Hogwarts Raven

Chapter 414, Section 413: The Little People in the Market

Spending money on things like this is perfectly fine.

It wasn't a matter of being a sucker or not, but rather a matter of money not being able to buy happiness—for Ian, he genuinely wanted to know the key to this alchemical technique.

"Alchemy techniques involving time are all extremely valuable." Ian stood before the three cauldrons emanating mysterious magical energy, his initial nausea replaced by intense curiosity and a thirst for knowledge.

As a top alchemist, he knew all too well how precious and rare alchemical artifacts capable of reversing or neutralizing the effects of time erosion were! This was far more than just "making meat fresh"; the time magic and the principles of restoring the essence of matter involved were extremely profound research directions in the field of alchemy!

"If I could figure out how this crucible works, or even get a sample..." Ian's heart skipped a beat. This thing might be worth more to him than several boxes of Galleons! Whether for repairing ancient magical artifacts or for his own research into time magic.

These kinds of props have immeasurable uses.

His mind raced, and he immediately came up with an idea. Without making a sound, he pulled the waiter who had led him in earlier and led him to a relatively quiet corner of the kitchen.

The waiter looked at Ian with some confusion, wondering what else this distinguished guest wanted to ask.

Ian didn't speak, but smiled slightly, flipped his hand, and several gold coins, equally valuable in Galleons and African markets, appeared in his palm, gleaming alluringly in the dim light. He gently placed the coins into the shopkeeper's hand, lowering his voice to speak in simple English mixed with gestures.

"Brother, do me a favor. I'd like to meet your boss and talk about... business." He tried to appear as shrewd as possible; being able to present a different face to a thousand people was a quality he was cultivating.

"Gulu~"

The man felt the heavy gold coins in his hand, his eyes widened instantly, and his breathing quickened. He might not be able to save this much money even after working here for a year!

That's why, although he didn't fully understand what kind of "business" Ian wanted to do, the allure of money was undeniable. Almost instinctively, he clenched the gold coins, and his face immediately lit up with an even more enthusiastic and even fawning smile.

"Honorable sir! You wish to see our boss?" The shop assistant nodded hurriedly, but then looked troubled. "However... our boss doesn't come to the shop often. He usually lives in his family's settlement outside the market. It's the busiest time of day right now, and I can't leave..."

Ian nodded understandingly and added another gold coin: "It's alright. I can wait. Whenever it's convenient for you, just take me to see him."

Seeing yet another gold coin, the waiter's last hesitation vanished. He quickly pocketed the coin, patted his chest, and assured him, "No problem! Don't worry, sir! After 2 PM, when there are fewer customers in the shop, I'll take you to the boss right away! Leave it to me!"

This kind of low-level labor force is indeed easy to satisfy.

"Okay, I'll go out for a walk first, and then I'll come back to find you." Ian smiled contentedly.

"No problem! No problem! Take care, sir!" The waiter bowed and scraped as he saw Ian out of the kitchen.

Ian slipped back through the curtain and returned to the bustling restaurant lobby. Looking at the customers still enjoying their meals, completely unaware of the "origins" of their ingredients, he felt a strange mix of emotions. Who would have thought that such profound alchemical secrets were hidden in the kitchen of this seemingly ordinary roadside shop?
He shook his head, temporarily suppressing these thoughts, and stepped out of the restaurant, rejoining the bustling crowds of the market. There was still some time before 2 PM, and he planned to explore this exotic magical market and see what new and interesting things it had to offer.

Sunlight streamed through the magical dome, illuminating the bustling streets of the market. Ian wandered aimlessly, his mood much more relaxed. Unlike yesterday, when he had a clear purpose, such as gathering information or observing the magic system, today he was more like a pure tourist, enjoying the pleasure of exploration.

“The basic alchemy methods in the African magical world also have some unique features.” Ian was first attracted by a stall selling various small alchemical items.

The stall was filled with all sorts of ingenious gadgets: magic combs that automatically groom hair, cups that can change the temperature of drinks, compasses that can project simple star maps, and even whistles that can imitate the calls of more than a dozen kinds of birds—although they don't have much high-tech content, they are full of creativity and fun.

Most importantly, although there are similar things in the British wizarding world, the underlying alchemical logic of the two is different, which is indeed novel and attractive to Ian.

“Although this kind of technology won’t be of much help to me, it can still give me insight into the direction of a civilization’s development.” Ian picked out a few interesting gadgets with great interest, intending to take them back as souvenirs for his friends at Hogwarts. For example, the compass that projects star charts would be a good gift for Professor Sinestadt in the Astronomy Tower.

There are quite a few stalls like this.

Ian went to the second stall.

The stall owner was a clever-looking young man, enthusiastically promoting his wares. His stall was filled with various trinkets that shimmered with a faint magical glow: automatically wrung-out cloths, tubes that could blow colorful bubbles, tiny iron needles that always pointed north, and even a box of shampoo that claimed to change hair color.

Ian picked up a small gadget that looked like a pocket watch, but had only one hand and was covered with strange symbols. "What's this?"

he asked curiously.

"You have a good eye, esteemed guest!" The waiter immediately came over. "This is a 'Mood Compass'! It doesn't point to directions, it points to moods! If you concentrate on thinking about someone, the pointer will point to the symbol that represents that person's current mood! Look, this is 'happy,' this is 'angry,' this is 'hungry,' and this is... 'trying to scam you!'"

The young man pointed to a skull symbol and said it with great seriousness.

“Haha, Neville might like this thing.” Ian almost burst out laughing. It was clearly a cheap trick to fool people; the magic inside was so weak it was almost negligible, and the so-called “targeting” was most likely random or secretly controlled by the stall owner. But he found it interesting and still spent a few coppers to buy it, planning to take it apart and study the principles behind its “deception” when he got back.

Next, he entered a fairly large bookstore. Unlike the elegant style of Flourish and Blotts, this bookstore was more rugged, with bookshelves constructed of rough wood and books with a wide variety of bindings, ranging from expensive parchment scrolls to cheap papyrus. Ian's gaze swept over the bookshelves.

He discovered many magical books with a distinctly African flavor.

"The Complete Guide to Medicinal Plants and Toxicity Identification in Tropical Rainforests" (with color hand-drawn illustrations; some plants look quite grotesque).

108 Rituals for Communicating with Earth Spirits, River Spirits, and Ancestral Spirits

Practical Runes: From Hunting Inscriptions to Clash of Clans Rune Arrays

"A Guide to the Habits, Weaknesses, and Taming of Common Magical Creatures in Africa (Dangerous Edition)"

On the Resonance of Lightning, Rainstorms, and Soul Power: An Initial Exploration of Storm Magic

These books are very "hardcore," full of pragmatism and raw power, quite different from the European magical world's emphasis on theory, history, and fine manipulation.

Ian had already discovered this yesterday.

but.

Ian didn't buy it yesterday, and Ian wants to buy it today, of course, there's no real connection—Ian's personality is just like that, even more fickle than a woman's.

"This one, that one, and this one inside."

Ian began his "sweep" without hesitation, buying up all the books he thought were worth reading and stuffing them into his money pouch, which had been enchanted with a traceless stretching spell.

Neither of them are expensive.

In terms of prices, the British Empire still holds a significant lead, and the wizarding world is also affected. This knowledge will become an important supplement to enriching his own magical system. He left the bookstore.

Ian continued to wander around.

As Ian strolled along, he passed a pet shop. There were no owls or cats in the shop, but instead, various strange African magical creature cubs.

His gaze was drawn to a small creature in a cage—a tiny bat, no bigger than the palm of his hand, with jet-black fur.

The creature seemed to have just woken up, gripping the cage bars with its two tiny paws, tilting its head, and curiously observing the outside world with its large, round, ruby-like eyes.

The bats occasionally make soft "squeak" sounds, which are quite adorable.

"This little thing is really unique in appearance, it gives me a sense of déjà vu." Ian looked at the little bat, a mischievous thought suddenly popped into his mind, and he couldn't help but curl up a wicked smile.

“Hey, this little guy… he’s such a good match for Severus Snape!” Ian thought with a grin. “Gloomy, mysterious, likes to stay in dark corners… he’d be 'grateful' to have a real bat as a pet, wouldn’t he? My good uncle would definitely thank me.”

Ian couldn't help but laugh at the thought of the wonderful expression that might appear on Professor Snape's perpetually gloomy face when he received this "thoughtful" gift.

Of course, he knew that Snape would most likely refuse with a stern face, or simply kick him out of the office with a death stare, but that didn't stop Ian from finding the idea very interesting.

This creature.

It would also help Ian experiment with whether he could bring other life forms to other dimensions—a topic that other wizards have not dared to attempt to research.

After some haggling, Ian successfully bought the little guy that the shopkeeper called "Shadow Velvet Bat," along with a small magical pendant cage for the bat to rest in—it wasn't anything valuable, just like getting a small gift when buying things in the Muggle world.

"You are a great pioneer in contributing to the development of magic." Ian revealed a less warm side of himself, showing that he treated animals and people differently.

Of course, he would treat his favorite animals with the same kindness. Ian carefully put away the cage containing the bats and continued on his way in a cheerful mood.

The afternoon hustle and bustle of the market was overwhelming.

Sunlight filtered through the magic dome, becoming a warm, non-glaring ray that bathed the bustling crowds and the dazzling array of stalls.

The air was filled with a mixture of various smells.

The aroma of charred, unidentified roasted meat—it certainly didn't smell like the kind of delicious or common meat—was mixed with the bitter scent of various herbs, the pungent smell of potion ingredients, and the stench of leather. Of course, this was Africa after all, and the salty smell of people's sweat also contributed to the vibrant, everyday scene.

"It's getting late."

However, just as he was about to return to the restaurant, a loud argument and commotion suddenly broke out in front of him, quickly attracting a large crowd of onlookers.

Ian followed the flow of people and saw two wizards facing off in front of a stall selling magical fabrics. One was thin and dressed in a gaudy robe.

The other was a burly man with broad shoulders and a thick waist, shirtless, revealing his chest covered with totem tattoos.

"Damn you, Cafu! How dare you use inferior chameleon skin to impersonate moonworm silk! My invisibility cloak only lasted three uses before it became ineffective! Pay up!"

The gaunt wizard shrieked, waving a cloak that did indeed look rather dull.

"Bullshit! Stop talking nonsense! Makuru! It was clearly your own improper spellcasting that caused the magical backlash to ruin my fine fabric! And you're trying to extort me? Get lost!"

The burly man, Cafu, retorted in a booming voice, showing no weakness, and even gave the other man a hard shove.

Makuru stumbled backward after being shoved, knocking over a basket stall next to him. Enraged, he yelled, "You dare lay a hand on me?! Take this 'Tickle Spell'!"

He chanted the incantation tremblingly, and a faint red light shot towards Cafu.

Kafu was clearly not to be outdone. He roared and slammed his fist into the ground. A weak seismic wave spread out, causing the onlookers to stagger. But it also accidentally interfered with the Itch Curse, causing the red light to miss and hit the ankle of an innocent bystander.

The man immediately clutched his ankle and burst into wild laughter.

"Is that all you've got? Watch my 'Greasy Technique'!" Kafu pulled a bull horn from his waist, blew out a strange-smelling black smoke, and enveloped Makuru. Makuru couldn't dodge in time, and his feet suddenly became incredibly slippery, causing him to fall flat on his back in a sorry state.

The street brawl between the two resembled a children's fight.

Ian watched with great interest.

The two of them stood in the middle of the street, attacking each other with clumsy and disorganized magic. One moment there were faint beams of light flying around, the next the ground trembling slightly, and then inexplicable smoke and slippery areas appearing. It was less a wizarding duel and more like two children playing around with a cheap toy.

The scene was quite comical. Instead of being frightened, the onlookers burst into laughter and jeers, and some even placed bets on who would win.

The magical abilities of these two wizards were truly appalling. Their spellcasting was crude, their control over magical power was extremely poor, and they only used some low-level tricks. In Hogwarts, they would probably be no better than third-year students. This also reflects that African magical education may place more emphasis on practicality and inheritance.

Instead of systematic theoretical learning, the skill levels of lower-level wizards vary greatly.

Just as the farce was escalating and nearly affecting more stalls, suddenly, a series of hurried and orderly footsteps sounded.

"Stop! Private fights are prohibited in the Magic Market!"

A team of wizard enforcers, dressed in matching dark blue uniforms, wearing armbands, and with serious expressions, quickly parted the crowd and rushed in. Their movements were efficient and coordinated; in pairs, they used binding spells to tightly bind Makuru and Kafu, who were still shouting and fighting each other.

"Disrupting market order and damaging other people's property, in accordance with the 'East African Magic Market Management Regulations,' you are hereby detained and fined!" the head enforcement captain announced sternly, giving the two no chance to explain. The onlookers who had been jeering just moments before immediately fell silent, clearly quite wary of these law enforcement officers.

Makuru and Kafu, like two chickens with their necks choked, immediately wilted and were dejectedly led away by the law enforcement officers. The farce thus came to a swift end.

The market quickly returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.

Only Ian was still not satisfied.

"I'm such a gossipy little rascal."

(End of this chapter)