Lucius felt dizzy.
No, why aren't you playing by the rules?
Shouldn't you ask me for an exorbitant price, then I'll negotiate lower, and finally we'll each compromise and reach an agreement?
How can you just let me leave like this?
The negotiations were going so well, how could you flip the table like that?
Pippin also somewhat surprised. He stared blankly at Silan for a while, then realized that Hilan didn't seem to be joking, so he did as he was told.
"Listen to Mr. Prewett, you can't go wrong," Pippin thought.
"Alright, Lucius, stop lingering here shamelessly. Didn't you hear what Mr. Prewett said? We don't need you anymore." Pippin stood up to see him out.
"Wait! What are you doing? Stop it right now!"
Lucius hastily swatted Pippin's outstretched hand, turned to Silan, and hurriedly said, "A 50/50 split is fine too, I can cover the costs!"
"See them out," Silan said.
Pippin grabbed Lucius's arm, pulled him up from the chair, and prepared to throw him out. "Alright, you clingy jerk, let's go."
"A 40/60 split is fine too!" Lucius shouted, still clinging to the back of his chair, unwilling to give up.
Silan remained unmoved and simply drank his tea.
A satisfied smile spread across Pippin's face; Lucius had been loitering in his shop for days before the negotiations even began.
He'd been wanting to get rid of Lucius for a long time, and now he finally had the chance.
With a cold laugh, Pippin pried Lucius's fingers off and dragged him outside.
"A 30% profit margin is too low! Add in the costs of the Sale Event and Potions Ingredients, and I'll only have a 20% profit margin at most. There's no profit to be made!" Lucius used his cane as a weapon, resisting Pippin while bargaining with Silan.
Pippin, facing Lucius's waving cane, was also a little annoyed. "This guy's got some nerve..."
Lucius, no longer caring about his Pure-blood noble status, reluctantly agreed, "Fine, fine! Thirty percent! But we have to deduct the cost of the Potions Ingredients."
Hearing this, Silan nodded.
He gave Lucius a bright smile, "Wouldn't it have been better if you had said so earlier?"
After saying that, Silan stood up, straightened the chair that Lucius had tossed aside in his haste, and invited him to sit down again. "Please sit down, Mr. Malfoy."
Lucius thought angrily, "You didn't even give me a chance to speak!"
Lucius glared at Pippin, grunted, withdrew his hand, straightened his clothes, and sat back down in his chair.
But now he no longer dared to put on airs of a Pure-blood nobleman in front of Silan, and sat like an obedient schoolboy.
Pippin now only follows Silan's lead and can't be bothered with Lucius, just sitting to the side and staring at him intently.
Each of the three had a teacup in front of him.
It's all empty now.
Silan picked up the teapot and poured water into three teacups while talking.
"The cost of the Potions Ingredients will be deducted from the profit. I'll take 60% of the net profit, Pippin 10%, Mr. Malfoy 30%. If you agree, we'll cooperate; if not, we'll part ways." Silan handed two teacups to Lucius and Pippin.
Lucius's cup was only half full of tea, Pippin's cup was only partially filled with tea.
His own cup was more than half full.
Silan picked up her teacup and drank it all in one gulp, then looked at the two of them and asked, "What do you two say?"
"There's nothing to say, I'll do whatever you say." Pippin up his teacup without hesitation and drank it all in one gulp.
For him, there really wasn't much to think about.
Before the negotiations began, Pippin wanted to act as the helmsman of his own destiny on this stormy night at sea.
Once the negotiations began, Pippin found himself merely a dispensable listener.
Lucius didn't take him seriously, while Mr. Prewett had already seen through everything and made his plans.
There's absolutely no need for me to help.
So Pippin very readily abandoned his own little boat and clung tightly to Mr. Prewett's leg.
What?
You say you control your own destiny?
I used my own abilities and keen eye to discover Mr. Prewett, this unparalleled genius, and then, through my own efforts, I managed to get on his good side.
This is what it means to take control of your own destiny!
Before I latched onto a powerful figure, I worked hard; after I latched onto that figure, I still worked hard.
Then I'd be sucking up to someone for nothing?
Besides, if I were to try again, wouldn't that mean I don't believe in Mr. Prewett's abilities?
"Every step was a gamble, and I won every single one!" Pippin practically cheering for himself.
Lucius, on the other hand, is in a terrible situation.
He even prepared an outfit that would highlight his assertive personality for tonight's negotiations.
After being exposed to smoke and fire, and being dragged around by Pippin, Lucius's flashy clothes were already in a sorry state.
His shirt clung to his body due to the cold sweat seeping through, making him extremely uncomfortable.
Lucius looked at the half-full cup of tea in his cup and sighed with a gloomy expression.
Now, the dust has settled.
Even though he was unwilling, Lucius had no choice but to accept the rules set by Silan.
After tidying his clothes somewhat haphazardly, Lucius picked up his teacup and drank it all in one gulp, saying with a wry smile, "Mr. Prewett is a young prodigy; no wonder Severus admires him."
Lucius was filled with deep regret.
If I hadn't been so arrogant and had consulted Severus about Prewett earlier, I probably wouldn't have been forced into this predicament.
"I really underestimated this teacher and student pair." Lucius looked at Silan and sighed helplessly.
"Alright, Lucius, stop pretending," Pippin said with some disgust. "Aren't you satisfied yet?"
Lucius put down his teacup, shrugged, and said, "This money is just to supplement the household expenses."
"Mr. Malfoy, you're being too kind," Silan said with a meaningful smile, looking at him calmly. "Even if you didn't earn a single Galleon, you'd probably agree, wouldn't you?"
"What does this mean?" Pippin asked, completely bewildered.
Given Lucius's tendency to only do things for profit, why would he do anything that doesn't earn Galleon?
A worried expression froze on Lucius's face, his pupils dilated involuntarily, and then his expression slowly turned into astonishment.
Silan explained with interest, "Our amount of money is actually negligible to the Malfoy family. Mr. Malfoy doesn't really want the money."
"What does he want?" Pippin still didn't understand.
"What Mr. Malfoy truly wants is to use the Sale Event to turn Malfoy Manor into a gathering place for the Wizarding World's high society," Silan turned to Lucius and continued, "To make the Malfoy family the core of the Wizarding World's high society, to win respect and prestige—that's your real goal."
"Am I right?" Silan asked with a smile, as if seeking guidance.
Lucius felt a chill run down his spine, his heart pounding with fear, and he roared in disbelief, "He figured it out?!"
Silan is absolutely right.
The Galleon earned from selling Potions were, in Lucius's eyes, at best, a dispensable bonus.
His true goal was to make the Malfoy family the core of the Wizarding World's high society, thereby enhancing the family's influence.
This isn't something you can just buy with money.
His original plan was to use the guise of selling high-end Potions to gather wizards from the upper echelons of the Wizarding World, thereby making the Malfoy family the center of attention in high society.
Pippin glared angrily at Lucius and cursed, "You Lucius! So this was your real purpose!"
"This was my strategy; you just didn't see it, so don't blame me." Lucius glared at Pippin with annoyance, then turned to Silan and asked, "Since you saw it, why didn't you continue to push the price down?"
"You're my professor's senior; out of respect for the professor, I shouldn't go too far."
"Besides, I like to make money for everyone in business; that's my sincerity," Silan said with a calm smile, seemingly unconcerned.
Lucius nodded slowly, about to speak, when he suddenly saw Prewett's gaze change, piercing him like a steel needle, and his voice turned cold.
"However, since Mr. Malfoy has achieved both fame and fortune, he shouldn't resort to underhanded tactics that would make things difficult for me," Silan warned, her gaze cold as she stared at him.
"What do you mean?" Lucius's heart sank, and he asked cautiously.
"In short," Silan patted Pippin on the shoulder, "From now on, Pippin will be my representative. Your work, collection of accounts, and expenditures will all be subject to his supervision."
Pippin trembled, looking at Silan in surprise. When he met Hilan's gaze, a bitter feeling welled up inside him.
From initially taking a 10% cut of the profits to now appointing him as a representative, it's all been a deliberate effort to promote him.
If Pippin wanted to, he could use this opportunity to elevate his family to a new level.
This is a tremendous opportunity.
"Mr. Prewett trusts me!" Pippin murmured to himself, considering it the most valuable thing he could do.
After he figured it out, his gaze hardened, his eyes hardening, and he looked at Lucius: "We're all working together to make money; don't make things difficult for me."
Lucius had always looked down on Pippin, a peasant peddler, but things were different now.
No matter how lowly Pippin may have been, now that he has become Prewett's representative, he has to be taken seriously.
Despite his reluctance, Lucius had no choice, especially since he had already taken 30% of the profits.
He who eats another's food is bound to do so; now, even if he had something to say, he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Lucius then suddenly understood why Prewett gave Pippin 10% of the profits.
It's all about winning people over.
"He planned this from the very beginning..." Lucius was completely convinced, shaking his head repeatedly as he thought to himself, "Severus has taken on an extraordinary student."
"Alright." Lucius nodded helplessly, extending his hand. "I hope we have a pleasant working relationship, Pippin."
In Pippin's memory, this was the first time Lucius had ever used a respectful title so sincerely.
The two shook hands.
Everything is settled.
Lucius took out a large money bag, placed it on the table, and said earnestly, "Since Mr. Prewett has expressed his sincerity, then I also have my sincerity to offer."
"Here are seven thousand Galleon. Use this to cover the cost of the first batch of Potions. If there's any left over, consider it an afternoon tea treat for the two of you."
Silan gestured to Pippin to put the money away, then stood up and extended his hand to Lucius: "In that case, it's settled."
"It's settled." Lucius shook his hand.
"It's a pleasure working with you," they both said simultaneously.