Harry Potter and the Candy Factory

“Come on! Come on, friends, take a look at the fashionable clothes from the Pike family. They are the latest designs from famous British designers. I guarantee you'll get compliments whenever you wear them.”

“Ladies and gentlemen! Do you feel that your wands are not as good as before? Are your wands worn out after long-term use?! If that's the case, then, then… you must come and see Jack's Wand Shop!! We undertake a series of services such as wand maintenance, replacement, and repair. Trading in your old wand for a new one can get you 20 Galleons!! … … … …”

“Goblin technology! The latest product, the amazing compressed towel! Look at this towel… … … …”

“Free samples… … … …”

… … … … … …

… … … … … …

Along the way, after seeing all kinds of dazzling and bizarre shops, Nackel finally stopped in front of a brightly lit, beautifully decorated, and elegantly styled restaurant.

Compared to the shops Charlie had seen before, this restaurant was particularly large. After some observation and estimation, he figured it was roughly three to four hundred square meters. You must know that in such a densely populated and expensive wizarding world commercial district, a storefront in a relatively prime location with such a large area, the rent alone would definitely be a substantial sum.

And at the very top of the restaurant, even its signboard was three or four times larger than other shops, delicately depicting the words "Yndel" with a diamond-like brilliance…

Seemingly noticing Charlie's interest in the restaurant in front of him named Yndel, little Sanchez, who had been following behind them in an inconspicuous manner, promptly appeared beside Charlie and whispered softly,

“Yndel is the name of the current Head of the Auror Office in the French Ministry of Magic. Their family is very influential in the French wizarding world. Besides this restaurant, there are many shops on Cache Square that belong to him. He even owns three percent of the revenue rights for the entire Cache Square.”

“Revenue rights?!” Charlie seemed to have heard some incredible news, widening his eyes in disbelief as he looked at little Sanchez, repeating his words again to make sure he hadn't misheard anything.

“Yes, revenue rights.”

Noticing their conversation, Nackel, already a veteran in the local business circle, naturally joined in, nodding and then continuing to explain,

“Cache Square is not entirely owned by the Ministry of Magic… Well, to be more precise, the Ministry of Magic actually owns twenty-three percent of the total revenue of Cache Square, as the second largest shareholder, using most of its revenue for the daily maintenance of the Ministry…" Here, Nackel gave Charlie a suggestive smile, raised his eyebrows, and lowered his voice to continue, "Of course, as for why it's most of it, everyone understands. ♦ ♦     ♦ ♦ ”

Charlie refocused his gaze on the elegantly built, palace-like restaurant in front of him, absorbing the wealth of new knowledge he had learned since arriving in the French wizarding world, while slowly shaking his head to express his inexplicable mood at the moment.

Suddenly, Charlie seemed to think of something, looking back at Nackel and asking, "You just said that the French Ministry of Magic owns twenty percent, making it the second-largest shareholder, so who is the largest shareholder?"

As casually as if they were eating or drinking, upon hearing Charlie's question, little Sanchez and Nackel immediately replied in unison, "Nicolas Flamel!"

“Nicolas Flamel?!” This time, Charlie finally couldn't hold back. The first thing that came to his mind was the image of that thin, old man with long, silver-white hair and a kind expression. The expression on his face became even more complicated.

Could this… be considered a dream collaboration?

Looking at Charlie's reaction, Nackel, although a little strange, still scratched his head nonchalantly and said, "Everyone in the French wizarding world knows that Master Nicolas Flamel is the richest man in the French wizarding world. Centuries ago, Master Flamel was the first to propose the establishment of Cache Square. As the largest investor, Master Flamel owns seventy percent of the revenue rights for the entire Cache Square… Then, later, he donated twenty percent of his revenue rights to the French Ministry of Magic free of charge. But even so, he still occupies a full half, making him the true largest shareholder."

When Nicolas Flamel was mentioned, Nackel's eyes seemed to sparkle, and his admiring appearance made Charlie a little ashamed. He couldn't help but wonder what his reaction would be if he knew that the main reason he came to France this time was to visit Nicolas Flamel.

Having his interest piqued, Nackel obviously wanted to further educate Charlie, as a "foreigner," about Nicolas Flamel, the greatest pride of the French wizarding world. So, even though it was almost time for their reservation, he didn't want to rush in, but continued, "Actually, this isn't too difficult to accept. After all, Master Nicolas Flamel has lived for more than six hundred years. The remainder of his age is probably older than little Sanchez. And with treasures like the Philosopher's Stone, becoming the richest man is easy to imagine. But in reality, Nicolas Flamel has too many industries, not to mention… … … …"

Just as Charlie sighed and was about to tell him to shut up because he was hungry, a voice appeared first, interrupting Nackel's words.

He saw a middle-aged waiter in formal attire, with a happy expression on his face, quickly approaching from the entrance of the restaurant. As if he didn't see Charlie at all, he directly ignored him and walked straight to the two Sanchezes, respectfully saying, "Mr. Sanchez and young Master Sanchez, good evening!"

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“Drusus… good evening to you too.” Seeing the newcomer, Nackel's expression finally returned to the seriousness and dignity he had shown at the beginning. He no longer had the relaxed feeling he had when he was with Charlie, but simply nodded lightly, offering a simple greeting as a matter of politeness, but his voice had a sense of distance, as if crossing a class barrier.

Obviously, Nackel and little Sanchez were also regulars at this restaurant. Drusus, as the manager, had been preparing to greet them when he first saw the two of them bringing a guest who wasn't very familiar, but he didn't expect that the three of them would stop directly at the door and start talking, which prompted him to come out and greet them first.

“Everything is prepared as I said, right?”

“Of course, of course…” Drusus bowed and nodded, “Everything is according to your instructions.”

“Not bad.” After giving only those two words as an evaluation, Nackel stopped paying attention to him, turned his head, smiled, and said to Charlie,

“Then, Mr. Black, let's go in. I bet you must be hungry.”