"Ten thousand Galleons. If you're short even one, we'll turn around and walk out right now, and we're never selling to Gringotts again."
As soon as Ye Feng said this, the immediate surroundings fell utterly silent. Even Cho Chang, who had come with him, was startled by his asking price. After all, that was ten thousand Galleons—let alone in the wizarding world, even if converted entirely into pounds sterling in the Muggle world, it would still be considered a massive fortune.
Yet the thing Cho Chang least expected happened. The goblin did not immediately offer a stern refusal as she had anticipated; instead, a scene unfolded that nearly shattered her worldview.
Upon hearing Ye Feng quote the price of ten thousand Galleons, the goblin froze for a fraction of a second, followed instantly by a look of wild elation. Though the ecstatic expression was reined in almost immediately, they both caught it. The goblin promptly pulled out a contract, used its wrinkled hand to rapidly fill in a number and sign it, and then handed it across to Ye Feng.
"The contract is established, young wizard. Sign your name on this parchment, and you may take Gringotts' ten thousand Galleons." A flash of deep reluctance crossed the goblin's face as he uttered the sum of ten thousand Galleons.
Clearly, from their perspective, buying Ye Feng's spirit stone for ten thousand Galleons meant they were getting the better end of the bargain. Even so, parting with ten thousand gleaming Galleons still wrung their hearts with pain. As for Ye Feng, he was perfectly content to sell his low-grade spirit stone for ten thousand Galleons, so he cheerfully scribbled his name on the contract.
The wizarding world within the Harry Potter universe possessed items akin to bottomless pouches. Thus, when the goblin led them to a vault brimming with Galleons, and Ye Feng proceeded to sweep up the entire mountain of gold right before the eyes of both the goblin and Cho Chang, they were somewhat surprised but not overly shocked.
Naturally, though not shocked, when the goblin watched Ye Feng scoop up every single Galleon that had once belonged to them—leaving not a single coin behind, and even searching carefully to ensure nothing was missed—a fresh flash of agony crossed the guide's face.
Cho Chang saw the look of heartache flitting across the goblin's features, which brought a gentle smile to her lips. Opportunities to make these haughty misers feel physical pain were rare indeed.
Ye Feng cared not a whit whether the goblin's heart ached. After depositing the very last Galleon into his storage ring, he grandly told Cho Chang, "Come on, from now on I'm a wealthy man. From now on, it's my turn to take care of you. Whatever you want, we're going to buy it right now."
Hearing this, Cho Chang couldn't help breaking into a radiant smile. That smile remained exceptionally bright and charming even within the dim, subterranean vaults of Gringotts, causing Ye Feng to stare in a daze for a moment.
Noticing his gaze, Cho Chang felt her cheeks flush lightly, but the next second she took the initiative to catch Ye Feng's hand, pulling him back toward the exit as she chided with a playful pout, "You little brat, stop trying to act like a grown-up. Let's go, it's dark down here so don't get lost."
A pair of hands—one fair, soft, and slender, the other equally fair and long-fingered, though with slightly broader knuckles—linked together as they stepped out of Gringotts and into Flourish and Blotts. Half an hour later, the two of them emerged from the bookstore with satisfied smiles amidst the proprietor's warm send-off.
Though Ye Feng was merely an incoming wizarding student, and Cho Chang was just about to step into her second year, Ye Feng's pockets were heavy with Galleons. Consequently, when Ye Feng bought every single book he deemed useful and Cho Chang might need, the owner of Flourish and Blotts was practically beaming with joy, as those books were by no means cheap.
When first-year students at Hogwarts started school, aside from preparing their textbooks, they were also required to acquire three sets of plain black work robes, one wand, a pair of dragon-hide gloves, a standard pewter cauldron (size 2), a set of glass or crystal phials, a telescope, a brass scales, and an owl for delivering mail.
Naturally, if circumstances permitted, students could also purchase a cat or a toad as a pet. However, these pets weren't merely for companionship, as they could be utilized in Transfiguration classes—such as turning a cat into a goblet.
The robes, dragon-hide gloves, and other items were easily acquired by Ye Feng, but buying a cauldron presented a dilemma. Pewter was toxic, and prolonged contact or ingestion could stunt one's growth. After pondering the matter during his search for a cauldron, Ye Feng decided to have one custom-made with a slight modification to the materials: replacing the pewter with platinum.
Upon emerging with his cauldron, Ye Feng spotted the owl emporium, yet a scan of the shop revealed nothing that caught his eye. Just as he was about to leave and head for his wand fitting, a soft, immature chirp reached his ears.
Hearing the tender cry, Ye Feng whipped around. At that exact moment, another chirp rang out, allowing Ye Feng to pinpoint the source of the sound, which was coming straight from the pile of hay behind the counter.
"Sir, do you have baby owls here?"
The shopkeeper was somewhat surprised to see the customer return. Hearing the question, he paused for a moment before replying, "We do, yes, but un-trained owlets are incapable of handling mail-delivery and parcel-carrying duties."
"Young wizard, you'd be better off looking at these fully trained adult owls. Hatchlings aren't suitable for you youngsters just starting school."
"I'll pay a ten percent markup. Just help me set up the nest properly, and I'll take the whole thing."
"Right away, sir! Just a moment!"
Three minutes later, carrying an owl cage complete with a makeshift nest, Ye Feng followed Cho Chang into Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC.
"Good afternoon, young wizards."
"Let me see... which young wizard is in need of a suitable wand?"
Before he could be seen, his voice arrived first. As the words fell, an elderly man with wild white hair and wearing a black suit stepped out before them.
"Mr. Ollivander, I need a wand."
Hearing this, Ollivander produced a long tape measure, and while measuring Ye Feng's height, arm length, and other dimensions, he began to speak, "Splendid, quite splendid!"
"My boy, though I don't know your name yet, I venture to say you'll make quite a resounding name for yourself in the wizarding world one day. Your bodily proportions are simply cut out for magic; I have never seen a physique so impeccably proportioned."
As he spoke, Ollivander turned and retreated into the towering shelves of wands, pulled down a box, opened it, and handed the wand within to Ye Feng.
"Go on, give it a wave."
Ye Feng had long anticipated getting a wand, so upon hearing this, he waved the wand in his hand without the slightest hesitation—then... absolutely nothing happened.
There was no magical explosion that blew up the wand, nor any sudden burst of magic that wrecked the shop. It was as if the movement Ye Feng had just made was not done with a wand at all, but with an ordinary chopstick, failing to stir even the slightest ripple of magical energy.
"Is there something wrong with how I'm holding it? This isn't how the script is supposed to go!" Staring at the utterly dormant wand, Ye Feng couldn't help wondering if he lacked magical talent altogether, as this bore no resemblance to what happened in the novels.
"That's right, I must be doing it wrong. Let's try another wand."
Meanwhile, the other two people present were equally astonished by the sight. Setting Cho Chang aside, even Ollivander—knowledgeable and experienced, having sold countless wands—had never witnessed such a phenomenon.