Hogwarts: Don't call me Wandmaker

Chapter 273 The Golden Scepter
“Remus, can I buy those cursed scrolls?” Siren asked.

"It's best not to," Lupin said, shaking his head with a serious expression.

But it wasn't that these scrolls themselves belonged to dark magic that prevented Siren from buying them; it was for another reason.

“In Egypt, these things are indeed not illegal, but it’s hard to guarantee that what you buy is genuine,” Lupin said in a low voice. “Especially from these street stalls without a proper shop, once you’ve paid, you’ll find out that they are actually floating scrolls.”

"Fake?"

“At least ninety percent of what you’re looking at is fake,” Lupin shrugged. “That guy is too careless. The real Scarab Heart Eater Curse wouldn’t be so cheap, and it wouldn’t be recorded on such a simple scroll.”

“Maybe it’s true?” Siren said. “Those scrolls look quite old.”

"Earth Erosion Spell, a unique magic here... that can make scrolls and papers look old."

"Well, forget it then."

Xilun turned his head decisively.

The two continued walking forward, and the further they went, the more people there were.

In the center of the market, a massive bronze scale comes into view. Occasionally, a group of wizards in golden robes hurry by, their scarab badges gleaming on their chests.

They are the enforcers of the market, somewhat like enforcers, but their only responsibility is to maintain market order.

“I never expected their Ministry of Magic to be located in the market.” Celen looked up at the huge bronze scales and couldn’t help but say, “But it looks quite impressive, much better than the British Ministry of Magic.”

“No, that’s not the Ministry of Magic, it’s Gringotts,” Lupin said.

"What?" Siron clicked his tongue. "Gringotts is that big?"

Gringotts in Diagon Alley is already quite large, but compared to this bronze scale, it's like a simple wooden hut next to Hogwarts Castle—they're not even in the same league.

The scales span the entire market, reaching an astonishing height of over two hundred feet, making it appear as if it were floating in the clouds.

"Did the Ministry of Magic really agree to building Gringotts like this?" Siron couldn't help but ask.

"They certainly agree; in fact, the market is jointly managed by the fairies and the Ministry of Magic."

“This is Egypt,” Lupin reminded him again. “Here, the Ministry of Magic can’t replace Gringotts.”

Xilun raised an eyebrow, feeling he had learned something new.

It hasn't been long since the fairy rebellion, and these... oh, I almost forgot, it seems the fairies who launched the rebellion failed before even reaching this point.

That's fine.

Xiren glanced at the bronze scales again, and only then did he notice that Gringotts also bore the mark of the Eye of Horus.

The wizards here seem to really like using this mark; I've seen it in many places in Xilun.

"So what are you looking for?" Lupin asked. "The Halleli Fair is huge and has many branching paths. If we wander aimlessly, we might not finish exploring it even by nightfall."

“A wand,” Celen said. “I wanted to see a wand outside of England, so my grandfather suggested that I go to Egypt for the first time.”

“I see,” Lupin said. “The wands used by wizards here are indeed different from those in England, but…”

Lupin frowned, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

"What's wrong?" Xilun asked.

“No, it’s nothing.” Lupin shook his head.

What he actually meant was that many Egyptian sorcerers attended the Ouagadou magic school when they were young, and they were more skilled in hand gesture magic and chanting magic, which involves drawing runes with fingers or guiding magic through chanting in a specific rhythm.

They disliked using wands, believing they restricted the flow of magic.

However, since coming to Egypt was Mr. Ollivander's suggestion, he must have already thought of this crucial issue, so there was no need for Lupin to remind him again. "Come on, I'll take you to a shop related to wands," Lupin said, while trying to discern the surrounding directions and buildings.

When he first wandered to Egypt, it was actually in another place, quite far from here.

Although he would occasionally come here to do some small business, selling homemade amulets and trinkets, at the time he was preoccupied with earning Galleons to buy wolfsbane potions and had no interest in browsing around here.

In addition, quite a bit of time had passed, and Lupin was genuinely a bit lost for a while.

It took him quite a while to finally pinpoint the location.

It was a very secluded alley, completely different from the bustling main street, so deserted that there were almost no people there.

For a moment, Xiren thought Lupin had led them astray.

But only Lupin knew that he had made the right choice.

With a skeptical mind, Xilun walked into what looked to be the largest shop next door, which finally dispelled his doubts.

This is indeed a place that sells wands, and it's much bigger than Ollivanders Wand Shop, big enough to display almost every type of wand on its shelves.

This would be impossible in Diagon Alley, because Garrick was unwilling to use the Unseen Stretch Charm. To save space, he could only pile all the wands behind the counter, or at most put one on the shelf in the window.

But there was only one.

But the people here were clearly not as welcoming as Garrick. Siren had been walking in for several minutes, and no one had come to greet him.

The two shop assistants remained seated, playing Wizard's Chess, as if no one had seen them.

Xilun was happy to have some free time and carefully examined the magic wands on the shelf.

The design is similar to that of the British, but the materials are slightly different.

The wands here are mostly made of acacia wood and palm wood, and sometimes papyrus stems, all of which are local specialties.

The cores are similar.

According to Siren's observation, the most abundant hair on the staff core was from the Sphinx, followed by mummy bandages and scarab powder.

If this were in Britain… it would be unicorn tail feathers, dragon heart tendons, and phoenix tail feathers.

In addition, his grandfather valued the integrity of the cane and would never carve anything on it easily. At most, he would allow others to put a sticker on it.

But the wands here... are covered with all sorts of different runes and symbols, and some wands are even decorated with miniature pyramids, snake heads, or wolf heads at the top.

At this moment, Xilun suddenly stopped.

He saw something even stranger: a wand about twenty-five inches long. Though called a wand, it was golden and had a metallic sheen, and it felt heavy in his hand.

Siren also discovered that there was no place to grip the bottom of the wand.

To make it easier for wizards to cast spells, normal wands usually have a handle at the end for easy gripping.

But this one didn't.

In addition to its unique shape and material, Xilun felt it was more like a scepter than a magic wand.

Can this thing really cast magic?

Is it just for show...?

……

(End of this chapter)