4, Secret Realm Exploration

"Are you even human!!!?"

Hoffa grabbed Yinduo by the collar in a furious rage and roared, "Why did you use my grant money to gamble!"

Startled, Yinduo hurriedly patted Hoffa's veined hand. "Wasn't I investing it indirectly? Come on, that little bit of money is nothing. How could us goblins ever be short on money? Look how worked up you are."

Hoffa released him, panting heavily. This goblin had nearly pissed him to death.

"Are you serious?"

"Trust me." Yinduo thumped his chest loudly.

"I guarantee I'll get you books and a wand before sunset, as long as you do as I say."

Hoffa gave the goblin a cold look. The more he looked at him, the less pleasant he found him. How had Dumbledore found this kind of guy to handle the job? He had even said he was a decent goblin.

"What do I need to do?" Hoffa asked.

"First, we need to go to Diagon Alley."

Yinduo said with a smile, extending a long, slender finger and knocking three times on the wall before them.

The wall immediately trembled as if alive. Amid a shower of dust, it quickly split open into a broad archway leading to a winding cobblestone road with no end in sight.

And at that very moment...

An inexplicable voice suddenly rang out in Hoffa's mind.

Ding!

A wizard secret realm has been discovered. System activated.

This system is a compulsory education system.

This system exists for only two purposes.

First, the host must complete Hogwarts's seven-year magical education.

(If this cannot be completed, compulsory measures will be taken if necessary.)

Second, to help the host better explore and document this world. Whenever the host completes a secret realm exploration, the system will grant a reward.

[Current Wizard Secret Realm—London Wizard Market]

Complete 50% of the secret realm exploration—you will receive [One-Third Spell Fragment]

(One-Third Spell Fragment contains strange energy. After obtaining three fragments, you can upgrade one of your spell abilities.)

Complete 100% of the secret realm exploration—you will receive [Knowledge of a Great God]

(Knowledge of a Great God is mysterious and unfathomable. Before obtaining it, you have absolutely no idea what power it may possess.)

Hiss!

Hoffa stood frozen for a moment. Fortunately, his heart had become much tougher after the recent string of upheavals. He carefully reviewed the information in his mind several times over.

It was not particularly strange that he had a system attached to him.

Its functions were standard enough: complete tasks, then receive rewards.

It was just that the system's name seemed a little bizarre.

A compulsory education system. He had to complete seven years of magical education...

Something about it felt off to Hoffa. Would anyone refuse to study at Hogwarts for seven years? Even someone as formidable as Voldemort had obediently stayed in school for seven years before leaving. That showed just how appealing the school was.

Yet the system said that if he failed to complete it, compulsory measures would be taken if necessary.

What a joke. He had never skipped class in his previous life...

He tried asking the system questions, but it did not answer. The only change was that after obtaining the system, an empty green bar appeared in Hoffa's mindscape.

[Current Secret Realm Exploration: 0%]

Looking at the empty bar, Hoffa understood. It seemed that only by constantly exploring could he receive rewards. There were two kinds of rewards: [Spell Fragments] and [Knowledge of a Great God].

For the time being, however, he had no idea what either of them was for.

Once he was sure he had not seen wrong, Hoffa withdrew from his mindscape.

Yinduo saw Hoffa standing there foolishly for quite a while and assumed that, since it was his first time in Diagon Alley, he had been stunned by the sight.

After waiting a little, he nudged Hoffa. "Stop staring and get moving. We still have a lot to do."

Having finished studying the system, Hoffa nodded at Yinduo.

The two stepped into Diagon Alley.

Compared with the dreary tension of the Muggle world outside, the wizarding world seemed especially leisurely and colorful.

Every display window held all sorts of materials: baskets of red feathers, gleaming blue bat eyes, strange silver instruments, and all kinds of lucky wind chimes hanging by the doors.

Those wind chimes all had tiny mouths. Whenever someone passed by, they would chime and sing together.

They were not singing words meant to attract customers, but some lovely ancient language that Hoffa could not understand.

Some shops were well hidden, and he had to enter them before the system's exploration bar increased.

For example, there was a shop around a corner with nothing but a small wooden cabinet for storing brooms at its entrance.

If he had not looked carefully, Hoffa would have mistaken it for a storage room full of miscellaneous junk. Only after walking inside did he discover that it was a lavishly decorated wizarding restaurant, bustling with house-elves.

Of course, the shop that left the deepest impression on Hoffa was one called—[Perseus's Weather Blankets]. Beneath the large gilded words on its sign was a smaller line—

(Are you still troubled by difficulty adapting to a new environment? Are you still bothered by your days and nights being reversed? For only 50 Galleons, you can choose your favorite weather. Perfect for romance at home or travel on the go, only 50 Galleons. What are you waiting for? Come and buy one now!)

Weather blankets?

Hoffa had never seen such a shop, nor had there been one in the original story. Naturally, he went inside.

The moment he entered, he was dumbfounded. This shop really did sell weather.

On the blanket to the left was a thunderstorm. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled as a dark cloud poured rain from the sky.

On the blanket to the right was a drought-stricken desert, where several miniature camels wandered back and forth through the sand.

Beyond the desert was a rainforest climate. Lush forests filled the area, parrots bounced about among the trees, and the moment one approached, moisture hit them in the face.

Hoffa even saw a wizard in sunglasses lying in a recliner beside the rainforest section, sunbathing...

Beside him, the shop owner was recommending his products with a beaming smile.

"Well? Real enough for you? I guarantee you won't experience the feeling of sunbathing in a tropical rainforest anywhere else in Britain."

The sunbathing wizard sat up from his recliner.

"Yes, it's about what I expected, but I think the humidity should be turned up a bit more. And add more parrots in the middle of the forest."

"Coming right up!"

With a wave of the shop owner's wand, the entire rainforest rolled itself into a blanket amid the singing of parrots.

It folded itself neatly.

After paying, the wizard left with the blanket, thoroughly satisfied.

Hoffa stared as he walked.

The shop had every kind of weather: endless grasslands, glaciers blanketed in ice and snow, scenic little islands, even volcanoes rumbling as though ready to erupt at any moment...

The shop owner walked over and asked, "Hello. Are you planning to buy a weather pattern, or customize one you like?"

Hoffa felt embarrassed.

"I'm just looking around..."

Yinduo covered his face and shook his head beside him.

Ten minutes later, Hoffa and Yinduo walked out of Perseus's Weather Blankets. Wizarding abilities seemed more and more miraculous to him.

Naturally, as he walked, the green bar in his mindscape slowly increased.

Exploration progress: 13%...

22%...

29%...

37%...

Yinduo was very dissatisfied with Hoffa's leisurely wandering and kept reminding him that time was money.

Finally, an hour later, when Hoffa stopped in front of a clothing shop, the green bar had risen to 40%.

Madam Malkin's Robes.

Hoffa looked up at the sign. He was quite familiar with this shop.

Because many years later, Malfoy and Harry Potter, those two destined rivals, would meet for the first time in this very shop.

As for now, Lucius, Malfoy's father, probably would not even be born for another decade or two.

Sighing inwardly, Hoffa was forcibly pushed through the door by Yinduo.

Inside stood a somewhat hunched man with a hooked nose. He wore an elegant purple robe and swept a gloomy gaze toward the entrance. His narrow eyes lingered on Hoffa's shabby shoes and socks for quite some time.

Yinduo did not care. He boldly jumped up to the counter, then pulled a gold watch from his robes and tossed it to the hunchbacked man.

"The usual, Malkin. Rent a set of clothes."

Malkin accepted the gold watch, his eyes fixed firmly on Hoffa.

"This guest of yours doesn't seem to have much potential."

"That's none of your business, Malkin. By the rules, if I'm not back within an hour, my grandfather's watch is yours."

"Hmph." Malkin stuffed the watch beneath the counter, tilted his head back, and shouted, "Polina, get out here and work!"

Hoffa had no idea what they were talking about, but it looked like this was a family shop. He did not know what relationship this hunchbacked owner had with the future Madam Malkin.

The next second, however, he got his answer.

At old Malkin's shout, a rosy little girl pushed open the counter and hopped out.

"I'm coming, Dad! Stop shouting so loudly!"

She was half a head shorter than Hoffa and looked only eight or nine years old.

Though small, she moved with remarkable efficiency. The moment she saw Hoffa, she immediately pushed him onto a wooden stool.

"Hold your arms out straight."

Hoffa obediently stretched out his arms, wondering whether this little girl named Polina was the future Madam Malkin. She really was born for this line of work. She had not changed her surname, though, so he wondered whether she had ever married.

Hoffa mused with great interest.

Polina had no idea what the boy was thinking. As she measured Hoffa's body from top to bottom, she asked, "A new student? Here to have school robes made?"

Before Hoffa could speak, Yinduo hurriedly shouted, "Hey, little girl, we're not here to buy school robes. You need to dress my client up handsomely, like an ancient Persian prince."

Old Malkin snorted disdainfully.

Polina stuck out her tongue at Yinduo, then turned to Hoffa and whispered, "How did you end up mixed up with him? Goblins are no good, not a single one of them."

Hoffa sighed. "It's a long story."

Although old Malkin looked rather snobbish, his skill as a tailor was undeniable. Ten minutes later, Hoffa had been completely transformed.

He wore a luxurious red robe patterned with dark gold designs, knee-high calfskin boots, and his black hair was combed neatly. Yinduo even snatched one of old Malkin's rings and put it on Hoffa's hand.

He now looked every inch the descendant of some great pure-blood family.

Standing before the mirror, Hoffa suddenly wondered how handsome Voldemort would look in this outfit.

Yinduo rubbed his pointed chin with his long fingers. Then he suddenly turned to Polina and asked, "Do you like him now?"

The future Madam Malkin's little face turned red. She viciously kicked Yinduo, covered her face, and ran away.

"Looks like we've achieved the desired effect." Yinduo snapped his fingers.

"Let's go, Your Highness. We're very busy today."

After admiring himself in the mirror, Hoffa suddenly folded his arms, looked at Yinduo, and smiled. "You want to package me up, then drag me to Gringotts for a loan, don't you?"

Yinduo backed away two steps in fright, nearly falling flat on his rear.

Old Malkin froze for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter. "A goblin, oh, a goblin! So you have a day like this too! How does it feel to have your little trick seen through by a brat?"

Hoffa sneered. "You lost my tuition grant, but that gold watch of yours is worth something too. How about you give it to me as compensation?"

Yinduo sprang into the air as if springs had been fitted beneath his feet.

"Absolutely not! There are plenty of ways to make money, but I only have one watch! Absolutely not, absolutely not!"

"Is that so? Then tell me, what is Gringotts's interest rate? You dressed me like this, so how much are you planning to borrow in my name? And how much will I have to repay for the money I borrow now?"

Hoffa stood calmly before the goblin, looking down at him.

"I trusted you only for Dumbledore's sake, but what you've done makes it difficult for me to continue trusting you."

Old Malkin muttered softly, "Merlin's beard."

Cold sweat trickled down Yinduo's forehead. Looking at Hoffa before him, he muttered, "Rampaging Gorgon, are you really only eleven?"

Hoffa undid the collar that was slightly too tight and sat down on the stool.

"You have only two choices. First, compensate me with the gold watch. Second, explain your plan to me clearly."

Yinduo gave a bitter smile and rubbed his hair.

Ten minutes later, Hoffa, dressed in fine clothes, and Yinduo walked out of Madam Malkin's Robes. They were on their way to Gringotts for a loan.

No matter how much Hoffa argued, Yinduo refused to compensate him with the gold watch. But he told Hoffa his plan from beginning to end.

Europe's situation was tense now, and Gringotts was taking the opportunity to expand into other European countries. It needed a great many foreign partners, and Hoffa's mixed-race appearance could bring Yinduo considerable convenience. If handled properly, he could package Hoffa as a foreign noble and take a sum of venture capital funds from Gringotts.

Indeed, Yinduo's tricks were nothing remarkable to Hoffa, who had lived through the information explosion of his previous life.

Still, he had to admit that the fellow was rather clever. He actually dared exploit loopholes in a major bank. And from the looks of it, this was not his first time doing so.

It was only because Yinduo thumped his chest and guaranteed that he had succeeded many times before, and that any risks would be his responsibility, that Hoffa agreed to take a chance with him.

He truly needed money to study at Hogwarts.