The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 114 William's Magic Beans and a New Story

In the dimly lit tavern, William's words were like a gentle breeze whispering in Ino's ear, catching him somewhat off guard.

"So, what's the difference?" His voice held a hint of inquiry as he struggled to process this sudden information.

"That's a huge difference!" Jacob, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, chimed in, speaking eloquently:

"Magicians are honored guests in the court, wise men whom kings vie to invite. But witches and devils who play with evil magic are beings in the shadows, like filthy reptiles, unable to bear the light."

"However, to be fair, true magicians are indeed rare; I've only met one myself. They are incredibly knowledgeable and exceptionally intelligent, and often live in seclusion in libraries, quietly conducting their research. Therefore, many people even believe that magicians are merely legendary figures."

As Jacob recounted his story, Ino unconsciously touched the wand hidden in his sleeve.

Honestly, this week of medieval living experience was an ordeal for him. The inability to shower and walking through streets full of excrement every day left him feeling exhausted.

Especially in the town of Shangke, horse and mule droppings are almost everywhere, fresh and dry, mixed together, which is really unbearable.

"Since you believe in magic, that makes things easier." William breathed a sigh of relief. He continued, "I can pay for your story in another way: by giving you some magic beans..."

However, before he could finish speaking, Jacob interrupted him: "Enough! My good brother, you're doing something wrong. Others lied to you, so why are you lying to Ino? That doesn't make sense."

William was somewhat embarrassed by Jacob's words, and he argued, "Well... how can that be called lying..."

But his voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible.

"Alright, Jacob. Perhaps you're right." William sighed helplessly, then turned to Ino: "Let's put the cost of the story on the tab for now, and I'll pay you when I have the money."

Although William no longer mentioned the magic beans, Ino's curiosity was piqued.

He had read many stories about magic beans, so he was very curious about what kind of magic bean William had.

"William, money isn't an issue. What I really want to know is, what exactly are those magic beans?"

Upon hearing Ino's question, William sighed softly, a Ukrainian sadness showing on his face.

"The person who gave me the beans was a forest elf I met during an adventure. She told me that these were magic beans blessed by the goddess of harvest, and that if the seeds were allowed to sprout, they would grow into a three-foot-tall oak tree."

As he spoke, William took a small wooden box out of his pocket and placed it on the table. He opened the lid, and inside were some slightly yellowish seeds that looked like peas.

"Look, these are it! Once they're planted and the oak trees have grown, every year during the harvest festival, countless gold coins will grow on their branches, allowing people to experience the joy of a bountiful harvest."

"But they never sprouted!" Jacob mercilessly exposed his brother's lie. "And... are you sure you didn't eat them as snacks? Is this all there is left? Last time I saw them, there was almost half a bag left."

Watching the interaction between the two brothers, Ino smiled silently, thought for a moment, and then said:

"William, I'm very interested in these beans, but there are some things I need to say beforehand."

After seeing these magic beans, he wanted to try to take a different path from his teacher Hans, to forge his own path, a path similar to equivalent exchange!

After all, following someone else's path will always limit your potential, just like the four founders of Hogwarts.

"William! Jacob!" Ino looked at the two brothers seriously.

"Actually, I'm a magician's apprentice! And what I'm trying to say is, these magic beans might be real, but I need to take them back to show my teacher. So, are you still willing to use them to pay for the story?"

Fair exchange is not about deceiving others by exploiting information asymmetry; it is a transaction based on transparent and known information.

As Ino finished speaking, the Brothers Grimm suddenly looked up. Unlike William's contemplation, Jacob's eyes were like the bright morning sun of the East, piercing through a thin mist, and were almost frighteningly bright.

Despite this, Jacob did not speak up as usual. He first turned to look at William, seemingly waiting for his brother's response.

William, a man of great experience, after a brief silence, smiled and said:

"This is truly unexpected! Although I knew from the beginning that you had other identities, I only speculated that you might be of noble birth."

As he spoke, William pushed the wooden box on the table forward: "I agree to the trade, even if it really does yield gold coins, in my hands it's just a snack bean."

Ino didn't take the box, but carefully took out three beans from inside.

"Fair trade. Although you agreed, I'll only take three: Narnia, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Lord of the Rings. The other short stories are free."

Seeing that the deal was done, Jacob said impatiently, "Ino, tell me about magicians, I'm really curious."

He mentioned before that he had seen it once, but that was at the coronation ceremony of a king in another country, where he and his brother were standing in a square a few hundred meters away.

Looking at it from a distance, I had no idea which one was the magician.

Just as Ino was about to speak, a loud "bang!" rang out.

The door to the tavern was violently pushed open.

"What a strange thing! Do you know what we saw today?"

Entering the tavern was a burly man with nostrils as big as walnuts, followed by five oddly-looking men. Some had arms as thick as thighs, and others wore leather hats even in the middle of summer. In short, they were all very eccentric.

Just as Ino was carefully observing the group opposite him, Jacob's voice came from beside him:

"That was the Krug caravan. They were very famous here. My brother even wrote their story, I think it was called 'Six People Travel the World'."

Six people travel the world and everything goes smoothly! The story instantly flashed into Ino's mind; it was all too familiar.

This was the first story he read at home in his distant childhood, using a cartoon-illustrated fairy tale book with pinyin annotations.

Before he could think further, Kru, seeing that everyone in the tavern was drawn to him, shouted:

"Strange things have happened in Klin Town. In broad daylight, a horse swallowed a little girl whole. By the time people found her, the horse's belly was as big as a water vat. Including this girl, many strange things have happened in their town..."

Kru was a naturally loud voice, and as he talked, Ino found his interest in the Brothers Grimm growing stronger.

Clearly, the Brothers Grimm are about to embark on a new adventure, and these kinds of shady dealings not only allow them to record interesting stories, but also often earn them a considerable amount of money for exorcisms.

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(End of this chapter)