During his semester at Hogwarts, Argus was separated from Vinda for the first time since he had traveled to the magical world of Harry Potter.
After years of living together day and night, Vinda had gradually taken on the role of his mother in his life.
The only thing that puzzled him was that the other party seemed to have a particular fondness for dark green robes.
She was like that, and so was Professor McGonagall.
Do older women all like dark green?
"Let's go, I'll take you home."
Vinda had no idea what Argus was thinking. Seeing him standing there blankly, she assumed it was because he hadn't seen her in a long time.
She stepped forward, took his hand, and led him out of the station.
The two arrived at a secluded corner, and after several Apparitions, they appeared in the manor they had originally purchased.
Although he hadn't been back for a while, the manor remained tidy.
There wasn't a speck of dust or weeds, clearly due to Vinda's regular maintenance.
"Would you like something to eat? I've prepared a lot of your favorite dishes."
Having enjoyed the delicacies of the house-elves at Hogwarts, Argus found it difficult to swallow the food that Vinda hadn't improved in nearly a decade.
They worked hard to clear most of the food off the table.
Argus rubbed away his somewhat forced smile and picked up the recent earnings report of the acolytes.
The report showed that in just a few months, the profit had reached nearly 20,000 Galleons.
It was important to know that in the magical world, an ordinary wizard's monthly salary was between sixty and eighty Galleons.
There were only about 250 to 300 professors at Hogwarts.
Harry, who was known as a little rich kid in the wizarding world, had only inherited tens of thousands of Galleons.
It was all thanks to the Potter family's accumulated wealth over countless years!
"Indeed, no matter the world, capital is always the most profitable!"
Argus sighed.
If you could earn 10,000 to 20,000 Galleons after only opening your shop for a few months, how much must a pure-blood wizard family have saved up after so many years?
Not to mention real estate tycoons like the Malfoy family!
Continuing to look at the documents on the table.
When Argus saw on the report that other shops in Diagon Alley were adopting the same sales methods as the acolytes in order to protect their own profits, he couldn't help but sneer.
"You guys really don't want to use your brains at all. Do you think you can make money just by learning my sales methods?"
"Perfect timing, Christmas is just around the corner, let me show you what real marketing is!"
As he spoke, Argus called Vinda over and explained his Christmas sales plan to her in detail.
Vinda was stunned.
"Is this a good idea? Will it affect our profits...?"
"We operate on a low-profit, high-volume model. Besides, we don't really operate on a low-profit basis; we just make a little less profit on each item," Argus explained patiently.
"Vinda, a product is only a product if it is sold. It is worthless if it is just sitting in your hands."
"Moreover, we have already established a foothold in Diagon Alley, and the next step in our plan to replace Gringotts will require a large amount of Galleon support."
"The right way is to convert as much of our inventory into Galleons as possible."
"What are your plans at Gringotts?" Vinda knew that when it came to business, Argus was far more astute than her.
Therefore, instead of dwelling too much on this issue, she turned her attention to the other side.
"Gringotts has been quiet for too long. I remember the last time something happened was when I had just started school."
"Understood." Vinda smiled knowingly.
If you're talking about business, I might not be good at it.
But if you're talking about this kind of thing, I know it all too well!
Grindelwald did similar work many times back in the day, and now she finally had the chance to do it again!
"Remember to make a big scene, preferably let Gringotts' big clients see it with their own eyes."
"Don't worry, leave it to me!"
...
Three days later, Christmas arrived.
The entire Diagon Alley was filled with a cheerful atmosphere, and gift boxes and ornaments symbolizing Santa Claus could be seen everywhere on the street.
Instead of wandering around shopping with their families, the wizards were all gathered around the acolytes' shop.
Even though the place was packed with people, it couldn't stop their frenzied pace.
This morning, they received a message as soon as they arrived at Diagon Alley.
During Christmas, all items in all stores under the acolytes would be sold at reduced prices, and a discount mechanism would be implemented for purchases over a certain amount.
Ten Galleons minus three, twenty Galleons minus seven, fifty Galleons minus twenty!
The more you buy, the more you save!
Support cross-store merging!
Wizards weren't good at math to begin with, and the thought of a discount made them dizzy.
What's more, there was also a discount for spending a certain amount!
One times eight equals eight, two times eight equals sixteen, three times eight equals International Women's Day...
Rounding it off was practically the same as giving it away for free!
In desperation, the group of wizards no longer cared about strolling around; they rushed towards the acolytes' shop like madmen!
If Argus hadn't had people prepare in advance, the first stampede in the wizarding world would probably have happened in the acolytes!
"Sales assistant, give me a pint of Acromantula venom!"
"Okay, sir, here is your receipt. Please keep it safe. There is a cashier at the end of the street who will calculate the total cost of your goods based on your receipt and deliver the goods to you after you have paid."
"Sales assistant, I want a Boomslang skin!"
"Salesperson, bring me a pint of Detoxified Leopard Saliva!"
"Sales assistant, I want a wizard's robe!"
Before a young wizard could finish speaking, countless wizards rushed forward from behind him.
Argus originally had about ten sales assistants in one store, which he thought would be more than enough.
But judging from the current situation, let alone ten, even twenty might not be enough!
The Aurors responsible for maintaining order inside the store had long since been pushed to some unknown location.
Many even joined the buying frenzy!
They worked themselves to the bone, and they only earned a little over a hundred Galleons a month.
If you wanted to buy the necessary materials or potions, you had to save up for a long time.
When you finally found a discount or promotion, you weren't going to let it slip by!
"Ladies and gentlemen, please don't worry, the acolytes' shop has plenty of stock."
"There will absolutely be no shortage of stock, so there is no need to rush. Please queue in an orderly manner."
As noon approached, the acolytes' shop's popularity not only did not diminish, but instead became even more crowded due to word-of-mouth among wizards.
Argus then stepped forward, pointed his wand at his throat, and explained to the crowd.
"Wizards waiting outside, don't worry, we have prepared a rest area for you, with unlimited tea and drinks!"
A cheer immediately erupted from the crowd.
Argus gestured to the acolytes behind him with his eyes, and tables and chairs were immediately set up near the shop.
At the same time, long cordon lines were set up at the entrance to prevent too many people from flooding in again, as they had in the morning.
Not far away, the back teeth of several pure-blood shop owners were grinding together.
They had managed to retain their current customers only after learning the sales model of the acolytes.
Knowing that Christmas was approaching, they had specially lowered the price again.
Who would have thought the other party would be so generous!
It was too late for them to lower the price now; all the wizards had been drawn away by the acolytes and they didn't come here at all!
Look over there, the acolytes were so crowded they could barely squeeze in!
Looking at my own side, it was less than a slap in total, including the boss and employees.
Several business owners were heartbroken!
Just then, a loud explosion was heard!
....
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