"So, making this self-inspection tool into a pocket watch was a complete failure. You should have just split it into two parts—a self-inspection tool and a pocket watch—and sold them separately," Vivian added.
"I can understand making a self-inspection tool on its own, but what's the point of selling a standalone pocket watch? It's not an alchemy item," Alan said, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Brother, have you been studying alchemy so much that you've gotten confused? Most of the alchemy items sold on the market aren't powerful tools like the ones you have. Many products are sold under the name of alchemy, but in reality, they've only undergone some superficial beautification."
"If you add some exquisite carvings to an ordinary pocket watch, use beautiful magic patterns, or even paste a magical picture on the inside, you can sell it as an alchemy tool. It's like Wiseacre's Wizarding Supplies; their brass scales are just unusually shaped and have some mechanical-looking magical decorations."
Vivian had a sudden burst of inspiration. "You can even use this as a starting point to make similar products, such as magic clocks, magic music boxes, or magic phonographs. It's all the same trick. They might not be very practical, but their mysterious appearance alone can make them sell as luxury goods."
However, Vivian thought of something else and said hesitantly, "These things are basically just modified Muggle items. Do you think the Ministry of Magic would agree? Isn't it forbidden to cast spells on Muggle items at will?"
"You don't have to worry about that," Alan said, feeling relieved. He had already taken precautions. He had previously considered the possibility of modifying Muggle items, and now Arthur, the head of the Office for the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts, was a shareholder in his company. How could he be in violation of the law when he was essentially in charge of himself? Even if it were truly illegal, they could just amend the law.
"If we really don't have to worry about casting spells on Muggle items, we could even…" Vivian's eyes lit up as she had a new idea. "We could even make and sell some magic Mahjong sets. They would definitely be very popular."
"Magic… Mahjong?" Vivian's mouth was like a machine gun, speaking so fast that Alan couldn't fully process it. "Isn't that a Muggle item? Can it also be made into an alchemy tool?"
"What's the big deal? Haven't you seen that Wizard Chess is just international chess with some magic effects added? Just make it look like a magic tool, and you're done," Vivian rolled her eyes. She found Alan's imagination when it came to entertainment to be quite poor.
"How do I do that?" Alan looked at Vivian blankly, completely confused.
"If you ask me…" Vivian immediately activated her imaginative brain. "You can enchant these Mahjong tiles, create some animated tile backs, and then include an instruction manual with dynamic tutorials. It would be best if the tiles also had an automatic shuffling effect. That way, at the very least, I and our Mahjong club would love them, and we could stop those pure-blood family bastards from mocking us for playing with boring Muggle toys."
*You're just talking about an automatic Mahjong table, and you're purely looking out for your own benefit, aren't you? Would anyone really buy something like this?* Alan looked at Vivian with a hint of suspicion.
"And," Vivian scanned the shop again, "your environment is so good, and there's so much empty space in the back. Why not just set aside an area to be a Mahjong room? Fill it with tables so other wizards can play to their heart's content. I bet you could make a lot of money just by selling drinks and snacks."
"No!!!" Alan shouted, resisting completely. He didn't want to turn his place into a gambling hall; it would be too noisy. He thought Vivian would give him some good ideas, but it turned out she was just looking out for herself.
*Hmph, if you don't want to, then fine. When I graduate and open a Mahjong bar, business will definitely be good,* Vivian thought to herself, making her own plans.
"Alright, let's just improve the products as you said before, but I'm not doing anything with Mahjong," Alan said, firmly setting the decision.
"Since that's the case, my work for you is done. Are you satisfied with the service?" Vivian patted her bulging money pouch and smiled contentedly.
"Yes, you've certainly opened up a lot of ideas for me," Alan nodded in approval. "However, I don't have any good ideas for the exterior design. How about this: I hire you as a planner for the company. I'll pay you a salary, you design the products for me, and I'll be responsible for production. What do you think?"
There was no other way. The ideas Vivian had given him were good, but Alan wasn't confident in his own aesthetic standards. Since she had the concepts, he might as well hire her to do it all.
"Hmm…" Vivian rolled her eyes. "Alright, I'll reluctantly help you, but you have to agree to one condition."
"What condition?" Alan looked at her with caution. He suspected she was thinking of some mischief again.
"Well, designing products for you is fine, but you absolutely must make the magic Mahjong for me! Even if you don't sell it, I want it!" Vivian pouted slightly, speaking with a touch of willfulness.
"This… alright," Alan nodded helplessly. It seemed this young witch's addiction was quite strong.
Next, Alan closed the shop and designated an area in the testing room for Vivian to use as her office. She would design various products for him, and then he would figure out how to make prototypes. Fortunately, Alan had a fireplace there, so Vivian commuted daily via the Floo Network to work part-time, and her efficiency was quite good.
Even though Vivian's academic performance was average, her thought process was unique. However, Alan only later discovered that Vivian had a secret weapon: various fashion magazines from the Muggle world. Although she was a witch, because she had lived in Muggle society for many years, she still had many Muggle habits, including reading magazines.
Vivian directly plagiarized from others, taking classic and new designs from various trendy brands in Muggle society. Since these were just an outer shell used to hold various amulets, it didn't matter. There were also various styles of pocket watches, clocks, music boxes, and phonographs—anything that looked good, she copied them all.