An old wizard walked out with a wooden crane. His gray eyes looked directly into Christian's eyes.
"Grandfather," said Neos, and the old man nodded to him.
"My formula has no problem; I can prove it." Christian did not understand why the latter refused his offer.
"That is not the issue. The Asclepius family controls 80% of the healing potion market, and a small store like ours will not survive their ire."
"Oh," said Christian. "In that case, what about the formula for Veritaserum?"
"Truth Potion? That's illegal," said Neos.
"Illegal? Why?"
"You're not from around here, are you?" asked the elderly man.
"That's right. I came from a long way after hearing about the library."
The old wizard nodded, as this was not an uncommon appearance. "Truth Potion is forbidden because it can be used to force someone to reveal their deepest secrets, including their —"
"Knowledge," finished Christian while also sighing.
"You catch on quickly," praised the old wizard.
"In that case, I can use an acne-clearing potion." He knew how to brew the Blemish Blitzer. "It can also clear the skin, so women should love it."
"Such a potion should have a large market," commented the old wizard. "However, are you sure your formula has no problems?"
"I can brew it before you, but I only have two of the five ingredients."
"Tell me what you need, and I'll see if I have or can procure it."
Christian followed the old wizard to the back of the store. He was worried he might not find the correct ingredients, but soon realized his worries were for nothing. This place was a cultural melting pot for muggles and wizards; thus, magical ingredients from all over the world can be found. He did not have to leave the store, as Andreas, the old wizard, had the ingredients in his garden. After refining and testing the potion, Andreas did the same with the Language Potion, concluding their exchange.
Christian was shocked to discover that one of the main ingredients of that potion was the saliva of a native speaker. Although it was only a small amount, it still gave him pause. However, considering the strange things he has used as potion ingredients, he accepted the fact.
Christian then bought five potions: Old Chinese, Ancient Egyptian, Sanskrit, Phoenician, Punic, and the Anatolian language. His next destination was a hotel, but Andreas offered him a room at their house for free, and he accepted after much consideration.
'The room is a little simple, but it's more than enough,' thought Christian. He placed security spells around the door and the room before drinking the Ancient Egyptian Potion. A cold feeling rushed through his brain; before he knew it, countless memories of him speaking the language appeared in his mind. Then, the cool feeling rushed to his throat and tongue and massaged them.
Christian opened his mouth to say a few words, and his pronunciation was perfect; the words rolled on his tongue as if he had been speaking them all his life. 'Fascinating,' he thought before meditating. The library's test was only the day after tomorrow, and he had no idea whether he would pass. However, this might be his only way home, so he needed to take the chance.
When he woke up the next morning, Christian felt his mind contained even more memories of the Ancient Egyptian Language. He smiled before taking care of his hygiene, and in the process, the house suddenly shook, so he rushed outside. Only then did he learn that earthquakes were prevalent in this city during the library test.
After seeing how nonchalant Neos and Andreas were, Christian finished his hygiene process and then walked around the city, trying to gather more information and buy more books. Based on some of the Muggle books he stole, Christian calculated that he had traveled to the years between 205 and 210 BCE, during the reign of the Ptolemaic Kingdom.
However, the sad news is that this discovery was the greatest achievement of his outing, as no one was willing to sell him magical books, so he could only buy ordinary books or books about languages. He also tried to exchange formulas with other people, but no one wanted to exchange, and he stopped after three wizards followed him once he left a particularly large store. He had to change his appearance with human transfiguration to escape their pursuit.
So, Christian decided to look at things positively, as these books should help him learn how to write these dead languages.
Knowledge about the test was strictly guarded, as everyone treated each other as competitors. A small part of him wanted to secretly enter the Noble District and find answers, but he did not dare. He was alone in a strange land and knew it was in his best interest not to cause trouble unless absolutely necessary.
So, after an entire day of complaining and with no success, Christian returned to the store. On the third day, he woke up around 5 AM to head to the Central District. The library was a fortress encased in high walls, with guards at the entrance and ten registration booths, each led by a single person.
He looked around and noticed the patrolling team was relatively small to keep such a grand crowd in check. He guessed there might be a reason these people did not dare cause trouble.
Despite arriving early, Christian saw ten long registration lines and chose the shortest one. Thirty minutes later, he watched with a frown as a man descended from a carriage driven by an unknown magical creature, skipped the line, showed a badge, and the guard allowed him entry. He said nothing and waited; a few people followed suit afterward. After another fifteen minutes, he was close enough to see the registration process.
A middle-aged man sat at a table and called, "Next." A witch approached him, and he said without raising his head, "Name, sex, age, and language." She replied, and he recorded the information on a small square card. "Put your hands on it." The witch placed her palm on a basketball-sized white crystal beside the registrar. The crystal produced a white light, and the middle-aged man said: "Bloodless." He wrote on the card before tapping his wand, leaving a stamp. "Area C." The witch took her card, but the guards did not stop her.
The process was the same for the next five individuals until a muscular wizard appeared. After he touched the crystal, it released a red light, so the registrar called "Blood" and sent him to Area B.
Christian remembered these words, trying to learn as much as possible. He resisted the urge to use Legilimency and found the answer in someone's mind. Soon, it was almost his turn, as he was the next candidate.
The person before him was a timid young man who appeared uncomfortable with crowds. He stuttered his information, almost angering the registrar. However, when the timid young man touched the crystal, it turned red, displaying a strange sigil.
"A Blood Crest," said the registrar, looking at the timid young man strangely. Everyone with a Blood Crest usually has a pass that allows them to skip the line. The registrar smiled politely before saying. "Your test will be in Area A. Please don't lose your registration card."
Christian watched as the timid young man entered the fortress, but even the guards looked at him with more respect and awe. After hearing the word 'next," he walked to the station.
"Name, age, sex, and language."
"Christos Makedon, 14, male, Greek," said Christian, using a Greek name he created. After hearing the name, the registrar looked at him but did not comment on it; many foreigners chose Greek names to better integrate into the culture.
"Tell me your genuine age, and don't waste my time."
Christian was shocked, wondering how this man knew he was lying since he had changed his height and appearance. "12."
The registrar wrote on the card before indicating that he should touch the crystal. Christian felt a strange sensation rushing through his body.
"Bloodless. Go to Area C."
'I wonder whether their grading systems take age into account,' thought Christian as he entered the fortress. This would make sense given the wide range of individuals' experience and knowledge.
The first thing he noticed was the library's ethereal beauty. The architecture reminded him of the books describing the Hellenistic period: he saw attributes associated with Greek, Roman, and Egyptian cultures and architecture.
Christian then noticed floating arrows pointing to Areas A to C, so he followed the Area C arrow to the left. This took him through a few corridors and up a long flight of stairs to a lecture hall with a large door.
Another middle-aged man was waiting, and the person asked him: "Test 1, 2, 3, or 4."
"What's the difference?"
"You don't even know this?"
"I'm a foreigner from a faraway land."
"I see," nodded the middle-aged wizard. "Test 1 is for magical theory, test 2 for Herbology, test 3 for Magizoology, and test 4 is a comprehensive test."
"Test 4 seems innately more difficult?"
"It is, but you also have bonuses and advantages for passing."
Christian nodded, "I'll take the first test."
His Herbology and Magizoology knowledge is not nearly as extensive as his magical theory, and even if they were, he would not choose this subject because the magical plants, fungi, and creatures in this era are extinct by his age, so he would not know them even if those two fields were his specialties.
The middle-aged wizard tapped his wand on Christian's card, leaving the number 1 in the top corner. The door opened, and he entered; someone led him to an enormous classroom with hundreds of desks. He was assigned a number, which he was instructed to add to his test paper.