At his workbench, Lucien's quill danced across the open pages of the magical notebook.
"The surveys went out even faster than I expected," Harry's handwriting appeared, conveying a sense of relief at having finished the task. "Everyone seems pretty curious about this whole 'investigation' thing, and..."
"And the vouchers," Lucien added with a smile, writing a new line below Harry's.
This was his little marketing strategy: every completed questionnaire came with a voucher for Seventh Workshop, which could be used for a discount on future purchases.
The young wizards got a deal, but the Galleons and Sickles they spent would ultimately flow right into Lucien's pocket.
Of course, the real goal was to push forward the repayment progress on the Emerald Tablet Fragment's loan.
At the same time, Lucien had instructed Fred and George to leak some rumors ahead of time. He had given them samples of potions with minor cosmetic effects, along with teasers for new products dropping just in time for Valentine's Day.
The vouchers stimulated the desire to buy; the teasers sparked curiosity; and the questionnaires gathered data on the students' Valentine's preferences to prepare for the Fire Element Rune loan...
It was a classic case of killing multiple birds with one stone.
The page was quickly filled with the back-and-forth handwriting of Lucien and Harry.
Then, as if washed away by invisible water, the ink faded, and the paper returned to a pristine white, waiting for new words.
However, the previous conversation wasn't lost. With a simple magical command, the chat history could be retrieved and reviewed.
Drawing on the experience of messaging apps from his past life, Lucien had replicated many practical functions within this little notebook.
Of course, this first-generation product had its limitations.
Each sheet of specially crafted "Communication Paper" could only be bound to one specific contact.
If you wanted to add a new friend? You needed to use a fresh sheet of Communication Paper.
Want to start a group chat? That would consume an entire sheet as well.
But what might seem like a "flaw" to others was, in Lucien's eyes, a glittering "feature"!
Aside from the initial cost of the notebook itself, the consumable Communication Paper was the real cash cow.
What delighted Lucien the most was the system's judgment: One sheet of Communication Paper counted as one independent alchemical item.
The quest for the Emerald Tablet Fragment required him to sell 30,000 alchemical items or potions and earn a total of 150,000 Galleons.
If every single sheet of paper counted as an item, the difficulty of hitting that volume target just dropped significantly.
As for the 150,000 Galleons revenue target, that would need to be supported by high-end, high-ticket items—like the "Eastwind" Broomstick.
Lucien had also designed a "Deluxe Bespoke Edition" of the communication notebook. The functionality was slightly better, sure, but it was mostly targeted at those status-obsessed pure-bloods who needed to feel superior to everyone else.
His quill paused as a new thought flashed through his mind. He muttered to himself:
"Maybe... I could even launch a 'Deluxe Edition' of the Communication Paper itself?"
He could use finer materials, embed miniature family crests, or perhaps offer faster message refresh rates...
Again, the target demographic would be those pure-bloods who worshiped appearances and exclusivity.
The thought made Lucien raise an eyebrow at himself. Is doing that with just the paper a bit too dark? Am I turning into a crooked merchant?
Eh, let's prioritize paying off the Emerald Tablet loan first. I can worry about improving the product and benefiting the wizarding world later.
Lucien shook his head, clearing the thought. Once this magical communication notebook was officially unveiled at the Exchange Competition, its disruptive functionality was guaranteed to cause a sensation.
The influence of the three major magic schools radiated across the entire continent. The eyes of the international wizarding community were focused here.
It was foreseeable that as long as the product was impressive enough, it would sweep through European wizarding society in no time.
And since Europe was the heart of the magical world, the subsequent waves of interest would be massive.
Lucien looked at the blank page before him. In his mind's eye, he saw countless sheets of Communication Paper connecting the world in a vast, unprecedented, and instantaneous magical network.