Morris turned his attention to the sales list attached at the end of the letter.
[Crup skeleton - 30 Galleons]
[Diricawl skeleton - 45 Galleons]
[Jarvey skeleton - 80 Galleons]
[Graphorn skeleton - 120 Galleons (Note: horns missing)]
[Nundu skull - 200 Galleons (Note: fangs intact)]
...
At the bottom of the list was a line of small text: Prices above are non-negotiable. Special species can be pre-ordered. Basic care guide included.
After reading the list, Morris was stunned for a moment.
It listed skeletons of various animals he didn't recognize.
There was actually a shop that specialized in this kind of business—no wonder it operated in Knockturn Alley.
Though he wasn't clear on the specific laws of the magical world, this kind of trade probably had at least some legal issues.
Which meant the skeleton he'd seen earlier in the secondhand robe shop was probably genuine too.
Morris's desire to obtain it suddenly intensified.
It seemed he'd need to speak with the owner in person.
Not now, of course—setting aside his lack of self-defense ability, even if the owner were willing to sell, he didn't have enough Galleons.
Having bought an owl and various sundries, he only had 39 Galleons left, plus some Sickles and Knuts.
That money would barely cover a Crup skeleton.
Morris sighed softly.
Sure enough, whether in the Muggle or wizarding world, people worry about money.
So, should he buy it or not?
The Crup skeleton.
Honestly, he was quite interested.
It sounded like some kind of canine creature's skeleton.
But... would it be unsafe?
What if he sent the Galleons and didn't receive the goods?
After all, this was an unfamiliar shop operating in Knockturn Alley with no reputation to speak of.
Morris never liked dwelling on such matters.
Buy it!
He immediately picked up a pen and wrote a reply:
[Mr. Flick:
Please reserve a Crup skeleton for me. I will enclose 30 Galleons with this letter.
If convenient, please include a basic introduction to the species.
Looking forward to your product.]
After writing the letter, he carefully counted out 30 Galleons from his money pouch and wrapped them in soft cloth.
This expense nearly depleted most of his savings, but thinking about obtaining a genuine, well-preserved magical creature skeleton, he still felt it was worth it.
Morris handed the heavy envelope and package to the owl waiting on the windowsill, which immediately took flight and disappeared into the sky.
In the end, curiosity had conquered caution.
A magical animal skeleton had absolutely no use for him at present.
He was simply interested in it, that was all.
Nothing more.
But as a reason for shopping, that was enough.
Forget it—no need to overthink.
Morris closed his eyes and entered a meditative state.
...
Two days later, one evening, the owl visited Morris's residence again.
This time Morris received a note and a rather large wooden box.
[Thank you for your patronage. Looking forward to our next transaction.]
That was the entire content of the letter.
As for the introduction to the Crup he'd requested, there was no trace of it.
Not very reliable indeed.
Morris thought this while opening the wooden box, a bad feeling was growing in his heart.
"..."
He stared at the contents of the box, lost in thought.
The box was filled with bone fragments of various sizes.
These fragments came in different shapes, from tiny finger bones to larger leg bones—everything was there.
Each piece was quite well-preserved, gleaming with a smooth luster under the light.
Morris dumped all the fragments onto the table with a headache—there must be several hundred pieces.
Besides these, there was also a very small glass bottle labeled "Adhesive."
So, he had to assemble it himself.
He rubbed his temples helplessly.
"Woohoo—look what I found... Wait, Morris, what are you doing?"
Just then, Scott opened the door and walked in, clutching a five-pound note in his hand.
When he saw the table full of bone fragments, his eyes went round.
"Where did you get so many bones?" He moved closer to the table and carefully poked a skull fragment with his finger. "These aren't... human bones, are they?"
"You have quite the imagination." Morris leaned back in his chair, saying somewhat helplessly, "This is a dog skeleton model."
This excuse was reasonable enough—the bones did indeed look like a model.
"Did you find it? Oh, never mind that!" Scott excitedly waved the five-pound note in his hand. "Look! This is the real find—I found it under a trash can."
He proudly smoothed the note on the table—such a large amount wasn't common.
"Very good, but I don't recommend going through trash cans." Morris replied absently, preoccupied with comparing two bone fragments.
"I didn't go through the trash!" Scott pursed his lips. "Whatever... Are you going to finish this model?"
"Mm." Morris focused all his attention on the task at hand.
"I'll help!" Scott rolled up his sleeves enthusiastically.
Before Morris could respond, he'd already grabbed several bone fragments and began attempting to fit them together like a puzzle.
Forget it—let him be.
Morris sighed.
Kids will be kids—playful by nature.
...
About two and a half hours later.
Morris rubbed his sore eyes and stretched. "That should be about right."
The bone fragments on the table had been assembled into a relatively complete whole.
"Mm, perfect."
Though there were still quite a few unused bone pieces scattered on the table, Morris nodded with satisfaction.
"Hey, this is supposed to be a dog model, right?" Scott tilted his head, and began examining the skeleton on the table in confusion. "Dogs walk on all fours, don't they? Why is this thing standing upright? And... why are its two arms different lengths? Wait—why is its tail at the front?"
"Don't worry about those details."
Morris sighed and pushed the entire skeleton over with his hand.
Sure enough, trying to assemble a completely unfamiliar magical creature skeleton without a diagram was asking too much.
Scott looked at the model that had returned to a pile of scattered bones and clicked his tongue regretfully. "We worked so hard to put it together."
"It's fine."
Morris replied, starting to tinker with it again.
"You play with it. I'm going to bed." Scott yawned hugely, stretching as he stood up from the table. "I have to get up early tomorrow."
He kicked off his shoes and lazily climbed into his bunk.
...
The next day, Morris attempted to use the undead creature transformation magic circle to directly transform the pile of bones.
Unfortunately, he failed.
Those bones showed no signs of coming to life at all.