Chapter 6: I Never Said I Wouldn't Pay

Ollivanders Wand Shop.

In the cramped room, an old man with silver hair seemed to be lost in a world of his own, muttering to himself, appearing somewhat eerie.

Seeing the scene before him, Ino couldn't help but remind, "Sir! If possible, I would still like to get my wand as soon as possible."

Glancing through the window, he noticed people waiting outside the shop, perhaps out of basic courtesy, as they didn't barge in without permission.

"Ah, sorry, my child! Here we go."

Clearly noticing the customers outside, Ollivander wasted no time and immediately resumed the interrupted measuring process.

From shoulder to fingertip, then from wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, and even taking a measure of Ino's head circumference.

The enchanted tape measure kept moving up and down, and when everything was ready, Ollivander turned to stare at Ino's amber eyes for a while, tentatively saying:

"Try this one, elderwood with phoenix feather core, 12 inches long, reasonably flexible. It seemed the most lively when you were telling your story earlier, so I think you two should get along well."

A very beautiful wand, Ino's first impression.

Unlike other common elderwood wands, the protruding knots on the wand were not as prominent, instead, they were neatly arranged, resembling white gems embedded in the wand.

Although he acknowledged the wand's aesthetics, Ino was not very trusting of Ollivander's introduction and highly suspected that it was just an excuse that popped into his head after hearing the story.

Because, although this world had magic, it was limited to magic. The fantastical things from fairy tales were probably not very plausible here.

That being said, Ino still carefully took the wand. After all, whether it was phoenix feathers or elderwood, they were both very special in the world of magic.

Smooth and delicate to the touch... it even seemed to carry a faint warmth.

But that wasn't the point.

Because he clearly saw that as soon as he grasped the wand, a jade-green fluorescence appeared at the tip of the wand, followed by the blooming of a six-petal elderwood flower.

How should I put it, unlike Harry's wand selection, which was chaotic and lively, like an energetic child.

The wand in his hand right now was like a shy girl, expressing herself modestly and reservedly.

"Excellent!" Ollivander exclaimed with excitement.

The sudden sound startled Ino, and when he regained his senses, the flower blooming on the wand had quietly dissipated.

"I knew you two were compatible, really... It was very happy just now, listening to the story."

The instigator of the whole affair, Ollivander, continued to expound his philosophy, babbling on like a chatterbox.

"Here we go again..." Ino couldn't help but roll his eyes.

He admitted that this wand did indeed suit him. Holding it felt like reuniting with a long-lost friend, giving him a faint sense of familiarity.

But if you were to talk about things like autonomous consciousness or character wisdom, sorry... he didn't feel anything of the sort.

Seeing the guarded look in the other's eyes, Ino couldn't help but sigh and open his coin purse.

...

Exiting the wand shop, Ino felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.

To possess a real wand was something he had never dared to dream of before. Now that the dream was realized, a genuine sense of happiness filled him from within.

"Happiness is so simple..."

With experiences from two worlds, he was well aware that people's happiness did not come from how comfortable or affluent their lives were; rather, it stemmed from the presence of hope in their lives.

Just like during the past two years of wandering, even though he had no fixed abode and endured nights in the open, he always believed that he could make his life more exciting through the opportunities of the Fantasy world.

Therefore, crude bridge tunnels, cheap food, and even shelterless nights became embellishments in his life.

Meanwhile...

With a wand in hand, he felt no more strangeness as he strolled down the cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley.

"Now that I have a wand..."

With this thought, he leisurely headed to his next destination, the legendary Flourish and Blotts.

As for second-hand books, he didn't even consider them. Learning magic wasn't like reading fairy tales; missing pages or scribbles wouldn't matter.

Learning such things was crucial for his future livelihood, and he couldn't afford to be careless.

In fact, upon receiving this funding, he already had a plan.

Anything could be bought second-hand, but wands and books, they had to be new.

Upon closer inspection, the 20 galleons given by Hogwarts were not arbitrarily set. Because this amount was just enough to buy everything, except... a owl.

...

On the south side of Diagon Alley.

A shop quite different from the wand shop stood quietly by the street. The brand-new signboard and the spacious storefront alone indicated the prosperity of this business.

Flourish and Blotts, whether in terms of appearance or popularity, could easily make it into the top five in the original works.

Entering the shop, one would always be attracted by a subtle yet profound atmosphere, with a pleasant scent of oak in the air, mixed with the faint aroma of ink from the books.

The shelves at the entrance held two meager magical ornamental plants, adding some vitality to the old-fashioned bookstore.

The shop was somewhat dimly lit.

But luckily, the weather was fine, and the afternoon sunlight filtered through the old window panes, dancing on rows upon rows of bookshelves.

And this scattered sunlight perfectly illuminated the books on the shelves.

"Welcome to Flourish and Blotts, do you need to purchase Hogwarts textbooks? First-year? Second-year? There's a packaged set of all the textbooks over there. Or do you need to buy individual books? The textbooks are all here, and other types of books are on the shelves in the back."

The bookstore manager was a somewhat greasy and portly middle-aged man, and his slightly sunken eyes indicated that he was not a native of Britain.

As he introduced, he pointed towards the two rows of bookshelves in front of them. Perhaps textbooks were in high demand during the summer holidays, as they were prominently displayed in the center of the store.

"All right, sir! I need the complete set of first-year Hogwarts textbooks."

Following the man's gesture, Ino looked towards the frontmost bookshelf.

"History of Magic," "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," "Standard Book of Spells Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4...," "One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi," "Magical Draughts and Potions," "Dark Arts: A Guide to Self-Protection"...

Hundreds, if not thousands, of brand-new books were neatly stacked together, looking particularly magnificent.