The Failed Immortal

Not far from Diagon Alley stood a famous shop, but most people had little good to say about it. Its owner was miserly and greedy, and he would offer rock-bottom prices for stolen goods, pushing sellers right to the limit of what they were willing to accept.

Borgin and Burkes was the biggest shop in Knockturn Alley. The Burke family had a terrible reputation in the Wizarding World, but no one wanted to provoke them. Not one of the people who had tried had lived to see the next day.

Plenty of people were fond of the shop, though, because Borgin and Burkes bought anything. Even if you brought in a pocket watch still warm with fresh blood, they would wipe it clean and make an offer. Whether you accepted was up to you.

The shop's policy of keeping its customers' secrets was also key to its longevity. Thieves, burglars, and even Dark wizards both loved and hated the place. Aurors felt the same way. After all, this was a shop that openly sold Dark Magic objects and artifacts. Unfortunately, they couldn't touch it; try, and you'd die. And on certain matters, the Ministry of Magic's Aurors had to grit their teeth and deal with the shop, procuring things and information they couldn't obtain through proper channels.

The lights were still on inside. When Ezio pushed open the shop door, an old man sitting behind the counter gently nudged his glasses up and turned his gaze toward him.

There was no greeting. Borgin merely gave Ezio a cool glance. "Buying or selling?"

As Knockturn Alley's undisputed top dealer, with one foot in the underworld and one in respectable society, Borgin sold information as well as Dark Magic items. But Ezio didn't dare reveal anything about the twelve moons yet. What if Borgin turned around and sold him out? Ezio had dared tell Snape because he knew what kind of man Snape was. Having thrown in his lot with Dumbledore, Snape had no other path left. By telling him, Ezio had also meant for him to pass the information on to Dumbledore.

Unfortunately, Dumbledore wasn't entirely satisfied with him and even remained wary. Ezio could only take his time and look for a chance to make inquiries later.

He had come to Borgin and Burkes because the shop also sold some very interesting things.

Ezio wasn't interested in the Dark Magic objects for now, but he was very interested in books on Dark Magic.

Many of those books carried a kind of malice that tempted readers as they read, even affecting their emotions.

But as long as they didn't contain hexes or curses, Ezio wasn't worried in the slightest. To be safe, he had also bought a pair of Dragonhide Gloves with spell resistance. Dragon Hide had excellent magical resistance to begin with, and wearing the gloves while leafing through dangerous books could prevent most trouble.

If those books tried to lure him into darkness, Ezio would have liked to ask, "Do all the letters and symbols in your pages add up to more people than I've killed?" Though he didn't consider the NPCs in the Trial Space to be people in the first place.

"Books."

The thin voice came from behind his face covering. It was hard to tell whether it belonged to a man or a woman, and it sounded a bit like the Goblins at Gringotts. Ezio wasn't very tall at the moment. By adult standards, he did look a little like a grown wizard who was part Goblin or some other short magical creature.

"The shelves over there. Look, but don't touch. Tell me when you've chosen."

Borgin spoke coolly, but his manner softened a little when he learned his visitor was there to buy something.

Ezio walked over to an old, large bookcase and glanced across it. He was a little surprised.

No wonder it's a shop specializing in Dark Magic objects. They've got plenty of good stuff.

Many fallen wizarding families chose to sell their belongings here for cash. Dark Magic objects couldn't just be sold anywhere. Borgin and Burkes might drive a hard bargain, but once you sold something to them, you didn't have to worry about any loose ends. Plenty of wastrel heirs stole their families' possessions and brought them here for money. This was the safest place to sell them.

There should have been a sign hanging above the shelves of magical books: "If you don't want to die a violent death, please don't touch the books."

The books, whose titles alone were wicked enough, radiated an evil aura visible to the naked eye. One volume, titled Blood Ritual: Ladder to Godhood, wasn't even made of paper. Its twisted little tendrils and fleshy pages writhed slowly, while strange pus flowed through veins like earthworms. It had the unmistakable feel of Cthulhu.

Ezio ignored the books that wouldn't help him and focused on finding something that could improve his own abilities. Dark Magic was forbidden in the Wizarding World, but there was no denying that it worked well. Compared with "white magic," Dark Magic spells were cruder and more primitive, closer to the way magic had looked when it was first discovered and used. In terms of sheer destructive power, Dark Magic was stronger and more effective.

After picking out the books he wanted, Ezio turned and browsed around the shop. Borgin and Burkes wasn't very large, covering about two hundred square meters. Various Dark Magic objects filled the area near the display windows.

There were things like a withered hand, a moving eyeball, a bloodstained mask, ritual vessels made of human bone, and tools for bloody sacrificial rites. There were also necklaces containing deadly curses, and a blood-red noose that would automatically slip around someone's neck and tighten on its own.

Just as Ezio had finished admiring the strange curiosities and was about to pay for his books, a new quest popped up, catching him off guard.

[New Quest Activated]

[The Failed Immortal: You have explored a key location in the pursuit of immortality by a legendary figure: Tom Marvolo Riddle (Voldemort)]

[Quest Objective: Permanently kill the failed pursuer of immortality]

[Quest Difficulty: ★★★★★ (Legendary figure: +★)]

[Quest Reward: Piece of Eden: Staff of Hermes]

Legendary figure? Voldemort? Ezio paused, then shook his head, thinking with a sigh, When it comes to going out of his way to get himself killed, the guy certainly is legendary.

He had some reservations about that description, but if he hadn't read Harry Potter, the base difficulty of four stars would have been fair enough. Without knowing the story, Voldemort's Horcrux hiding places would be hard to find. Apart from Dumbledore, there probably wasn't anyone else in the Wizarding World who could locate them all.

But knowing the plot made the quest's difficulty plummet. For Ezio, the hardest part would be figuring out how to kill Harry Potter—or, rather, the fragment of Voldemort's soul inside him—while he was under Dumbledore's protection.

Ezio knew a little about the Piece of Eden offered as a reward. The staff could merge with its owner's body and change its shape, erase the effects of time on them, and heal them quite effectively. Under normal circumstances, its wielder could achieve a form of immortality. But no one could truly live as long as the sun and moon endured. When you were killed, you died, and the staff's wielders throughout history had been no exception.

Setting the new quest aside for the moment, Ezio walked up to the counter, ready to buy the interesting books he had chosen.