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Spending money-powered magic in a place like this was completely worth it.
It wasn't a question of being a sucker or not, but rather the classic issue of "money can't buy happiness, except when it can." For Ian genuinely wanted to uncover the key behind this alchemy technique.
"Any alchemy related to time is extraordinarily precious."
Standing before the three cauldrons radiating mysterious magical fluctuations, the disgust Ian had felt earlier had long since been replaced by intense curiosity and thirst for knowledge.
As a top-tier Alchemist, he knew better than anyone just how rare and valuable alchemical artifacts capable of reversing or neutralizing the effects of time erosion truly were!
This absolutely wasn't as simple as merely "keeping meat fresh." Behind it lay profound research directions involving time magic and the principles of restoring the essence of matter itself.
"If I can figure out how these cauldrons work… or even get my hands on a sample…"
Ian's heartbeat quickened uncontrollably.
To him, the value of this thing might exceed several chests of gold galleons. Whether for repairing ancient magical items or for researching time magic itself, items of this category possessed immeasurable value.
His mind spun rapidly, and an idea immediately formed.
Without drawing attention, he pulled aside the buddy who had led him in earlier and walked with him to a relatively quiet corner of the kitchen.
The buddy looked at Ian in confusion, unsure what this distinguished guest wanted now.
Ian said nothing. He simply smiled faintly and flipped over his hand. Several gold coins, currency that circulated just as freely in the African market district as gold galleons, appeared in his palm, gleaming enticingly beneath the dim light.
He gently slipped the coins into the buddy's hand and lowered his voice, speaking in simple English mixed with gestures.
"Brother, do me a favor. I want to meet your boss and discuss… business."
He deliberately tried to make himself appear more worldly and mercantile. Adapting his demeanor to fit different people was part of the temperament he had been training himself to cultivate.
"Gū lū~"
The moment the buddy felt the weight of the coins in his hand, his eyes widened instantly, and even his breathing quickened.
He might not save this much money even after working here for an entire year!
Precisely because of that, although he didn't fully understand what sort of "business" Ian wanted to discuss, the charm of money was beyond question.
Almost instinctively, he clenched the coins tightly and immediately plastered an even more enthusiastic, almost fawning, smile across his face.
"Honored sir! You wish to see our boss?"
The buddy nodded rapidly, but then a troubled look appeared.
"However… our boss rarely comes to the shop. He usually stays in the residential area outside the market. Right now is the busiest time at noon, so I can't leave…"
Ian nodded understandingly and added another gold coin.
"It's fine. I can wait. Whenever you're free, bring me to him, then it will be alright."
At the sight of yet another coin, the buddy's final hesitation vanished without a trace.
He quickly pocketed the money and patted his chest in assurance.
"No problem! Sir, don't worry! After two in the afternoon, when the shop gets less crowded, I'll take you to find the boss immediately! Leave it to me!"
People at the bottom of society really were easy to satisfy.
"Good. Then I'll go take a look around first and come back for you later."
Ian smiled in satisfaction.
"No problem! No problem! Take care, sir!"
The buddy bowed and scraped as he escorted Ian out of the kitchen.
Passing back through the hanging curtain, Ian returned to the noisy restaurant hall.
Looking at the customers still feasting away, completely ignorant of the "source of the ingredients," he felt strangely conflicted.
Who would have thought that within the back kitchen of this seemingly ordinary roadside restaurant, such profound alchemical secrets were hidden?
Shaking his head, he temporarily pushed those thoughts aside and stepped out of the restaurant, once more blending into the endless stream of people flowing through the marketplace.
There was still some time before two in the afternoon, and he planned to properly explore this exotic magical bazaar and see what other interesting things it had to offer.
Sunlight simulated by the magical dome overhead poured down onto the bustling streets of the market district.
Ian wandered aimlessly, far more relaxed than before.
Unlike yesterday, when he had moved with clear objectives, gathering information and observing the magical system, today he felt more like a genuine tourist, simply enjoying the thrill of exploration.
"The African magical world's foundational alchemy methods really do have some unique aspects."
Ian was first drawn toward a stall selling various small alchemical goods.
The stall was filled with all sorts of ingenious little trinkets:
magic combs that automatically groomed hair, cups capable of changing the temperature of drinks, compasses that projected simple star charts, and even whistles capable of imitating more than a dozen kinds of bird calls.
None of them contained especially advanced technology, but they were creative and brimming with everyday charm.
More importantly, although similar items existed in the British Wizarding World, the underlying alchemical logic behind the two systems was entirely different.
To Ian, that alone was more than enough to make them novel and attractive.
"Though this sort of technology won't help me much directly, it still allows me to glimpse the developmental direction of an entire civilization."
With considerable interest, Ian selected several amusing little gadgets, intending to bring them back to Hogwarts as souvenirs for his friends.
For example, that star-chart-projecting compass would make a rather nice gift for Professor Sinistra of the Astronomy Tower.
There were quite a few stalls like this scattered throughout the market.
Ian arrived at the second stall.
The stall owner was a sharp-looking young man, enthusiastically promoting his wares without pause.
His stall was covered with all kinds of small objects shimmering with faint magical light: self-wringing cleaning cloths, tubes that blew rainbow-colored bubbles, tiny metal needles that always pointed north, and even a box of shampoo that supposedly changed hair color.
Ian picked up a little object that looked like a pocket watch. However, it had only a single hand on the dial, which was covered in strange symbols.
"What's this?" He asked curiously.
"Excellent eye, honored customer!" The young buddy immediately leaned closer.
"This is a 'Mood Compass'! It doesn't point north, it points to emotions! Focus on someone while looking at it, and the hand will point to the symbol representing that person's current mood! Look, this one means 'happy,' this one means 'angry,' this one means 'hungry,' and this one means… 'trying to scam your money!'"
The little buddy pointed solemnly at a skull symbol as he explained.
"Haha, Neville would probably like this thing."
Ian almost burst out laughing.
This was obviously just a cheap gimmick. The magic inside was so weak it could practically be ignored. The so-called "pointing" was most likely random, or secretly manipulated by the stall owner.
Still, he found it amusing, so he spent a few copper coins to buy it, planning to dismantle it later and study the principles behind the trick.
Afterward, he entered a fairly large bookstore.
Unlike the refined elegance of Flourish and Blotts, this bookstore felt much rougher in style. The shelves were built from coarse wood, and the books varied wildly in quality, ranging from expensive parchment scrolls to cheaply bound grass-paper volumes.
Ian's gaze swept across the shelves.
He discovered many magic books with strong African characteristics:
The Complete Guide to Tropical Rainforest Medicinal Plants and Toxic Species
(with colored hand-drawn illustrations, some of the plants looking terrifying)
-108 Rituals for Communicating with Earth Pukwudgies, River Spirits, and Ancestral Souls
-Practical Magic Patterns: From Hunting Runes to Tribal War Arrays
-Guide to Common African Magical Creatures: Habits, Weaknesses, and Taming Methods (Dangerous Edition)
-On the Resonance Between Lightning, Storms, and Soul Power , A Preliminary Exploration of Storm Witchcraft
The contents of these books were extremely "hardcore," filled with pragmatism and untamed power, completely different from Magical Europe's emphasis on theory, history, and refined magical control.
Ian had already noticed this yesterday.
However,
Yesterday's Ian not buying them and today's Ian wanting to buy them had no actual connection whatsoever.
That was simply his personality, more fickle than a woman's moods.
"This one, that one, and the one over there too."
Ian unceremoniously began "sweeping the shelves clean," purchasing every book he felt had research value one after another and stuffing them into his money pouch enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm.
They weren't expensive, anyway.
In terms of prices, the British Empire remained far ahead of everyone else, and the wizarding world was influenced by that as well.
This knowledge would become an important supplement to his own magical system.
After leaving the bookstore, Ian continued wandering through the market.
As he strolled along, he passed by a pet shop.
There were no owls or cats inside. Instead, the shop housed all sorts of strange African magical creature hatchlings.
His eyes were drawn toward one particular cage.
Inside was a tiny bat, no bigger than a palm. Its fur was pitch-black like satin.
It appeared to have just woken up and was clutching the cage bars with its little claws while tilting its head, curiously observing the outside world with a pair of large ruby-like eyes.
From time to time, it let out soft squeaking noises, looking incredibly adorable.
"This little thing really has a unique look… somehow it feels strangely familiar."
Looking at the tiny bat, a mischievous thought suddenly surfaced in Ian's mind, and an evil grin spread across his lips.
"Heh, this little fellow's temperament really matches Severus Snape perfectly!"
Ian thought gleefully.
"Gloomy, mysterious, likes lurking in dark corners… If I gave him a real bat as a pet, he'd definitely be 'moved to tears' with gratitude, right? My dear uncle would surely thank me."
Imagining the wonderful expression that might appear on Professor Snape's perpetually gloomy face upon receiving such a "thoughtful" gift, Ian could barely suppress his laughter.
Of course, he knew Snape would most likely reject it with a cold face, or simply blast him out of the office with a death glare, but that didn't stop Ian from finding the idea extremely entertaining.
At the same time, this creature could also help Ian conduct an experiment:
whether other living beings could be brought into different timelines and dimensions.
It was a subject that almost no wizard had ever dared seriously research.
After some bargaining, Ian successfully purchased the little creature, which the owner called a "Shadow Velvet Bat."
The purchase also came with a small magical necklace-cage where the bat could rest inside, not anything particularly valuable, more like the free little gifts that came with purchases in the Muggle world.
"You too shall become a great pioneer, contributing to the advancement of magic."
Ian revealed one of the less warm aspects of his personality. His attitude toward animals and people was not quite the same.
Of course, when it came to animals he genuinely liked, his attitude was naturally much better.
Carefully storing away the cage containing the bat, Ian continued onward in an excellent mood.
The noisy heat of the marketplace in the afternoon came rushing in like a wave.
Sunlight filtered through the magical dome overhead, softened into a warm, non-glaring radiance that shone down upon the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds and the dazzling array of stalls.
The air was filled with all kinds of smells.
There was the charred aroma of unknown roasted meat, definitely not anything common or appetizing, the bitter scent of messy herbs, the fishy odor of potion ingredients, and the smell of leather.
Of course, this was Africa, so the salty scent of sweat from the bustling crowd was unavoidable as well.
Together, they formed a vibrant portrait of everyday life.
"It's getting late."
Just as Ian was preparing to head back toward the Feast Hall, a burst of fierce arguing and commotion suddenly erupted ahead, quickly attracting a large crowd of spectators.
Following the flow of people, Ian squeezed closer and saw two wizards confronting each other in front of a stall selling magical fabrics.
One was a skinny man dressed in flashy, colorful robes.
The other was a burly giant with a broad waist and thick arms, shirtless and displaying a chest covered in totemic tattoos.
"Damn you, Kafu! You actually dared to pass off inferior color-changing lizard hide as Moonlight Worm silk! The invisibility cloak I made lost effectiveness after only three uses! Pay me back!"
the skinny wizard shrieked while waving a cloak that did indeed look somewhat faded.
"Bullshit! Stop talking nonsense, Makuru! It was obviously your own improper spellcasting that caused magical backlash and ruined my premium materials! And now you're trying to extort me? Get lost!"
Kafu roared back in a voice like thunder and forcefully shoved the other man.
Makuru staggered backward from the push and crashed into a nearby basket stall, knocking it over instantly. Humiliated and enraged, he shouted:
"You dare hit me?! Take this… Tickling Curse!"
Stammering through the incantation, he fired a weak red beam toward Kafu.
Kafu clearly wasn't going to back down either.
With a furious roar, he slammed a fist into the ground directly, sending out a weak tremor that made the surrounding spectators stumble in every direction.
Coincidentally, the shaking disrupted the Tickling Curse. The red beam veered off course and struck the ankle of an innocent bystander instead.
The unfortunate man immediately grabbed his ankle and burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"That's all you've got? Watch my Grease Spell!"
Kafu pulled a horn made from cow bone off his waist and blew out a cloud of foul-smelling black smoke toward Makuru.
Unable to dodge in time, Makuru suddenly found the ground beneath him slick as oil and crashed onto his back in an utterly miserable fashion.
The street brawl between the two looked less like a wizard duel and more like children fighting.
Ian watched with great enjoyment.
The two men continued attacking each other right there in the middle of the street, using clumsy, unsystematic magic.
At one moment, weak beams of light flew around randomly.
The next moment, the ground shook slightly.
Then strange smoke clouds and slippery patches would appear out of nowhere.
Rather than a duel between wizards, it felt more like two children playing around with cheap toy magic.
The scene became increasingly ridiculous.
Far from being frightened, the surrounding spectators burst into laughter and cheering, and some people even started placing bets on who would win.
The magical skill level of these two wizards was honestly difficult to praise.
Their spellcasting was crude, their magical power control abysmal, and the spells they used were little more than parlor tricks.
At Hogwarts, they probably wouldn't even compare to third-year students.
At the same time, it reflected how African magical education perhaps focused more on practicality and inheritance rather than systematic theoretical study, resulting in wildly uneven skill levels among ordinary wizards.
Just as the farce was escalating and beginning to threaten more nearby stalls, a series of hurried yet orderly footsteps suddenly sounded out.
"Stop! Private fighting is forbidden in the magical marketplace!"
A squad of wizards wearing uniform dark-blue outfits, armbands, and stern expressions quickly pushed through the crowd and charged in.
Their movements were efficient and coordinated.
Working in pairs, they wasted no time directly casting Binding Charms on the still-shouting, still-struggling Makuru and Kafu, tying them up tightly.
"Disturbing marketplace order and damaging private property. According to the East African Magical Marketplace Management Regulations, you are hereby detained and fined!"
the leader of the enforcement squad declared sharply, not even giving the two men a chance to defend themselves.
The spectators who had been jeering moments earlier immediately quieted down, clearly quite wary of these enforcers.
Makuru and Kafu instantly wilted like chickens being strangled, hanging their heads in defeat as they were dragged away by the enforcement team.
And just like that, the entire farce ended as quickly as it had begun.
The marketplace soon returned to normal, as though nothing had ever happened.
Only Ian still felt unsatisfied.
"I really am a little troublemaker who loves gossip."
(End of Chapter)