When they saw this wand, both Charles and Professor McGonagall were stunned.
This wand was simply too different from the wands they were familiar with.
The wands Ollivander had brought out earlier all had wooden shafts.
Their cores were made from things such as phoenix feathers, unicorn hair, dragon heartstrings, or materials from various magical creatures.
There was barely anything aesthetically pleasing about their appearance.
They perfectly matched the description of a “broken wooden stick.”
But the wand before them was completely different.
Not only was its entire body made of silver-colored metal, it also possessed an elegant and exquisite appearance.
Mysterious openwork patterns covered its surface.
At first glance, it looked more like a beautiful work of art than a wand.
Professor McGonagall was the first to look at Ollivander questioningly.
“Mr. Ollivander, are you certain this is a wand?”
Ollivander seemed to have already prepared his explanation.
He answered firmly,
“Of course it’s a wand.”
“And not just any wand.”
“This wand has quite a history.”
“Its origins can be traced back to the period of the wars between wizards and goblins.”
“As everyone knows, goblins possess naturally superior magical abilities compared with wizards.”
“Yet they were defeated by wizards in several wars.”
“The most fundamental reason was that they didn’t possess wands.”
“Because of this, goblins went to great lengths to secretly learn wandmaking techniques from wizards.”
“They combined those techniques with their own mastery of magical metallurgy and began creating wands of their own.”
“Unfortunately, just after they completed a prototype, they were defeated in the war.”
“That prototype was subsequently lost.”
“Originally, this goblin wand should have disappeared into the depths of history.”
“But one of my ancestors was curious about it.”
“He was also deeply passionate about wandmaking.”
“So he searched everywhere for relevant records and used the same techniques to recreate that lost goblin wand.”
“This is the result.”
“I can guarantee that even the goblins who originally created it would be shocked if they saw this wand.”
“They would swear it was identical to the one they lost!”
Charles and Professor McGonagall exchanged rather meaningful looks.
After explaining the wand’s origins, Ollivander quickly shifted the topic back to the wand itself.
“Unlike wizards, who use wood combined with magical creature materials to make wands, goblins use their unparalleled magical metalworking techniques.”
“They believe that combining wood with magical creature materials causes a loss of magical performance.”
“How could two completely different materials possibly cooperate with each other?”
“So the wands they created don’t distinguish between a wand shaft and a core.”
“The entire wand is made from a single piece of magical metal.”
“This particular wand was forged from a metal known as the finest material for magical conductivity—mithril.”
“See these openwork patterns?”
“They further enhance the wand’s ability to conduct magic.”
“Combined with the silver-colored body, the entire thing really is like a work of art.”
After praising the goblins for a moment, Ollivander shook his head regretfully.
“Unfortunately, goblins only learned the superficial aspects of wandlore.”
“They have done absolutely no research into the connection between wands and wizards.”
“This greedy race doesn’t believe in such mysterious and wonderful connections.”
“They simply treat wands as weapons and tools.”
“Therefore, this wand has no concept of choosing a master.”
“There is no loyalty or personality.”
“It serves every person who holds it equally and performs exactly the same way for everyone.”
“It isn’t a wizard’s partner.”
“It is merely a weapon.”
“If Charles’s magic weren’t so extreme, I wouldn’t have taken this wand out under any circumstances.”
“Only a material like mithril can probably withstand his magic.”
But instead of sharing Ollivander’s regret, Charles’s eyes lit up.
Compared with Ollivander’s philosophy of wandmaking, Charles actually found the goblins’ approach much more agreeable.
A tool is a tool.
A weapon is a weapon.
That’s what a wand is supposed to be.
A wizard could certainly develop feelings for their wand, just as a swordsman might deeply love the sword in their hand.
But no matter how much affection one had for a weapon, a weapon was still a weapon.
Durable.
Sturdy.
Reliable.
That was enough.
As for personality?
What the hell use is that?!
Loyalty was somewhat useful.
But as long as the wand didn’t turn around and bite its master, and merely failed to perform at full capacity in someone else’s hands, the difference wasn’t particularly important.
At least in Charles’s opinion, if his wand ever fell into someone else’s hands during battle, he was probably already close to death.
The best way to ensure that a wand remained loyal to him forever was simple:
Never let anyone else hold it!
Therefore, before Ollivander could continue explaining, Charles had already reached out and grasped the mithril wand.
The moment it entered his hand, it wasn’t cold as Charles had imagined.
Instead, it carried a faint warmth along with the unmistakable texture of metal.
It felt incredibly comfortable to hold, perfectly fitting the curve of his palm.
Its weight was also just right.
It wasn’t so light that it felt flimsy, nor so heavy that it strained his hand.
Everything was simply perfect.
Charles felt a surge of excitement.
When he had previously held those wooden wands, even the supposedly most durable oak wand had left him with a sense of unease.
But the moment he held the mithril wand, that feeling completely disappeared.
Charles eagerly tried channeling the Eternal Blazing Sun Charm.
The wand moved smoothly.
Silver light seemed to flow through the wand itself and even through the intricate magical patterns carved into its surface.
But just as Ollivander had said, mithril truly possessed extraordinary abilities when it came to containing and conducting magic.
The Eternal Blazing Sun had already reached the point where Charles could trigger it the moment he spoke the incantation.
Yet the mithril wand was completely capable of handling it.
Aside from the flickering silver light, there was no sign that anything was wrong.
Even if Charles eventually became powerful enough to cast several Eternal Blazing Suns consecutively within a short period of time, the mithril wand should still be able to withstand them with ease.
Charles excitedly withdrew the Eternal Blazing Sun.
Then he tried the Dustless Domain.
Completely different magical energy flowed into the mithril wand.
Yet it received the same smooth conduction and effortless containment.
At this point, a satisfied expression appeared on Charles’s face.
In his eyes, this truly was a wand more suitable for him than any other.
Ollivander also breathed a sigh of relief.
If even this wand had failed, he genuinely would have had no idea what else to do.
At this moment, Charles asked Ollivander,
“Mr. Ollivander, how much does this wand cost?”
Ollivander gave him a number.
“Two hundred Galleons.”
He wasn’t simply making up the price.
Forget the craftsmanship, exquisite appearance, and long history of this goblin wand.
The value of the mithril alone was worth more than two hundred Galleons.
This price was practically a bargain.
Of course, Ollivander knew that a Muggle-born first-year student like Charles probably didn’t have that much money.
He didn’t genuinely intend to charge Charles the full amount.
Instead, he wanted Charles to praise Ollivanders whenever he accomplished something remarkable in the future.
The last time Ollivander had encountered Dumbledore, he had missed the opportunity.
Thinking about it now, he practically wanted to tear his hair out in regret.
If he had thought of doing this back then, perhaps the name Ollivander wouldn’t merely be associated with one of the three greatest wandmakers in Europe.
He might have become known as the greatest wandmaker in the entire world!
And now, Ollivander saw an opportunity to accomplish that goal during his own generation.
He was already waiting for Charles to bargain over the price.
He would then conveniently present his own condition and ultimately give the mithril wand to Charles for free.
However, the next moment, just as Professor McGonagall was preparing to take out her money pouch and pay for Charles’s wand, Charles beat her to it.
He nodded at Ollivander.
“Deal.”
“Then, Mr. Ollivander…”
“You still owe me eight hundred Galleons.”
“Would you prefer to transfer it through Gringotts, or pay me in cash?”
Ollivander froze.
…
(End of Chapter)