Galleons, Galleons

Since the beginning of December, it has snowed more frequently in Scotland.

Hogwarts Castle and the surrounding forest were covered in snow, and the surface of the Black Lake around the castle was refrozen with a thick layer of ice. A new wave of skating craze swept the lake. Albert had been there once and met the skating prodigy Katrina, who, Miss McDougal, still hadn't given up on learning to skate.

Whether it was due to a lack of talent or some other reason, the intelligent Katrina just couldn't learn to ice skate.

However, Albert wasn't too worried about running into this skating killer while skating. He rarely went back to Black Lake to skate, Albert spent most of his free time searching for winter's specialty— Snow Fungus —in the woods around the school with a few roommates.

Snow Fungus, also known as Snow Pine Fungus, is a type of mushroom that only appears during the snowy winter. Pine mushrooms are rare, taste very good, and have high medicinal value.

Of course, this stuff is not easy to preserve. Once it leaves the cold snow, it easily spoils and rots. Usually, Snow Fungus must be processed as soon as possible after being picked.

Of course, it can also be made into delicious food. Roasted Snow Fungus is quite delicious and leaves a lasting impression.

Last year, Albert sliced and roasted the Snow Fungus he dug up and ate them, which almost broke the hearts of his roommates.

In pharmacies, Snow Fungus is considered an extremely precious medicinal material; however, this does not mean that they can directly sell the Snow Fungus they dig up at a high price.

It may sound cruel, but the pharmacies in Diagon Alley don't accept unprocessed Snow Fungus, and even if they are processed, they won't buy them if they find out you're not Potions expert.

Processing Snow Fungus is a technical skill; incorrect methods can directly lead to a decline in the quality of Snow Fungus powder, which will seriously affect the effectiveness of the manufactured medicine.

The black market might be a viable sales channel, and having Mundungus help sell them there would certainly generate a small profit. However, Albert considered this a losing proposition.

During the circulation of goods, middlemen are always the most exploitative link, especially those selling on the black market.

Albert was unwilling to suffer a great loss, and besides, selling magical materials directly was a foolish thing to do. If he could process the materials into finished products, he could make a greater profit.

"Let's store the Snow Fungus powder first." Albert put the freshly picked Snow Fungus into a wooden box filled with snow and brought up the matter again with his roommates. "I don't agree with selling the raw materials directly; that's definitely the worst business. If you want to sell your share of Snow Fungus Snow Fungus, I can help you contact Mundungus and ask him about the price he'll pay for it. But don't expect to get many Galleon from Mundungus."

The four of them spent half an hour searching in the woods, but only found five Snow Fungus.

Of course, the main reason is that after being plundered by several people, the number of Snow Fungus that can be found on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest is decreasing rapidly.

Albert disapproved of venturing deep into the Forbidden Forest, so they all stayed on the outskirts.

However, the four were not simply searching for Snow Fungus. Albert also took the time to draw a map of the Forbidden Forest and roughly marked the locations where Snow Fungus could be found on the map, so that harvesting Snow Fungus next year would be easier and more efficient.

Upon hearing Albert's suggestion, Fred and George were conflicted. According to Albert, even if they sold Albert processed Snow Fungus powder, they might not get much Galleon. At least the Galleon they should have received would be reduced by 50% to 80%. The black market price was indeed very expensive, but that was the price at which black market merchants rip off customers. Unless they were willing to go to the black market to sell it themselves and find customers who urgently needed Snow Fungus powder, they would only be ripped off.

Albert never liked being ripped off; he preferred to rip off other people's money, so he disapproved of selling at low prices.

Fred and George were both hesitant. In their view, as long as they could sell a few Galleon, their hard work in finding Snow Fungus would be worthwhile. However, they also understood that Albert's mind and thinking were clearer than theirs, and he knew better how to make a lot of money.

Another reason they ultimately agreed to let Albert handle these matters was that Lee Jordan also agreed with Albert's approach.

"Albert would rather roast and eat the Snow Fungus he dug up than let himself suffer a loss!" Lee Jordan once told the Twins in private.

Actually, Albert had considered selling the Snow Fungus powder to Potions Master Dagworth, but then decided against it. Dagworth had many ways to obtain Snow Fungus powder, and he was also a little embarrassed, since he didn't have much experience processing it, and the quality of the Snow Fungus Snow Fungus he currently stored was only average.

They are friends, and there's no need for Galleon to ruin their relationship.

Scamming acquaintances is something many people enjoyed doing in their past lives; however, once this is done, the friendship between the two parties is basically over.

Of course, some people would be willing to sell it for a good price, but after careful consideration, Albert felt it wasn't worth it, so he never mentioned it.

"Let's go back and roast these Snow Fungus," Albert suddenly suggested on the way back to the castle.

"I feel so bad for you." Lee Jordan couldn't help but roll his eyes at Albert, but he didn't object, though he said it in a strange tone. The Snow Fungus did taste really good, and the group had found quite a few that Snow Fungus.

"It feels like such a waste," Fred muttered, preferring to stuff the Galleon in his pocket rather than enjoy the delicious food.

George didn't say anything, but he probably thought the same thing; nothing was more practical Galleon.

"Don't worry, Galleon will come sooner or later," Lee Jordan reassured him. At this moment, Lee Jordan's mind was clearer than Fred's and George's.

Turning things into wealth is a skill; to earn Galleon, you have to use your brain and come up with ideas.

Albert is clearly more skilled in this area than they are, so it is undoubtedly the most suitable person to handle the matter.

After all, a bottle of Baruffio's Brain Elixir can sell for ten Galleon, and several students have already secretly inquired whether they could get a bottle privately.

If Snow Fungus powder is made into a medicine, the price will naturally be even higher.

In fact, Albert did know how to use Snow Fungus powder to further refine Potions. After all, he had a good relationship with Dagworth and quickly obtained the recipe for the Energy Replenishing Potion through subtle means.

The preparation of the Energy Replenishing Potion is not difficult; the difficulty lies in the raw materials used in the Potions, which are all very expensive magical materials. Therefore, the price of a small bottle of Energy Replenishing Potion is almost equivalent to that of Felix Felicis, and it is rare to find.

As for the effects of the Energy Replenishing Potion, just like its name suggests, it replenishes the energy a person consumes and quickly restores physical strength.

Of course, it also has the effect of tonifying the kidneys.

I wish I could have the common knowledge of Snow Fungus like Mandrakes.

Unfortunately, these things really only depend on looks.

Just then, a dog barked in the distance, and then they heard footsteps running quickly toward them.

"What was that sound just now?" All three of them stopped and turned to look in the direction from which the sound came.

"Dog barking?" George muttered.

"Anyway, it's definitely not good news, let's get out of here quickly." Albert had already guessed what was going on, so he urged his three companions to leave.

Happy New Year, even though it's a bit late.