After entering the shop, the squat witch adjusted her glasses and walked to the counter, commenting on each item.
"These Shield Gloves are interesting, but you need to stare into your opponent's eyes to reflect the curse. Bad design!"
"These Extendable Ears can monitor conversations, but they're connected by a thin wire. Does everyone think people are blind? Terrible!"
"This Protective Ring creates a defensive barrier, but... it's too expensive. Unacceptable!"
The chunky witch strolled through the shop, criticizing every item she saw. Adrian was baffled. If he hadn't known she was here to buy things, he'd have thought she was sent by a rival shop to cause trouble.
Fortunately, among the four people who'd come, Dawlish and Savage were present. Adrian moved closer to ask what was going on.
Dawlish kept a serious expression and didn't answer, but Savage lowered her voice. "This is Mrs. Moon from our department's Finance Office. The Ministry sent her to negotiate prices."
She looked embarrassed. "Our department's been really short on funds lately, so..."
The Ministry of Magic needed to haggle? Weren't they an official agency?
Adrian was speechless. He'd assumed the Ministry had plenty of money.
No wonder this woman started finding faults the moment she walked in.
Mrs. Moon suddenly turned to look at Savage. The young Auror jumped, then didn't dare share any more information with Adrian.
After browsing for a while, Mrs. Moon finally stopped. She adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses and said, "In summary, while these items meet the Ministry's procurement standards, they fall short of my expectations. Additionally, I think we need to discuss the pricing."
"For example, the Shield Gloves. The Ministry intends to buy in bulk, so the price shouldn't exceed five Galleons per pair. Otherwise, the Ministry will reconsider whether this purchase is worthwhile."
Adrian frowned slightly. He really wasn't good at bargaining. Fortunately, Irene spoke up.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Moon, but seven Galleons is already the lowest price. Including research costs, we barely make a Sickle per pair. If the Ministry refuses to purchase over this, then I can only express my regret."
Irene looked at Mrs. Moon firmly, showing no intention of backing down.
From what she'd heard, the Ministry had suffered significant personnel losses recently. They absolutely couldn't abandon the purchase of Shield Gloves and Protective Rings.
Mrs. Moon's gaze shifted from Adrian to Irene. The atmosphere seemed to freeze.
Adrian stood between them, feeling the pressure. He simply gave up and went to chat with the other Aurors instead.
What followed was almost entirely between Mrs. Moon and Irene. The two negotiated back and forth for over an hour before reaching a formal agreement.
The Ministry would purchase three hundred pairs of Shield Gloves at six Galleons and ten Sickles each, nearly two thousand Galleons total.
Ten Protective Rings at sixty-five Galleons each, six hundred and fifty Galleons.
They also ordered smaller quantities of Extendable Ears and Quick-Quotes Quills. Everything together came to three thousand Galleons.
After the negotiations, Mrs. Moon looked satisfied, convinced she'd gotten close to cost price.
But she didn't know the so-called research cost and time weren't as high as she imagined. It was a miracle created by three talented people in just one month!
What Adrian hadn't expected was Mrs. Moon's interest in his enhanced potions.
"Do these potions really work this well?" Mrs. Moon held a bottle of enhanced Euphoria Elixir. The label said it was twice as effective as the normal version!
The potions on the other shelves all claimed much higher effectiveness than standard potions, but the prices weren't much higher than market rates.
"Of course. If you don't believe me, try it yourself," Adrian said confidently.
Mrs. Moon hesitated, then uncorked the Euphoria Elixir and swirled it gently, as if tasting wine. Finally, she poured a bit and took a sip.
The next moment, Mrs. Moon's wrinkled face relaxed. She felt like her body and mind had been cleansed. Work troubles and frustrations swept away. A satisfied smile appeared on her lips, and she said with slight surprise, "Which Potions Master made this? It has such strong effects!"
Common potions like Euphoria Elixir generally had stable effects. Major improvements were difficult unless a Potions Master modified the original formula.
Adrian just smiled and said nothing.
Mrs. Moon didn't press further. Quality suppliers were always kept secret. Still, she felt it was a pity, she'd been thinking about inviting whoever made these to consult for the Ministry.
The Ministry had a partnership with St. Mungo's Hospital for ordinary potions, but special high-grade potions could only be made by individual Potions Masters.
Perhaps because of the Euphoria Elixir's effects, Mrs. Moon added several powerful potions to the purchase list.
After leaving a deposit and signing two contracts, Mrs. Moon left satisfied.
"Shield Gloves... eleven Galleons? Protective Ring one hundred twenty Galleons? Didn't Mrs. Moon negotiate the prices down? Why are these higher?" Adrian stepped forward curiously to look at the contract. The numbers were different from what they'd discussed.
"Because this contract is for the Ministry of Magic," Irene explained simply, then put the agreement away.
"Ministry of Magic? Aren't they from the Ministry of Magic?" Adrian said, confused.
"To be precise, it's from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," Irene said, glancing at Adrian.
Adrian suddenly understood.
The Ministry was divided into multiple departments. Though it was a large official institution, there were too many places requiring funding. Every department waited eagerly for budget allocations. Competition for funds was fierce. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement was just one department among many.
So when reporting funding requests upward, the Department would naturally inflate the numbers as much as possible. What remained would go into the department's independent treasury for other needs.
Adrian was still curious why Irene had let Mrs. Moon negotiate the price down.
Perhaps seeing his thoughts, Irene spoke again. "In exchange, they're willing to order potions from us in the future."