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Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 90: Negotiating With the Goblins
The expression on the goblin's face completely changed. "Sorry… I must have misheard you. Could you repeat that?"
"I said a one thousand-year-old basilisk," James said again.
The goblin blinked a few times. "I see… I hope this is not a jest, because I assure you th-…"
"It is not. My time is too valuable to waste it like that. Now, can we do business?" James' tone was both serious and cold. He had no patience for the goblin's mistrust.
"Follow me." The goblin moved to one side and opened a little door on the counter that allowed James to pass to the other side.
The goblin then escorted him to one of the backrooms they used for private negotiations.
"Please, wait here for a moment." The goblin's tone had gotten a bit more polite. He left him alone in the room and went outside.
James peeked around. It was a very simply decorated space, with a large circular table at the center and many chairs around it.
He took a seat and waited for several minutes until someone opened the door.
It was a different goblin this time. James assumed that the other one had called for a goblin who had a better understanding of the value of the materials he brought.
"Greetings, Mister…"
"Potter." There was no point in using fake names in this place. The goblins would respect his privacy. It was one of their many rules, and one thing everyone knows about goblins is that they never break their rules.
This is the main reason for wizards to trust them with taking care of the largest bank in all of Britain.
And it's also the reason for James to come here in the first place.
"I am SilverAxe. And I will be the one conducting this negotiation... Now, what materials are we talking about exactly? I have been told you are in possession of parts from a one thousand-year-old basilisk."
James was prepared for this. He pulled out a list and handed it to the goblin.
After processing the carcass of the basilisk, James had separated a large amount of materials for his private use. But as for the rest… he had decided to sell them.
There was no point in letting those materials go to waste, and he could really use the money right now.
One of his most important projects was close to completion, and with what he received from this transaction, he could acquire everything that he was lacking, and many other things.
"This is… a lot…" the goblin muttered.
"It is," James said.
"One intact giant basilisk eye, several gallons of blood, twenty vials of venom… five thousand pounds of flesh?!"
"It is a rough estimate… I haven't weighed it," James said. "Basilisk flesh is considered a delicacy. And this one is from a one thousand-year-old one. I'm sure it could fetch a fortune if sold to luxury restaurants around Britain."
"I don't see any mention of the basilisk skin. May I ask why?"
James shook his head. "Unfortunately, most of it was damaged during the capture. And for what's left, I have use for it."
"I see… that's a shame. That would have been an easy sell," the goblin said. Basilisk skin combat robes were in very high demand among hit wizards and Aurors… as well as criminals.
James already had plans for the remnants of the skin, so he was not selling that one. He had also kept a lot of blood, venom, and one of the eyes.
"What about the heart?" the goblin inquired with growing excitement.
The heart of such an ancient basilisk would be invaluable.
"Damaged during the fight. Unfortunately, it is unusable," James lied. He was not going to sell that for just gold. He had already something in mind for that one.
"Ah… that is such a shame." The goblin looked distraught. "And do you have these materials on your person? Or...?"
James stood up from his chair and pulled a box from one of his pockets. This one then expanded until it was roughly the size of a shoebox, and then placed it on the table. "Go on, take a look."
The goblin approached with hesitation and took the lid off the box.
"Oh my…" Inside it, he could see many glass containers.
The goblin grabbed one of these containers with two fingers and lifted it to take a better look.
Contained inside the glass was a miniaturized pile of basilisk flesh that James had cut into pieces and stored inside.
"As you can see, there are several layers of miniaturization charms in play. But I'm sure you goblins will have no trouble getting everything in order."
"Y-yes… removing the charms is easy… this is… incredible." The goblin took another container. This one had a tiny yellow eye inside.
"Remarkable… it is truly a basilisk eye, and it looks intact."
"It is. I had much care with that," James said. "So, now you have seen it. How much would the goblins pay for that amount of materials?"
The goblin calmed down a bit and cleared his thought. "Before we get to that, I need to ask you a few questions about the provenance of these parts," the goblin said.
James chuckled. He was waiting for the goblin to ask something along those lines.
Basilisks were considered one of the most dangerous creatures in the world. And its materials are heavily regulated by the Ministry...especially its venom.
Without explicit permission, it is illegal to sell basilisk parts. So when someone appears with something like this, the buyer will of course want to know its provenance and if all the permits are present.
"I hunted down the beast by myself. By the ancient rules of conquest, its materials belong to me," James responded.
The goblin looked troubled. "I do not mean to question the veracity of that statement, Mister Potter. But I'm afraid I need more… you seem too young to be a professional hunter, and I have never heard of anyone finding a basilisk this old in the wild… I am very curious about where it came from."
"Let's be honest for a moment. The Goblin Nation cares little for the laws of the wizards. The provenance of this basilisk is irrelevant, and so is my hunter's license. I killed the creature, processed it, and brought it here. If you don't want to buy it, th—"
"Now wait a moment, Mister Potter. I never said that I wasn't interested," the goblin hurried to say. "We can definitely do business here. But you have to understand that, given the circumstances…"
James shook his head. These goblins were so predictable. He was just questioning the legality of the basilisk to lower the price, not because he cared about human laws. "Analyze the materials and give me your price. I'm sure the goblins will be fair with me. That's all I want."
"Of course!" the goblin exclaimed. "But we are going to need some time to analyze all of these and come up with a fair sum of coin."
James nodded. "Understandable. But I'm sure you will also understand that I will not leave these valuable materials in here without a formal contract."
"Right… a contract…"
"With your personal seal," James added. The goblins were not going to rob him. But why take any chances at all?
"My seal, of course…" the goblin sighed. A goblin can never break a contract marked with their personal seal, or they would forfeit their lives.
"A pleasure doing business with you," said James. One task was completed, and now it was time to visit the marketplace.
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