“This ‘All-Purpose Wand’ can grant you magic no weaker than that of any wizard.
It can allow you to cast any spell you wish to learn, as long as you are able to control it.”
The figure beneath the cloak paused.
A hint of indescribable eeriness entered its voice.
“But the price requires three things from you in exchange.”
Luna held her breath and clenched her fists, waiting for the other party to name that “price.”
She had already prepared herself for the worst.
Even if it meant giving up part of her lifespan, she would accept it.
“First, your sense of smell.”
When the first price fell, Luna froze for a moment.
Her sense of smell?
That seemed… far lighter than she had imagined.
Although she liked the fragrance of flowers and the aroma of freshly baked bread, compared to possessing magic, losing her sense of smell seemed insignificant.
“Second, your sense of taste.”
The second price followed immediately.
Luna’s brows furrowed slightly.
Her sense of taste…
She thought of the baked cookies Rabbi had secretly given her.
She thought of the turkey on the family table during Christmas.
She thought of all those flavors that had once made her feel warm.
But very quickly, that trace of hesitation was suppressed.
Without taste, the worst that could happen was that everything she ate in the future would feel like chewing wax.
As long as she could become a wizard, what did a little suffering matter?
She was just about to say, “I agree,” when the voice beneath the cloak sounded again, cold and clear.
“Third, eighty percent of your sense of touch.”
Luna’s body suddenly stiffened.
Her sense of touch?
She subconsciously touched her own arm.
She could feel the roughness of the fabric and the pulse of the blood vessels beneath her skin.
She thought of the warmth of an embrace, the coolness of rain falling on her face, and the warm power she had felt when holding the wand…
What did it mean to lose eighty percent of her sense of touch?
It meant that, in the future, she might no longer feel the gentle breeze brushing against her cheeks, the warmth of sunlight falling on her body, the texture of cloth, or even…
The throb of magic flowing through her body.
Unless it was an extreme stimulus, like the burning of flames or the cut of a sharp blade, her world would become numb and dulled.
This price was far heavier than losing her sense of smell and taste.
Luna’s face turned pale, and a flicker of struggle appeared in her pale gray eyes.
She looked at the wooden box on the counter.
Inside it was the magic she had longed for, but also the senses that were about to be stripped from her.
On one side was the chance she had desired for two years—the chance to become a wizard.
On the other side was the way she had perceived the world for the past fourteen years.
Her fingers curled inward, her nails digging deeply into her palms.
Yet because of her tension, even the pain had become faint and blurred.
“I’m willing!”
Luna abruptly raised her head.
Her voice cracked slightly, yet it was unusually firm.
In her pale gray eyes, struggle was replaced by determination.
She had already lost too much.
She had lost her family’s love, lost her status as a young lady, lost her magic, lost her dignity…
If she could not seize this final chance, then what meaning did the fourteen years of her life have?
Smell, taste, touch…
These things were certainly precious.
But compared to her wish to “become a wizard,” all of them could be abandoned.
“I agree.”
She looked into the darkness beneath the cloak and spoke each word clearly.
“I am willing to exchange my sense of smell, my sense of taste, and eighty percent of my sense of touch for this All-Purpose Wand.”
The figure beneath the cloak seemed to nod in satisfaction.
The Accounting Pen suddenly leapt up from the counter, its tip racing swiftly across the parchment.
Before long, a new contract appeared before Luna.
The handwriting on the contract was the same as before, ancient and mysterious.
The terms clearly stated the price she had to pay, as well as what she would receive in return.
“Sign your name.”
The figure beneath the cloak pushed the quill toward her.
Luna did not hesitate at all.
She picked up the quill and wrote her name at the end of the contract:
Luna Fawley.
The moment the pen tip fell, the contract suddenly glowed with a faint golden light.
Then it turned into countless motes of light.
Half of them merged into her body, while the other half entered the wooden box.
She felt a sudden itch in her nose.
Then, the world lost its scent.
The fragrance of old wood in the shop vanished.
The damp smell of rain outside vanished.
Even the smell of sweat on her own body, brought out by nervousness, vanished.
Immediately afterward, numbness spread across the tip of her tongue, as though it had been frozen.
She remembered the peppermint candy Rabbi had slipped to her earlier.
That cool, refreshing taste still lingered in her memory, yet now, she could no longer feel it.
Finally, came her sense of touch.
A strange numbness spread through her limbs and bones, as though countless tiny needles were pricking her skin, yet also as though she had been wrapped in thick layers of cotton.
She subconsciously touched the counter.
She could only feel a vague hardness, but no longer sense the texture of the wood.
She touched her own cheek.
All she felt was a faint trace of contact, but not the warmth of her skin.
The world had suddenly become dull.
But she had no time to grieve.
Because the wooden box containing the wand was slowly floating toward her.
“It is yours now,” the voice beneath the cloak said.
Luna reached out and took the wooden box.
This time, she could barely feel its weight.
There was only a vague, heavy sensation.
She opened the box and grasped the pitch-black wand.
Magic once again surged through her body, though it was far blurrier than before, as if separated from her by a layer of frosted glass.
But she could be certain.
It was still there.
She had succeeded.
She finally possessed magic once again.
“Thank you… Thank you…” Luna said, choking on her sobs.
Tears slipped down her face once more.
This time, however, they carried a complicated mixture of joy and loss.
The figure beneath the cloak waved a hand, as if driving something away.
“Go.”
“Go?” Luna froze for a moment.
“But… can I come here again in the future?
If I have another wish…”
The figure beneath the cloak did not answer directly.
Instead, that androgynous voice sounded once more, carrying a distant and mysterious echo, as though it had come from a crack in time itself.
“When you have another desperate wish, there will be no need to search.
This place will open its doors to you on its own.”
As soon as the words fell, the shop door suddenly opened by itself.
The sound of rain and wind surged in from outside, carrying a damp chill.
Luna tightened her grip on the wooden box.
She took one last look at the darkness beneath the cloak, then turned and walked out of Merlin’s Antique Shop step by step.
The door gently closed behind her.
With a crisp ding-a-ling, it was as though the final note had been added to this transaction.
Inside the shop, Nora took off the cloak, revealing a face tinged with fatigue.
She looked at the automatically archived contract on the counter, then at the words the Accounting Pen had written on the paper:
Transaction complete.
Price collected.
Reward: Unknown Magic Fragment x1.
Nora let out a soft sigh.
“Depriving someone of their senses, huh…”
She murmured to herself, her fingertips brushing across the cold counter.
“I hope you won’t regret this someday, Luna Fawley”