Diagon Alley, the Leaky Cauldron.
After breakfast, Vade changed into his wizarding robes, took the silver-gray wand made of vine wood and phoenix feather, and left his room.
His task for the day was simple: explore and shop.
First, he needed to gather the ingredients required for the Clown potion. If the prices were reasonable, he would buy them. If not, he would sacrifice money to the Card of Blasphemy in exchange for them.
Second, he intended to examine as many magical ingredients as possible and search for substitutes that could be used in the potions of higher Sequences.
Perhaps because it was still early, there were not many customers in the pub.
Tom, the landlord, was wiping glasses behind the bar when he greeted him.
"How did you sleep last night?"
"Not badly. However, Tom, the food here isn’t really to my taste."
"This is a pub, not a restaurant.
For a proper meal, you can try the café, the ice cream parlour, or the fried-food shop.
Those are some of the better-known places, though you can also try one of the other restaurants."
"I think I’ll pass on experimenting. Could I use your kitchen instead?"
"You can, but you’ll have to pay for the ingredients."
Vade nodded and tossed a prepared pouch onto the counter. The crisp clinking of coins rang out clearly.
Tom opened it, and a golden gleam reflected in his eyes.
"This is far too much."
"Fifty gold Galleons," Vade said. "I intend to stay here until the start of term. That should cover the accommodation and the use of the kitchen."
"Very well."
Tom took out a ledger and recorded the payment.
"I’ll keep track of the expenses. Any excess will be refunded, and you can pay the difference if necessary."
"Understood."
Vade left the pub and stepped onto the main street of Diagon Alley.
Taking a breath of the fresh morning air, he set his sights on the apothecary and headed toward it.
The shop reeked of rotting food, but it was still the place in Diagon Alley most likely to carry the ingredients he needed.
Vade’s gaze swept over the barrels of slimy substances arranged on the floor. Suppressing his discomfort, he inspected and touched them one by one.
Bat spleens, caterpillar slime, snail mucus...
Not one of them drew the attention of the Card of Blasphemy, leaving Vade somewhat disappointed.
The clerk behind the counter noticed what he was doing.
Every year, young witches and wizards came in curious about potion ingredients, but this was the first time he had seen someone inspect every item individually.
"May I help you?"
Vade paused, then somewhat sheepishly took a sheet of parchment from his pocket.
"These are the ingredients I need."
The clerk carefully read through the list, and his eyebrows rose slightly.
A Human-Faced Rose, purified water, Mandrake juice, black-edged sunflower powder, golden cloak grass powder, and hemlock juice.
"Is there a problem?"
"We have everything except the Human-Faced Rose."
Finding five of the six ingredients was already remarkably fortunate.
Vade muttered to himself before asking, "Where might I find a Human-Faced Rose?"
"I don’t know. You could try your luck in Knockturn Alley.
However, I would not recommend going there. Dark wizards are everywhere, and there is no guarantee you would come back alive."
Vade gave him a strained smile.
The blunt truth always had a way of hurting.
Knockturn Alley was far too dangerous for him. He had no intention of entering it before reaching Sequence 7, or perhaps even Sequence 6.
"How much does a Human-Faced Rose usually cost?"
"About three Galleons, I believe. It is magically cultivated, but aside from frightening people, its medicinal value is only slightly better than that of an ordinary wild rose. It does have an exceptionally long shelf life, though."
After hearing the price, Vade immediately abandoned the idea.
There was no reason to risk entering Knockturn Alley merely to save a little money.
He would obtain the main ingredients for the Sequence 8 potion from the Card of Blasphemy instead. Altogether, it would still save him four Galleons.
"I’ll purchase the other five ingredients.
One hundred millilitres of purified water, and one small vial of each juice and powder."
"Of course, sir."
The clerk returned to the counter, gathered the five bottles and jars, and packed them together.
"Twenty silver Sickles."
Vade paid with two Galleons, and the clerk gave him fourteen Sickles in change.
After completing the purchase, Vade did not leave immediately.
Instead, he turned his attention to the jars of herbs, dried roots, and brightly coloured powders arranged along the walls, as well as the bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and furry claws hanging from the ceiling.
Somewhere among them, there might be an ingredient he needed.
However, after spending more than an hour examining everything until even he had grown tired, he still found nothing useful.
Unwilling to give up, Vade shifted his attention to the neatly packaged bottles and jars displayed on the counter.
Nettle oil, dragon blood, Horklump juice, wormwood infusion...
When his hand touched a dark-blue glass bottle, the Card of Blasphemy finally reacted.
The liquid inside could replace one of the supplementary ingredients for the Sequence 7 potion.
Lethe River Water.
Vade glanced at the label and was immediately intrigued.
With a name like Lethe River Water, it had to be something unusual.
"How much is this?"
"Four Galleons. It is an ingredient used in the Forgetfulness Potion."
A Sequence 7 supplementary ingredient would cost ten Galleons through the Card of Blasphemy, so buying this would save him six.
After thinking for a moment, Vade paid four Galleons and purchased the bottle of Lethe River Water.
Once he left the apothecary, he returned directly to the Leaky Cauldron and went upstairs to his room.
After closing the door, Vade took out all the ingredients and arranged them across the floor. He then reached out to the Card of Blasphemy within his mind and sacrificed twenty Galleons in exchange for the two main ingredients of the Sequence 8 potion.
The crystallized horn of an adult Hornacis gray mountain goat was about the size of his palm. It was entirely translucent, with light flowing across its surface and layers of strange patterns within.
The Human-Faced Rose was blue, with red lines running across its petals. The markings connected to form what looked like a human face with its mouth stretched wide open.
"Hahaha... Boo-hoo-hoo..."
Illusory laughter and sobbing overlapped as specks of gray light floated through the air.
Vade took a deep breath, brought out the cauldron he had purchased the previous day, and began brewing the potion.
First, he poured eighty millilitres of purified water into the cauldron. He then added the correct amounts of Mandrake juice, black-edged sunflower powder, golden cloak grass powder, and hemlock juice in sequence.
He carried out every step with extreme care, unwilling to make even the slightest mistake.
The liquid inside the cauldron showed no obvious change. Only a small amount of powder remained floating on its surface.
Vade waited for a moment, then lightly flicked his wand.
The Human-Faced Rose floated above the cauldron and slowly descended into it.
Sizzle...
As the rose dissolved, it produced a faint sizzling sound, while the illusory laughter grew increasingly distinct.
Vade swallowed nervously and waved his wand again, sending the crystallized horn of the Hornacis gray mountain goat into the cauldron.
The laughter abruptly vanished.
The specks of gray light rapidly contracted and disappeared into the cauldron.
The liquid inside began shifting between gold, red, and yellow, yet remained exceptionally clear.
Bubbles surged through it like a carbonated drink.
Vade poured the entire potion into a glass. He then took out his silver chain, gripped it tightly in his left hand, and used spirit pendulum divination to determine whether the potion had been successfully brewed.
When the transparent crystal swung sharply to one side, Vade let out a breath of relief.
He raised the glass and drank every last drop.
(To be continued.)