The shop owner was standing by a button that looked like the switch on a gas stove, behind which was a metal-looking tube.
"Uh..." Tom pointed at the tube, a word crossed his mind.
"Gas lamp," the owner said proudly. "I got it from the Muggles. They don't use these things anymore, so getting a complete system isn't easy."
It was clear that the owner had a fondness for these mechanical artifacts.
Indeed, a complete gas lamp system had a mechanical beauty to it. The clear yellow tubes, the gear-driven coin counter, and the antique-looking gas lamps all evoked the beauty and madness of the mechanical age.
Tom carefully observed the gas lamp setup in the room and noticed that the owner had placed the valves and gas counter of the lamps on the sides of the doors. The counter was connected to a tube that extended outside, and Tom suspected that at the end of the tube, there was probably a gas tank.
The owner pulled out a key and inserted it beneath the counter, manipulating it a bit, and then retrieved a coin.
"This is a Muggle coin, a penny. It will provide gas for a quarter of an hour on the counter. Added to the one I just put in, you have a total of half an hour. You must complete the test within half an hour," the owner said as he reinserted the penny into the counter.
"I'll give you a simple task. You must create a home alarm device, with no other requirements." The owner looked at Tom, signaling that he could start.
With only half an hour, Tom had to pick up the pace. He quickly approached the worktable and selected some tools: a carving knife and magical silver were essential. Additionally, he decided to please the owner by adding some mechanical elements to this alarm.
The device itself was a spy mirror that Tom had made before for Hermione, so he was familiar with the process.
After about ten minutes, he had a gyroscope-shaped object in his hands, the core of the alarm device was ready; now he just had to add some details to make it more marketable.
Tom thought for a moment and pulled out a pile of gears, metal balls, and various components from a nearby toolbox, stacked them on top of each other, and when it was difficult to connect them, he fused them with a Transfiguration spell. Soon, a mechanical model of the solar system appeared on the worktable. Tom's alarm served as the sun in this model of the solar system.
At that moment, the gas counter started to click, indicating that the gas flow had run out. Tom tapped the model with his wand in the final stage. The gears began to turn, and all the little balls spun around the spy mirror.
"When someone with ill intentions enters your home, the sun will start emitting an alarm sound. It fulfills the alarm function," Tom said as he handed the model to the owner.
"I'll test it." The owner took a small black ball from his pocket and threw it on the floor. The ball rapidly expanded into several legs and began to scurry around like a giant spider. The "spider" emitted a sharp chirping sound as it ran.
Tom's spy mirror immediately activated and began to spin rapidly, emitting a sharp and shrill sound.
"It's a useful toy. It can fool most low-level observers. But in my opinion, it's more of a prankster's toy than a practical tool." The owner caught the "spider" scurrying on the floor in his hand. "Seriously, with all the fancy things you've added, the alarm itself is not worth more than a Galleon. I suspect even a stray dog sneaking into your kitchen would trigger the alarm."
"But with all these external devices, I can ask for ten Galleons." Tom extended his hands, indicating that it was a work of art, of low practical value but good-looking.
The owner fell silent. He thought that if he were walking outside and saw an alarm like that, he would surely be tempted. But beyond temptation, the owner had something else to discuss with Tom.
"Those parts should be included in the cost as well! The value of these things on their own is more than five Galleons." With a distressed face, he restored the alarm Tom had made to a disassembled state and then refilled the gas meter with a coin.
He still needed to discuss Tom's compensation.
"There are still all kinds of problems... but I think you're up to it." In reality, Tom's alarm had many flaws - it wasn't smart enough, it was too sensitive - but the mechanical touches he added were to the owner's liking. If it fit with the owner's aesthetic, the lack of technical skill wasn't a problem.
Just like some game developers, the game might be mediocre, but the rewards were good, and it was appealing enough to the general public, so it became popular.
"Welcome to Penney's Alchemy Workshop. You can call me Mr. Penney... Now, we can talk about compensation," Mr. Penney said as he sat down with Tom.
Penney's Alchemy Workshop, the name of the shop owner, Penney, didn't seem that strange.
Mr. Penney offered Tom two options for payment: a profit-sharing arrangement or a fixed payment.
The fixed payment meant that Mr. Penney would give Tom a fixed daily salary, and Tom would perform alchemy and creations for Penney. The material consumption during the alchemical process would be covered by Penney. As Penney provided the materials, he wouldn't give Tom tasks that were too difficult to avoid too many failures and unnecessary waste.
The profit-sharing agreement provided more independence. Tom would resemble more of a collaborator in Penney's studio rather than a subordinate. Material consumption would be Tom's responsibility, and he would take care of profits and losses. If he earned a thousand Galleons for a job or ended up losing money, it would depend on Tom's skills.
Given Tom's character, he naturally leaned toward choosing the profit-sharing agreement.
"Good." Penney didn't say much more and directly signed the contract with Tom.
"Are you going to use your real name or a pseudonym?" When it came to writing the employee's name, Mr. Penney paused for a moment and looked up at Tom. Many alchemists didn't want to reveal their real names in places like Knockturn Alley, which wasn't very formal, and Penney understood that. He even used a fake name himself.
"Better a pseudonym... Hmm, the number seven, I'll use the pseudonym [Seven]," Tom replied.
"Fine." Mr. Penney had obviously seen many strange and odd pseudonyms, and Tom's [Seven] was quite normal in comparison.
After signing the contract, Mr. Penney extended his hand and shook Tom's hand. Now, Tom had officially joined his Alchemy Workshop.
"An alchemist needs their own studio... Fortunately, there's a room available here." Mr. Penney led Tom to an adjoining room.
This would be Tom's workspace from now on.