Borgin and Burkes

"Emergency quest? A growth-type wand? What kind of quest is it?" Allen was genuinely looking forward to it; the system's rewards were always solid, tangible goods.

"Quest details: Lift the curse from the Lizard-man and earn his gratitude. Due to the increased difficulty, the host may use a wand. The system will also provide map navigation to assist the host in locating the Lizard-man. You have 15 hours remaining until the quest expires. Good luck!"

As soon as the system finished speaking, a black map indicating the route appeared in Allen's mind. A yellow icon represented Allen's current position. As he scrolled the map upward in his mind, he discovered a red icon; this red icon represented the Lizard-man he needed to find. Strangely, the icon was moving rapidly across the map.

"Allen, stop daydreaming. Hurry up, we need to go to Madam Malkin's shop now," Mrs. Harris urged.

After leaving Ollivander's, Mrs. Harris couldn't wait to pull Allen into Madam Malkin's shop. Madam Malkin was a short, plump witch dressed in purple, beaming with a friendly smile: "Good morning, Mrs. Harris. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"First, I need two sets of school robes for my youngest son, Allen." Mrs. Harris gestured toward Allen, who looked like his mind was wandering, though he was actually studying the map.

"Are you looking to buy uniforms for Hogwarts, dear?" Before Allen could speak, she continued: "We are the best choice for Hogwarts students to purchase their uniforms. Honestly, affordable, durable, and stylish—that's what my robes are all about."

Allen couldn't see anything stylish about the uniform, black robes that were identical save for the trim. After all, he already possessed the world's greatest wizard robe—the Miaomiao Wizard Robe, which could turn invisible, provide defense, and shapeshift.

Madam Malkin had Allen stand on a footstool, draped a black robe over him, and used pins to adjust it to his height.

Once the measurements were taken, Madam Malkin brought out a finished robe, waving her wand to guide the needle and thread. The needle, thread, and scissors darted continuously across the fabric, adjusting the width and length of the robe.

Mrs. Harris, meanwhile, was in the ladies' section, selecting wizarding attire in various styles and colors.

"Mom, I promised Harry I'd go shopping with him. Can I go find him?" This was the downside of not having graduated yet—a lack of freedom. Of course, for a true minor, reporting one's whereabouts to parents was only natural.

"That classmate of yours, Harry? Is he a young wizard too?" Mrs. Harris didn't know Harry's identity and assumed he was just an ordinary classmate.

"It wouldn't be Harry Potter, would it? Let me see, he's at the age to start school too!" Madam Malkin said with a smile, though she didn't truly believe the person Allen was meeting was the famous Harry Potter, let alone imagine that she would soon be measuring Harry Potter himself.

"Yes, he received his acceptance letter too."

"Go on then, but remember to be back at the Leaky Cauldron before dark. We'll have dinner there before heading home." Mrs. Harris took out 5 Galleons and a handful of Sickles and stuffed them into Allen's bag. When you're out and about, you can't get anywhere without money. This saying held true in every country and every world.

Allen wasn't actually going to find Harry; after all, time was limited, and he had too many secrets he couldn't share with Harry.

"Friendly reminder: To lift the curse from the Lizard-man, the host must first head to Knockturn Alley and find the magic orb of the Goddess of Luck Fols."

It was a chain quest! Allen didn't have time to lament; he immediately set off, following the map toward Knockturn Alley.

Before entering the alley, Allen ducked into a quiet street and activated the invisibility function of his Miaomiao Wizard Robe. Knockturn Alley was no place for an undergraduate wizard; it was a melting pot of all sorts, filled with black wizards of varying character, and all manner of bizarre, terrifying, and cruel dark artifacts could be found there.

Carefully passing an old hag brewing a bubbling, strangely colored unknown potion, stepping over a burly wizard with a large scar across his face, and traversing the dark, narrow alleyway, Allen followed the map's guidance to a shop with a dusty storefront. A dark red plaque, the color of dried blood, hung from the eaves. "Borgin and Burkes" was written in twisted black characters, signaling that this was certainly no ordinary shop.

Allen didn't dare walk in casually. Even in a Muggle shop, you'd hear an electronic "Welcome" upon entering, let alone a place like this, which clearly reeked of darkness and was never meant to be seen in the light of day. Allen waited quietly for a moment. His luck wasn't bad; soon, a tall, thin wizard wearing a skull mask appeared in the alley and headed toward the shop.

A few seconds later, Allen felt incredibly grateful for his cautious decision. He followed the masked wizard and slipped into the shop. As they entered, a bell chimed.

The wizard scanned the shop quickly, then walked straight to the counter and rang the bell. A stooped man appeared from behind the counter, smoothing back his greasy hair with his hand.

"Welcome. What can I do for you?" Mr. Borgin said in a tone as slick as his hair.

"I have a cursed necklace here that has already claimed the lives of nineteen Muggles. Are you interested in taking a look?" The masked man's muffled voice clearly indicated he was using a disguise.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Borgin pulled a pair of rusty leather gloves from under the counter, put them on, and took out two silver tweezers. He gripped the ends of the necklace and placed it on a tray lined with red velvet to examine it closely. Afterward, he took off his gloves and muttered to himself: "Now, let me see your secrets." He drew a wand from his sleeve and pointed it at the necklace, saying, "Revelio." Every opal on the necklace began to glow with a silvery fluorescence. Mr. Borgin seemed to have reached a verdict and said to the masked man: "A necklace cursed by Eris; it does indeed have the power to take lives. I'll need to conduct further tests to determine its specific potency. Twenty Galleons, how about it?"

"Don't joke, Borgin. I know the market. Items cursed by Eris are extremely rare, and Muggle detection methods are useless against them. Two hundred Galleons." The masked man bluntly pointed out Mr. Borgin's attempt to lowball him, making it clear he knew the going rate.

"You must understand, the crackdown on these dark artifacts is very strict right now..."

Seeing that this wasn't the magic orb he was looking for, Allen had no interest in listening to their haggling. Instead, he scouted his surroundings: it was a spacious, dim shop. Grimacing masks glared down from the walls, various human bones were displayed on the counters, and rusty, tooth-like instruments hung from the ceiling. Allen checked the counters one by one. He found two spherical objects, but the labels didn't match the magic orb he was looking for, and the Invincible Scholar System gave no notification of success.

By this time, the deal between Mr. Borgin and the masked man had been struck at 160 Galleons. The masked man refused Mr. Borgin's attempts to push other dark artifacts on him and left quickly. Mr. Borgin, in high spirits, held the tray in one hand and pushed open a hidden door on the right side of the hall. The room beyond was pitch black. Allen's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately followed.