George and Fred led Silan to the adjacent Alchemy Workshop, mysteriously turned off the lights, and lit only a single candle on the table.
Ever since Silan said "Our family has fallen..." while gathered around the candles, they seem to have fallen in love with the feeling of discussing serious matters in this atmosphere.
"How much do you think we should sell our quills for?" George placed the finished quill on the table.
"At least... twelve, no, fifteen Silver Sickle."
Fred considered it for a moment, then made an outrageous demand.
"I feel like someone would buy it even if it were only one Galleon," George thought, believing Fred's price was only a small exorbitant amount.
"What do you think, Silan?" the two asked at the same time.
"Fifteen Silver Sickle and one Galleon won't do." Silan shook his head and tapped the table with one finger.
"Too expensive?"
"No, it's too cheap?"
The candlelight, like a cloud of orange smoke, cast a warm glow on Silan's face, but his words were anything but gentle.
"A quill pen costs at least three Galleon."
Three Galleon?!
George and Fred gasped in surprise.
Fred, who previously felt he had asked for an exorbitant amount, now felt that compared to Silan, he and George were practically doing charity.
"Isn't this too expensive?" George felt like he couldn't even speak properly.
Silan shook his head.
"Unlike maps, quills are not products that can be used for a long time, and the number of students at Hogwarts is limited. That means that every time we sell a quill, the market shrinks by one point."
Once outside of school, the competitiveness of this type of quill pen decreases significantly.
So the entire market is actually the number of Hogwarts students.
It is foreseeable that sales of quill pens will increase first and then decrease, eventually reaching a level similar to the number of new students.
"But this price is just too expensive; it will definitely deter many people," George said, frowning.
"That's right." Fred agreed.
"If this were something optional, it would certainly deter many people," Silan smiled gently by the candlelight, "But what if it were a necessity?"
"As far as I know, the workload will gradually increase in the following grades. At that time, will there be any worry about selling a quill pen that can make doing homework easier?"
"Well... that makes sense." George and Fred both realized the problem.
They're in their Third Year now, so they're well aware of the academic pressure at Hogwarts.
Honestly, if there really was a quill pen that could easily solve their homework problems, they would be crazy about it, even if it cost them three Galleon.
"Of course, we didn't sell 3 Galleon from the start." Silan looked at the flickering light on their faces and asked with a smile, "Those students who bought our maps before, after the maps became so widespread, probably have some complaints about us, right?"
"That's true." Fred nodded. "Some people regret buying too early, while others say we cheated them."
"Therefore, we should offer these people a discounted price, so they can buy a quill pen for just one Galleon."
George and Fred were both secretly astonished upon hearing this.
That's a two-thirds price reduction.
"This way, we can both salvage our reputation and attract our first batch of customers. Most importantly, once they experience the effects of the quill pen, that will be our natural advertisement," Silan said.
George and Fred suddenly realized that this was Silan's ultimate goal.
Sharp.
That's amazing!
This one thing solved three problems.
George and Fred couldn't help but admire how thoughtful Silan had been.
"That's a great idea!" George and Fred said at the same time.
"However, there is a problem." Silan looked worried.
"What's the problem?"
"Can our production keep up? After all, final exams are coming up soon, you guys..."
George and Fred both laughed, their earlier tension instantly dissipating.
"I thought it was something serious."
"Oh, it's an exam."
"Don't worry, Silan." George and Fred winked at Silan. "If we're just aiming for a passing grade, we can just take a look the day before the exam."
"Even though doing this might get me pulled on the ear during summer vacation, who cares, making money is the most important thing."
To this, Silan could only sigh, "Don't let the Weasley Twins' constant laughter and pranks fool you; their academic performance is actually quite good."
What's even more outrageous is that they were both also Quidditch team members.
Since George and Fred were willing to sacrifice their study time to rush the production of quill pens, production volume would not be a problem.
Silan was finally relieved.
"But we also have a problem," Fred said.
George turned to look at him, grinning, "Looks like we're on the same page."
"What's the problem?"
"It's about Slytherin." George shrugged somewhat helplessly. "We can't guarantee a complete success in making quills right now."
"Slytherin students all love the Augurey quill, so if we use it as Spell-Checking Quill, what happens if it fails..."
Fred clenched his fist at his chest, looking pained.
That is indeed a problem.
Silan thought for a moment and said, "Then let's do it the same way we did when making the map. You guys will be in charge of the regular quills, and I'll make the ones for Slytherin."
If asked to start researching from scratch, Silan wouldn't dare make such a boast.
But now that George and Fred have finished the hardest part, he just needs to follow their example.
With the help of the Wizard's Eye, this was a piece of cake for him.
"That's wonderful!"
George and Fred whistled merrily.
Ever since they learned how wealthy the Pure-blood wizard of Slytherin were, the two of them have been envious of them.
We have to raise the price to tens of Galleon and sell it to Slytherin!
"This is the money I have left." Silan took out most of the money she had left and handed it to the Weasley Twins. "Take this and buy some materials."
He has always been ruthless when it comes to this kind of investment.
Final exams are just around the corner, followed by summer vacation, a time when a lot of homework needs to be done. This is also the best window of opportunity for them to sell quill pens.
We must seize this opportunity to make a name for our Spell-Checking Quill!
George and Fred both understood this, so without saying a word, they took the money and headed straight for Hogsmeade.
Silan blew out the candle.
The firelight died down, plunging the room into darkness, with only his soft mutterings remaining.
"I hope to earn more this time... There's still so much to do."