A heated dispute erupted when they handed over the commissioned task.
According to the contract agreement signed by the people who accepted the commission, Kakus Fawley, as an intermediary, could extract 20% of the commission from each wizard who accepted the commissioned task as an intermediary fee. However, everyone was outraged when they discovered that Golden Viper did not pay Kakus Fawley a single galleon. The black wizards who felt cheated and exploited once again surrounded Kakus under the ancient, weathered signboard with a coiled snake carved on it and demanded an explanation.
Looking at Kakus Fawley who was trembling like a lamb in the midst of a pack of hungry wolves, Golden Viper flashed a smug smile. This trip had taken less than a month, and the task process had been grueling and perilous, but on the other hand, the reward had been astounding!
The commission for the task had been two thousand gold galleons, plus one thousand from Thanatos, and four hundred galleons from each of the remaining six people. Golden Viper's income from this trip had reached an astonishing five thousand galleons!
'This was much better than being a professor at Hogwarts' Bryan thought happily.
"I almost thought I would be chopped up, Mr. Watson–"
At this point, Kakus finally managed to clarify the matter. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and approached Golden Viper with a wry smile.
"This is all your own fault, Kakus."
After Thanatos had also departed from the commission market, only the two of them remained in the courtyard surrounded by low walls. Bryan said bluntly,
"You should be grateful for my kindness, as i did not go looking for trouble with your whole family!"
Kakus's wry smile turned bitter. To be honest, he was also innocent. It was Dumbledore who had sought him out first. Did he have the right to refuse Albus Dumbledore's request?
After being away for a while, Golden Viper scanned the changes in the dim, damp, and musty underground world that was only illuminated by a faint green glow. When his eyes landed on the pet market, he expressed some surprise.
"What about that old witch who sells monsters? Dead?"
"Yes, she didn't make it through this month–"
Kakus followed Golden Viper's gaze and pointed at a large patch of brown spots on the wall that were still fresh. He said casually,
"No one noticed this at first. When her body emitted a foul and nauseating odor, someone found out that she had been dead for several days. After she died, her monster was completely unattended. The wild beast that had been starved for days unleashed its fury. It 'handled' its owner's body, but felt that it was not enough, so it devoured those house elves as desserts, tsk tsk"
Kakus smacked his lips, "That scene was really gruesome. Half of the domestic elves were stuffed into the monster's stomach, and the rest were terrified by the fleeing elves. They all ran away from here. But I guess they will come back after a while. After all, they have nowhere else to go."
"What about the monster?"
"It was taken care of by someone. The famished creature eyed other seller's goods with greed. The result… Look, that crimson splatter on the wall marks its final resting place."
Bryan and Kakus chatted casually after completing a lucrative commission.
Kakus took out his notebook from his wizard robe pocket and flipped through it.
"I have received some valuable commissions recently. No one knows yet. Mr. Watson, you can pick first."
Bryan shook his neck and sounded weary. "I'm going to rest for a while. I don't plan to show up here for some time."
Kakus nodded knowingly and put away his notebook. The fierce fight between Watson and his party and Rufus Scrimgeour, the head of the Auror Office who personally led the arrest team when they landed ashore, was no secret to him. The result was that the 'transport team' was safe and sound, while all the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic were treated free of charge at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries and Diseases.
It was inevitable that the Ministry of Magic would retaliate with a bruised ego, and he might get caught in the crossfire.
However, Kakus was not afraid of the Ministry of Magic coming to him.
He had two solid reasons to feel confident. First, the Aurors had no shred of evidence to link him to the commission, nor did they have any clue about who carried it out. Second, behind this covert operation were a group of influential pure-blood families who had a vested interest in keeping it under wraps. They would not lift a finger to help the Ministry unless they wanted to expose themselves as well.
Dumbledore's 'absurd' move had brought Kakus and Bryan closer as allies. They exchanged brief farewells, then parted ways. Kakus went off to attend to his own affairs, while Golden Viper lingered in the underground world. He strolled to the stone wall under the cavernous ceiling, where some ramshackle huts were piled with scales of various colors and sizes.
He had earned a fortune, and he intended to spend it wisely.
After haggling fiercely, Golden Viper purchased a few antiquated books from a Greek wizard, written in ancient runes. The wizard, who had no neck to speak of, claimed that these books were unearthed from a temple. Upon examination, they appeared to be the research manuscripts of the legendary 'Herpo The Foul', the first known Dark wizard and Parselmouth.
Golden Viper gazed at the stack of books in his hand that were riddled with holes and stains, and scoffed inwardly.
In this 'modest' trading market, every wizard who peddled their wares had a few relics of legendary wizards whose existence was dubious at best, as their 'crown jewels'. A quick glance around would reveal a handful of Merlin's wands or beards, which were specially crafted to dupe those naive newcomers who ventured into the underground world or foreigners who occasionally passed by England. After all, this hidden cave was also rumored to have some connection with Merlin, so these forgeries were also regarded as 'local delicacies'!
After that, Bryan made his way to the end of the market, where he specialized in buying herbs and potion ingredients. He had a habit of Stockpiling materials for making magic recovery potions. Every once in a while, he would go on a shopping spree.
And the wizards who sold those herbs also recognized Golden Viper instantly, the 'generous' wealthy patron. Before he could even ask, they crowded around him and eagerly offered him the materials in those bottles and jars.
In the herb market, at an obscure spot, there was a stall with some worthless and mediocre items. The wizard wearing a faded white robe stared at Golden Viper who was 'spirited' and took out a lot of galleons. His eyes were filled with envy.
But when his eyes swept across Golden Viper's neckline, his emaciated body shuddered violently. Behind the mask, his expression turned pale. He disregarded his stall of 'junk'. He sprang up abruptly and dashed towards the stairs and ran towards the fireplace above.
This odd behavior aroused Bryan's suspicion. He watched the back of the wizard in bewilderment. And when he sensed the magic in that person's body through his keen sense, His eyes widened. A terrifying aura erupted from his well-proportioned body and immediately intimidated the other wizards who sold goods in front of him!
A few cyan metal spears shot from the sky. After a sharp sound, the fleeing wizard was trapped in a metal cage by Golden Viper like the Basilisk of the chamber.
Plowing through the crowd of clueless people, Bryan walked briskly to the metal cage. Looking at the down-and-out guy locked in the cage, Bryan flashed a wicked smile!