"No, I blinked at that moment," the prince replied mockingly. "Richie, what do you think about this?"
"Strange..." the boy drawled. "Very strange... I'm shocked by the capabilities of wizards, and yet everything seems to be working out well."
Richard was truly stunned. He reached out and took the silver bracelet. Thoughts raced through his head:
"Is this little thing really capable of the same things as a massive installation powered by a high-powered fusion reactor? So it can actually transport a person from one point on the planet to another? Or even to another galaxy? My God! If that's really true, then a couple of waves of a wizard's wand could earn billions. No, trillions! Portals could fundamentally change logistics and humanity's capabilities. Why do magicians still live in reservations instead of holding key positions in corporations with salaries comparable to those of top executives?!"
The elder Rich's voice brought the boy out of his thoughts:
"Well, Richie, now you'll have a small source of magical currency. And I've also immediately solved the problem of your status among wizards and curried favor with the Minister of Magic."
"Not a bad move, Father," Richard admitted honestly. "I still have a lot to learn from you. Killing three birds with one stone for cheap and useless land in the Scottish outback-that's admirable."
"Cheap?!" Gerald chuckled. "They've been unprofitable for the last five years. And now they'll start bringing in some income."
"That's even more amazing!" Richard looked at his father with delight. "By the way, Uncle Charlie, do you think it's possible to attract wizards to business?"
"What do you mean, Richard?" asked the prince.
"Mmm..." the boy drawled thoughtfully. "Let's say we involve wizards in developing new technologies."
"Only in secret," Charles replied. "Wizards are bound by an international Statute of Secrecy. That is, wizards all over the world are required to remain hidden from ordinary people. British wizards, if I remember correctly, even have laws prohibiting the enchantment of equipment and ordinary objects."
"That's bad," Richie said, running the back of his right hand across his chin. "Do you think there's a chance we could change the laws if we bribed the Minister with something? Like, maybe create a loophole so mages could secretly enchant things for ordinary people who know about wizards?"
Prince Charles thought for a moment, then gave the boy an answer:
"I suppose it's possible, Richie. The question is, what's the price? It all comes down to whether you can interest the right people. But why do you need it, godson?"
"Money! Uncle Charlie, you can make a lot of money this way. What's more, you can save even more. I simply can't imagine not taking advantage of such a resource as magicians."
"I'm afraid it won't work," the prince shook his head. "Richie, many people would like to use wizards for their own purposes, but mages don't want that."
"They're just not motivated enough," Richard said with firm conviction.
"Richie, forget about it," the prince decided to end the conversation there.
"Okay," the boy said, deciding to change the subject. "Dad, why this particular decision about the land?"
"Good question, son. From the scraps of information I've gathered, I understand the following. First, wizards are few and far between. Second, they have their own currency. It's like a casino with chips. So, the casino's goal is for people to come in with their money, buy chips, and leave them all behind. If they take the chips with them, they become worthless."
"Interesting," said Prince Charles. "So, Gee, you imagine the wizarding community as a vast casino?"
"Something like that," Gerald agreed. "You heard the Minister herself-they need farmers. That means wizards use their own produce. Considering she asked for a small area for farming, we can conclude that wizards' consumption is small, as is their number."
"Gee, what if we assume that, with the help of magic, wizards are able to harvest four record crops a year?" Charles asked.
"Even that's not much," Gerald dismissed. "The point is-wizard tokens, their internal currency, circulate within wizarding society. This means the supply of wizarding currency is relatively small. It's likely possible to exchange pounds for wizard tokens, so wizards living among ordinary people could receive their tokens and participate in the magical market. But in that case, there would have to be a limit on the exchange."
"Why the limit?" the prince asked curiously. "I understood that magicians still need pounds."
"A defense mechanism that's inevitable in a society with such stratification," Gerald explained. "Let's say you and I are pureblood wizards. Our ancestors earned a fortune in chips, which we're proud of. And then along comes some upstart Muggleborn who pulls out a wad of pocket money, which, when exchanged for chips, becomes more than our combined fortune."
Charles chuckled and said understandingly:
- Ha! Yeah... Richie, with the Rich fortune, will buy out the entire world of British wizards and cause their stock market to crash.
"That's exactly the point," Gerald told his friend. "So it would be best if Richie started saving up chips now. A hundred tenant farmers is quite a substantial boost by any standard. My son will have the opportunity to live comfortably in the wizarding community. And given the small community where rumors are bound to spread quickly, Richie will gain a certain amount of notoriety. I understand there are several houses at the school, one of which is called Hufflepuff. Since our tenants will be graduates of that house, you, Richie, should try to get into it. You'll have authority there, or at least the beginnings of it, which will make it easier to adapt to wizarding society."
- Dad, I understand you perfectly and completely agree.
***