Destroy What You Cannot Obtain!

After the match, Harry was a wreck.

A feeling of letting down the people and the audience washed over him. Harry hung his head low, not daring to meet anyone's gaze, truly afraid of seeing disappointment in their eyes.

"Don't be sad, Harry, you flew wonderfully," Wood, who was in a bad mood, comforted Harry, who was also in a bad mood.

"But I still lost. Whether it's skill or broomstick, I'm worse than Gemini," Harry said dejectedly.

"Oh, come on," Fred waved dismissively, not in high spirits. "It's not just you who's worse than him. He can fly without a broomstick, let alone ride one."

"We all know your skills. That guy's existence is a foul in itself. It's not your fault, even Charlie would be the same," George shrugged.

Although he was comforted by everyone, Harry still couldn't adjust his mood.

On the Quidditch pitch, a group of Slytherin snakes surrounded Gemini, chirping excitedly. Draco, in particular, looked smug as he loudly declared, "I told you, the skill difference between you isn't small at all!"

As he spoke, he glanced triumphantly at Harry, his smug expression as if he had caught the Snitch himself.

Gemini was naturally happy about winning the match, though he didn't get carried away like Draco.

The weekend after Slytherin defeated Gryffindor, Hufflepuff beat Ravenclaw in their match.

However, the Ravenclaw eagles weren't too disappointed. Their new Seeker, Cho Chang, was just a second-year girl. Although her Quidditch talent was outstanding, she was still no match for Hufflepuff's Cedric.

Thus, the first Quidditch season of the term concluded. The final match, between Slytherin and Hufflepuff, would be held after the final exams in June of the following year.

"Where did you get your broomstick?"

"I found it."

This was Gemini's answer to Snape's question after the match.

Fortunately, Snape didn't make things too difficult for him. After all, he had previously said he wouldn't buy Gemini a broomstick, which was why Gemini got a better one. It would be unreasonable to blame Gemini for not telling him now.

Not to mention that the broomstick was ridiculously fast, and Gemini had won the match. So, Snape didn't bother Gemini about the broomstick anymore.

The days after the match gradually returned to normal. Apart from the weekly Quidditch training and night wandering, nothing else could stir Gemini's emotions, unless the senior Slytherin students ganged up to cause him trouble, which might have excited him a little.

But unfortunately, the Slytherin students now wished they could worship Gemini...

When days of peace drag on, they can become boring. Gemini finally remembered his old profession.

In fact, from the very beginning, Gemini knew very well that coming to Hogwarts would inevitably affect his ability to make money.

The reason was simple: the wizarding world had too small a population and too small an economic market. You couldn't find many people in the entire British wizarding world who could handle businesses worth tens of millions of pounds or more.

Families like Malfoy's might be able to afford it, but it wasn't that Gemini looked down on them. In the end, these pure-blood families were just living off their past glories, with no good ways to make money.

As for why he came to Hogwarts, on one hand, Gemini had no choice, and on the other hand, it was to fulfill a dream from his previous life.

This was Hogwarts, after all. It would be a lie to say he didn't want to study here.

But to be honest, coming here had indeed affected Gemini's financial prospects.

Although he wasn't in a hurry for these few years, the feeling of ideals clashing with money made Gemini feel a bit uncomfortable...

And so—

"I want to buy the Philosopher's Stone. Name your price."

It was another night of wandering, and Gemini encountered Dumbledore, who was also awake.

"Ho ho ho... I knew you'd be interested in that," Dumbledore chuckled. "Mr. Fox, how much do you think it's worth?"

"A stone with magical power. No matter what magical power it possesses, it's still fundamentally a stone," Gemini mused, stroking his chin and thinking seriously for a while. "10 Knuts, not a penny more."

Dumbledore seemed stunned by the shameless answer. He looked at Gemini with surprise, and after a long pause, he slowly said, "Minerva told me you were a very shrewd child when it came to making money. I didn't believe her before, but now I do. I think even the vampires in Eastern Europe would be ashamed to meet you."

Gemini shrugged. "Thank you for the compliment."

"But I'm afraid, my child, that it's not my property after all," Dumbledore said kindly. "It belongs to my old friend, and we have already decided to destroy it."

"The last Philosopher's Stone in human history should be considered a wizarding cultural heritage, shouldn't it?" Gemini sighed leisurely. "In a sense, what you're doing is a crime."

"The existence of the Philosopher's Stone awakens people's greed. If it can truly disappear into history, then it might not be a bad thing," Dumbledore said slowly.

"What a pity, it's a treasure that can turn lead into gold..." Gemini sighed regretfully. "If I had it, it would save me a lot of trouble..."

Dumbledore blinked. "It seems you don't care that it can create the Elixir of Life, but rather you're concerned about those external possessions?"

"Who wouldn't care?" Gemini spread his hands.

The Elixir of Life alone isn't true immortality. Look at Nicolas Flamel in the movies – his bones were already brittle.

"I guess the Elixir of Life can only greatly extend a person's lifespan, not true immortality. So I value turning lead into gold more. After all, money isn't everything, but without money, you can't do anything," Gemini shrugged. "With money, I can buy whatever I want."

"I don't quite agree with your idea, Fox," Dumbledore said, feeling it was his duty as headmaster to correct Gemini's flawed thinking. "Love, time, health – these are things that money cannot buy."

"That's true..." Gemini smiled. "But you're changing the subject. Just because I have money doesn't mean I can't have these things? And if I don't have these things and also don't have money, wouldn't that be even worse?"

Dumbledore: "..."

"Money can satisfy most human desires. When desires are satisfied, even if one isn't happy, at least positive emotions like joy and happiness will arise. If, in such a situation, someone still claims to be unhappy, then that person is either insatiably greedy or pretentious and hypocritical. Either way, they're not good."

Gemini scoffed as he spoke. "So, I hate those people the most who sit on a mountain of treasure and yet cry about their unhappiness every day."

Like "I regret not starting Alibaba" or "I didn't know my wife was beautiful"...

What are you pretending for?

Then if you regret it, donate it! If you think your wife is beautiful, find an ugly one for him instead! Let's see if he'll still be calling out then?

Dumbledore felt both gratified and helpless.

He was gratified that Gemini had a clear head and wouldn't go down the wrong path like Voldemort; he was helpless because his head was too clear, and he probably wouldn't walk the right path either...

Gemini wasn't disappointed that Dumbledore intended to destroy the Philosopher's Stone, not because he was open-minded.

It was mainly due to the ugly psychology of "If I can't have it, no one else should either"...

If I can't keep it, I'll destroy it! Hehehehe~

Of course, this ugly psychology was just self-comfort. Besides this, there was also a sense of magnanimity. Gemini liked money, yes, but he more so enjoyed the sense of accomplishment when making money and the goods in the Weapon Shop. Pure wealth didn't attract him much.

So, although he felt a little regretful that the Philosopher's Stone would be destroyed, it was fine if it was destroyed. Enjoying campus life quietly at Hogwarts was also quite good.

— I am a dividing line —

Regarding the prices in Harry Potter's era—

First of all, Harry Potter's background is in the early nineties, so if you feel any price is unreasonable, you should first consider the current era!

In the early 90s, my father's salary was over seven hundred a month, which was quite high in our small town. At the exchange rate back then, it was only about 50 British pounds.

Earlier, the price for The Leaky Cauldron was set at 10 Sickles per day with breakfast and dinner. Converted to RMB, it was about 50 yuan, which was already very high considering the prices in China at the time. Back then, a single room in a decent guesthouse was only twenty to thirty yuan, and a hotel for fifty to sixty yuan was already very good.

Even in Britain, considering The Leaky Cauldron's centuries-old environment and the convenience of wizards' magic, 10 Sickles is not a small amount at all!

In the third book of the original work, Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry's fare on the Knight Bus was fourteen Sickles, with an additional three Sickles for a sandwich and hot chocolate.

At first glance, this price seems high, but if you carefully look at the place names mentioned in that section, you will discover one thing.

Harry's journey from Privet Drive to The Leaky Cauldron was not a direct route. In a short period, the Knight Bus circled the entire UK! It was almost faster than a fighter jet!

Has anyone taken a plane for 5 pounds a trip?

So, in fact, regarding the prices in the magical world market in this book, I have carefully considered the economic situation and the use of the items at the time. Even if they are slightly cheaper, the deviation will not be too large.

Another point is the selling price of weapons by the protagonist.

For example, the Spider Serum mentioned earlier, the protagonist priced it at twenty million British pounds, and some people thought it was too cheap.

In fact, it's not just you who thinks it's cheap; I also think so. If this item were sold today, someone would definitely buy it for two billion.

But first, everyone should know that as a commodity, if it cannot be sold, it has no value at all!

The sole value of a 'commodity' is the money obtained from its sale.

It was sold to Red for twenty million because that was all he could afford. Even if he sold a kidney, he could only get a little more.

After assessing the other party's economic strength, insisting on a price they couldn't afford, while seemingly reasonable at first glance, is something only someone with ten years of brain damage would do...

The protagonist's goal is to make money, not to show off.

If the price of many items used is set too high, how many people can afford them?

The Spider Serum is only a few thousand pounds in the Weapon Shop. Even if he sold it for twenty thousand, it would be a profit, let alone twenty million.

PS: The initial valuation of the Spider Serum was a bit too cheap. At that time, I wanted the protagonist to have some combat power in the early stage, and I didn't consider it thoroughly. But it's okay, let's consider it a beginner's bonus. The price of serum-type items will be adjusted later.

Finally, about some people feeling that the protagonist gets rich too easily, earning tens of millions or even hundreds of millions with ease.

Actually, it's not like that.

First, let's talk about the magical world.

The thin population base and the narrow market environment prove that they cannot possess excessive wealth. Moreover, it's not guaranteed that all pure-blood families are rich, nor is it realistic that they have tens of millions of Galleons if they are rich. Perhaps some do, but certainly not many.

So, in terms of scale, the protagonist cannot undertake orders of tens of millions or hundreds of millions in the magical world. At most, he can sell a niche product, like the Armstrong Oscillating Super-Charger Armstrong Cannon...

Secondly, regarding the Muggle society, given the protagonist's situation, he cannot sell armaments on a large scale. I originally had this idea, but my editor, Penglai, rejected it. The main reason was concerns about the "harmony god" (censorship) and the fact that the protagonist would not have any dealings with governments, no matter which country. I can only say that this area is very deep, and those who understand will understand...

The last point is that I think I have portrayed it clearly. Although Gemini is not very emotional and focuses heavily on profit, he is fundamentally a person with principles, bottom lines, and his own convictions.

So far, no reader has expressed dislike for Gemini's character, which proves that my character portrayal is somewhat successful, at least very likable.

And the reason everyone likes him is not because he has gentlemanly demeanor, a sense of humor, and also has bottom lines and principles?

If the protagonist just went around and stabbed a few Muggle tycoons to death, and his mother was like, "Oh my god, that's awesome," it would be satisfying, but looking back, wouldn't it also be quite boring?

So, even though the cheat is quite significant, due to various limitations and reductions, the protagonist's strength might be formidable in the early part, but only relative to ordinary people. Everyone doesn't need to worry about the strength issue; I will maintain a good balance.

That's all for now!