The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 150 The Erwin Line

It was afternoon.

After dealing with a large number of goblins along the way.

Ino followed the two girls slowly out of the Grand Forest and into a sparsely populated market.

This market also has another name with a distinct meaning—the Elwin Line.

This is a defensive line built by the people in the vicinity to protect themselves from the goblin invasions in the forest.

Unlike the scene in my memory, the Elwin Line was sparsely populated, but it was surrounded by shops and buildings of all kinds: blacksmith shops, taverns, inns, tailor shops...

Ino looked around at the scenery with great curiosity, but his curiosity was also taken in by Celia as part of the scenery.

"Brother Ino, is this your first time at the Elwin Line?"

Celia asked curiously at first, then continued, "Celia invites you to stay at the hotel. This is the hotel that my sister Caitlin and I run, and we won't charge you any money."

Hearing the girl's clear voice, Ino turned her head and smiled, "That would be perfect, but I have to pay! Consider this my last stand."

……

Celia's inn is located on the west side of the Elwin Line, which, according to the map, is roughly at the rear of the entire town.

A standard medieval single room, with nothing but a bed and a table and chairs around it.

Ino sat in a high-backed oak chair, his suitcase and wand placed on a large round table in front of him.

"Adventures on the continent of Arad..."

Gazing at the scenery outside the window, he gradually fell into deep thought.

Unsurprisingly, this is a gigantic story world, even larger than any previous world. It contains not only celestial realms and demon realms, but also a concept of the universe, making it incredibly complex.

But complexity isn't always a bad thing, because it often represents diversity and inclusion.

A simple example is Middle-earth, where Ino was always somewhat cautious whenever he entered. It felt like visiting someone's home, a family of friends, and he was the only outsider.

The continent of Arad is like a large tavern or inn, where people come from all over the world, so there is no distinction between outsiders and insiders. As long as you are not too high-profile or conspicuous, no one will care about a magician.

Yes, a magician! Just like Caitlin's misunderstanding, he also adapted to local customs and adventured on this continent as a magician.

"Norton..."

Ino murmured the name softly; after confirming the story world in the Grand Forest, he already had a goal.

Or rather, after experiencing countless stories and worlds, for the first time, I had a clear desire.

Of course, what I'm seeking isn't precious potions and items, nor various powerful spells. Although the power level in this world is indeed at its peak, my own potential in ice and fire magic is also very strong. The principle of not trying to do too much at once applies everywhere.

He truly cared about only one person, or rather, his ideal contact was only one: Norton, the guild master of the Huttonmar Alchemists' Guild.

Norton's connection to Norton wasn't for alchemy, but for another profession—disassembler.

He still clearly remembers the conditions of the two magic books he obtained from the Brothers Grimm's story, including the ritual magic for time reversal.

Although the ritual used many strange and unusual items, one item stood out as particularly precious, judging from its name: the pure sands of time.

He had almost given up on something he'd never even heard of, but fate intervened and he saw a glimmer of possibility.

A dismantling machine that claims to be able to break down any item.

Whether it's a time converter from a magical world or time-related items from other worlds, throw them all into the decomposer, even if it's uncertain whether they'll yield anything useful.

But even if you don't have a sure thing, you can still try your luck.

……

Time passed slowly, and night gradually enveloped the entire Elwin Line.

As dusk fell, countless adventurers emerged from the Grand Forest in the east, for no one would choose to fight goblins in the forest at night.

As the last glimmer of light disappeared on the horizon, the heavy steel gates of the Elvin Line closed, creating a safe environment for adventurers to rest during the night.

"Flames are raging!"

Ino waved his wand and lit the oil lamp in the room, or rather, the oil lamp he carried with him.

After all, the lights in Celia's Inn were really rudimentary: a small, rough porcelain dish, a cotton thread, and the flame after lighting was only the size of a soybean. Perhaps it was just for show.

"Knock! Knock knock!"

A rhythmic knocking sounded from outside the door.

"Come in!" Ino waved her wand, opening the door to the room.

"I'm sorry to bother you. But Celia said you haven't come down for dinner yet, so I took the liberty of bringing you some."

The female gunslinger, Caitlin, entered the room carrying a plate of food, her tone respectful and showing no disrespect due to her age or appearance.

Having grown up in Huttonmar and learned about firearms from her teacher Kelly, she was worldly-wise and knew that some mages possessed elven blood, making it unreliable to judge an elf's age by their appearance.

"Thank you, Caitlin," Ino said, looking at the exquisite food in the other person's hand.

"It's nothing, I'm the one who should be thanking you." Caitlin shook her head and sighed softly, "If it weren't for you today, Celia might be fine, but I might be done for."

"Perhaps this is fate!" Ino said softly. "Would you mind sitting down and chatting with me for a while? To be honest, as you may have noticed, this is my first time at the Elwin Line."

"Hmm! Actually, there's nothing special about this place."

Even so, Caitlin sat down and gently placed the food she was carrying on the table.

However, it was this unintentional action that made Ino's gaze focus.

"You? Did I do something wrong?" Feeling the tangible gaze that seemed like a sharp arrow, Caitlin asked somewhat uneasily.

"Haha, no, no, it's just that your ring is very special." Seeing the girl's slight unease, Ino's expression softened.

"A ring?" Caitlin looked down at her left index finger, at a ring made of straw. Although she didn't find anything wrong with it, she still described it in detail:

"I found this in the ruins of Hutton Mar back alley when I was a child. I just thought it was very exquisite, so I've been wearing it ever since."

As she spoke, Caitlin raised her hand to take off the ring.

"No! Put it back!" Ino grabbed the other person's hand, but realizing his rudeness, he quickly let go.

"Excuse me, I meant you put your hand in the light."

(End of this chapter)