After entering the shop, the stout witch adjusted her glasses, then went to the counter where she kept her magical objects and began commenting on them.
"This pair of anti-curse gloves is interesting, but you have to stare into your opponent's eyes to reflect the jinx. Bad review!"
"This Extendable Ears can be monitored, but it needs to be connected to a thin wire. Do you really think everyone else is blind? Bad review!"
"This protective ring can create a defensive barrier, but… it's too expensive. Bad review!"
…
The stout witch wandered around the shop, spraying every product she came across, leaving Ivan baffled. If he hadn't known she was there to shop, he would have thought she was from the Wizarding Market…
Fortunately, Dawlish and Sunny were among the group of four who came over, and Ivan went up to them to ask about the situation.
Dawlish looked solemn and did not reply, but Sunny lowered her voice and whispered,
"This is Madam Moon from the finance department of our executive branch. She was sent by the Ministry to lower the price."
At this point, Sunny also blushed a little, because their executive branch had been exceptionally poor recently, otherwise they wouldn't be like this…
You have to haggle over the price of Ministry goods? Aren't you the official body?
Ivan was speechless. He thought the Ministry of Magic was rich?
No wonder this woman started picking on his flaws the moment he entered.
Madam Moon turned her head sharply to look at Sunny, and the young woman, who had not been employed for long, was shocked and did not dare to reveal any more information to Ivan.
After looking around, Madam Muen finally stopped and touched her gold-rimmed glasses.
"In short, while they meet the Ministry's purchasing standards, they fall far short of my expectations, and I think the price should be discussed…"
"For example, the Ministry is prepared to purchase them in large quantities, preferably at a price of no more than five Galleons…otherwise, the Ministry will reconsider whether the purchase is worth it."
Ivan frowned. He was in no position to bargain, but at that moment, Alicia intervened.
"I'm sorry, Madam Moon, but seven Galleons is the lowest price I can go, and when you factor in the research costs, you won't even make a Sickle, so if the Ministry refuses to buy because of this, then I'm sorry."
Ethia looked at Madam Moon with hostility and no intention of backing down.
From what she had heard, the Ministry had suffered heavy casualties over the past few days, and it was unlikely that they would give up on purchasing anti-curse gloves and defensive rings.
Madam Moon suddenly looked away from Ivan and towards Alicia, and the atmosphere seemed to have frozen.
Ivan was sandwiched between the two of them, and for a moment, he felt immense pressure, so he gave up the venue to fool the other Aurors.
It was then almost a home match between Mrs Moon and Alicia, and the two sides engaged in a heated argument for over an hour before a formal agreement was reached.
The Ministry of Magic paid six Galleons of ten Sickles for three hundred anti-curse gloves, totaling nearly two thousand Galleons.
He bought ten protective rings, one for sixty-five Galleons, a total of six hundred and fifty Galleons.
Extendable ears and clever quills were also purchased in small quantities, totaling three thousand Galleons.
After the discussion, Madam Moon was apparently very pleased and felt that she had almost reached the cost price.
However, she did not know that the research cost and time spent on it was not as high as she had imagined. It was a miracle created by three geniuses in a month!
To Ivan's great surprise, Madam Moon was extremely interested in the enhanced version of his potion.
"Are these potions really that powerful?" Madam Moen was holding a bottle of strengthened Potion of Delight, and the label below said that it was twice as effective as normal potions!
The rest of the counters were stocked with potions that were described as having better effects than normal potions, although the prices were not much higher.
"Of course, try it yourself if you don't believe me," Ivan said confidently.
Madam Moon hesitated for a moment, then unscrewed the cork from the bottle and swirled it gently as if she were tasting red wine. Finally, she poured out a little and took a sip.
The next moment, Madam Muen's wrinkled face relaxed, and she felt as if her body and mind had been cleansed. All her worries and depression at work were swept away, and she smiled in satisfaction.
"Which potion master created this? How can it be so powerful?"
It must be noted that common potions such as the Joy Potion generally had relatively stable effects, and it was very difficult for them to improve greatly unless a potion master modified the original recipe.
Yvonne just smiled and said nothing.
Madam Moon did not probe further. Good supply channels were always kept secret, although she felt it was a pity. She had hoped to get him to come to the Ministry as a consultant.
Despite the Ministry's association with St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, and the fact that ordinary potions could be purchased from there, those special high-grade potions could only be concocted by an individual potioneer.
Perhaps due to the effects of the Potion of Delight, Madam Moen generously included some strengthening potions on her list.
After leaving the deposit and signing two agreements, Madam Moon left, satisfied.
"Curseproof Gloves: 11 Galleons? The protective ring costs 120 Galleons. Didn't Madam Muen lower the price? Why is the price higher?" Ivan leaned forward curiously and glanced at the agreement. It seemed different from what they had discussed.
"Because the agreement is for the Ministry of Magic to see!" Alicia explained calmly, then put the agreement away.
"The Ministry of Magic? Aren't they the Ministry?" Yvonne wondered.
"Or, to be precise, the Ministry of Magic's executive branch!" said Isiah, glancing at Ivan.
Ivan immediately understood.
The Ministry of Magic was also divided into several departments. Although it was a large, official organisation, there were simply too many places to spend money, and each department was eagerly awaiting the Ministry's funding.
Therefore, when reporting funds to the higher-ups, the executive branch would naturally report as much as possible, and the remaining funds would be added to the department's separate vaults for other needs.
Ivan then wondered why Acacia would ask Madame Moon to lower the price.
As if reading Ivan's mind, Alicia spoke again.
"In exchange, they are willing to order a portion of the potion from us."