Alan turned his gaze to the sales list attached to the end of the letter.
Tailcoat Dog Skeleton - 30 Galleons
Augurey Skeleton - 45 Galleons
Wampus Cat Skeleton - 80 Galleons
Graphorn Skeleton - 120 Galleons (Note: Horn missing)
Nundu Skull - 200 Galleons (Note: Fangs intact)
At the end of the list, there was a line of small print: All the above prices are non-negotiable. If special species are required, they can be pre-ordered, and a basic maintenance guide is included.
After reading the list, Alan was stunned for a moment. They were all skeletons of various animals he didn't recognize. To think there was a shop specializing in this kind of business; no wonder it was located in Knockturn Alley. Although he wasn't clear on the specific laws of the wizarding world, this kind of trade likely had some issues.
In that case, the skeleton he had seen earlier in the secondhand robe shop must have been the real deal as well. Alan's desire to obtain it suddenly grew even stronger. It seemed he would have to talk to the owner in person.
Not now, of course. Putting aside his lack of self-defense capabilities, even if the owner were willing to sell it to him, he didn't have enough Galleons. Because he had bought an owl and some miscellaneous items, he only had thirty-nine Galleons left, along with some silver Sickles and copper Knuts. This amount of money was only enough to buy one tailcoat dog skeleton.
Alan sighed softly. As expected, whether in the Muggle world or the wizarding world, people had to worry about money.
So, should he buy it? The tailcoat dog skeleton. To be honest, he was quite interested. It sounded like the skeleton of some kind of canine creature. But would it be a bit unsafe? What if he sent the Galleons and the other party didn't send the goods? After all, this was a strange shop located in Knockturn Alley with no reputation to speak of.
Alan had never liked to overthink such matters.
I'll buy it.
He immediately picked up a pen and wrote a reply on the paper:
Mr. Frick:
Please reserve a tailcoat dog skeleton for me; I will enclose thirty Galleons with this letter.
If convenient, please include a basic introduction to the species.
Looking forward to your product.
After finishing the letter, he carefully counted out thirty Galleons from his coin pouch and wrapped them in a soft cloth. This expense nearly exhausted most of his savings, but thinking that he would obtain a real, well-preserved skeleton of a magical creature, he still felt it was worth it.
Alan handed the heavy envelope and package to the owl waiting on the windowsill, and the owl immediately flapped its wings and disappeared into the sky.
In the end, curiosity triumphed over concern. A skeleton of a magical animal was of no use to him at all right now. He was just purely interested in it. That was all. But as a reason for shopping, it was enough.
Forget it, no need to overthink.
Alan closed his eyes and entered a meditative state.
Two days later, one evening, the owl visited Alan's residence again. This time, Alan received a note and a large wooden box.
Thank you for your patronage. Looking forward to our next cooperation.
That was the entire content of the letter. As for the introduction to the tailcoat dog he had requested, there was no sign of it at all.
As expected, not very reliable.
Alan thought to himself as he opened the wooden box, a bad premonition in his heart.
He looked at the contents of the box and fell into deep thought.
He saw that the box was filled with bone fragments of various sizes. These bone fragments varied in shape, from tiny phalanges to large leg bones. Each fragment was quite well-preserved, reflecting a gentle luster under the light.
With a bit of a headache, Alan dumped all the fragments onto the table; he estimated there were several hundred pieces. In addition, there was a very small glass bottle with a label that read "Adhesive."
After all that, I have to assemble it myself.
He rubbed his temples helplessly.
"Woohoo! Look what I found... Wait, Alan, what are you doing?"
Just then, Scott opened the door and walked in, still clutching a five-pound note in his hand. When he saw the table full of bone fragments, his eyes suddenly went wide.
"Where did you get so many bones?" He leaned closer to the table and cautiously poked a skull fragment with his finger. "This couldn't be human bones, could it?"
"You have a vivid imagination." Alan leaned back in his chair and said somewhat helplessly, "This is a skeletal model of a dog."
This excuse was reasonable because these bones indeed looked a lot like a model.
"You found them? Oh, never mind that!" Scott excitedly waved the five-pound note in his hand. "Look! This is the real catch; I found it under a trash can."
He triumphantly smoothed the banknote out on the table—such a large amount was not commonly seen.
"Very good, but I don't recommend you rummage through trash cans," Alan replied casually, busy gesturing with two bone fragments.
"I wasn't rummaging through trash cans!" Scott curled his lip. "Fine. Are you going to assemble this model?"
"Yeah." Alan focused all his attention on the activity in his hands.
"I'll help!" Scott rolled up his sleeves enthusiastically.
Before Alan could respond, he had already grabbed several bone fragments and started trying them out like a puzzle.
Whatever, let him be. Alan sighed. Kids, it's normal for them to be playful.
About two and a half hours later, Alan rubbed his aching eyes and stretched. "That should be about it."
The bone fragments on the table had been pieced together into a relatively complete whole.
"Hmm, perfect."
Although there were still many unused bone parts scattered on the table, Alan still nodded with satisfaction.
"Hey, I said this should be a dog model." Scott tilted his head, looking at the skeleton on the table in confusion. "Dogs are supposed to walk on all fours, right? Why is this thing standing up? And why are its two arms different lengths? Wait, why is its tail growing in the front?"
"Don't mind those details."
Alan sighed and pushed the entire skeleton over with his hand. As expected, trying to assemble the skeleton of a completely unfamiliar magical creature without blueprints was indeed asking too much.
Scott looked at the model that had turned back into a pile of broken bones and clicked his tongue in regret. "We finally got it together."
"It's fine."
Alan replied and started tinkering again.
"You keep playing; I'm going to sleep." Scott gave a big yawn and stood up from the table, stretching. "I have to get up early tomorrow."
He kicked off his shoes and lazily climbed back into his bunk.
The next day, Alan tried to use the necromantic creature transformation magic circle to directly transform the pile of broken bones. Unfortunately, he failed. The bones showed no sign of coming to life at all.
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