- Well... About half a ton.
"A small thing, huh?!" Gerald's voice dripped with sarcasm.
"Absolutely correct," Richard nodded calmly. "By Friday, I plan to increase the amount of metal to a ton."
"Nonsense," Mr. Rich drawled ironically. "And why do you need platinum? Have your investments really gone down the drain?"
"Thank God, no! I just can't withdraw funds from my capital right now. Meanwhile, I urgently need money to invest in wizard candy wrappers."
- Hmm... Richie, tell me, can all wizards do this?
"Yes, Dad. But not everyone thinks to do so. According to my mentor, in the distant past, magicians created a ritual that prevents wizards from copying gold, silver, diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. But in those days, platinum wasn't a valuable metal, so no one thought to prohibit its copying."
- Oh, really! Amazing. And what do you want from me?
"Of course, help, Father. I need to exchange platinum for gold, which is valuable to wizards, so I can then exchange it for galleons and invest it in a magical research and experimental center."
- Are you sure the platinum is real? It won't disappear after a while?
"Dad, the metal is real, and everything will be fine. The only downside is that all the ingots look like carbon copies."
- Ha! Ha-ha-ha! Oh, Richie, I understand your predicament. This is suspicious. In that case, you need to turn to your man, who knows how to keep his mouth shut.
- Dad, I suppose you have such a person in mind?
- For example, Robert Finch-Fletchley, your friend's father. He's a banker. But...
- How many?
"Ten percent... Yes, Richie, you're right. No one's going to buy a piece of metal for no reason. Robert's no exception. But I'm worried about something else. Son, you're not planning to quit your business and start replenishing the world's platinum reserves, are you?"
"No, of course not," Richard answered sincerely. "It's too risky. But if I urgently need money, I wouldn't rule out resorting to this method of earning money. But only as a last resort."
- Richie, are you saying this is an emergency?
- Yes. I could take out a loan secured by shares, but why bother if there's a more profitable option?
- I partly agree with you, but you could have just asked me for money.
"Dad, I already asked once," Richard said ironically. "And what did you do? You lent me the money, setting some weird conditions. I'm just afraid that next time you ask me for something like that, you'll set some completely impossible conditions. No way! I'd rather work with a bank; at least everything is transparent and clear there."
"Hm..." Mr. Rich frowned. "I meant well, but it turned out as usual. I'm sorry, Richard, I didn't mean to alienate you, I just wanted you to become a little more independent and responsible. Of course, you can come to me with any problems, and I'll help you."
- I'll keep that in mind.
- Anyway, don't worry. Richie, I'll negotiate with Robert myself.
"In that case, Dad, you should know that seventy-one platinum bars are in your study at London House. The rest will be in my study here."
"Okay. This issue should be resolved over the weekend. But how are you going to carry the gold to the wizards? If I'm not mistaken, it'll weigh over 1,100 kilograms."
"First, I'll need one gold bar," Richard explained. "I'll take it to the goblins and test the waters. If the trade is successful and profitable, I'll buy or order a bag with expanded space to carry the remaining gold."
"Well, that's acceptable. And yes, Richie... Good for you for coming to me with this problem instead of trying to screw it up yourself. Still, I can't help but ask-why do you need to do business with wizards?"
"It's not even a business. Dad, I just want to protect myself and my family. To that end, I've decided to create a company among the mages, employing wizards whose sole task will be to create new artifacts designed to protect the Richs and ensure our comfort."
Gerald lost his calm mask for a moment and stared at his son in surprise.
- Even that?! Son, what makes you think we need protection?
"Mages... Hmm... How should I put it? They're weapons of mass destruction in themselves. Imagine if I were replicating an atomic bomb instead of platinum..."
Gerald swallowed hard at the thought.
Richard continued:
"Among wizards, just like among ordinary people, there are madmen, maniacs, terrorists, and other marginalized individuals. Add to that their racism toward ordinary people. As a result, we can't be sure we won't fall victim to some wizard or that some madman won't decide to destroy our country or even the planet. So, I'm planning to invest in developing means to counteract powerful wizards."
"Richie, if you'd told me this up front, we could have come up with other funding options. I imagine the Crown would have sponsored such research to arm the secret service."
"Dad, I'm not going to get into debt with the Crown. For now, just a modest selection of artifacts for personal and family use. As for weapons for the special forces, I'll think about it..."
"Well, the idea is not without logic. We'll return to this conversation later, perhaps after you come of age. For now, you can play with your toys, as long as they don't pose a danger to you or our family."