In traditional RPG games or adventure stories, whenever the protagonist travels with a large party, they inevitably encounter bandits or thieves on the road, ready to give experience points and gold. But apparently, that trope doesn't apply here.
Let's ignore the fact that this path was specifically cleared by wizards, and not consider how desperate or bizarre a wizard must be to survive only by robbing people on the road. Let's focus on one thing, how many screws must be loose in someone's head to ignore defenseless Muggles and instead attack wizards who all carry weapons?
Because of this, the journey was uneventful. Accompanied by the descent of the seagull flock, the group arrived safely at their destination.
This was a place the school's young wizards called Mín Island, "mín" meaning a string for threading money. From the name alone, you could easily tell how lucrative this place was in the students' eyes.
Its true name had mostly been lost in oral history, though Allen thought the nickname was a bit clumsy.
This island didn't appear on any known map. The usual clashes between magic and electronics had ended with magic asserting dominance, though Allen didn't care, he was currently clutching his wallet in pain.
Wherever you go, if the street isn't explicitly restricted, snack stalls will exist. Even in the wizarding world, this principle holds true.
All sorts of unique wizarding delicacies left the group, most of whom had only eaten food from the British wizarding world, staring in amazement, followed by immediate buying frenzy.
Half an hour later, Allen's left and right hands were each holding a pile of food. He looked at the two witches in front of him, whose hands were equally full, and sighed in exasperation. Why did I let myself get soft-hearted?
Originally, they had planned to go shopping with Harry and Marshall, leaving the two dessert-obsessed witches to eat. But when Annie pleaded with him while he paid, he had foolishly agreed to accompany the two witches through the snack street, a decision that led to eternal regret. Not only was his wallet lighter, but he had become a human shopping cart.
Out of boredom, he teased: "Hermione, aren't you a dentist? Shouldn't you avoid sweets?"
Hermione, nibbling delicately on a pale blue cotton candy that spun around a small stick like a cloud, looked up and blushed slightly. "Cotton candy doesn't count as sugar, and this is magical food, different from normal sweets."
Sure, Allen rolled his eyes. He said nothing, handed some of his food to Valor perched on his shoulder, and pulled out a skewer of octopus balls to take a big bite, then nearly spat it out.
The octopus inside was alive!
What the hell?!
He grabbed a paper bag and spat the food into it, tossing in the remaining skewers as well. Who said the wizarding world doesn't have bizarre foods? Come on, stand up and I'll give you a buff!
Rinsing his mouth with water, Allen strode over to Annie, who was laughing while holding a box of five-colored dumplings. He ruffled her hair, then flicked her forehead with a finger. You little brat, smile!
"Let's go. We've bought everything we need. If we keep eating here, we'll skip lunch. Let's head over there and take a look," Allen said, magically smoothing his messy hair. In the midst of Annie's huffing and muttering "bad, very bad," he gathered all the food he had and pointed in the other direction.
Naturally, there were no objections, even Valor, who had received a full bag of dog food yesterday, now obediently carried his items. Good, onward to the destination.
A few steps later, Allen suddenly turned as if remembering something and extended his hand toward Hermione: "Snacks, confiscated!"
"I?" Hermione, holding a small bag of red bean cakes, blinked and pointed at herself.
Allen nodded. Hermione pouted in dissatisfaction but obediently handed over all her snacks.
Perfect. Allen confirmed the spoils and marched ahead, ignoring the two girls' resentful glares.
Half an hour eating desserts, and they still want lunch? Girls never seem to have enough sweets.
••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
Because it was autumn, the weather was pleasant, no scorching sun to chase anyone away from the streets. Many potion ingredients and other magical items matured during this season, making Mín Island especially lively.
Although the market was originally student-focused, its popularity attracted other wizards. However, due to the high student presence, Ministry inspections were stricter here, reducing black-market activity.
No matter, Allen wasn't here to study dark magic, he just worried about money, not magical knowledge.
As they wandered, they came across a bookstore. Hermione's eyes sparkled, while Allen buried his face in his hands.
The top shelf displayed a book with a charming smile. It didn't have the money-draining buff of a certain character, but it was still a headache.
Indeed, the owner of that smile was Gilderoy Lockhart, a man who conquered the world with his charm and wand.
The shopkeeper approached enthusiastically: "Take a look! The hottest bestseller, just arrived. You're lucky, you got here before we even advertised. Do you know how many owls flew here this week to pre-order the translated copies?"
Allen didn't know, but he did know one thing, the author was still in the hospital, thanks to him.
He grumbled silently, but clearly couldn't say anything.
As he prepared to politely decline the books and ask for local magical recommendations, Hermione had already started flipping through them.
"Hermione, you already have a complete set. Why bother with translated versions?" Annie tilted her head.
"You don't understand. It's completely different, seeing these from another perspective is a wonderful experience," Hermione replied.
Allen let out a wry smile to himself, Hermione had entered full fangirl mode. How do I handle this?
Maybe a beating for Lockhart would help?••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
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