Unexpected Gains

Chapter 44 Unexpected Gains

Like the Truman Show in the movie, one wall separates two worlds.

Outside the wall, weeds grew rampant, and waist-high shrubs had long since encroached on the space that once belonged to human activity, growing wildly and densely.

Fortunately, the tall trees around had already been cut down by Ian, otherwise it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call this place a subtropical rainforest.

Amidst the dense vegetation, a winding forest path appears and disappears, perhaps because Eileen often trims it along the way; fortunately, it has not yet been completely overtaken by vegetation.

The two walked slowly, with Ian following behind Eileen, his wand firmly in his hand, just in case of any unexpected events.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, we finally arrived at Eileen's place.

The first thing you see is a three-story European-style building with towering Roman columns and arched doorways covered with exquisite carvings. In front of the gate is a small garden of about 100 square meters, with a landscape fountain in the center sculpted with the Cupid angel.

However, years of neglect have made the once luxurious villa look extremely dilapidated.

Pushing open the heavy door, unlike the messy office building where Ian used to live, the furniture inside was surprisingly tidy, only covered in dust due to lack of cleaning.

Ian could understand, though, since clean water was a scarce resource in the apocalypse. Eileen had always lived alone, and the fact that she could keep her belongings so neatly arranged while conserving her energy was quite remarkable.

Eileen looked at Ian, who had been glancing around ever since he entered, and couldn't help but chuckle to herself:

"Isn't this place dirty? Every time I see your room so spotless, and then come back here, I feel like Cinderella working in a castle, only to return to my dilapidated house in the countryside after get off work every day."

"Ha, what are you talking about? I was just marveling at the luxury here, you know? If the world hadn't changed and everything remained the same, I might never have had the chance to come here in my entire life."

"I'll bring you..." Eileen said in an almost faint voice.

Ian was completely oblivious to this; he was still admiring the room's layout. He then said, "Go pack your things; I'll wait for you here."

Ian's upbringing from his past life prevented him from easily entering a girl's room, as it was considered extremely impolite and vulgar.

"Okay, I'll get it sorted out quickly."

Eileen, who clearly came from a distinguished background, also understood his underlying meaning.

Ian watched the departing figure, feeling utterly idle. He could only stroll around the hall, taking a look at the high-end furniture and comparing it to the furniture he had purchased at Hogsmeade, trying to discern the differences between the two.

"Huh? A classic children's masterpiece with 6000 million copies sold and translated into thirteen languages—The Fantastic Journey of Rosemary."

Ian stumbled upon the book tucked away in the corner, and the description on the cover surprised him greatly.

Actually, it's not his fault. The original owner didn't have many memories left behind; what he had left him with were mostly feelings—feelings of despair and terror about the apocalypse.

So Ian didn't really know much about this world, but out of curiosity, he still opened the book.

The content truly lives up to its sales figures. The book has a novel concept and a captivating plot. Ian was immediately drawn to the fantastical world depicted in the book after only reading a little bit.

In just a short while, his keen senses alerted him to Eileen's footsteps, suggesting that she had finished organizing her supplies.

Ian carefully put the book into his backpack and put it away. He then saw Eileen slowly walking downstairs. Although she didn't have much stuff, it only filled about two hiking backpacks.

But Ian, being a true gentleman, used a levitation charm to carry the items for the other person, and at the same time, he said with some surprise, "Is that all?"

"Yes, that's all. This wasn't originally my home, and with the world like this, what is there to hold onto? So there's not much to take, mostly the food you gave me that's easy to store."

At this moment, Eileen seemed to have regained her former glory, and answered decisively and rationally.

Ian strongly agreed with this.

"Then let's go. Do you need to say goodbye to this house?"

Upon hearing this, Eileen didn't say anything. She simply glanced around, her eyes filled with no sadness or longing, only anticipation and yearning for the future.

Then he said softly, "Let's go! There's nothing left here. We all need to live well in the future."

……

They passed through the gate and walked back along the path they had come from. The bright moonlight shone on the earth like a silver ribbon. Although there was always a slight chill in the autumn night, the two of them seemed not to notice it.

At this moment, this place seems to have become a bard's dream, as ethereal and beautiful as a poem, and as elusive and obscure as a poem. Against the backdrop of strange and twisted parasitic plants on both sides, every frame and every second brings a bizarre and surreal artistic feeling.

When the two returned home, it was nearly midnight. Ian first dispelled the levitation spell and gently placed the two packages in the corner of the living room. He then spoke:

"This place is familiar to you, so choose a room yourself. However, there probably aren't any suitable rooms left on the first floor. After you've chosen, I'll use magic to clean the room for you."

Just as Ian said, a month had allowed Eileen to become familiar with the place, so she made her choice without much consideration.

"Let's go with the second bedroom on the right side of the second floor. I like that floor-to-ceiling window and the warmth when the sun shines through it."

"Okay! Let's clean up first." With that, Ian turned and walked towards the room on the second floor.

Ian was also familiar with the second bedroom on the right. He had learned about it when he explored the villa. Just as the other person said, it was a room with excellent natural light.

"Completely cleaned up!"

Upon entering the room, he drew his wand and cast a cleaning spell. Even the most hidden dust in the corners of the walls was swept away completely.

Then, taking out several pieces of wood that had been prepared beforehand, he used a Transfiguration spell to make a bed and a simple storage cabinet, before turning around and saying to Eileen behind him:

"It's getting late, let's leave it at that for today. I'll make the bed and some furniture for you tomorrow."

"Didn't you already make the bed?"

Eileen asked, somewhat surprised.

"No, this is only temporary. I used shapeshifting magic. At most, these things will return to their original shapes in a week, unless you want to suddenly fall off the bed one day." Ian patiently explained the reason to him.

Eileen shrugged slightly and said with a touch of amazement, "Well, amazing magic!"

"The rest is up to you. You know everything is in the storage room, so just pick out some everyday items."

After saying this, Ian walked downstairs without looking back.

The main reason was that he was still thinking about the novel "Rosen's Fantastic Journey," because through this book he realized something very important: he could use the cultural resources of this world to become a plagiarist in the magical world.

The reason he thought this way was that when he planned to explore the mysteries of magical alchemy, he didn't intend to waste the little magic power remaining in the Philosopher's Stone to turn stone into gold. If he exhausted the magic power of the Philosopher's Stone, he would be left with a useless stone.

This is undoubtedly the most unprofitable thing to do; apart from getting a little Galon, it brings him no benefit whatsoever.

He had previously worried about how to find a new way to make money without using the magic stone. But after reading this book today, all his problems were solved.

Being a bestselling author—this lucrative and prestigious profession is the best and most suitable one. Just look at Lockhart, who will be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor next year; he's already mastered this profession.

Having made this plan, Ian returned to his room, quickly washed up, and then lay down on the bed to take out the novel and start reading.

He made up his mind that if the content and plot of this book had indeed never appeared in that world, he would go and ransack the city's library first thing tomorrow morning.

Perhaps due to his previous sleep habits, Ian only read for a short while before feeling sleepy. Adhering to his principle of not staying up late, he chose to follow his biological clock, closed the book, and went to sleep.

……

Ian slept soundly all night as usual. He was only awakened once in the early hours of the morning by a rustling sound from upstairs. Upon hearing the sound, he immediately pulled out his wand from beside his pillow and held it in his hand, but after a moment, he seemed to remember something and put the wand down again, somewhat speechless.

"Oh dear, I forgot about Eileen..."

He had always lived alone in the apocalypse, and his long-developed vigilance made him exceptionally sensitive to any movement. The sudden addition of another person to his group was quite unsettling for Ian.

The so-called maladjustment is mainly because, after this period of dietary adjustments and skincare, Eileen's already impressive figure and delicate face have become even larger and more beautiful.

On the other hand, although Ian was single in his previous life, it didn't mean he was ignorant. Thanks to the popular science explanations from those famous "teachers," he was very clear about these things.

In addition, this body has already turned 15, and if you take into account the time flow between the two worlds, it's almost 16. Moreover, Westerners tend to mature earlier, so Ian felt a little distracted when he thought about the rustling sound he had just heard.

"Tomorrow, I'll install the endoscope and then block out the sound. That way I can relax and sleep without having to be so vigilant," Ian thought to himself.

When it comes to the fame of alchemical items in the magical world, many people may not know the Philosopher's Stone, but they will definitely know the telescope and the peephole.

The former is an essential item for watching Quidditch matches, while the latter, although it looks like a toy, is the best tool for ordinary wizards to defend against malicious dark wizards.

The Spyglass is a spinning glass top that glows, spins, and emits a piercing whistle whenever untrustworthy people or malicious intent appear around the wizard.

Therefore, the practicality and convenience of the viewing mirror made it the preferred item for any wizard undertaking a dangerous mission.

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(End of this chapter)