Quidditch Emporium

The next day, early morning.

Bright sunlight streamed through the window and landed on Gemini's face. Gemini frowned under the sunlight, then groggily got out of bed.

Sitting dazed on the spacious bed, Gemini saw the bustling street outside the window on his left, and the crowded Diagon Alley outside the window on his right. This jarring disconnect confused Gemini for a few seconds before he realized he was in a suite at The Leaky Cauldron.

"Hoo~"

By the window, Hedwig hooted at Gemini. The sun had already risen high, and it was time for it to sleep too...

Gemini looked seriously at Hedwig, "Your sleep schedule is unhealthy."

"Hoo~"

Hedwig rolled its eyes at Gemini and tucked its head under its wings.

It scoffed at Gemini's words. As an owl, its sleep schedule was perfectly standard!

Seeing that Hedwig didn't want to bother with him, Gemini shrugged and got up to wash himself.

The facilities in the room's washroom were strange. Both the sink and the bathtub were similar in shape to those in the Muggle world. The difference was that none of these facilities had connected water pipes, yet they could still dispense water.

"Good morning, Mr. Fox."

Feeling refreshed, he went downstairs and saw Old Tom standing behind the bar, wiping a dirty glass while grinning at him with his toothless mouth.

"Good morning, Mr. Tom."

Gemini sat at the long table in the center of the bar. A disheveled witch waved her wand and delivered a steaming breakfast.

Sausages, fried eggs, and milk.

This simple, bland, and monotonous English breakfast was unavoidable for both Muggles and wizards.

To be honest, Gemini felt nauseous just smelling the greasy aroma of the sausages. He would rather eat the compressed biscuits and canned food sold at the weapon shop, like strategic supplies.

However, he didn't waste the sausage – keeping it for Hedwig was a good option.

After eating, Gemini passed through the small courtyard behind The Leaky Cauldron and made his way into Diagon Alley.

Diagon Alley was even more bustling today than yesterday, perhaps because Hogwarts was about to start.

A magic joke shop called "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes" was surrounded by crowds of children, ranging from eleven or twelve to seventeen or eighteen years old. Business seemed to be booming.

However, Gemini wasn't very interested in magic jokes and prank toys. His attention was focused more on the Quidditch Emporium next door.

Behind the glass display window was an exquisite broom. The broomstick was painted with a golden-red gloss, and at the top were a row of small golden characters: Nimbus 2000. It was displayed on a wooden stand, constantly attracting the attention of passing children.

Gemini pushed open the shop door and walked in.

"Hah~ Welcome."

The shopkeeper was a portly wizard, dressed in a wine-red wizard's robe and wearing several large gemstone rings on his hands. He looked like a nouveau riche.

"Are you here to look at brooms, dear?" the shopkeeper asked Gemini with a smile. "Feel free to look, but please don't touch anything casually, alright?"

"Thank you very much for your generosity," Gemini smiled gently.

The shopkeeper clearly didn't see him as a customer. But it was understandable. Judging by the prices on the shelves, the cheapest broom here cost around sixty to seventy Galleons. Who would expect an eleven-year-old child to have the money to buy a good broom?

Even though he didn't treat Gemini as a customer, the shopkeeper showed good manners. In this regard, it wasn't without reason that this shopkeeper could open such a "4S store" in the magical world.

"Are you a new student at Hogwarts this year?" the shopkeeper asked with a smile.

"That's right, I'm a new student this year," Gemini nodded.

"Oh, that's great!" The shopkeeper clapped his hands excitedly. "For a polite child like you, I highly recommend Hufflepuff, haha, I graduated from there."

"Although some people always say we are mediocre, mediocrity isn't necessarily a bad thing, and there are many excellent wizards from Hufflepuff," the shopkeeper spread his hands. "For example... me~"

Gemini smiled; this shopkeeper was quite interesting.

"Thank you very much for your advice."

"You're welcome, child."

"May I ask, what is the price of the Nimbus 2000?" Gemini asked.

"Oh... people have been asking about it a lot lately. As you know, this latest broom—and also the fastest one currently—attracts a lot of attention," the shopkeeper chuckled. "I can tell you that its lowest price can be pushed down to 200 Galleons, of course, that's the absolute lowest. Under normal circumstances, its price should be around two hundred and thirty to two hundred and seventy."

Gemini nodded slightly.

200 Galleons, converted to pounds, would be about 1000 pounds, which is two months' salary for an ordinary person. It wasn't too expensive, but it wasn't cheap either.

Although 200 Galleons doesn't seem like much, the value of money depends on the era and social environment it's in.

The current year is 1991 in Britain. In China at this time, the per capita wage was only seventy to eighty yuan, and the exchange rate between the pound and the renminbi was far from as low as it would be thirty years later.

What does 200 Galleons mean now? It's two months' salary for an ordinary person in Britain. In China at this time, it would be equivalent to a "ten-thousand-yuan household."

In an era when watches, bicycles, and sewing machines were still considered the "three essential items" for marriage, 200 Galleons was no small sum. This fact wouldn't change just because it was in Britain or the magical world.

After all, with Harry's sponsorship of one thousand Galleons, the Weasley twins were able to open a magic joke shop in Diagon Alley in a very short period, and their lives immediately took off.

"So far, the total sales of the Nimbus 2000 have reached three times that of all other top-tier brooms combined. I have to say, this broom is indeed excellent. It's the fastest broom I've ever seen."

The shopkeeper sighed.

Gemini nodded, scanned the shop, and finally looked at a black broom in the back of the room. It was a very exquisite-looking broom.

"That one is..."

"A Firebolt. An obscure gem, manufactured in 1940. Before the Nimbus series burst onto the scene, it was my absolute favorite. Of course, I still love it now, but it just can't keep up with the current market. A shame."

The shopkeeper sighed, then as if remembering something else, chuckled and said, "But I heard from people in the Broom Family that they seem to be planning something big these past two years, telling me to be ready early. The Broom Family, have you heard of them? A famous family of broom makers. They've never pursued money, but perfection."

Gemini understood. Firebolt... Broom Family...

Judging by the name, the later Firebolt must have been created by this Broom Family, right?

His gaze shifted to the weapon shop, and Gemini pulled up the data for flying broomsticks.

Nimbus 2000.

Price: 90 Galleons.

Firebolt.

Price: 270 Galleons.

Three times the price...

According to the description in the weapon shop, the reason for the Firebolt's exorbitant price was its goblin-forged metal components, which were its most expensive feature.

In contrast, traditional brooms didn't consider this. Due to cost reasons, the Firebolt seemed to be the first to incorporate goblin alchemy into a broomstick, which explained its price in the weapon shop.