How to Deceive People-He Was a Professional

"So, you're agreeing?" Pippin asked.

"Obviously."

Silan nodded. "That's a good thing, I have no reason to refuse. But there are two things we need to discuss beforehand."

"Speaking."

"First, the quality of the Potions cannot be lowered, otherwise it will tarnish Professor Snape's reputation and it won't do us any good."

Pippin nodded. "That's only natural."

All of this is predicated on Silan's ability to consistently produce Potions comparable to Snape's.

If Professor Snape had sold the real potion, he probably would have just thought that the Potions he sold had simply been leaked.

But if you're selling counterfeit medicine, especially right under his nose, then...

Pippin dared not think any further.

"Second," Silan continued, "We need to control the shipment volume, otherwise supply will exceed demand and prices will be too high."

"No problem."

These two suggestions gave Pippin a deeper understanding of Silan.

The little guy in front of me is young, but he's very experienced in handling things.

Both of these suggestions are very pertinent.

This will allow their business to thrive in the long run.

However, Pippin was also puzzled. "This Mr. Prewett is so young, yet he knows all this."

"Finally, and most importantly," Silan repeated the question from before, "How will the money be divided?"

Before getting things done, you must first determine how the profits will be divided; otherwise, it's easy for disputes over the spoils to arise and for people to turn against each other.

Silan's practiced business manner made Pippin feel somewhat dazed, as if he were sitting in front of a seasoned businessman rather than a second-year wizard.

"I need to ask first, what kind of Potions can you make?" Pippin asked calmly, now in business mode.

"Hemostatic Healing Potion, and also Baruffio's Brain Elixir."

Once in the spell mode Pippin waved his wand and used the Accio to retrieve a Parchment and a quill.

"You should already know about the profit margins of Hemostatic Healing Potion, so I won't go into detail."

The quill pen bounced across the Parchment as Pippin, and began to calculate.

"The demand for Baruffio's Brain Elixir is good."

"The material cost is about 5 Galleon, and a qualified potion sells for about 10 Galleon on the market." Pippin's eyes gleamed with shrewdness as he explained clearly, "Professor Snape's Potions can probably sell for around 15 Galleon."

"In other words, the profit from a bottle of Baruffio's Brain Elixir is approximately 10 Galleon."

At this point, Pippin paused for a moment, then said quite generously, "I'll provide the materials, and we'll split the profits 50/50, how about that?"

He was very pleased with himself.

His story was flawless; it seemed he could make a fortune this time.

He was very confident in his statement.

The flaws in what he just said would be difficult for the average person to spot.

Pippin handed the accounts written on Parchment to Silan, sighing, "I only earned five Galleon..."

Pippin stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.

Because he noticed that Silan was staring intently at him with his deep, dark eyes, a faint smile on his face.

This made Pippin's heart skip a beat.

As a businessman, Pippin certainly didn't tell the whole truth, but he didn't lie either.

He was just spouting platitudes.

The process deliberately conceals the actionable aspects, which often conceal the greatest potential profits.

He figured it out?

That's impossible! How could a mere wizard like him know the secrets here?

Pippin forced himself to meet Silan's gaze directly, lest he appear guilty.

Silan still wore a half-smile.

Silan tapped the quill with her wand and said with a smile, "Your calculations are wrong. Let me do the math for you."

The quill pen began to dance as Silan spoke.

"As Pippin Potions, Pippin naturally has his own supply channels for materials. The material cost for a bottle of Baruffio's Brain Elixir probably doesn't even need 5 Galleon, right?"

As soon as Silan finished speaking, two sharp sounds rang out, and the quill pen drew an X in the materials column.

Then he wrote a "4" next to it.

"The material cost is at most 4 Galleon," Silan said.

Pippin's expression froze for a moment, then he gave an awkward smile.

"And then there's the price." Ignoring his reaction, Silan continued, "Professor Snape's Potions, if we're really talking about the price, would probably cost more than 15 Galleon."

With two more clicks, the quill pen crossed out the price column and wrote "18" again.

"Raising it by three Galleon isn't excessive."

Silan smiled at Pippin, tapping her finger lightly on the table.

"Therefore, the final profit will be at least 14 Galleon."

"And... do you need me to continue?"

"No need, no need."

Pippin waved his hands repeatedly, wiped the sweat from his palms on his trouser leg, and then pinched himself.

The pain in his leg kept him outwardly calm, but his heart was pounding.

He deliberately used some platitudes when he was doing the accounting, leaving himself some room to maneuver.

He thought he had gotten away with everything, even dealing with a mere junior wizard.

Unexpectedly, the other person saw through it at a glance and pointed it out to me one by one.

If their peers knew this, they'd probably laugh their heads off.

Pippin Silan a serious look, completely calming himself down, and no longer dared to treat him merely as a young wizard.

What he didn't know was that Silan had been through the rough and tumble of life on the streets before attending Hogwarts, and he knew all too well the intricacies of that experience.

Before he was even eleven years old, Silan dared to set up a street stall and pretend to be a charlatan.

He's a professional when it comes to lying.

These platitudes won't fool him.

"Don't be nervous." Silan turned the Parchment into a handkerchief and handed it to Pippin, saying casually, "Business is business. How much you negotiate depends on your abilities."

"We can certainly negotiate the price before the deal is finalized."

"Name your price." Pippin wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief and unbuttoned one of his shirt buttons.

He never imagined that he would feel so much pressure when facing a junior wizard.

"A bottle of Baruffio's Brain Elixir, I want nine Galleon," Silan said.

"That's impossible!"

Pippin clutched a handkerchief, his hands braced on the table, almost standing up.

"Even if the profit is 14 Galleon, asking for only 9 Galleon is far too greedy!"

Silan looked up at him, calmly shook her head, and made no concessions.

"The profit of 14 Galleon is just what's on our books. We all know there's still a lot of room for maneuver."

"Of course, I have two options for you." Silan smiled and took a sip of her Black Tea. "First, whether we sell more or less, we split the profits equally."

"Secondly, I only need 9 Galleon; whatever else you earn is yours."

Silan smiled and put down the Black Tea. "Choose."

Pippin slowly sat down, his hand resting on the table, and began to ponder with a furrowed brow.

One of these two options is safe and fair, and can generate stable profits, but its potential is relatively low.

The other option carries some risk, but if managed well, it has a higher potential and can generate more money.

Pippin closed his eyes, his cheekbones twitched twice, and his fingers unconsciously traced lines on the table.

After thinking for a while, Pippin opened his eyes, gritted his teeth, and said, "I choose the second one."

"A smart choice. Deal." Silan looked at Pippin with great appreciation.

He admired this kind of ambitious businessman.

"Deal." Pippin extended his hand and shook hands with Silan.

After the two signed the contract, Pippin, holding the document, remarked, "You're a formidable opponent."

"You'll understand later that I can also be a great business partner."

Silan rolled up the contract and put it away, then placed some of the Potions she had brought on the table.

"Here are five bottles of Baruffio's Brain Elixir and a few bottles of Hemostatic Healing Potion. Please exchange them for money," Silan said.

Pippin nodded. "It seems we're about to close our first deal."

After saying that, he happily leaned on the armrest to stand up and readily replaced Silan's Potions with Galleon.

After finishing these tasks, Silan and Pippin agreed on a time for the next delivery and then went outside.

While passing by Honeydukes, Silan bought some of Hermione's favorite candies.

Afterwards, he sent the Gringotts he had just traded the Potions for to Galleon via the Owl Post Office.

They were instructed to exchange the money for pounds and send it back to the orphanage.

Let's improve the living conditions at the orphanage.

Having accomplished all her set goals, Silan headed towards Hogwarts.

He was used to thinking; his mind was almost constantly active, except when he was sleeping.

Even now, walking on the street is no exception.

"Go back and find some books of Ancient Runes to read, and translate the Spells left behind by Slytherin..."