15 Chapter 15 Law Book_1

Zheng Qing lowered his head in disappointment, but quickly raised it again, his eyes flickering, and asked, "Can I exchange the money I have for the currency used here?"

"Of course." Thomas's face turned slightly red, "Currency exchange is elaborately explained in the admission guide. You can refer to that later. However, buying wizard goods with muggle money has never been a good deal, just like with that black bat."

He pointed to a black mass suspended at the top edge of the showcase, saying: "The black bat has no special abilities, nor is it some advanced pet; but if you pay with outside currency, its price would amount to about hundreds of thousands, not to mention a 10% processing fee."

Zheng Qing immediately turned his head away, giving up his initial idea.

"Don't you already have a pet?" Thomas asked, looking puzzled, "Having one pet is enough, they're quite sentient. If you keep several different pets, they are likely to conflict with each other."

"I have a pet?" Zheng Qing looked surprised.

There were, in fact, two small animals in his house.

A hamster and a puppy.

The hamster had somehow made its way to his home and built a small nest on the balcony made of sawdust and cotton scraps. The little rascal was quite intelligent and would tidy up its droppings and other mess on its own, then throw the waste outside when the balcony window was open. When Professor Zheng discovered this, he was quite surprised. Old people always have certain tidiness habits and worries, so under his strict orders, the hamster officially moved onto the balcony, occasionally enjoying some food from Zheng family's offerings to the gods.

The puppy was from a pregnant stray that Zheng Qing had come across on the roadside not long ago. The puppy's mother disappeared without a trace after giving birth. Zheng Qing worried that she had been caught by someone to make dog meat stew, but despite several days of searching, there were no results.

Although there were these two little creatures at home, Zheng Qing didn't think of them when Thomas mentioned pets.

Just like some people love entrepreneurship, they didn't necessarily love the stress and pressure, they just loved the financial freedom that came with successful entrepreneurship.

As the saying goes, it is for the belly, not for the eyes.

The pet that Zheng Qing had in mind was a wizard's pet.

Having only truly made contact with the wizarding world as an adult, Zheng Qing always felt a subtle sense of alienation between himself, Thomas, and the Four Seasons Pavilion.

Even as he walked among robes and cloaks, he was still the high school graduate he was.

It wasn't so much that he needed a pet; he needed the sense of authenticity that a pet would bring him to the wizarding world.

"Your little fox at home," As Thomas casually spoke, he was still busily looking at the shops around him, occasionally lowering his head to look at the mobile phone in his hand, "Although it's not a powerful spiritual beast, being a member of the demon fox clan, it's still a pretty good pet... here we are, Shangyuan Bookstore, the designated authorized dealer by the Wizards' Alliance."

"Are you referring to Poseidon? Isn't that a puppy?"

"Poseidon? Quite a potent name. Of course, I am certain it is a demon fox. I'm not sure how you acquired it, but it's clear that it has become your pet." As Thomas pointed at a solemn and ancient-looking building in front of him, he said to Zheng Qing: "Now, you should go and buy your magic book. As the most crucial tool for wizards to cast spells, you need to decide on which one to buy. The only advice I can offer you is to trust your 'intuition'."

"Does everyone use magic books?" Zheng Qing looked up at the wooden carving of an opened hardcover book on the store's sign and seemed a bit nervous.

"Yes, yes," An impatient look suddenly appeared on Thomas's face, which made his otherwise stern demeanor seem more oppressive, "I should have anticipated that you would ask that question. Yes, always believing in the power of your own hand seals, just like the ninjas in Japan who only trust the speed of their incantations. Can't you imagine a method of spellcasting that is both potent and swift? Why are you always doubting the authority?"

"I was just curious." Zheng Qing thought Thomas's agitation was a bit inexplicable.

"Go in, and I will wait for you here." Thomas's voice was a bit low.

Spellbooks, also known as magical books in the purchase list.

According to Thomas's explanation, spellbooks are the primary means for wizards to execute spells.

Wizards analyze and transcribe spells into their spellbooks during their daily studies and experiments. Only when they are invoked by recitation or other means can spells truly reveal their power.

To put it in layman's terms, a wizard without a spellbook is like a tiger without its teeth.

The entrance decorations of the Shangyuan bookstore were elegant and solemn. The black steps and floor were engraved with complicated runes, and the dark red, heavy wooden door was unusually simple. Only a sign with the words 'Shangyuan' hung above the lintel.

Behind the counter at the entrance was a large showcase, filled with various certificates.

"Wizards' Alliance Special Permit for the Production and Sales of Spellbooks"

"Under the Moon Congress — Designated Dealer for Bologna Spellbooks"

"Luofu — Designated Dealer for Song Edition Spellbooks"

"Partner of the First University Institute for Magic Book Research"

...

Rows of honors and franchises were displayed, demonstrating the store's confidence.

"Good afternoon!" The shop assistant was tall and thin, wore a long green robe, had small round glasses, and greeted Zheng Qing with a beaming face: "I am the business manager of Shangyuan Bookstore. You can call me Xiao Yuan. Are you a freshman starting this fall? What kind of magic book do you need?"

Zheng Qing didn't rush to answer.

Many wooden display cases were arranged in the store, covered with thick transparent glass. Through the glass showcase, one could see neatly arranged magic books on the shelves.

"I would like to look around first and learn more." Zheng Qing said vaguely.

Thomas had emphasized several times that the spellbook was very important to a wizard and that the selection of a spellbook required the wizard's intuition.

What is intuition?

Zheng Qing was a little confused.

Circling a few showcases, he gazed at those gorgeously formatted books for a long time, but he didn't feel any caprice or instinctual connection.

"Over here are western-style hardcover books." Xiao Yuan, the nearby business manager, saw Zheng Qing stopping to look at the showcase and swiftly came over to introduce it: "If you want to take a closer look, we can take it out for you."

Zheng Qing hesitated for a moment and nodded.

Xiao Yuan removed a pair of clean, soft gloves and took out the thick magic book from the showcase, carefully flipping it open.

"This edition is from seventeenth-century Venice. It continues the usual grandeur of Venetian styles. The calfskin from Baden-Württemberg, with silver runes inlaid; golden edging, the fore-edge painting is the 'Calming Mind Spell', and of course if you want, we can also find another Venetian edition with the fore-edge painting of 'Lament Bridge Kiss' – young people all love that style. See, the corners of this book are wrapped in silver, and a master has depicted the 'Five Aggregates Exorcism Spell' on the frontispiece. Even if you do not record spells, you could still scare off several fierce spirits simply with this book."

"How much?"

"18 jade coins if you're interested." The shop assistant smiled and nodded, handing Zheng Qing a pair of gloves.

"It's a bit heavy." Wearing the gloves, Zheng Qing weighed the book in his hand, shaking his head.