Morris's proposed collaboration was simple.
Frick provided the raw materials, while he provided the technology, and together they produced Skeleton Dog for sale, splitting the profits 50/50.
In fact, Frick was not optimistic about this project.
Most of the customers who patronize his shop buy bones for magical experiments or to brew Potions.
Skeleton Dog are unlikely to be very popular pets; only guests like Madam Caroline would be interested in them.
But it's not entirely impossible; with his sales channels, he can still sell a few.
Anyway, he didn't suffer any losses; in fact, he made a pretty good profit.
Frick immediately retrieved five Crup skeletons from his warehouse. Some were new, some were old, and their condition varied, but they were generally intact.
He cast Shrinking Charm, packed it up, and handed it to Morris.
"Then it's decided," Morris nodded in satisfaction. "Goodbye, Frick. I'll bring the finished product over in two days."
The fact that the Skeleton Dog could be sold for money was very good news for him.
This will at least alleviate his dire financial situation somewhat.
Of course, he currently only plans to sell Skeleton Dog, which are First-Tier Undead Creature.
These Skeleton Dog are practically useless except as pets, and they also have limited intelligence.
He would absolutely not sell the evolved Skeleton Dog.
While the Skeleton Dog' abilities as Second-Tier Undead Creature are currently only so-so, what about third or fourth tiers?
He would not reveal the special abilities of the Skeleton Dog to anyone until his strength reached a certain level.
Morris, carrying a backpack Crup skeletons, was about to leave when Frick called him back.
"Wait!" Frick said. "When you're walking outside, it's best to cover your face."
"I see."
Morris glanced back at Frick and nodded slightly.
As soon as he finished speaking, a mask made of pale white bones slowly materialized on his face.
The mask looked as if it had grown directly from his face, with irregular bone spurs along the edges, making it quite grotesque.
Bone Summoning Spell, what a convenient spell.
Frick looked at the mask on Morris's face and, for some reason, felt a faint chill.
"Be careful," he said.
After returning directly to Diagon Alley, Morris removed all his disguise.
He looked back at the dimly lit alley, feeling a pang of emotion.
Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley are less than 100 meters apart, but they are two completely different worlds.
Let's find a place to stay first.
As Morris pondered this, he returned to the Leaky Cauldron.
He walked up to the bar and asked Old Tom, who was wiping glasses, "How much does it cost to rent a room for four days?"
Old Tom stopped what he was doing and looked Morris up and down.
"A single room?" he asked.
"Yes." Morris nodded.
"Ten Galleon," Old Tom leaned closer and lowered his voice, "If you've run away from home, son, you'd better go back. We don't have Christmas trees here."
"Oh, I'm not," Morris said.
He took out his wallet, carefully counted out ten Galleon, and placed them on the bar.
Old Tom took the gold coins and pulled a heavy brass key from under the counter. "Third floor, the room at the end of the corridor, the window faces the backyard, it's fairly quiet. Would you like some food?"
"Not for now, thank you."
Morris took the key and turned to walk up the narrow staircase.
Old Tom muttered something under his breath and continued wiping the seemingly endless glass in his hands.
Morris went to the end of the third-floor corridor, turned the key, and went inside.
It was an ordinary hotel room; the facilities were old, but it was fairly clean.
Although the room was small, it was at least large enough to set up a Undead Creature Transformation Magic Circle.
He locked the door, placed the five Crup on the ground, and their skeletons immediately returned to their normal size.
"Alright, time to get to work."
Converting an undead creature is not difficult for Morris in his current state.
But when the quantity becomes large, it's a completely different story.
Morris now has a vague sense of the "magic" within him.
He was able to roughly estimate the amount of "magic" he possessed.
After completing the transformation of the two Crup skeletons, Morris decisively stopped.
Although the magic reserves haven't run out, they've dropped to a level that warrants caution.
Squeezing yourself dry is not a pleasant experience.
Morris glanced out the window; it was already dark, and snowflakes were falling softly.
A gust of cold wind slipped in through the crack in the window, causing him to shiver involuntarily.
He took out his wand, chanted a spell, and blue, bellflower-like flames emerged from it, instantly dispelling the chill.
Indeed, magic is more convenient.
Asking him to completely forgo magic during his vacation would be worse than killing him.
For the next two days, Morris lived a very regular life, wandering Diagon Alley during the day and returning to the Leaky Cauldron at night to perform the Undead Creature Transformation Ritual.
Soon, the date arrived: December 22nd.
Today is trading day.
In Frick's shop, five fresh Skeleton Dog roamed around playfully.
Madam Caroline is selecting Skeleton Dog that suits her taste.
She pointed to the most rounded pelvic bone and exclaimed, "Oh, that one is very nice... Listen to the sound of those bones rubbing together, so crisp and lively!"
"That's it!"
She readily agreed and took out a velvet purse adorned with jewels.
The purse wasn't large, but Madam Caroline poured out Galleon from it continuously, which clattered onto the counter.
Meanwhile, Morris said to the chosen Skeleton Dog, "From today onwards, Madam Caroline is your master."
The fire in the Skeleton Dog's eyes flickered, and it trotted to Madam Caroline's feet.
Madam Caroline was quite satisfied as the Skeleton Dog followed behind her.
"Good boy!" she said happily, stroking the Skeleton Dog's head. "When we get back, I'll polish your bones even brighter and tie a dark green velvet bow tie on them."
Seeing this, Morris felt relieved.
The transaction is now officially complete.
In fact, Morris vaguely sensed that every Skeleton Dog he created had a "contractual relationship" with him.
He was the original and most fundamental "master".
Even though he has now handed over control and ordered the Skeleton Dog to serve its new master, the relationship has not disappeared, but has become extremely weak.
In other words, the Skeleton Dog is still under his control.
Of course, he didn't intentionally want to leave himself a backup plan, but with his current abilities, he simply couldn't completely sever this connection.
But it doesn't matter— Madam Caroline wanted was a well-behaved pet anyway.