A New Commission

Amosta weighed the bag in his hand, its space expanded by an Undetectable Extension Charm. Even with its weight reduced by the permanently applied Wingardium Leviosa, it still felt satisfyingly heavy.

Seven hundred Gold Galleons—this was the reward he had earned after spending half a month roughing it in the old forests of France's Jura Mountains, starving and sleeping in the open. It was enough to match a year's salary for a full-time Hogwarts employee or a senior Ministry of Magic official.

After confirming there was nothing wrong with the Cockatrice heart Amosta had brought, Cacus, seated opposite him, closed the rough wooden box and smiled in satisfaction.

"Your reputation is the brightest light in the underground world, Mr. Golden Viper. Every transaction with you is a perfect pleasure!"

Amosta silently put away the money pouch, unmoved by Cacus Foley's praise. Everyone in this line of work was only after shining Galleons. There was no need to talk about friendship unless necessary.

"Any decent commissions lately?"

"You are as diligent as ever, Mr. Golden Viper."

Amosta's indifference did not offend Cacus. In fact, most people active here were guarded with their words and actions. Someone as polite and enthusiastic as him was the odd one out.

Cacus's smile did not fade. He flattered Amosta without showing it while pulling a notebook from his robes and flipping through it.

"What requirements do you have for the type of job and the payment?"

"My habits haven't changed, Cacus. Don't waste either of our time," Amosta said coldly.

"Of course, of course. How could I forget your requirements? No commissions targeting wizards or Muggles, a commission fee of at least five hundred Galleons, and the job must take as little time as possible. I never forget a client's preferences, Mr. Golden Viper. But—"

Cacus flipped through the notebook in his hand, muttering under his breath as his brow gradually furrowed. Even when he reached the newest page, he could not find a task that met Amosta's requirements.

"Mm, I'm afraid I must apologize, Mr. Golden Viper. Jobs suited to your preferences are usually highly sought after. There was one before—providing ingredients and brewing Mana Suppressant Potion, worth five hundred and fifty Galleons—but unfortunately, someone took it three days ago."

At that, Amosta stood and turned to leave without hesitation.

"Please wait, Mr. Golden Viper!"

Having already laid the groundwork, Cacus immediately stopped him. Under Amosta's unfriendly gaze, the veins on Cacus's forehead throbbed. He feared that the man before him would simply draw his wand and pin him to the ground with a spear, just as he had once dealt with those rule-breaking Werewolves.

"No offense intended,"

Cacus hurriedly explained. "I truly do not have any commissions that meet your requirements, but there are several jobs with very generous rewards and higher risks. Would you be interested in hearing about them?"

"Higher risks?"

A job that Cacus Foley, who had spent years in this place, judged to be high-risk certainly would not be some minor smuggling operation. Amosta hesitated, but after thinking for a moment, he sat back down and nodded at Cacus.

"Tell me about them first."

Cacus instinctively let out a breath of relief. Earning a broker's fee from dangerous wizards like Golden Viper was no easy matter. You never knew what inexplicable thing might offend them and get you killed, so you had to be ready to run for your life at any moment.

"The first commission pays twenty thousand Gold Galleons."

The moment he heard that figure, Amosta's brow twitched, and he held his breath.

"The client sent me a magical contract from Albania. He hopes someone can rescue the Lestrange Couple and the Caro Siblings from Azkaban. What do you think of this commission?"

"Hmph. I'm not that foolish, Cacus. I refuse this commission."

Amosta rejected it without hesitation.

If it were merely a rescue, he might have considered it for that amount of Galleons. Azkaban's Dementors were dangerous, but they were not beyond his ability to handle.

The true danger of this job lay in the people being rescued.

Everyone in the wizarding world knew that the Lestrange Couple and the Caro Siblings were the most radical Death Eaters. If someone rescued them, Dumbledore, who had spent the latter half of his life struggling against Voldemort, would certainly investigate. Amosta had no intention of wasting the rest of his life on the run.

Besides, Azkaban's location was one of the wizarding world's most closely guarded secrets. Finding it would take far too much time as well.

Cacus was not surprised by Amosta's decisive refusal. In his view, whoever had posted the job had probably drunk too much Firewhisky and lost his senses. After all, who would willingly face disgusting, terrifying creatures like Dementors?

"Your choice is very wise, Mr. Golden Viper. Now, let me think—there is another commission. Someone claims to have found the location of a magical ruin built by a powerful wizard in ancient times. They hope to recruit highly capable wizards as guards. The client says they cannot offer a particularly high commission fee directly, but they are willing to share the discoveries within the ruins with the explorers. What do you think of this one?"

Exploring ruins could indeed yield enormous rewards. It was not just gold, silver, jewels, and other valuables; there was a good chance such ruins contained many lost forms of Ancient Magic, renowned for their pursuit of power. If he could learn from them, it would benefit the growth of his own strength.

Yet after considering it for a moment, Amosta still refused the commission.

It was not because he feared the risks. Exploring ruins also required a great deal of time to prepare, and the most likely outcome was finding nothing at all. Amosta did not like placing his profits in the hands of senseless luck.

Cacus was very patient. He introduced Amosta to several commissions he had held onto for a long time, but every one of them either offered rewards disproportionate to the risks or would bring enormous trouble afterward. Without exception, Amosta rejected them all.

By the end, even Cacus was troubled by Amosta's pickiness. He sat there with a furrowed brow, deep in thought, silent for a long while.

"There is one more. The last one, Mr. Jin Kui. If you still cannot be satisfied with it—"

After a while, Cacus craned his neck, his expression cautious. Though he could not see Amosta's face behind the whirlpool of magic, he still did his utmost to observe the dangerous man across from him.

"Have you heard of... the Chamber of Secrets?"

"The Chamber of Secrets?"

Amosta's body trembled. Although most of his memories of the original story from his previous life had faded, anyone who had attended Hogwarts would have heard of it. Amosta had fought people in the underground world, and his Charms and casting habits clearly came from a modern, orthodox magical education. There was no point concealing it.

"It's just a Hogwarts legend. Why bring it up?"

Seeing that Amosta had taken the bait, Cacus secretly rejoiced but kept his expression calm.

"You do not stay in the country often, so you may not know. Although The Daily Prophet has not reported it, rumors have been spreading wildly in private. They say that Chamber of Secrets has truly been opened. At Hogwarts, someone is using the Chamber's power to spread panic on a massive scale, and Dumbledore is powerless to stop it..."

"Wait!"

Amosta cut Cacus off without courtesy. "What does that have to do with this commission? Is someone paying me to go to the school and protect those children?"

"Of course not!"

Cacus revealed a sly smile.

"But Salazar Slytherin's name is certainly enticing, isn't it? The client believes Slytherin left a secret treasure in the Chamber of Secrets, and that the so-called Heir obtained it. Otherwise, how could even someone as formidable as Dumbledore fail to find any clues?"

Amosta said nothing. He truly did not remember much of the original plot, but he at least remembered that the Chamber of Secrets did not seem to contain any wealth, magic, or powerful Alchemical Devices.

Still, considering the greed of the wizards here, such speculation was hardly surprising.

After all, the Four Founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were all powerful wizards recorded in official history, possessing magical power beyond the reach of ordinary people. If any of their legacies appeared, people would undoubtedly swarm toward them.

"Even if that is true,"

Amosta remained unmoved. "Would anyone dare storm into Hogwarts and compete with Dumbledore for it? It would be safer to fish those lunatics out of Azkaban."

"It may not require taking it by force. There are more reasonable methods."

Cacus was animated, clearly determined to persuade Amosta.

"I can offer some assistance. For instance, I can have you enter that school as an externally hired Investigator for the Board of Governors—

Those esteemed wizards on our Board of Governors need to show some response to the terrifying incidents at the school in order to address the growing public dissatisfaction. But at the same time, they fear the attacks will continue and that the wizards they send will accomplish nothing, making them the laughingstock of the public.

But if there is a reliable wizard, they would be willing to negotiate with Dumbledore. After all, Dumbledore's performance throughout this series of incidents has been disappointing. They may think he is getting old and has become a little slow..."

"So you had your eye on me from the beginning."

If Amosta had not realized that by now, he would have been truly foolish. Cacus did not lack commissions suited to his tastes. Those high-risk jobs mentioned earlier had merely been bait. His real goal was to get Amosta to accept this final commission.

So he had seen through it after all.

Cacus's heart tightened, and he put on a humble smile.

"After all, the choice of Investigator must be approved by Albus Dumbledore. A wizard from Hogwarts is therefore the first choice, and both strength and reputation are crucial. Here, only you meet the requirements."

Amosta neither confirmed nor denied it.

"How will you deal with the issue of keeping my identity secret? You should know that this will expose my true face."

Quick-witted as Cacus Foley was, he had naturally considered this long ago. He could not wait to give his assurance.

"The client will not know that Mr. Golden Viper accepted the commission. The Board of Governors may know your name in the outside world, but they will not learn your underground identity from me."

"And what about you?"

Amosta pressed him relentlessly. "In your plan, you are the only one who will know both my outside identity and my underground identity. How will you ensure that you are trustworthy?"

"An Unbreakable Vow. I will guarantee with the lives of every member of the Foley family that I will keep your identity secret forever."

Amosta stared hard at Cacus's no longer youthful face without immediately stating his position.

"It seems you can gain a very substantial reward from this commission, doesn't it?"

"That is my personal secret, Mr. Golden Viper."

Cacus smiled as though victory were already in his grasp.

"Eight thousand Gold Galleons, along with the gratitude of the Board of Governors. You may even receive a commendation from the Ministry of Magic, in exchange for the secret treasure within Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets—Mr. Golden Viper, this is a very worthwhile deal..."