Gentlemen Never Watch Their Step

Only those in the same trade harbored naked hatred for one another.

Not only had the Black Swan Wizard Card House copied their gameplay ideas, it had provocatively opened its shop right across from theirs.

Vincent naturally hoped they would go bankrupt, preferably saddled with mountains of debt.

Unfortunately, gentlemen had Gold Galleons to spare. They could probably afford even a ten-billion subsidy war.

With a critical eye, all he saw was extravagance and entrenched class divisions.

The cost of Wizard Cards seemed high, but only seemed so.

At the current value of the pound, 10 Galleons could buy nearly an ounce—almost 30 grams—of gold.

The weight was at most two grams, and crushed gemstones were not particularly expensive.

Including labor, a single card would cost no more than one Galleon to make.

Of course, that was the procurement price in Muggle society.

In the Wizarding World, it would cost at least three Galleons.

Every one of these gentlemen thought highly of himself. They surely disdained trading with Muggles.

They were selling at a loss of two Galleons per card, and that did not even include the shop's expenses.

"Welcome, everyone!" Lucius descended from the second floor with a smile.

He greeted Fudge first, then turned his gaze toward Vincent's smiling face.

They did not look like they had come to cause trouble.

And that was indeed the case.

Their ten thousand Gwent cards had sold out on opening day, so they had come over to take a look while they had nothing else to do.

All the contempt and disdain Old Flint had shown upstairs had vanished.

In its place was an expression full of openings, almost ingratiating.

Fudge welcomed everyone and went with him and Old Parkinson to a corner for a "chat."

The smell of gunpowder was