to Maurice's request to buy on credit.
Of course, there are conditions for buying on credit.
The skeleton dog was temporarily stored (pawned) in the shop to serve as a watchdog.
Morris observed Flick's reaction and guessed that the other man was probably also curious about his skeleton dog.
But this is not surprising—Frick does own a shop that specializes in selling bones.
Chapter 70: An Unexpected Development
After initial contact, Maurice thought Ezra Frick was a decent businessman—although his quirks were indeed a bit eccentric.
In fact, this was exactly what he expected.
Before his visit, Morris felt that Flick was probably not a bad person.
After all, Flick's mother ran a secondhand robe shop in Diagon Alley.
She was a kind and amiable old lady. After buying the robe, Maurice received an extra pair of gloves as a gift from her.
If Flick were a jerk, the old man probably wouldn't have given him this address.
Finally, one detail further increased Maurice's goodwill towards him—before leaving, Frick offered to take him to Diagon Alley to avoid any danger on the way.
But Maurice declined.
He still has the ability to protect himself.
Before leaving, Maurice suddenly remembered something and turned back to say, "Oh, right, Mr. Frick, your mother asked me to remind you to eat on time."
He kept in mind everything the old lady had told him.
"Understood." Flick nodded helplessly.
Morris smiled slightly and was about to push the door open when the wooden door in front of him was violently kicked open.
A brute force pushed him against the wall.
He looked up and saw that the person who entered was a very tall and burly man with a fierce face, looking like someone not to be trifled with.
Behind the burly man were two equally unfriendly accomplices. They filed in, making the already limited space in the store feel even more crowded.
Morris stopped and looked at them curiously.
These people looked aggressive; they clearly weren't there to buy anything.
Sure enough, when Flick saw the three of them, he immediately showed a look of disgust.
"Krenk," he said coldly, "I told you, don't just walk into my shop, you'll scare away my customers!"
The burly man known as Kroenke grinned, revealing a set of uneven, yellow teeth. "Don't be so formal, Flick. I was just passing by and thought I'd remind you that you need to pay back the money you owe."
"I've paid back all the money! Get out of here! You're not welcome here!" Frick's voice suddenly rose, and he said viciously, "Otherwise I'll stuff all three of you into the digestive cavity of a slug."
Upon hearing this, Kroenke's fake smile vanished instantly, replaced by a ferocious expression.
"Oh, looks like you're trying to renege on your debt." He said, taking two heavy steps forward, the wooden floor groaning under the weight.
The two accomplices immediately drew their wands as well.
The air inside the store seemed to freeze; a battle was about to break out.
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