C 64

"Invest in me? Kain, am I really that good? I mean, I'm just a student right now," Hermione said, trying to look calm as she addressed Kain.

Kain shook his head. "You learned three spells in ten days, Hermione. You don't have to doubt your talent. This is your first contact with the wizarding world, and it's not impossible to work hard to become a contemporary Merlin."

Hermione felt a surge of happiness at being valued and recognized for her talents outside of school.

Kain also mentioned that he could sponsor all her expenses in the wizarding world, including expensive flying broomsticks and pets.

Hermione Granger wasn't motivated by greed; rather, she viewed Kain's proposal as a personal validation of her abilities. If he didn't value her talent, why would he go to such lengths to win her over?

"I would like to go home and discuss it with my parents. Personally, I lean toward agreeing with the proposal," Hermione replied, restraining the excitement that bubbled within her.

She believed that such a significant decision should be shared with her parents before she made any commitments.

"Of course, it's best to inform Mr. and Mrs. Granger about this matter. Hermione, I plan to open a grocery store in the wizarding world to recycle some magical items. I may stay for a long time—in Diagon Alley," Kain explained.

Kain contemplated the wizarding world and found it lacking. The British wizarding community, with its several thousand inhabitants, had fragmented into many factions, including twenty-eight pure-blood families, Hogwarts, the Ministry of Magic, and others.

Each faction had its own style, and navigating through them could be quite troublesome.

As he thought further, Kain concluded that the magical world felt too shallow to support his ambitions. The number of wizards was too limited, and their disdain for Muggle items complicated matters. There were also management departments in place for Muggle-related items.

His initial plan to engage in cross-communication with the wizarding world seemed increasingly unlikely. The most viable option was to earn gold in the Muggle world, exchange it for Galleons at Gringotts, and then return to the wizarding world to purchase potions and magical creatures.

After Hermione left, Kain took stock of his purchases. The most valuable item he acquired was a spellbook, but this was also one of the most common items—something anyone with enough money could buy at a bookstore.

He had also acquired some potions, including valuable ones for blood, poison, and wound healing. A more expensive potion, the Polyjuice Potion, was of no use to him since he already knew the Transformation Technique.

Beauty potions and burn ointments were also worth something. If they could be mass-produced, bringing them back to the Marvel world could yield a significant profit.

However, the most precious potion, Felix Felicis, was difficult to refine and rarely circulated in the market, even though it attracted many eager buyers.

"Sure enough, I still need to go to Knockturn Alley to buy things," Kain mused. After a moment's thought, he decided to send a Shadow Clone to Knockturn Alley for a while.

It would be a safe and secure option. If someone attempted to deceive him, he would let the Shadow Clone handle it with an explosive.

Knockturn Alley was a street that was less scrutinized, and Kain's supply of bombs could easily obliterate the entire street without anyone suspecting him.

With that decision made, Kain set off for Diagon Alley.

He remembered the location of the Leaky Cauldron, and the Muggle-Repelling Charm didn't pose much of a problem for him. While Muggles would typically be affected by the charm, Kain could ignore it due to his mastery of Chakra.

Upon arriving at the Leaky Cauldron, Kain ordered a few items and gathered valuable information from Tom, the innkeeper. He discovered that the two streets behind Gringotts primarily housed wizards, with various properties available for sale or rent.

Most wizards opted to rent because buying property was far too expensive. The houses equipped with permanent Traceless Extension Charms were even pricier; many wizards who had worked in the Ministry of Magic for years couldn't afford such residences.

From the outside, these houses might appear small—perhaps only as large as a few doors. However, once inside, they could expand to two or three hundred square meters. These properties typically cost around 10,000 Galleons.

Kain learned that opening a shop was also a cumbersome process. It required reporting to the Ministry of Magic and obtaining the necessary permits.

This procedure was complex and placed high demands on applicants. Conversely, no one paid much attention to Knockturn Alley. As long as someone owned a house, they could open a shop there at any time.

After leaving the Leaky Cauldron, Kain felt satisfied with the useful information he had gathered. Perhaps after a few glasses of butterbeer, old Tom was feeling generous and pointed Kain in the right direction for purchasing a house.

Kain first headed to Gringotts to exchange enough Galleons for his purchases. Sola, a goblin there, was particularly enthusiastic about Kain's arrival. After facilitating such a substantial transaction, Sola even upgraded Kain's personal vault to a higher security level—anything lower simply wouldn't suffice.

There were numerous locations where wizards congregated, such as Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. Some wizards even lived alongside Muggles or resided in their own manors, enjoying convenient transportation methods like Floo Powder or Apparition.

Kain had neither option available to him at the moment, but he could still consider purchasing a house in Hogsmeade in the future. Once he did, he could apply to establish a Floo Network in both the Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley locations.

Fortunately, buying a house in Diagon Alley didn't require Ministry of Magic approval. There was an organization dedicated to selling and renting properties that was half-official and half-folk, subject to the Ministry's review but lacking any real management power, similar to an intermediary.

Following Tom's instructions, Kain made his way to the housing organization, where he found that Hogsmeade also had properties for sale. However, Kain had not yet visited Hogsmeade, and he didn't bring enough money today, so he decided to hold off for the time being.

After browsing for a while, Kain chose a house that had been vacant for a long time. It featured three floors and an interior space of about 360 square meters, with a price tag of 9,800 Galleons. The house was well-located and secure, but its high price likely deterred potential buyers.

Once the staff realized Kain was interested in purchasing, they quickly notified the owner. Within an hour, a wizard arrived to finalize the sale. Probably concerned that Kain might change his mind, the owner agreed to the deal immediately after confirmation.

Kain paid the 9,800 Galleons, securing the contract and control of the house. Now he had a place to call home near Diagon Alley. However, it had been empty for a long time, so it would need thorough cleaning.

Kain figured it would be best to hire a professional cleaning wizard, though he also considered acquiring a house-elf later from the Ministry of Magic's resettlement office.

After finalizing the house purchase in Diagon Alley, Kain left the wizarding world through the Leaky Cauldron.

When he returned to the Muggle world by car, Kain noticed a girl sitting at his doorstep. As soon as she saw him get out of the vehicle, she leaped to his side.

"I thought I wouldn't be able to meet you today, but thankfully there's still time," Hermione Granger said, beaming with excitement.

"My parents want to invite you for dinner to discuss what we talked about earlier today. They'd like to chat with you," she added, her enthusiasm infectious.

.....

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