"A guardian badge?" Clement immediately took out the badge and carefully examined it in his palm. To be honest, he was already quite tempted; its ability to automatically cast the Humanoid Iron Armor Curse and be re-energized repeatedly perfectly met the needs of the maintenance team members at the base. Moreover, the griffin carved on it was lifelike, which Clement also liked very much, making him reluctant to put it down. But would a single badge be enough to win the support of the club's leadership? Clement was still a bit hesitant and couldn't make up his mind immediately.
"Mr. Wilson…" Clement held the badge and looked at Alan, "Can you let me test the effect of this badge?"
"Of course, no problem," Alan nodded with a smile, then drew his wand and looked at Clement. "You don't mind, do you?"
"No, no problem." Clement knew what Alan was going to do and immediately stood in an open space nearby.
"Expulso!"
After confirming that Clement was ready, Alan raised his hand and cast a Knockback Jinx. The spell projectile violently hit Clement, but a flash of light emanated from the badge, instantly conjuring a solid Humanoid Iron Armor that blocked the spell.
After experiencing it firsthand, Clement immediately grew fond of this badge. The defensive strength of the Humanoid Iron Armor Curse was very high, and it could be automatically activated when danger was sensed. The activation speed was also impressive; the spell Alan cast was not slow, but the badge's reaction was even faster.
"Mr. Clement, you can try injecting magic into the badge now. Once it's re-energized, I'll show you the badge's resistance to elemental spells," Alan said with a smile, watching Clement continuously rub the badge on his chest.
"Okay, no problem." Alan's suggestion hit Clement's sweet spot. The most troublesome magical creatures in the park were the dragons, whose dragon fire often burned the staff. Soon, Clement signaled to Alan that he had finished re-energizing it.
Alan nodded slightly, then reminded him, "Next, I will be casting continuously. Please do not move around, or it would be bad if I accidentally burned down your office."
"Mm."
"Incendio!"
Alan raised his wand, and a fine stream of fire shot out, like a flame from a flamethrower, directly hitting the Humanoid Iron Armor Curse and continuously burning it for about five seconds before stopping.
"How is it? Are you satisfied with the performance of the guardian badge?" Alan asked with a smile after he finished casting.
"Satisfied, very satisfied. I barely felt the heat of the flames. Does the Humanoid Iron Armor Curse on this have heat insulation?" Clement was nervous when he first faced the flames, but after enduring the burning for a while, he found that this magical armor was extremely sturdy, even better than a normal Humanoid Iron Armor Curse, and he felt no increase in temperature whatsoever.
"That's right," Alan nodded. "This is an optimized Humanoid Iron Armor Curse, which Professor Flitwick of Charms and I jointly developed at Hogwarts. The tactical vest in the XXX-level equipment also uses this charm. For every one sold, I have to pay Professor Flitwick a royalty fee, so products with this charm won't be particularly cheap; you should be prepared."
Alan wasn't lying. Many of the charms on his products had been improved and optimized, with Professor Flitwick and Professor Bones contributing significantly. When Alan sold related products, he would set aside shares for them, which could be considered patent fees or technical dividends.
"I see." Clement nodded knowingly, feeling a bit emotional. This young man was truly remarkable. At such a young age, he was already researching and optimizing charms with the professors at the school. No wonder he was called the strongest alchemist of the new generation.
"How about it? Are you satisfied with this new product? Over the next one or two years, I will also launch a series of new alchemy tools, and I guarantee that all overseas distributors will be able to purchase and sell the corresponding products. With these, a mere few thousand Galleons in agency fees and preparation funds are just a drop in the ocean," Alan said, adopting a business-like demeanor.
"It is indeed surprisingly effective." Even if Clement wanted to be critical, he couldn't speak against his conscience, but he still pressed on, "When do you plan to launch such a product? And can you guarantee the quality and output?"
"You don't need to worry about that," Alan said with confidence, raising his head. "If you need the guardian badge, it can be supplied in one or two months, and the effect of each one will be no worse than this current one. If you have preferred designs and specifications, customization is also possible. How about it? Does this make your decision?"
"Well…" To be honest, Clement was genuinely tempted. If he had enough liquid funds, he might have agreed on the spot, but he currently didn't have enough financial resources, so he still had to consult the club before making a decision.
"I apologize, although I would be very happy to sign a contract with you right now, such a large sum of money cannot be produced all at once. Can you allow me some time to consider?" Clement said to Alan with a sincere tone. This time, he was truly sincere.
"You still need to consider even after all this? To be honest, it makes me doubt your sincerity in cooperating," Alan said, looking at Clement with some displeasure.
"No, no, no, I really want to finalize the contract with you right now, but I have to discuss it with my partners, don't I? This is a big deal, and we also need some time to raise the money."
At this point, Clement even specifically emphasized, "Please give me a little more time. I hope you won't finalize a contract with anyone else during this period? I am willing to pay you a deposit first. How about 1,000 Galleons?"
Alan chuckled inwardly. *Discuss with partners? He's probably going to consult the Silver Spears people, but that doesn't matter to me.*
However, Alan still put on the tone of a shrewd merchant. "A deposit of 2,000 Galleons, and I can give you half a month to consider. If you decide to cooperate within this time, this money will count towards the preparation funds. If you don't wish to cooperate, I can refund half of the deposit to you, but if I don't receive a reply after the time limit, the deposit will not be refunded!"
Upon hearing Alan's conditions, Clement's face took on a constipated expression. He truly couldn't understand why this brat was so greedy, as if he had fallen into a money pit. But Clement didn't want to give up this opportunity. He roughly calculated and believed that with this guardian badge, he had a very good chance of convincing the leadership in the club. If all else failed, he would swallow his pride and beg around to gather the money. He could always go to Gringotts and borrow from the goblins.
Thinking this, Clement gritted his teeth and nodded fiercely. "Okay, Mr. Wilson, I agree to your terms. However, can I keep this guardian badge for now? I need to use it to convince my partners."
"No problem, Lord Clement, this badge can be considered a welcome gift from me. It's not a big deal," Alan said with a slight smile. This badge was originally prepared for him, and even if Clement hadn't asked, Alan was planning to give it to him.
"Then thank you very much." Clement truly couldn't part with this badge. Not only was it powerful, but it was also carved with his favorite griffin design. "Please wait a moment, I will go get the money for you now."
With that, Clement walked to the safe by the desk and rummaged for a moment, then poured out a large leather pouch from his spatial bag. After counting for a bit, he found it still wasn't enough, so he ran out of the room and collected all the money from the cash register on the first floor. After bustling for a long time, he finally managed to gather the 2,000 Galleons. He even borrowed some from the shop's employees, truly losing face.
But at least the deposit was collected, though it contained quite a few silver sickles and copper knuts in change. Alan didn't mind this, but he counted the money very carefully. He didn't want to give this man any loopholes, and it also helped establish his greedy persona.
"No problem, the amounts are all correct." Alan smiled as he put all the coins into a large leather pouch. "Oh, and here are two sickles and nine knuts extra. Lord Clement, please keep them."
Clement looked at the meager change in his hand, then cast a resentful glance at Alan. He had truly bled a lot today, but all he got was a promise. Who told him he was the disadvantaged party in the negotiation?