The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 11 One Month Later

Next to the square in the center of the town.

"...Later, Ali Baba told his son the secret of opening the stone door, and his son told his grandson, and the descendants lived a wealthy life."

"Alibaba's descendants cherished their good fortune and never indulged in extravagance or debauchery, so they prospered generation after generation and were praised by later generations."

Ino sat on his small stool, vividly recounting the stories of "One Thousand and One Nights".

He was surrounded by a large group of children, as well as some elderly people and adults who happened to have some free time.

"Amazing Ino, one more!"

"Yes, one more!"

"I haven't heard enough today."

As the story ended, before Ino could even speak, the children around him were already impatiently asking for a new story to begin.

As the person involved, Ino calmly faced the barrage of requests from those around him. Even amidst the noise and chaos, he remained silent, a typical example of not acting until he saw the benefits.

His appearance made the children watching scratch their heads in frustration. They knew what Ino was waiting for, but they were powerless to help him.

The situation remained deadlocked for several minutes.

Until a basket of freshly baked whole wheat bread was placed on the ground.

"Little Ino, tell another one. I think this bread should be enough to cover the cost of the next story."

The speaker was an elderly woman with a head of white hair and a plump, round body. Coupled with her long linen dress that had been starched until it was almost white, she always looked somewhat comical.

Ino glanced at the basket on the ground, instantly made a judgment, and immediately put on a warm face, smiling as she said:

"Look at you, Aunt Aisha! This basket of bread is worth at least three stories."

He was unwilling to take advantage of any exchange, even if it was just a few loaves of bread, thus unknowingly nurturing his inner greed.

Moreover, valuing the audience who have the actual ability to buy tickets is a principle for all bards, since they all depend on them for their livelihood.

Ino never tried to fool or deceive Aunt Aisha, after all, there were very few people in the whole town who were willing and able to pay to hear her stories.

While they were talking, he quickly picked up the basket from the ground, opened it, and put the bread inside into his bag one by one. Then he politely handed the empty basket to the other person.

"Now that you've received your payment, hurry up and get started, you little rascal!" Aunt Aisha said, taking the basket from her.

"Ahem... Next, I'm going to tell a story about a tailor, an elf, a treasure, and a princess."

Ino cleared her throat and waited until everyone was quiet before slowly beginning to speak: "This is a story that took place in a very faraway country, a long, long time ago..."

……

In contrast to the bustling central square, on the other side of the town, there is a somewhat deserted old street.

Under the makeshift shack, a tattered canvas was spread on the ground, covered with various leathers, velvets, and nails.

Surprisingly, even though no one was visiting, its owner was still squatting there, constantly banging on something.

The clanging and banging sounds were continuous and could be heard from a great distance.

This is where Old John works every day, the only remaining shoe repair stall in the town.

If you pay close attention, you'll notice that, compared to before when he would just sit at his stall and do nothing when there was no business, Old John has been busy doing things all by himself lately.

For almost a month, regardless of wind or rain, whether there were people around or not, they were either hammering iron nails or constantly carving wooden shoe soles.

Day after day, they repeat the same jobs that no one cares about.

……

Time always slips away unnoticed.

In the town center, after Ino finished telling her last story, the crowd around her gradually dispersed.

It's not that they've had enough, but that life doesn't allow them to waste a whole day on entertainment.

Even young children had to rush home before dinner to help their parents, who had worked all day, to burn firewood.

When everyone had mostly left, Ino stood up and stretched lazily.

After tidying up his bundle and picking up his folded stool, he finished his work for the day.

"A month has passed without me even realizing it..."

Looking down at the 31 pencil marks on the old canvas bundle, I couldn't help but sigh at how time flies.

He had quietly spent a whole month in this ordinary little town, and of course, he had gained a great deal.

In the morning, I practice magic on the mountain behind the town, and in the afternoon, I tell stories at the fountain in the square to earn living supplies. Every day is incredibly fulfilling.

Now, Ino can perfectly cast all seven spells of a first-year student, including the slightly more difficult Levitation spell.

While his magical abilities improved, his repertoire of stories also shrank dramatically.

Come to think of it, an afternoon can't be filled by telling just a few stories.

If this continues, no matter how many stories you have stored in your head, you can't withstand a month of high-intensity exertion.

Just like today, even though we're talking about "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," the original story is just too short.

He had no choice but to add fuel to the fire, adding all sorts of things like scorpions, poisonous insects, and pupae, whatever was really there.

He managed to turn a short story of a few hundred words into a desert version of Ghost Blows Out the Light, and after all that, he ended up talking for several tens of minutes longer, finally finishing only under the lingering gazes of the audience.

Compared to these daily routines, what puzzles him most is that, so far, he has no sense of when he will return.

……

Sunset West Mountain.

Ino walked alone on the street, her shadow stretching long and thin behind her.

As they walked, they would occasionally nod and smile at the residents of the town, making everything seem warm and welcoming.

Frankly, nothing is more convincing than time, because time can change everything silently without notifying anyone.

Time allowed the town to accept him without him even realizing it, but he never truly integrated into the town.

It's like loneliness is never on a mountain, but on the street; not in one person, but among many.

"Logically speaking, there's no reason to stay here so long when the story has already ended!" Ino murmured to himself.

As is customary, he would stay in this kind of town where the story ends for at most a week or two before returning to his original world.

Unlike now, he has been here for a full month and there is still no sign of him returning, which has made him feel a little bored.

"Sigh! Let's just take it one step at a time..."

With a soft sigh, though she had many questions in her heart, she was helpless.

……

A dozen minutes later.

Ino returned to old John's old house and found him squatting under the makeshift stove, fiddling with firewood with a pair of broken flints, clearly trying to start a fire to cook.

"Old John, stop fussing over there! We have freshly baked bread today."

Hearing the call, old John threw down the flint and steel in his hand, and decisively stood up and walked towards the dining table.

"The aroma of wheat is so enticing, I could smell it from a long way off, but I'm not sure if you'll invite this old man to taste it with you."

Faced with the teasing, Ino retorted without holding back: "Come on! It's not like I'm withholding food from you, and you always eat the most."

After a month of getting to know each other, he and Old John had become friends, and they often exchanged harmless little jokes.

A bowl of mushroom soup with wild vegetables, two boiled eggs, and a basket of whole wheat bread.

The quality of this dinner alone places it at a middle-class level in the entire town.

New book release, a new journey begins. Thank you to all the big names for your support.

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(End of this chapter)