"Where is this?"
Emily came out of her deep thoughts and looked at the building in front of her with some confusion.
"A wand shop, I guess. Kind of similar to Ollivanders in Diagon Alley."
Link said while rubbing his chin.
But his explanation was actually a bit forced, because this shop called Zangwill Wands was on a completely different level compared to Ollivander's small store, whether in scale or decoration.
Just that huge pure gold sign alone was something Ollivander could never put up.
Not to mention this shop was built like a commercial building, more than a dozen stories tall.
Curiosity flickered in Emily's eyes as she said, "French wands… are they different from English ones?"
She remembered Fleur's wand.
The wand used by that Beauxbatons girl seemed to have a Veela hair as its core.
That was something almost unimaginable among English wizards.
Hearing this, a faint smile flashed across Dumbledore's lips.
Among everyone present, no one understood the French magical world better than him.
So he was already prepared to be asked questions by Link and the others and then provide answers.
He really enjoyed the feeling of being a teacher.
Unfortunately, Link only glanced at him with a half-smile and then said, "There should be differences. Since you're so curious, let's go inside and take a look. I'm sure the staff can give us an explanation."
As soon as those words came out, Dumbledore almost choked on his breath.
But by the time he recovered, Link and Emily had already entered the shop with Krell accompanying them. Seeing this, he could only follow behind.
The interior space of Zangwill Wand Shop was even larger than it looked from the outside.
The moment they entered the main hall, what came into Link and Emily's view was an endless array of display counters and a large crowd moving between them.
The entire first floor seemed to be one massive exhibition hall, hollowed out with magic and expanded with the Undetectable Extension Charm. It was spacious, and there wasn't even a visible support structure.
Besides that, the entire Zangwill building was probably also treated with constant temperature and humidity control.
Combined with the cool-toned lighting in the hall, it gave people a very refreshing feeling.
While Link and Emily were observing the hall, a group of sales assistants standing near the entrance were also observing them.
People who work in frontline sales like this year-round usually have excellent judgment when it comes to people.
And in their eyes, Link's group stood out like the bright moon in the night sky.
There was no helping it. Their features were just too obvious.
A young handsome boy and an elegant, pretty girl, accompanied by a house-elf and an elderly butler, plus the exaggerated, clearly newly purchased luxury hooded cloaks Link and Emily were wearing.
This was obviously the look of a foreign noble young master traveling with a beauty while touring France.
People like this weren't rare on Lionheart Street.
After all, Lionheart Street was considered a famous tourist destination in the global wizarding world.
There were so many visiting wizards every year that it was almost impossible to count.
Otherwise, just relying on the traffic from local French wizards, the Virgin statue in the Fontainebleau plaza wouldn't have been rubbed to that extent.
And in the eyes of the sales assistants, a group like Link's also had another label.
That label was... easy money.
In just an instant, nearly all the sales assistants' eyes lit up.
They gathered together whispering and arguing for a while, and in the end, a tall saleswoman proudly walked out from the group.
"Hello, welcome. Is there anything I can help you with?"
The saleswoman put on a professional smile and spoke in a flattering tone.
Link and the others all turned to look.
Then the corners of their mouths couldn't help but rise.
The saleswoman who came over was actually quite beautiful.
Whether in figure or appearance, she ranked above average among the women Link had seen.
In the eyes of ordinary people, she would definitely be considered a stunning beauty.
What's more, as she spoke she bent forward slightly, which opened up everyone's view quite a bit.
But the only problem was that the uniform she was wearing was truly terrible.
The saleswoman naturally understood the mockery hidden in their smiles.
But instead, she felt secretly pleased.
Because the outfit she was wearing was a custom uniform Zangwill Wand Shop had specially commissioned according to the latest fashion trends.
In the aesthetic system of French wizards, this was absolutely high-end fashion.
Anyone who laughed out loud at it was definitely a foreigner.
And most likely English.
Only those boring and rigid "old gentlemen" would look down on this kind of clothing.
For them, this was actually a good thing.
Because although the English magical world had declined, the great nobles who could afford to come to Lionheart Street were truly rich.
With such thoughts in mind, the saleswoman didn't mind their instinctive mockery and continued waiting respectfully.
This actually made Link feel a bit embarrassed.
He covered his mouth and coughed twice before saying, "Then why don't you first introduce this Zangwill Wand shop to us? How is it different from Ollivanders in Diagon Alley?"
Link's standard English customer-style question made the saleswoman even more excited.
She suppressed her inner joy and lowered her posture even more as she said, "Of course, dear customer. Our Zangwill Wand Shop was established in 1930."
"Although we haven't been operating very long, we are the largest chain wand shop in Europe."
"We specialize in mass-produced wand sales, and at the same time we also accept high-end custom wand orders. We guarantee we can meet any of your wand needs!"
"Mass-produced wands?", Emily frowned as she said this.
This was her first time hearing that term.
Before the saleswoman could continue explaining, Krell pointed at the wands in the surrounding display cases and said, "Those are them."
"They're all made from the cheapest wood and magical creature materials through assembly lines."
"To improve compatibility, they compress the extraordinary properties inside these wands to the extreme."
"This makes the enhancement they provide to wizards negligible. They're basically just a pile of trash!"
Hearing this, Emily nodded, and the curiosity in her eyes gradually faded.
This made the saleswoman beside them extremely anxious.
She hurriedly said, "To someone as noble as you, these wands may indeed seem unimpressive."
"But these are just products for ordinary wizards. Their high compatibility and low price make them very popular among common wizards!"
"And for someone as distinguished as you, we also have high-end custom services!"
Emily looked again at Krell.
She had no good impression of this broad-chested saleswoman and preferred hearing Krell's explanation.
Krell continued, "That's true. Unlike England, many foreign wizards really do like using these mass-produced wands."
"Quite a few members of our family's hunter teams use them. In my opinion, their wand habits are already ruined."
"Precious wands have become consumables in their hands. If one doesn't feel right or they get bored of it, they just switch to another. After all, they're cheap."
"Cheap? How cheap?"
"About 10 Galleons each."
"Isn't that about the same as Ollivanders' prices?"
"It's different. Every wand Ollivander makes can practically be described as a work of art. Each one is unique."
"The reason English wizards can buy them so cheaply is purely because the Ministry of Magic provides subsidies." Link took over the explanation.
"Otherwise, just based on the quality of Ollivander's wands, the cost alone would be close to a hundred Galleons."
"But each wizard only gets this subsidy once in their lifetime. It's only because English wizards still maintain the one-wand-per-person tradition, and Ollivander usually doesn't sell a second wand to the same person, that this policy is rarely known."
"If your wand gets accidentally damaged and you go back to Ollivander, you'll find the price he offers you this time is ridiculously high."
Emily suddenly understood after hearing this.
Meanwhile, Link turned to the saleswoman again and asked, "What about this custom service you mentioned?"
As soon as he said that, the saleswoman, who had thought Krell had ruined her chances of making a sale, immediately lit up with joy and said attentively, "Our custom service is specially provided for high-end customers like you."
"As you mentioned earlier, Master Ollivander in England generally won't sell a second wand to the same person unless their original wand is damaged."
"But at Zangwill Wands, we have no restrictions on how many wands a customer can own."
"And we can make all kinds of wands according to the customer's needs, whether it's the wand material, the design, or even the core."
"Most importantly, our exclusive patented technology allows these wands to maintain unique designs while still achieving perfect compatibility with the user."
"Please note, when I say perfect compatibility, I don't mean the kind of 'compatibility' mass-produced wands have."
"I mean true, perfect compatibility!"
"That is to say, the custom wand will match the user's habits, hand shape, arm length, body type, and even magical attributes, achieving true perfection in every aspect!"
"This effect is almost no different from Master Ollivander's work!"
"But only almost." Dumbledore shook his head and said.
"Link, there's no need for you to invest too much thought into this. The custom wands here ultimately can't compare to the wand you got from Ollivander."
"The biggest difference between them is that the wands here are dead, while Ollivander's wands are alive."
"That's true," the saleswoman continued with a smile. "But Ollivander's wands also can't freely customize appearance and materials like we can, can they?"
At those words, Dumbledore had no response.
Meanwhile, Link took out both his primary ebony wand and his backup larch wand.
Under his gaze, both wands almost simultaneously emitted a soft off-white glow.
This was a sign of the wands' complete submission to him.
In a sense, the wands made by the Ollivander family really were as they claimed... alive. Independent individuals. Beings capable of choosing their own masters.
They could grow together with their owners.
For example, that larch wand could grant its user courage, and after its user developed extraordinary courage, it could unleash miraculous power.
The ebony wand, on the other hand, was aggressive and highly offensive.
It already matched Link very well.
And through long association with Link, it had also changed for his sake.
Its magical properties had become sharper and sharper, just like the changes happening within Link himself.
These were things Zangwill wands simply could not achieve.
At best, their custom wands could only match the buyer's current traits and habits like Ollivander's wands did.
But they had absolutely no growth potential.
Slowly putting his wands away, Link looked at the saleswoman and smiled.
"I'm very interested in your custom wand service."
As soon as he said that, the saleswoman was overjoyed, while Dumbledore called out in dissatisfaction again, "Link!"
Unfortunately, Link had no intention of paying attention to him and continued, "But I need to confirm something. Your Zangwill custom service can make any shape and any material of wand, right?"
The saleswoman patted her ample chest and said, "Please rest assured. Even if you want a wand shaped like a cane, we can satisfy that request!"
She wasn't just saying that casually.
From her experience, the noble English wizards she met most often loved cane-shaped wands the most.
Some wizards who were reluctant to part with their original wands would also order a transforming cane shell from them so their wand could turn into a cane at any time.
The most typical example she remembered seemed to be a great noble with the surname Malfoy.
That customer had used large amounts of precious materials and even customized a snake-head handle made of mithril alloy on the cane.
In her mind, Link would probably also be interested in that kind of design.
Unfortunately, she guessed wrong this time.
After getting her confirmation, Link only nodded and then said, "So that means even if I wanted a gemstone dagger wand made of metal and gems, you could also make that for me?"
As soon as Link said that, Dumbledore, who had been slightly lowering his eyes in dissatisfaction because Link hadn't listened to his advice, instantly raised his gaze. An unusual light flashed in his eyes.
He immediately guessed Link's intention.
As one of the only two people who had fought the shadow figure at close range, they both clearly knew that the wand the shadow figure used in battle was a dagger.
Could it be that dagger wand was custom-made here?
For a moment, both Link and Dumbledore fixed their eyes on the saleswoman.
Both were figures long accustomed to positions of power.
The presence they had built up over time was suddenly released at this moment, instantly putting enormous pressure on her.
Her throat felt dry. This was extremely rare for her, since as one of the best sales assistants at Zangwill Wand Shop, the people she usually dealt with were all either rich or powerful.
The saleswoman took several deep breaths before finally stammering, "Y-yes… if you require it, we can also… also make a dagger wand for you."