The Expensive Silver Shoes

Manus had read The Wizard of Oz as well. Hearing that, he smiled.

"These aren't Silver Shoes. Besides, if wizards want to go somewhere, they can just use Apparition."

"Mm~ but you can't learn Apparition until you're seventeen, and there's no guarantee you'll master it, right? If you really made the Silver Shoes, they'd definitely sell like crazy."

"I think bankruptcy is more likely. A pair of shoes like that would cost an outrageous amount to make. They may be more convenient, but compared to Floo Powder, which costs two Sickles a scoop, they'd have almost no competitive edge."

If danger were right at their doorstep, Manus believed plenty of people would be willing to spend a fortune to save their lives. But in ordinary times, few would spend their entire savings on insurance.

It should be noted that "entire savings" was not being measured against old-money families like the King Family or the Malfoys. Even in the Wizarding World, one would need considerable savings to qualify.

A family like the Black Family could afford one pair if they sold off their assets.

"Really? How expensive could it be?"

Elizabeth still did not think much of it.

"Just the production cost would be at least three million Galleons. That doesn't even include the premiums on rare materials that money can't readily buy."

"Cough, cough, cough—"

Elizabeth broke into a violent coughing fit.

"Three million? For one pair of shoes?"

"That's just the cost. Once you factor in premiums, labor, and profit, ten million Galleons would already be a very conscientious price—you see, you wouldn't buy them either, would you?"

Every wizard in this world could learn Apparition, and a Portkey could be made from practically any object. They probably had no concept of how expensive materials and items capable of