The next morning, after Alvin finished processing the “breakfast materials” as usual, his experience bar ticked up another notch.
Before breakfast, Lupin brought back ten more people.
The ten newcomers stood in a row, varying in height, weight, and build.
Alvin didn’t ask their names, nor did he ask what they had done in the past.
He simply gave them a cursory glance.
“Starting today, the original combat group will be restructured,” Alvin announced.
“Kyle.”
“Here, Boss,” Kyle said, stepping forward.
“From now on, you are the leader of Combat Group One.
Pick six people.”
“Sharpclaw.”
Sharpclaw blinked, then quickly stood out.
“Present!”
“You’re the leader of Combat Group Two.
You also pick six.”
“Ear, the remaining people go to your Logistics Group.”
Alvin stood up and walked over to the three leaders.
“From today onward, your salaries will be increased by another hundred Galleons per month.”
Kyle and the others swallowed hard at the news.
“However,” Alvin’s voice turned cold.
“You must manage your people well.
Establish rules, train them so nothing goes wrong, and improve their combat strength as quickly as possible.
The goal is Auror level…”
Ear immediately responded, “Understood!”
The other two quickly followed suit, shouting, “U-Understood!”
Alvin nodded and turned to go upstairs.
The moment he left, the attic burst into a flurry of excitement.
Greyback slapped Sharpclaw on the shoulder.
“Not bad, you!
Promoted to an official already!”
Sharpclaw grinned, baring his fangs.
“Just lucky, heh!”
Vivienne whispered to Tom, “Mr.
Royce feels different today.”
“Different how?”
“I can’t quite put my finger on it.” Vivienne thought for a moment.
“A bit like…
the Patriarch of a Great Family?
You know, the type who doesn’t say much, but every word carries a lot of weight.”
Kyle cleared his throat.
“Listen up, everyone.
The Boss is generous, so we have to show him we’re worth it.
From today on, double the training, double the rules.
If anyone gets lazy or stirs up trouble, the Boss won’t even need to lift a finger—I’ll deal with you myself.”
The crowd voiced their agreement.
From the second-floor windowsill, Alvin watched the training begin in the courtyard.
Ear was teaching the Logistics Group how to use Extendable Ears and smoke bombs.
Everything was in perfect order.
He pulled up the inventory interface.
[Gold: 45,120] [Silver: 17] [Copper: 83]
The number of Gold Galleons was still increasing, but the rate of growth wasn’t as fast as before.
On one hand, he was spending quite a bit on Mana Replenishment Potions; on the other, the volume of exchanges had begun to drop sharply.
He had to pick up the pace.
Despite having over 40,000 gold coins, the money would disappear quickly if he truly started spending.
Fixing his Panel required a massive amount of potions, and arming his new subordinates would cost a fortune.
Buying intelligence required even more.
“The road to future Galleons is long and difficult,” Alvin sighed.
An hour later, Alvin called Ear upstairs.
“Find someone to contact Griphook at Gringotts today.
Tell him we want to meet him privately to exchange Copper Knuts for Galleons—as many as possible.”
Ear pulled out a small notebook and scribbled rapidly.
“Also, tell him that if he can make the exchange ‘unnoticeable,’ we don’t mind giving him a little something extra.”
“Understood, Boss.
Goblins are greedy; I’m sure he won’t refuse such a temptation.”
“Indeed.
Greedy goblins.”
Ear went downstairs, found Tom, and relayed the instructions exactly.
Although Tom was a Squib, he was fast on his feet and inconspicuous, making him perfect for this kind of errand.
The reply came faster than expected.
Alvin tore open the letter.
It was brief:
[31st.] [Vault month-end settlement day.
Easier to manipulate.] [Condition: 0.5% kickback.
No records.]
Looking at the unsigned letter, Alvin let out a cold sneer.
“As expected.
As long as the profit is high enough, goblins really do get things done.”
“Go there personally.
Agree to his terms, but I want to exchange no less than five hundred thousand Galleons in one go.”
Ear’s eyes widened.
“B-Boss, how many did you say?
Five…
five hundred thousand?!”
“Yes, five hundred thousand!
If he wants a kickback, I’ll give him enough to choke on!”
By evening, the clearing behind the attic was once again filled with cages and sacks.
Thanks to the increase in manpower, the purchasing volume had gone up significantly.
Fifty-four magical creatures—Salamanders—crackled in their crates.
There was even more ordinary livestock: goats, sheep, chickens, and rabbits, totaling over two hundred head.
Alvin gripped his knife and got to work.
After killing the ordinary animals, he turned to the magical creatures.
It was Alvin’s first time killing Salamander larvae; their hard shells required several stabs before they died.
By the second one, he found it too tedious, tossed the knife aside, and simply snapped its neck.
Alvin glanced at his experience bar.
Salamander larvae provided high experience—one was worth five sheep.
Augureys weren’t easy to kill either; they were fast and good at hiding.
But Alvin’s Agility hadn’t increased for nothing.
After a quick grab of the neck and a light squeeze, the experience was his.
By the time he got to the Erumpent calves, the sky was completely dark.
These creatures looked like small rhinoceroses with a glowing horn on their heads.
The calves had fierce tempers, constantly ramming against their cages.
Alvin waited for the right moment, then drove his knife into the side of one’s neck with a reverse grip.
The calf let out a pained wail, struggled for a few moments, and went still.
An hour passed.
Golden light flashed twice, and finally, his level settled at Level 15.
His attributes increased once again.
He walked over to a dead goat, knelt down, and gripped the goat’s head with his right hand, tightening his fingers.
With a loud *crack*, the skull shattered.
It was like a crushed biscuit—one with a filling.
Sharpclaw’s eyes went wide as he watched from the side.
“G-Gold Boss…”
“Hmm?” Alvin shook the bone fragments off his hand.
“Isn’t your strength a bit…
too much?
It’s almost the same as when I’m in my werewolf form!”
“Is it?” Alvin stood up and rolled his shoulders.
“It’s alright.
It’ll get even higher in the future.”
“Merlin’s beard, it can get even higher?
I can’t even imagine how strong your body will be once you’re an adult.”
Alvin smiled, offering no explanation that his strength came entirely from attribute points gained by leveling up.
“Boss?” Lupin walked over from the warehouse area, holding an account book.
He glanced at the crushed goat head on the ground and frowned slightly, but said nothing.
“We only exchanged five thousand Galleons today.
Most of the new recruits’ equipment and wages were paid in Silver Sickles and Copper Knuts, but we still spent a significant amount of Gold Galleons.”
“Mm.” Alvin wiped his knife.
“Any movement from Gringotts?”
“Ear has people watching.
Nothing yet.
But I think they’ll notice sooner or later; the flow of Copper Knuts lately has been too large.”
“Then we’ll exchange as much as possible before they notice.
I’ve contacted Griphook for the day after tomorrow.
When the time comes, I’ll take some men and pay them a visit!”