Chapter 333: The Vagadu Witch
Half an hour later, they rode cals and headed towards the desert.
Hermione had a favorable impression of Clentine. During their conversation at the inn, when Felix ntioned that Hermione had never ridden a cal before, Clentine took them to the local market and rented three cals. Hermione picked a light yellow one. Afterwards, Clentine helped her choose a large sun hat and a pair of Martin boots. After putting them on, Hermione felt quite peculiar.
However, she politely declined the "local delicacies" recomnded by Clentine, as they didn't look very appetizing to her.
Before her eyes stretched an endless sea of sand, with sand dunes connecting softly. She quickly lost her sense of distance. When she turned around, she could still see the buildings of the city in the distance. The sun grew scorching, and in the absence of wind, the air felt like a giant stear.
Suddenly, a refreshing sensation passed from her skin to her fingertips, and she snapped out of her daze. Floating before her was a small box with chains, resembling a pendant box. She reached out and grabbed it; it wasn't very cold to the touch. She turned back, and Felix was nodding at her.
"I only brought one; it's a new product from the company, still in testing," he explained. "But it can cover about twenty feet." He called Clentine over, and the three of them walked side by side. Clentine marveled at this little thing.
"We have similar magic in our tents, but it can't be used inside the pyramids."
Wearing the pendant box, Hermione felt invigorated. She was fascinated by every detail they passed, like the plants growing on the rocks in the sand dunes or the sudden appearance of a large gecko. They even saw a gray snake.
After walking for about an hour, the three of them arrived near a tall pyramid. In the shade, they could see seven or eight tents, surrounded by scattered equipnt. It looked like a small archaeological team.
Felix's curiosity was piqued. "Have you obtained the support of the local governnt?"
Clentine smiled and said, "We have legitimate docunts recognized by the governnt, but it's just a cover." They arrived at the tent camp, tied the cals to wooden stakes, and two people walked out of the tent. They were dressed just like Clentine, blending in with the locals. Felix also noticed tourists taking photos not far away.
"This is Faisal Abdul Izz Kampachi Duimuh," Clentine looked at the person awkwardly, "what's after that?"
The young man mumbled, "Just call
Faisal."
Clentine whispered to them, "Faisal's na has four parts, each equivalent to our full na. I wanted to introduce properly, but I can't rember since I rarely use it."
Another middle-aged wizard with a brown robe on his shoulder said, "Just call
Rahman." He extended his hand, shaking hands with Felix.
After so pleasantries, they agreed to enter the pyramid at two in the afternoon. "We're also waiting for soone from headquarters," the middle-aged wizard explained.
Clentine led Felix and Hermione to the back of the tents. "Professor Harp, you can stay in Bill's tent. He took all his personal belongings with him. Hermione and I will share a tent, which works out for chatting."
"Bill Weasley isn't here?" Felix asked, suddenly rembering what Mrs. Weasley ntioned about her two sons, Bill and Charlie, returning in a few days. As expected, Clentine provided a unanimous explanation.
"He's on vacation. The Quidditch World Cup is about to start, so most people in the camp took leave and went ho," Clentine said. "Otherwise, with old friends reuniting, there would be a lot to talk about. Unfortunately, I'm not interested in Quidditch, so I applied to stay back."
When Hermione heard the na Bill Weasley, her eyes lit up. "Is he Ron's older brother?"
Felix nodded at her. "Exactly, he works here as a curse breaker for Gringotts." Then he looked at Clentine. "Ron is the youngest boy in the Weasley family."
For the remaining ti, Clentine took out a thick notebook and threw all the accumulated questions at Felix. He answered them quickly, but Clentine's mood wasn't good. He exchanged a glance with Hermione and made an excuse to go for a walk nearby.
Inside the tent, Clentine said with so frustration to Hermione, "Gringotts recently hired a graduate from Ravenclaw. She excels in magical linguistics."
"Who is it?"
Clentine ntioned a na. Hermione remained silent. She had seen that person during her studies. The person wasn't exceptional among this year's graduates, but that could be attributed to Clentine having graduated much earlier, missing out on the professor's unconventional teaching thods and a series of magical pedagogies.
"The professor started a new company, did you know?" Hermione cautiously asked.
"I'm not sure," Clentine hesitated, "When did this happen?"
"Recently, I think. The company is called 'Future World.' Professor Lupinoh, he used to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. Now he's in charge of managing Future World. He told
that the professor wants to transform the magical world." Hermione rambled on.
"Transform the magical world?" Clentine was taken aback.
"I guess it's about changing wizards' lives," Hermione said uncertainly. "I saw magical lamps and this little thing." She tugged on the chain of the small box around her neck. "I assu the professor must have extensively studied Muggle world technology, which is quite evident in his books..."
They chatted away, their expressions shifting between excitent and uncertainty. anwhile, Felix took a stroll around the large pyramid. Along the way, he saw tourists from different countries, but they weren't too crowded. He even helped a large family take a photo and received seven thank-yous in return.
In a discreet corner of the pyramid, he sensed traces of magic. 'This should be the entrance.' Felix thought, but he was more curious about the magical environnt of Egypt.
From his observations so far, at least twelve people seed to be wizardsnormal in a city like Cairo. But what surprised him was that among those twelve, five were unmistakably witches. They dressed in exaggerated clothing, selling various mystical items like talismans and voodoo dolls.
Of course, these so-called mystical items lacked any magical trace, otherwise they wouldn't dare to show off so openly.
A pair of tourists passed by him, and Felix heard a few words exchanged between them:
"I heard... Gypsy witches... famous for divination..."
"Really? Then we have to try it!"
Felix blinked his eyes. He followed behind them to a conspicuously decorated tent. A long line ford, and he quietly waited for a while, overhearing many miraculous stories about a diviner nad "Ceiavira."
Supposedly, her crystal ball and tarot card readings were extrely accurate. Many people traveled far just to have a session with her.
Although the line was long, it moved at a decent pace. Many people ca out of the tent looking dejected not even half a minute after entering.
An experienced person nearby explained, "It's because her fate is too cryptic. The witch doesn't want to exert the effort to help them." However, no one believed that a witch would leave due to a lack of skill; rather, it strengthened their belief.
Felix was curious as well. He had just switched to magical sight when he noticed the cryptic light in the tent. This indicated that the person inside was indeed a true wizard.
Vagadu... divination...
Felix contemplated. Africa did indeed have a branch of divination magic, shamanism. However, what he knew was that this kind of divination magic wasn't much better than Dark Magic. It often ca at the cost of harming one's body, difficult to recover from, and the results weren't always accurate.
He found it incredible that a witch would offer divination services to ordinary people, and even do business openly.
He glanced at the long line behind him and shook his head slightly. Wasn't she afraid of suddenly dropping dead the next day? Or perhaps, being taken away by the Ministry of Magic?
When it was his turn, nearly an hour had passed. A calm female voice called from inside the tent, "Co in." Felix entered, and the scorching air outside was sealed off. The strong scent of spices made him feel a bit intoxicated. He looked at the witch. Next to her were six or seven palm-sized censers emitting smoke, and various mystical items cluttered around. Most didn't emanate any magical aura, except for a few objects that caught his attention: the Gypsy witch herself, the crystal ball before her, and... the witch's purple hair.
Yes, under Felix's magical sight, the magical radiance emanating from the peculiar witch's hair was just as impressive as her own.
"We need to do a test. I won't waste my hard-earned magical power onon" She suddenly stumbled over her words, and her pretense vanished as her half-closed eyes snapped open.
Under Felix's and her mutual gaze, one strand of hair on her head suddenly broke and burst into flas.
Her voice was no longer calm and emotionless; instead, it beca quiet and urgent. "This wizard friend, I have a valid license, approved by the Ministry of Magic. Don't cause trouble for ..."
"Clang!"
Felix tossed a small bag of Galleons to her. Several golden coins mischievously tumbled and rolled on the table, coming to a stop near the edge before falling into the witch's hands.
"Do you accept this?"
"Of course, a big business indeed," the witch carefully inspected the Galleons in her hand. She gave the bag on the table a little shake and experiencedly said, "At least fifty Galleons. Are you a spendthrift from the European sideor should I say, an inheritor of noble lineage?"
She scrutinized Felix's appearance, her gaze pausing slightly on his black hair and blue eyes. Before he could reply, she stood up from her seat, walked out of the tent, and exchanged a few words with the people outside. Gradually, the crowd dispersed.
"Alright," the witch returned with light steps, stretching lazily. She wiped her face, causing layers of thick paint and costics to vanish, revealing a young face with dark brown skin.
She appeared to be in her early twenties.
"You're not a Gypsy witch?" Felix said with a chuckle.
The witch snorted dismissively, "There are only Vagadu witches here, no Gypsy witches."
"I'm from Britain"
"Pretty much guessed that." She took out a pear and started biting into it.
"I'm a professor"
"Kachikachi... Hogwarts?"
"Invited by Clentine"
The witch finally put down the half-eaten pear, "You an Clentine? That girl from Gringotts who uses the pretext of archaeological expeditions?"
Felix smiled and nodded.
"Since you're introduced by a friend, I won't deceive you." The witch patted her chest, saying, "Riphentine, that's my na." She added, "My real na."
"Riphentine," Felix savored the na, "Does that an... extraordinary genius?"
"Not convinced? I ca up with it myself," Riphentine said. "When I was young, I traveled with a Gypsy circus troupe, wandering around. One day, in a dream, a dream ssenger told
I was a chosen one, permitted to study magic in Vagadu. When I woke up, I found myself holding a stone with inscriptions."
"Standard enrollnt procedure."
"Yeah, but I was young and thought I was the chosen one, so I urgently gave myself a good-sounding na, and I looked forward day and night, waiting to showcase my talents. But when I got in, I realized nearly a thousand students had entered with ..." She said with self-deprecation.
"Why did you choose divination then?"
Riphentine scratched her head, "Maybe it's influenced by my childhood. I didn't choose Vagadu's traditional strong subjectsTransfiguration, Potions, Alchemy, and Astronomy. Instead, I chose the obscure divination. However, I am indeed an extraordinary genius. I've improved this highly dangerous Dark Magic."
"Using hair as a casting cost?" Felix asked. Compared to the original version that often caused bodily harm, this modification was indeed clever.
"Yes, but I only have so much hair, so I have to be careful. Do you have any good recomndations for shampoo?"
"Uh... I know soone. His Snakelike Egg Shampoo is pretty good, but I doubt you can get it. The Potter family's is good too"
"I've heard of the latter." Riphentine said.
"Since you've improved the art of prophecy, can you do a prediction for ?" Felix asked in a soft voice.
Riphentine quickly shook her head, "No, no, I can't predict for wizards."
"Is the cost too high?"
"See that burning hair? Before I graduated, I wanted to do a prophecy for the headmaster, and your results will be the sa." Riphentine made a burning gesture. "My teacher pulled out a strand of my hair and only then told
that if I did a prophecy for a powerful wizard, I'd even risk my life!"
She took another bite of the pear, "That was the last lesson she gave . After that, I graduated. Later, I found that jobs were hard to co by. I thought since the cost of doing prophecies for wizards was so high, what about ordinary people?"
"So you chose this place? Doing divination for tourists?"
"Smart, right? I carefully choose my subjects for divination, making vague predictions that are sowhat easy to judge. I even use these things for disguise. Muggles all believe this..." She pointed at various mystical items in the tent, "I spent a total of 2000 Egyptian pounds."
"Just under a hundred pounds, indeed cheap. But you ntioned earlier that you've obtained the Ministry of Magic's approval" Felix was quite curious. Did this count as violating the secrecy law or exposing the wizarding world?
"What can I say?" Riphentine looked at him with a troubled expression. "I know the secrecy law; you want to ask about that, right? But the situation is different in each country..."
She bit the pear core with her teeth and slid her hands left and right, saying vaguely, "In Africa, mysticism is prevalent. It's hard to distinguish between true and false, and everyone takes it for granted. I even got invited by tribal leaders to share rainmaking experiences."
"You can make rain too?"
"Neither can they! When the ti cos, I'll show off a bit, exchange a few complints, and I'll end up with quite a bit of gold."
Felix was truly amazed. These things couldn't be seen or heard in the black market. They talked for quite a while. Before they left, Riphentine stopped Felix.
"Are you the assistant called by Clentine for help?" She cautiously asked.
"How did you know?"
"This matter made quite a stir. That person almost didn't make it back. I took a look and his face was as swollen as a coconut, covered in weeds..."
She glanced at the Galleons on the table, gritted her teeth, "Since you've paid
two months' inco, I'll take a look for you. But I won't do a prophecy for you! Don't even think about it!"
"So, what do you an?"
"Get soone else, a companion who's weaker, to go with you into the Pyramid."
Ten minutes later, Hermione sat in front of Riphentine, looking bewildered. Riphentine changed back to her Gypsy appearance, her face adorned with various painted patterns.
"It's just the three of us here." Felix chuckled.
"It's a sign of respect for magic," Riphentine retorted earnestly.
Hermione hesitantly asked, "Um... Professor? What are we supposed to do?"
"Divination, child. I'm going to do a divination for you." Riphentine said with a calm, distant voice, reminding Hermione of Professor Trelawney's mystical mannerisms.
Were all diviners cut from the sa mold in the wizarding world?
Riphentine stared at Hermione closely, "I need a strand of your hair... you have a lot of hair, but the texture isn't great." She suddenly reached out and plucked a few strands of hair, "Ouch!" Hermione exclaid in pain, glaring at her with anger.
"Don't worry, don't worry. I'll give you a pear later." Riphentine consoled her. She twisted Hermione's hair, the brown strands constantly twisting and solidifying into silver-white where they touched Riphentine's fingers, like strands of silver.
When the edges of the hair also solidified completely, Riphentine let go, and the hair, fragile as porcelain, fell and shattered the mont it touched the velvet surface of the table.
Holding her breath, Riphentine carefully observed the powder and gently manipulated it with her fingers from ti to ti.
"Weird..." she said.
"Ha, this answer isn't surprising to ." Hermione muttered and rubbed her head.
"No, what's weird is that your figure is shrouded in mist, not very clear, but... it's happened before." Riphentine shrugged, "Don't worry, you're safe this ti, at least you are."
"Thank you for your trouble," Hermione gave a sarcastic smile, feeling a little sorry for her hair.
"No need to be polite." Riphentine showcased a facial transformation technique before her, leaving Hermione staring blankly and even forgetting to refuse the pear Riphentine handed her.
On the way back, Hermione asked about Riphentine's background. Felix briefly explained, and when they returned to the campsite, they saw a figure in a suit, about three or four feet tall, with a pair of pointed ears, although the skin color didn't match. If not for the discrepancy, he would have mistaken it for a house-elf nad Dobby. But this was actually a fairy, a fairy from Gringotts.
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