Chapter 493: The Wallet... Is Empty (Edited)

From start to finish, it was Dawlish who paid, and his money bag looked noticeably thinner.

"Is there anything else you want?" Just as Tom was about to close the box, a flashy pink color caught Naya's attention.

"Wait, what's that?" She stopped Tom.

Tom showed a clear expression of hesitation. He wasn't very willing to sell that item as it wasn't stable enough.

The recently mentioned Tongue-Lengthening Toffees and Canary Creams, although new products, had been tested many times by Fred, George, and their friends. They could be considered relatively stable products. But what Naya discovered, the "Patented Fantasy," was different.

It was a newly developed conceptual product that not even Fred and George had tested more than a few times.

Fred and George were undoubtedly geniuses. Their conditions were extremely dire, and the resources they had to invest in development were much less than those of established magical toy companies. Nevertheless, they managed to create a variety of impressive prank products, and most remarkably, they had never heard of any negative side effects from these products. But even as geniuses, they couldn't guarantee their products were entirely harmless.

In fact, this vial of "Patented Fantasy" had also been accidentally sent to Tom by Fred and George. After discovering it, they even sent him a warning letter. However, Tom hadn't had time to handle that potion vial before Naya discovered it.

"It's an experimental product, not safe enough-"

"Then please, let me take a look." Naya left no room for objections and took the vial of "Patented Fantasy" in her hands.

"Taking this potion immerses you in a high-quality and extremely realistic daydream for thirty minutes. The side effects are a dazed expression and slight drooling... but this potion is very unstable, still in the experimental stage."

It sounded really cool! Both Dawlish and Naya raised their eyebrows. Such things are much more attractive to adults than to minors.

In the world of adults, there's too much pressure, so people turn to tobacco, alcohol, and even more extreme forms of release. However, all those forms of relief come with certain risks: lung diseases, hangovers, family breakups, excessive spending, addictions...

Is there any form of relief better than "Patented Fantasy"? It's healthy and harmless, you're just imagining things. The effects of this illusion-creating potion were even similar to some illegal drugs. Among all pleasurable sensations, the stimulation from drugs is the most intense and addictive.

And now, this potion they had in front of them could produce the same effects.

"Is it addictive? What are the side effects? Are there any restrictions? What groups of people should not take it?" Dawlish fired off a series of questions.

"I don't know... The side effects are unknown, the restrictions are unknown... maybe people allergic to the product's ingredients shouldn't take it?" Tom was in a state of complete ignorance.

Dawlish: ...

He seemed to grind his back teeth and said indignantly, "I could randomly grab a soda bottle and write the same effect! Your potion is really unreliable!"

Tom clasped his hands and said, "Can you blame me? I said the potion was experimental and very unstable."

"How much does it cost? I'll take it." Naya suddenly interrupted their conversation.

"Five galleons?" Tom gave a trial price. Not even the Weasley brothers had decided how much to charge for this potion.

"If I volunteer to test it, could you give it to me for free?"

Faced with Naya's proposal, Tom agreed after some thought. Having someone else to test it was great. Dawlish also gave her an approving look: she really was an amazing colleague, easily saving a significant amount of expenses.

After receiving the potion, the two were preparing to leave. Dawlish suddenly remembered something and stopped his companion, asking her to wait for a moment.

"I recall that you can also customize alchemical creations here," he looked at Tom with a slightly hopeful look.

"Yes, that's the flagship service of our store."

Hearing this, Dawlish patted the stack of goods he had in his arms, really wanting to complain, but he didn't know where to start.

"Can you help me create a defensive item?"

Even within the Department of Aurors, there was competition. During turbulent times, those who caught more dark wizards and solved important cases would have a higher position. In times of peace, when there weren't as many dark wizards to catch, members of the Department of Aurors held periodic internal competitions to distinguish their skill levels through duels.

An alchemical item could effectively enhance their abilities.

But here was the problem: there were very few alchemists who specialized in creating defensive items, and most of them were narrow-minded and had their quirks. Getting an alchemical item from them was extremely difficult.

Dawlish only made a casual inquiry, not expecting Tom to actually agree.

"Please wait a moment." Tom left his counter and headed to the workshop behind the store. After a short time, he returned holding a glove.

The glove was made of very common dragon leather, with excellent insulation against various types of magic. However, what stood out on the glove was a small silver emblem embedded in it.

Like the chips in a mobile phone, alchemical items with magical inscriptions were the central parts.

"Curse-repelling glove, with the Protego Enchantment. It can bounce back simple curses with just a wave of the hand, but after using it, you need to recharge it with the Protego Enchantment."

For wizards who didn't know how to perform the Protego Enchantment, this was more like a one-time use item. But for someone like Dawlish, a member of the Department of Aurors, the Protego Enchantment wasn't difficult, which meant he had an additional resource during battle. After the fight, he just needed to recharge it.

"Let me try it on." Naya received the defensive glove from Tom very naturally.

"Hey—" Dawlish wanted to say something, but the glove was already in Naya's hands. He felt his blood pressure rapidly rising.

It's okay, Dawlish, you're a tolerant person... he repeated to himself several times to suppress his negative emotions.

Naya examined the defensive glove in her hand carefully and found that it wasn't any different from common dragon leather gloves in the magical world. The magical and amazing part was the small silver plate on the back of the hand, with intricate and mysterious patterns, and in the center was a line of small words: Protego.

"Silencio." Dawlish suddenly drew his wand and attacked his companion. Naya's reaction was quick; the instant Dawlish cast the spell, she waved her hand with the glove on. The glove on her hand immediately worked and repelled Dawlish's spell.

"Mimble Wimble!" Dawlish suddenly drew his wand and attacked his companion. Naya's reaction was quick; the instant Dawlish cast the spell, she waved her hand with the glove on. The glove on her hand immediately worked and repelled Dawlish's spell.

Looking at this excellent glove in her hand, Naya felt her wallet was about to be emptied, but it didn't matter; it was worth emptying her wallet for this glove.