Ten minutes later.
Thorne and Harry finally stopped in front of a shop.
It was a small, dilapidated storefront that looked as if it might be blown over by the wind at any moment.
The golden letters on the sign above the door were faded and peeling, but the words could still be barely made out.
Ollivander: Makers of Fine wands since 382 B.C.
In the dusty window, on a faded purple cushion, lay a single wand.
"Hmm..."
Thorne nodded.
"Asking for directions was indeed more reliable."
As he spoke, he glanced down at the few extra knuts now in his hand, his mouth twitching slightly.
"Though the price was a bit steep..."
While asking for directions earlier, a passing woman had mistaken him for a beggar. Not only had she pressed a few copper coins into his hand, but she had also earnestly advised him:
"Find a proper job, don't bring a child out to beg."
Thorne had been utterly speechless at the time.
But thinking about it calmly, his own worn, patched, coal-dust-stained robes, combined with the oversized, sack-like clothes Harry was wearing...
Looked at objectively, they did indeed give off that impression.
Still, the good news was, they had finally found the right place.
And the map had been updated significantly, which could be seen from the exploration progress.
Thorne glanced down at the system panel in his mind; the notification that had just appeared still lingered in his vision.
[Ding!]
[Current Special Environment Exploration Progress: 30%. Reward: soul Vessel Fragment *1, issued.]
[Currently Held: 3]
[Current Special Environment: Diagon Alley (42.1%)]
"Another soul Vessel fragment..."
Three pure white fragments had already appeared in his mental space. Thorne did some quick mental math.
Adding to his previous stock, he could now fuse two of them to increase his soul capacity.
But he quickly dismissed the idea.
This was a public street.
What if, like back in Holy Nest, he started floating during the fusion process? That would be a real spectacle.
Better to wait.
In contrast, Harry's attention was clearly not on any of this.
The little Stag Beetle's eyes were shining, his gaze firmly locked on the wand shop before him, his excitement practically written on his face.
"Professor, let's go in quickly."
"This is the last shop... Professor?"
Harry looked up.
Only to find Thorne's gaze had already bypassed Ollivander's shopfront, staring fixedly at a store across the street.
In that shop's window, something exceptionally eye-catching was on display.
A massive tooth.
The tooth was absurdly large and extremely ferocious in shape. He instinctively felt it was likely the tooth of some large magical creature.
...Like a dragon.
After all, he couldn't think of any other animal that could grow such an exaggerated tooth.
Just then, Thorne suddenly crouched down.
He placed the bag of gold coins Hagrid had given him earlier directly into Harry's hands.
"Here, Harry."
"You go into the wand shop first. Don't wander off."
"I'm going to buy something. I'll be right back."
Without waiting for Harry's response, Thorne turned and scurried off towards the shop that looked like a bone material store.
"..."
Harry looked down at the bag of gold in his hands, then up in the direction Thorne had disappeared, scratching his head.
For some reason.
He felt like... he might have been taken advantage of a little.
But he quickly shook his head, dismissing the messy thoughts.
Full of anticipation, he reached out and pushed open the old wooden door.
——
Inside Jims Bone Material Shop.
The apprentice, Danny, let out a big yawn, rubbed his sore eyes, and watched the bustling crowd passing by outside with boredom.
He stretched, his bones making a slight cracking sound.
"Hmm... Looks like another day without business."
Danny muttered to himself.
"Might as well close up early, the boss isn't in today anyway... If this keeps up, this shop is really going to shut down for good—"
Before he could finish, he suddenly froze.
A figure had appeared in the shop, which had been completely deserted just moments before.
A man.
The man walked in, didn't even glance at the counter, and headed straight for the most prominent spot in the store.
There, a huge dragon's tooth was displayed, gleaming with a cold, white luster under the magical lights.
"Hmm?"
Danny narrowed his eyes.
He looked the man up and down, his gaze lingering for a moment on the patched, coal-dust-stained robes. He didn't hesitate much before reaching a conclusion.
Danny stood up and walked over to the man in a few steps.
"Sir."
"Please wait a moment."
The man seemed to snap out of his reverie, blinked in surprise, then instinctively smoothed his hair and patted his shoulders, brushing off the coal dust.
"Oh, sorry, Beetle—no, sir."
He seemed to have misspoken and immediately corrected himself.
"I was too engrossed just now, didn't have time to greet you. Actually, I came in because I wanted—"
"I know."
Danny interrupted him expressionlessly.
"I'm very good at reading people."
As he spoke, he directly pulled three knuts from his pocket and, with practiced ease, stuffed them into the other man's patched robe.
"Alright, that's all."
The man's expression instantly stiffened.
"N-no, that's not right, I'm not here to—"
"Hah, not enough?"
Danny shook his head slightly, as if he had anticipated this. He pulled out a silver Sickle and stuffed it into the man's pocket as well.
"Alright, that's the most I can give."
He paused, his tone even taking on a hint of "industry recognition."
"But, you do have more restraint than most in your line of work."
"Last time, a Werewolf named Remus wandered in here, also stammering."
"You're dressed similarly, and your expressions are exactly the same."
"He was sent off with five knuts."
Thorne looked down at the extra money in his pocket, then up at the Great Beetle before him who looked utterly convinced he was right, falling into a brief silence.
...Good grief.
He was being mistaken for a beggar again.
Thorne wasn't sure whether to explain first or do some self-reflection.
No.
It seemed he really needed to get himself some new clothes, and fast.
Otherwise, if this trend continued,
every time he entered a shop, people would just hand him money first.
That would be too...
Hmm.
Actually... maybe that's not so bad?
Thorne shook his head.
Anyway, for the current situation, he needed to clarify things first.
He took a deep breath, his tone becoming more serious.
"Yes, sir."
"Actually... I'm also quite good at reading people."
As he spoke, Thorne reached down and untied the pouch at his waist.
In the next moment, a golden light spilled from the opening of the pouch.
It was the distinctive gleam of Galleons, particularly dazzling in the dimly lit Bone Material Shop.
The Great Beetle had still worn a look of disdain.
But the moment that light hit his eyes, his expression froze solid.
In the next instant, his eyes went wide, his wings snapped open with a *whoosh* behind him, and his whole body leaned forward half a step as if by reflex, his hand almost reaching out.
Thorne, quick as lightning, immediately retied the pouch.
He raised an eyebrow.
"Well?"
Clearly.
A Hogwarts Professor's monthly salary, even in cash form, had undeniable impact.
The Great Beetle visibly swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. Then his wings vibrated furiously, and his tone did a complete one-eighty.
"You... read people so well!"