"Mr. Ollivander, could you tell me about me? What kind of wand would suit me?"
Hearing Li Mu's voice, Ollivander turned around. His eyes were like two moons, and even his cloudy gaze seemed to cast the clear radiance of a full moon over Li Mu. Li Mu silently recited the Heart Cleansing Mantra twice, widened his own eyes, and faced Ollivander in silence.
When he had read the books, Li Mu had already been deeply impressed by Ollivander. His family had been making wands since before the Common Era, a tradition that had continued for over two thousand years. And this Mr. Ollivander before him had been making wands for at least several decades. Fifty years ago, Voldemort had bought his wand from him.
The fact that this wand master could remember so many of the wands he had sold... that was no longer merely a matter of an astonishing memory. It was professionalism and the spirit of a craftsman.
The two stared at each other for half a minute before Ollivander suddenly broke into a wide smile, smacking his lips. "Mm, yes... there's another major customer here. An Asian. I rarely make wands for Asians; I might not make even one in several decades. But this year is an exception. Let's start with you."
As he spoke, he produced a measuring tape as if by magic. Without waiting for an invitation, Li Mu spread his hands flat and let the wand master measure his arm length, shoulder width, fingers, and every joint.
Li Mu heard him muttering by his ear. "Asians ought to use magical materials from Asia. Only then can their potential be brought out to the fullest. They told me there would be two foreign students this year, both from Asia. What troublesome business... I've made wands for more than half a century, but I've never been so troubled. Tsk, tsk... Asians... when have they ever used wands?"
Indeed, the magical world of Asia seemed to have never had any connection with tools like wands. He had formally trained under old Li Jianmin for more than eight years, yet he had only encountered "traditional folk" arts such as drawing talismans, wielding swords, and arranging compasses. He had never imagined he would one day use a wand.
It was said that Japan had a wizarding school called Mahoutokoro, which also followed Western magical education methods, using wands to cast spells. Translated into Japanese, it meant "Magic Corner," but it had far too few students and was not even mainstream within Japan's magical community.
"Fortunately, they also provided some materials—special materials well suited for Asians. Enough to support a whole series of experiments." Ollivander continued murmuring as he took more than ten boxes from the shelves behind him. Their lids flipped open by themselves, revealing wands of various styles within.
"Choose!" he ordered. Looking at the wands lying peacefully in their boxes as though they were his own children, he wore a gratified, delighted expression.
East and West had long remained separated from one another. Making wands from Asia's special materials was likely rare in all of European history, and this custom wand commission had given Ollivander quite a few new insights.
Li Mu had not expected Hogwarts to be so considerate as to commission a batch of wands in advance. Without ceremony, he walked over to the boxes, took out the wands one by one, and swung them as if wielding a sword. They sliced through the air with whooshing sounds.
Ollivander stared with wide eyes, watching Li Mu's movements closely, before always muttering in disappointment, "No, no, I don't think it suits you."
He picked up wands one after another, swung them, then put them down again. More than twenty boxes were quickly exhausted, and Li Mu felt as if his hands hurt from all the waving. Twice, he had felt that one was probably close enough, only to realize that something was still missing. Ollivander continued shaking his head.
Ollivander put away the twenty-odd boxes, gritted his teeth, and brought out more than ten boxes for Li Mu to choose from.
All the while, Harry and Hagrid watched Ollivander and Li Mu blankly, having long lost track of how much time had passed. They were both incredibly curious that this trembling old man could have such patience while picking through wands for a young Chinese customer.
They had even begun to think they would spend the night in this wand shop.
Then, finally, just as Li Mu was growing disheartened and even beginning to doubt whether he had any talent for learning magic at all, the dim little shop suddenly lit up as though a tiny sun had been planted inside it.
At last, a wand had chosen him. When Li Mu raised it, a golden ball of light shot from its tip, spilling brilliant colors everywhere.
Beneath that radiance was a white wand like a slender bamboo stalk, so crystal-clear and flawless that one's gaze was drawn to it without conscious thought.
It was about twelve inches long and perfectly straight. From a distance, it looked even more like a sharp sword.
"Oh... let me see. I never expected this, truly..." Ollivander reached out and took the wand from Li Mu's palm. Before long, he frowned. "Yes, this is it... what a strange combination."
His dry hands stroked the crystalline wand, treating it as though it were an invaluable piece of jade.
"Made from locust wood. It must have come from a locust tree at least a thousand years old; only then could such white wood be refined from it. It is also tough and durable, not easily damaged... but locust wood is said to carry heavy baleful energy and affect a person's state of mind..." As Ollivander spoke, his bluish eyes widened further as he examined the wand closely.
Though it should have been a wand he had made with his own hands, at that moment he looked as though he had discovered a new continent upon it.
"Yes. In China, the locust tree is the ghost among trees, the species most saturated with the fierce energy of ghosts, evil, and resentment." Li Mu nodded as well. He had lived two lives, yet he had heard this saying in both worlds.
Whether it was the feudal superstition passed down among ordinary people in his previous life or the orthodox cultivation texts of this life, both held similar prejudices toward locust trees.
"Quite right. I would never have used this kind of wood to make a wand. But they gave me a proposed solution. Yes... locust wood for the shell, with two intertwined long whiskers as the core." Ollivander tried to widen his already large eyes, making the bluish tint even more obvious. "A design provided by Shushan Taoist Academy, along with Dragon Whisker..."
Li Mu did not wait for Ollivander to finish. He nearly sprayed out a mouthful of salt soda. So this white wand was entirely a custom product of Shushan Taoist Academy—or perhaps old Li Jianmin himself... no wonder it suited his attributes so perfectly.
After all, he had practiced Shushan Taoist Academy's exclusive spells for a full eight years!
The old man did care about me after all... Thinking of the piles of gold coins at Gringotts, then looking at the white wand before him, Li Mu felt warmth rise in his heart.
End of Chapter.
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