Although William could calmly tell Tom about his ti in Azkaban, that didn't an everyone else was as indifferent to it.
He regretted scaring the Knight Bus driver with Azkaban back then; he had just been too excited after getting out.
This magazine editor, however, was soone William truly wanted to avoid.
Unfortunately, the editor didn't feel the sa way.
The system sent two notifications in quick succession.
[You have gained the recognition of a magical creature, Reward: Treasure Chest x1.]
[You have gained deeper recognition from a magical creature, Reward: Treasure Chest x1.]
If William's guess was correct, the editor had likely maxed out their goodwill and rewarded him with two chests at once.
Fortunately, despite the editor's genuine gratitude, they were understanding when William ntioned he had urgent matters and quickly bid him farewell.
On his way to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, William casually opened the treasure chests.
[Decryptor Xenophilius (Special) (SR): Ancient secrets lie hidden within fairy tales, and only those who transcend the mundane can uncover the truth within the stories.
Skill: Insight (Passive) -- You occasionally intuitively uncover long-buried secrets in history and mythology. The activation chance depends on your knowledge reserves.]
[Truthful Reporter Xenophilius (SR): In a world lost in lies, there will always be soone who steps forward to reveal the truth. This is an act of nobility.
Skill: Truth--Destroy this card to dispel all illusions and traps in front of you. The range is determined by your magic power.]
[Betrayer Xenophilius (R): A father, thrown into disarray after his daughter's accident, acted impulsively. While understandable, it is still not easily forgiven.
Skill: Persuasion--Destroy this card to dramatically lower your persuasion success rate for the next hour, triggering an imdiate commotion. The likelihood of activation depends on your intent to persuade.]
After much deliberation, William reluctantly gave up the long-term special card and chose the guaranteed success of the Truthful Reporter card.
No matter how tempting the first card seed, it required ti and accumulation; sothing he lacked right now.
The second chest's contents were more disappointing; likely because he had opened them in reverse order.
It contained another Betrayer card and a al voucher, identical to the ones he had received before.
[al Voucher: Can be used to offset the cost of using a card.]
The third card was related to Xenophilius's profession, a Chief Editor card.
[Chief Editor Xenophilius (R): A notorious editor known for stirring up controversies in pursuit of a big scoop.
Skill: Journalism--Destroy this card to gain ample inspiration for fleshing out the details of a fabricated story. The more realistic the story, the more refined the details.]
After decisively choosing the al voucher, William had a clearer understanding of Mr. Lovegood.
Though this journalist would eventually report a major news story, it didn't change the fact that his current job was creating fake news for his magazine, just for the sake of stirring the pot.
William was sure the magazine's content was probably no better than the so-called exposé books sold at street stalls; apart from the nas and locations, everything was likely made up.
Still, the cards were incredibly useful; both the al voucher and the Truthful Reporter card would be significant assets for William.
He didn't know why Xenophilius suddenly felt so grateful to him, but he couldn't be bothered to think too much about it.
Gratitude, after all, wasn't sothing to worry about. If it were resentnt, he'd have to watch his back for revenge. Gratitude, on the other hand, couldn't possibly cause him any trouble, right?
***
When he arrived at Madam Malkin's shop, however, William realized he had been completely wrong.
As he stepped into the store, he imdiately spotted a familiar face; soone he had parted ways with not even fifteen minutes ago.
Oh, fantastic…
An unnatural smile crept onto William's face.
He even considered turning around and leaving imdiately.
But the shop owner, dressed in purple robes, clearly had no intention of letting him slip away. The mont William entered, Madam Malkin greeted him with a warm smile.
"Are you here for custom robes, dear? We have plenty of ready-made ones, but if you're willing to wait, you can order a brand-new set as well."
That one sentence shattered the excuse William had been about to use.
He had just prepared to claim that he had pre-ordered his robes and was in a hurry.
If he had spoken a bit faster, the shop owner would probably have helped him cover for it; there weren't any shopkeepers on this street who didn't know how to accommodate custors.
But now, it was too late.
The two custors inside the store had already turned around at Madam Malkin's words.
The tall, thin wizard with white hair was none other than Xenophilius, the very man William had just said goodbye to.
Well, this is awkward.
They had already exchanged goodbyes, yet here they were in the sa place again.
William silently stared at Xenophilius, hoping that the man's years of work experience and life skills would allow him to handle the situation gracefully.
As for himself, William had given up all hope and was ready to let things fall apart.
To his surprise, however, Xenophilius also wore a look of inexplicable embarrassnt.
This won't do! Co on, use the sa creativity you put into making up stories and running a magazine!
William signaled with his eyes, urging Xenophilius to take control of the situation.
After an awkward pause, Xenophilius finally forced out a sentence. "Haha, it's really hot today, isn't it?"
"Yes, yes! It really is!" William quickly latched onto the excuse.
"Such a coincidence, running into you at Madam Malkin's shop! I was just thinking this morning about whether I might bump into soone I know while shopping today. Sure enough, in a famous place like Diagon Alley, how could you not run into soone familiar?"
"Exactly! What a coincidence, indeed."
William smoothly kept the conversation going, while discreetly turning his attention to the other custor. If his guess was right, this person was likely the reason for Xenophilius's awkward behavior.
The girl had long, tangled, waist-length blonde hair that was a bit dirty and a deeper shade than Xenophilius's. However, their facial features were strikingly similar; most likely, she was his daughter.
It was obvious that this father didn't want his daughter to know he'd been involved in a scuffle, so he had simply chosen to gloss over the whole situation with William.
"Mr. Xenophilius, is this your daughter?"
"Yes, she's eleven this year. She's heading to Hogwarts. I brought her here today to get her school robes custom-made. The standard ones are fine, but tailored ones fit much better. I also need to order a few larger sizes; you know how kids this age grow so quickly."
"Yes, of course! I rember you ntioned that last ti. Look at my mory; it always fails when I need it. What's her na again?"
"Luna. Luna Lovegood."
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