A thin letter from Gringotts.
The letter listed his recent income and a withdrawal of Golden Galleons his father, Ferdinand Gray, had made from the vault. Vid glanced at the numbers and casually put the letter away.
The package was from Machioni, accompanied by a letter detailing the recent sales situation of the Friendship Book, the income Vid should receive, and the next steps for promoting the Friendship Book—although productivity couldn't keep up, Machioni had already spread the market to Asia and Africa.
In the letter, Machioni also sketched several new versions of the Friendship Book to be launched and "earnestly requested" Vid, as the inventor of the Friendship Book, to "provide valuable suggestions" so that the new product could achieve "greater success" upon its release.
Judging from the earnest tone in Machioni's letter, it seemed as though this business tycoon was truly losing sleep over this, as if only Vid could show him the way.
Vid: ...
He sort of understood why Professor Morry would say, "Just use that guy's abilities to help you make money. If he bothers you too much, just ignore him."
Professor Morry probably received similar owls from Machioni quite often in the past.
However, for Vid, Machioni not only brought him a large sum of Galleons but also sent a package of alchemy materials—most of which were ordinary, though it included the precious African tree snake skin, which was hard to obtain even with money.
Vid still seriously wrote a letter back.
Of course, it wasn't about small matters like which pattern was more attractive. Vid noted down some thoughts he had recently had while studying alchemy regarding improvements to the Friendship Book.
For instance, previously limiting it to linking only two or three people was often inconvenient. He modified the magic rune circuits, and now, with just a simple spell, multiple blank Friendship Books could be linked together.
Another example, for the new Friendship Book, it's possible to add a picture on the bottom page, showing various emoticons that can express emotions with simple symbols—even though it's not particularly useful, Vid knows such things are very popular among young people. Some words written in text feel too cold, but when replaced with emoticons or pictures, they seem witty and cute, possibly stimulating another wave of consumer desire.
Additionally, a special tracking feature could be added to some Friendship Books, allowing one to view the other's location at any time as long as they both possess each other's Friendship Books.
Vid thought for a while, then added another paragraph to the letter—
"I believe, this type of Friendship Book should prominently note its tracking function at the header, with a design that clearly distinguishes it from ordinary Friendship Books—if a book originally meant for communication also has tracking, it raises privacy concerns that ordinary people might find unacceptable. Its buyers should be between parents and children, or truly affectionate couples..."
Wondering whether his Friendship Book might unwittingly separate a few couples in the future.
Vid imagined such scenes—
Previously, couples would ask, "Do you love me? How much do you love me? Swear it!"
In the future, expressions of loyalty might become, "Can you exchange tracking Friendship Books with me?"
Hmm...
The test arrives unexpectedly like this.
Vid thought about his own situation—he wouldn't mind his parents knowing his location, and as for a romantic partner who didn't yet exist... if he did fall in love someday, it would certainly be with the intention of marriage, as loyalty in marriage is a basic requirement.
Moreover, Vid didn't plan to marry at a young age—is magic not wonderful enough? Is alchemy not interesting enough? Falling in love? Love what love! It would only waste his precious time...
So the arrow he released today would absolutely not boomerang back to himself.
Vid continued writing with assurance, quickly wrapping it up. He handed the letter for an owl to take, along with a revised version of the Friendship Book, and watched it fly away.
...
The Great Hall, entrance hall, Umbrella House, library, Black Lake, Forbidden Forest, Quidditch Pitch, Ravenclaw Common Room, dormitory...
Vid had taken photos at nearly all the representative places in the school he could set foot in. Along the way, familiar classmates and professors would join him for group photos.
Although Vid had never been a parent, he had spent many years as a son. When he traveled, he always liked to photograph various unique buildings and natural landscapes, hoping his parents could also share these beautiful scenes. Later he understood that his parents had no interest in these sceneries; they just wanted to see him in them.
Thus, now in his lens, no matter how marvelous the environment, the focus was always on people—in front of the greenhouse, he stood next to a kindly, slightly smiling professor; by the Black Lake, he had an arm around a lively, brightly smiling classmate; inside the Umbrella House, SSC members sat together talking and laughing.
Fear often stems from the unknown, like walking in endless darkness, hearing only the sound of your own heartbeat. If you had a light in your hand, illuminating your surroundings and helping you see clearly the thorns and mire ahead, even though the road remains rocky, your fear would naturally dissipate.
...
The roll film cameras that could be used at Hogwarts were very classical, and the photo-developing process was originally cumbersome and long, but magic accelerated this process.
Vid turned the Room of Requirement into a photo-developing darkroom, then placed the negatives into the developing solution. After a series of processes, including developing, stop bath, washing, fixing, and printing, he finally got a stack of moving photos.
He moved to a brightly lit area and flipped through them one by one.
The camera not only recorded their actions and scenarios but seemed to capture the mood at the time of shooting. The people in the photos appeared to smile more brightly than usual; Professor Sprout occasionally patted his head, while Professor Flitwick sometimes excitedly jumped onto a stack of books, then down again.
Professor Morry, usually loving and gentle, was regarded by Vid as a source of wisdom and a mentor in life. In the photos, Professor Morry initially still appeared this way, but after taking a sip of tea, his whole face scrunched up, eyes shut, eyebrows shifted, and even the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, as if unbearably bitter.
—Was that tea... that bitter? Could it possibly have had some American black coffee added?
Vid tried to recall but hadn't noticed that tea at that moment. Now he watched in the photo as Professor Morry grimaced from bitterness, then yet curiously took another sip, only to grimace again...
Vid laughed uncontrollably.
This photo ought to be kept private; otherwise, if Professor Morry saw it, surely it would be destroyed beyond recognition for ruining his image?
Vid continued flipping through the photos when his hand suddenly paused, and his gaze turned gentle.
It was a simple snapshot taken during Christmas, with his family sitting on the sofa.
But now, the three people in the photo sat closely together, parents leaning towards him with hands clasped. They gazed lovingly at each other, occasionally kissing; or bowing their heads to lightly kiss Vid's forehead in the photo.
Leaning against the window, Vid gently stroked the photo with his fingers, unable to help but smile, his eyes shimmering with a warm glow.