Hogwarts: From Luna's House to Godhood Through Intense Competition

"This hoprap is of very high quality; it will yield at least twenty pints of juice. It's a sure-fire way to make a profit!"

Vizette nodded, examined Hokrap in the cage, and mentally labeled the vendor a swindler.

A pint of hoprap juice costs three gallons. If you could actually produce twenty pints of juice, it would definitely be a sure-fire way to make a profit.

It's worth noting that this cage of hokraps is of good quality.

However, even if Snape himself operated the machine, he could not extract twenty pints of juice; at most, he could only extract twelve pints.

Taking quality into account, his target price for this cage of hokraps was forty to forty-five gallons.

Wizette glanced at several stalls in the distance and found that the quality of Hokrap was similar to that of the stall in front of her.

He stood up and asked in an inquiring tone, "Mr. Lovegood, what do you think?"

Xenophilius felt an itch on the back of his head and immediately understood.

He bent down with a gloomy expression, as if carefully examining the cage of hokraps. "It does look alright, but it's not worth the price."

"Why isn't it worth this price?" Seemingly intimidated by the gloomy expression, the vendor asked instinctively, "Then how much do you think it should be?"

Xenophilius felt the touch of his hair and, in a hoarse, deep voice, announced the price, "Hmm... thirty Galleons!"

"Impossible!" the vendor retorted immediately, pointing to several other stalls around him. "Where else can you find such high-quality Hokraip?"

"Are all of yours about the same quality?" Xenophilius raised his eyebrows. He had just noticed that Vizette had looked at the stalls next to them.

Trusting Vizette, he continued, "How much juice can it yield? Do you think I, a potion master, don't know? Let's compromise: forty-two Galleons, you'll still make a profit!"

The vendor's eyes gleamed. "A potion master?"

"If you weren't a potion master, would you have time to buy live Hokrap?" Xenophilius retorted. "Kids don't know any better; they'd ask you about the juice yield. I'm not that easy to fool!"

"Does the potion master's skill determine how much Hokrap juice you want to extract? Why don't you do the juicing yourself? I only want the finished Hokrap juice, plus an extra five Galleons for processing fees."

"This..." The vendor hesitated, sensing that the gloomy-faced man in front of him might actually be an expert.

"It's already afternoon, you probably haven't opened for business yet, have you? It would be great if you could open for business first!" Xenophilius said calmly. "The price is negotiable, I'll add two more Galleons!"

"Forty-four Galleons..." The vendor hesitated for a moment, but eventually agreed to the price.

……

Pulling up the iron cage containing Hokrap, Vizette lowered his voice and exclaimed in admiration, "Mr. Lovegood, I never expected your acting skills... to be so good."

Xenophilius touched his nose. "Ahem... I do know a potion master!"

Luna praised repeatedly, "Dad is the best! He's good at everything he does!"

"Of course!" Xenophilius's eyebrows practically shot up to the sky. "My darling understands me best!"

In street markets, where there are no shop fees, the prices of goods are significantly more affordable compared to those in Diagon Alley.

However, there are also corresponding risks involved. If the quality cannot be accurately judged, it is still easy to be deceived.

Thanks to Vizette's judgment and Xenophilius's acting skills, they managed to select a considerable amount of potion ingredients and some souvenirs, making it a very successful trip.

Back at the hotel, Vizette began to deal with Hokrap, boiling it all down to make an invigorating potion.

He planned to collect and select a batch of Hoclaphee by hand on his return trip, as a gift for Snape.

……

After a good night's rest, even if you get up very early the next day, as long as you draw back the curtains, you'll see bright sunshine.

They originally planned to go to Zoo Island to visit the aquarium and eco-museum, and finally visit the Vasa Museum to see the difference between the model Vasa and the magical Vasa.

Unfortunately, the aquarium seems to have been mysteriously robbed and is currently closed, with police tape posted outside.

Vizette carefully read the message and discovered that the aquarium had lost three sharks and was currently searching for them.

The message wasn't long, and it was vague and disjointed, as if the three sharks had simply vanished into thin air, making it hard for Vizet not to imagine that they were wizards.

Xenophilius offered his opinion: perhaps because the Swedish Aurors were capturing Obscures, a wizard took a liking to them and stole the three sharks for amusement, giving off a rather ecstatic feeling.

As the newspaper's editor-in-chief, he had heard similar news stories, all about wizards doing strange things to amuse Muggles.

For example, someone could disguise themselves as a key maker and cast spells on duplicated keys. Once the keys are in the hands of Muggles, they will shrink day by day until they disappear completely.

Or they might disguise themselves as clearance vendors, selling various magically enchanted cups that, once in the hands of a Muggle, suddenly spray out hot water, scalding the Muggle.

Such situations are common and usually require the intervention of Ministry of Magic staff to resolve the issue and seek compensation from the offending wizard.

After hearing their accusations, the wizard who committed the crime would laugh heartily, offer compensation, and then commit the same crime again after a while.

……

After visiting the Vasa Museum, they rented a small boat to continue their journey for the day.

Known as the "Venice of the North," this place boasts a network of waterways, making it perfect for boat trips.

Vizet was skilled in using the Silent and Staffless Levitation Charm, which allowed them to navigate waterways without actually rowing; they could simply hold up an oar and pretend to row.

They followed the waterway to Stockholm's Old Town, where most of the houses are two-story Swedish wooden buildings, exuding a calm and retro atmosphere, as if time has silently settled here.

As we entered Lake Malaren, flocks of seagulls appeared overhead, spreading their wings and occasionally skimming across the water, leaving a trail of long cries around the small boat.

Luna seemed to be particularly popular with the seagulls, with several flocks circling overhead.

Seeing other travelers feeding the seagulls, Xenophilius took a loaf of bread from his pocket, put it in Luna's hand, and said, "Honey, you should feed them some too!"

Luna nodded, pinched off a few slices of bread, held them tightly in her hand, and then gently tossed them into the distance.

The seagulls seemed to have been looking forward to this moment. They nimbly turned in the air, flapping their white wings, vying for the falling pieces of bread.

Several seagulls swooped down successfully, nimbly catching the bread pieces in mid-air, their eyes seemingly gleaming with pride...

Chapter 24 Anne Saru and the Magic Circus

After their trip to Stockholm, the three boarded a magic boat prepared by their guide and headed towards Midgard Island.

Unbeknownst to them, a cloud appeared overhead, blocking the bright sunlight and instantly dimming the surroundings, as if shrouded in a thin mist.

Those were the strangest clouds Vizet had ever seen, not only drifting down snowflakes but also casting shimmering, flickering ash.

Moreover, strong winds swept in from high above, mixing snowflakes and ash together, eventually turning them into colorful dust.

These specks of light, like dancing fireflies, would linger in the air for a while, resembling a rainbow, before slowly drifting into the lake and disappearing without a trace.

Xenophiulius had clearly done a lot of research for this trip, and he began to describe the strange sights in the sky:

“Long ago, Muggles called the clouds that never dispersed the ‘World Tree,’ and the light dust that drifted down from the clouds was the so-called Rainbow Bridge.”

“Muggles believe that if they can grasp the Rainbow Bridge, they can reach Asgard and become gods. But what gods are there?”

"It's just magic left behind by a powerful wizard. The wizards living here discovered the corresponding ruins and thought the magic was very beautiful, so they have preserved it until now."

Vizette reached out to catch the light dust, but it passed through his palm and floated into the lake, disappearing from his sight.

He suddenly realized that the magic possessed by wizards might have seemed to Muggles in the past to be similar to the miracles of gods.

Wizards like Dumbledore can even make clouds and mist fill an entire city; in some ways, they might really be considered gods.

Although the surroundings became dim, the presence of light dust created a dreamlike and enchanting feeling.

Especially since they have just left the bustling modern city, they can feel the stark contrast.

The small boat swayed and rocked as it moved forward, seemingly intentionally, so that passengers could fully appreciate this unique scenery.

Vizette looked around and suddenly saw a blurry, lonely figure standing on the distant lake.

This is the figure of a woman, dressed in a solemn black robe, with a pointed hat worn at an angle that covers most of her face. Only the exposed skin on her cheeks reveals that the woman is very old.

She was holding a bouquet of flowers, probably white lilies, and her head was slightly bowed, as if she were mourning something.

Then, she threw the white lily in her hand into the lake and watched it slowly sink into the water.

A moment later, seemingly noticing Vizette's gaze, the woman suddenly looked up.

Just as Vizette had expected, it was indeed the face of an old woman.

The two exchanged a glance across the light, and the woman nodded.

A cloud of white mist suddenly spread out, covering the woman's figure before quickly dissipating.

The woman left nothing behind; not even a ripple appeared on the lake's surface. Only the light dust continued to sink into the lake.

If Vizette had seen this scene in her past life, she would probably have thought she was seeing a ghost, with an old woman standing on the lake and then disappearing into a puff of white smoke.

Luna noticed that Vizette was acting strangely and leaned closer to whisper, "What's wrong?"

“I think I saw something…” Vizet rubbed his eyes, “but it disappeared in an instant.”

Luna glanced back at the empty lake and asked doubtfully, "Perhaps it was disturbed by the harassing horseflies?"

She reached out and fanned herself near Vizette's ears. "Is that better?"

Seeing Luna's earnest and concerned expression, Vizette smiled and nodded. "Yes, she's in good shape now!"

……

The small boat moved quickly and soon reached the shore.

The island has dense forests, rolling hills, and ruins that appear and disappear among them.

Even though a Muggle-expelling spell has been cast here, magic capable of creating illusions will still be added as a precaution.