Chapter 1277: Little Folks in the Marketplace

Spending so much money on these kinds of things is completely fine.

It’s not about being a sucker or not, but rather the issue of money can’t buy happiness—for Ian, he really wants to know the key to this alchemy technique.

“Alchemy techniques involving time are incredibly precious.” Ian stood before the three crucibles emitting waves of mysterious magic power, the nausea in his heart replaced by strong curiosity and a thirst for knowledge.

As a top-notch alchemist, he was well aware of how precious and rare alchemy artifacts that can reverse or neutralize the effects of time erosion are! It’s definitely not just a matter of “keeping meat fresh,” the underlying time magic and principles of material essence restoration are certainly highly advanced topics of research in the field of alchemy!

“If I could understand the principle of this crucible, or even obtain a sample…” Ian’s heart involuntarily sped up. This item’s value to him might be greater than several chests of Golden Galleons! Whether used to repair certain ancient magic items or for his own research on time magic.

Such tools have immeasurable value.

His mind raced, quickly coming up with a plan. He inconspicuously pulled aside the attendant who had led him in earlier, and walked to a relatively quiet corner of the kitchen.

The attendant looked at Ian with some confusion, not knowing what this esteemed guest wanted to ask.

Ian didn’t speak, just gave a slight smile, flipped his hand, and a few gold coins, equally valuable in the African Market as Golden Galleons, appeared in his palm, shimmering invitingly in the dim light. He gently stuffed the coins into the attendant’s hand and lowered his voice, speaking in simple English mixed with gestures.

“Buddy, do me a favor. I want to meet your boss, talk about… business.” He tried to make himself seem a bit more commercial, as his varied personas were part of his cultivated charm.

“Gulp~”

The attendant felt the weight of the gold coins in his hand, his eyes instantly widened, his breath became a bit rapid. Working here for a year might not even amount to this much money!

Because of this, although he didn’t fully understand what kind of “business” Ian wanted to conduct, the allure of money was undeniable. He instinctively clutched the coins tightly, his face immediately filled with greater enthusiasm and even a fawning smile.

“Esteemed sir! You want to see our boss?” The attendant nodded quickly but then showed a troubled expression, “However… our boss doesn’t often visit the shop, he usually resides at the family estate outside the market. It’s the busiest time of noon now, and I can’t leave…”

Ian nodded understandingly, adding another gold coin: “It’s okay. I can wait. Whenever you’re free, just take me to meet him.”

Seeing another gold coin, the attendant’s last bit of hesitation vanished. He quickly pocketed the coins, patted his chest in assurance, “No problem! Rest assured, sir! After two in the afternoon, when there are fewer customers in the shop, I’ll take you to the boss right away! I’ll take care of it!”

This sort of low-level labor force is indeed easily satisfied.

“Alright, I’ll go for a stroll first, and come back to find you later.” Ian smiled contentedly.

“No problem! No problem! Please take care as you leave!” The attendant nodded and bowed, escorting Ian out of the kitchen.

Ian re-crossed the curtain, returned to the bustling restaurant hall, watching the patrons who were still gorging themselves, oblivious to the “source of the ingredients,” his mood was rather peculiar. Who could have thought that behind the kitchen of this seemingly ordinary roadside eatery hid such profound alchemy mysteries?

He shook his head, temporarily repressing these thoughts, stepping out of the restaurant, and once again blending into the bustling crowd of the market. There was still some time before two in the afternoon, and he planned to take a good walk around this magic market full of exotic charm, to see if there were any novel items.

The sunlight filtered through the magic dome’s simulated sky, spilling onto the bustling streets of the market. Ian wandered aimlessly, feeling much more relaxed. Unlike yesterday when he had a clear goal, such as seeking information and observing magic systems, today he was more like a pure tourist, enjoying the thrill of exploration.

“The basic alchemy methods in the African Magic World here also have some unique aspects.” Ian was first attracted to a stall selling various small alchemy items.

The stall was packed with all sorts of ingenious little things: a magic comb that automatically sorts hair, a cup that can change the temperature of drinks, a compass that projects simple star maps, and even a whistle that can mimic the calls of over a dozen bird species—although not highly technical, they were full of creativity and brimming with lifestyle charm.

The key point is that although similar items exist in the British Wizarding World, the underlying logic of alchemy between the two is different, which is indeed novel and attractive enough for Ian.

“Although this kind of technology isn’t very helpful to me, it can provide insights into the development direction of a civilization.” Ian was keenly interested, selecting a few intriguing little items to take back as souvenirs for his friends at Hogwarts, for instance, the star map projecting compass would be a nice gift for Professor Sinistra in the Astronomy Tower.

Such stalls were not uncommon.

Ian moved on to a second stall.

The stall owner was a spry young man, eloquently promoting his goods. The stall was filled with all sorts of tiny items emitting faint magical glows: a cloth that automatically wrings out, a tube that can blow colorful bubbles, a small iron needle that always points north, and even a box of shampoo that supposedly changes hair color.