Chapter 9 The Mascot of the Store
Aaron Gaius lay on the bed, looking at Abey sleeping soundly beside him, and shook his head with a bitter smile.
Everything he hadn't understood before, he finally understood tonight, but it was a bit hard to accept all at once.
He had thought it was the deep love of his parents, but he hadn't expected it to be... a damned family tradition.
Of the three ways to gain "freedom," the third, which was the most difficult for others, was the easiest for him.
Given his magic power growth rate, reaching the level of a Archmage before graduation shouldn't be a big problem. If he added his daily magic points to his magic power at the current check-in speed, he might even step into the threshold of a Grand Magister by graduation.
But that was impossible. The various skills and magic items in the system shop were enough to dazzle him. Barring any surprises, probably less than a tenth of these magic points would be added to his magic power.
Moreover, the family tradition would be ineffective for him during his years at school. This meant that as long as he endured the remaining month, he would be considered 'free'.
This was good news, but why did he feel a sense of loss?
...Diagon Alley, Aaron's Drink Shop.
Because he had a 'dragon-walking license', Aaron Gaiusopenly carried Abey out. However, to be safe, he still made it wear a coat, ensuring its wings and ears weren't exposed.
But even so, this adorable white 'cat' still drew the amazement of a large number of customers.
Many female customers instantly fell in love with this lively and cute cat, wanting to pet it, but they only had a chance when Abey was in a good mood.
As for when it was in a good mood, that depended on your looks and what you bought in the shop.
In short, only those who were good-looking and willing to spend money were qualified to touch it; it couldn't be bothered with others.
Thanks to this mascot, the shop's turnover increased by 50%.
Someone even offered to buy this pet from Aaron Gaius for two hundred Galleons, but he immediately put them on his blacklist.
Two hundred Galleons was roughly a month's profit for his small shop, and it was a huge sum for an eleven-year-old child, but... does he lack that little bit of money?
You probably don't know that his monthly allowance needs another zero added to that number.
Besides, Abey is a Saint Dragon, the only super rare species among dragons. Only worth two hundred Galleons? Who are you insulting?
"Young Master, although you can openly keep it, you don't have to put it on the counter on the very first day!" Ginessaid with a bitter smile. He was against such a magical creature being paraded around.
"Hey! Uncle Gines, don't be so rigid!" Aaron Gaius laughed. "Abey has been in my room all this time before today!
Now that I can finally keep it openly, I have no reason to make it stay inside, do I? What's the difference between that and house arrest?"
Abey turned around and gave a small, cute gesture to Gines.
Faced with this charm that captivated both men and women, Gines had no choice but to give in, his heart instantly softening by half.
It wasn't that he didn't want to be stricter, but Abey was practically the Gaius Family's pampered pet. If it suffered even a little grievance, not only would the Young Master be upset, but even the Master and Madam would probably have a talk with him.
"Alright! Young Master, no, Boss, as long as you're happy."
Aaron Gaius nodded with satisfaction and made a victory gesture to Abey. Abey also showed a big smile, its large eyes blinking, looking extremely cute.
Time flew by, and soon a month had passed.
During this month, Aaron Gaius's lifestyle hadn't changed much, shuttling back and forth between home and Diagon Alley, but it was much better than before.
Because their precious son was about to go to school, the Gaius couple had been home with him these days, allowing Aaron Gaius to experience the warmth of family after a long time.
And Abey's presence added a lot of fun to his monotonous life. Besides watching the shop, he would tease it, apart from learning and practicing some simple spells with Gaius.
Honestly, petting a dragon was quite interesting, full of a sense of accomplishment!
At this moment, Aaron Gaius was lying on the bed looking at his attribute panel.
Host: Aaron Gaius
magic Power: 784 (Intermediate Wizard, your path of magichas just begun)
Talent: Rare in a century (can be improved, magic power increases by 2 points daily)
Items: moon drop, Resurrection Potion
magic Points: 82
This data made him a little melancholic. He always felt that a month of diligent check-ins was not proportional to the gains. He really missed the time when it was four digits.
Although it was only for one day, it now seemed like the peak of his life.
"Young Master, today is not a day for you to sleep in." Gines' voice came from outside the door.
"I know." Aaron Gaius sat up abruptly, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
He grabbed Abey beside him and, despite its reluctant gaze, put clothes on it.
"Don't be unhappy. Today is August 28th, only three days left until school starts. We need to go buy things for school, or it'll be too late."
Ten minutes later, Aaron Gaius walked out of the room with Abey.
"Young Master, you are half an hour later than usual today!"
"Nagging, but you can only manage me for these three days."
Gines was stunned for a moment, then quickly understood the reason and smiled, "It seems the Young Master is very confident! Then this subordinate will wait and see."
"You will see."
Gines shrugged and said nothing.
To be honest, although Aaron Gaius had quite good magictalent, becoming a Archmage before the age of eighteen wasn't just about having good talent.
However, he wouldn't spoil the mood at this time. He believed that in a few years, after the Young Master understood how difficult it was, he wouldn't make such grand statements anymore.
"Where are my parents? Aren't they coming?" Aaron Gaiuslooked around but didn't find any trace of the Gaius couple.
"Uh, Master and Madam had some urgent matters to attend to and left last night.
Besides, most of the things you need to buy are in Diagon Alley. It's basically no different from strolling through a backyard. Do you still need parental accompaniment for this?"
"That's true, but for them not even to say goodbye to their son, they must think highly of me!"
After breakfast, the two people and one dragon walked to the fireplace. A green flame flashed, and they arrived at the shop in Diagon Alley.
"Renovate." Gines directly cast a spell to clean his clothes.
"Uncle Gines, can I do the shopping alone?" Aaron Gaiusasked with some anticipation.
"Young Master..." Gines frowned. "I believe you can handle these small matters, but you also understand the Gaius Family's tradition. There are many things we cannot do based on personal preference.
We must protect your safety until you board the HogwartsExpress."
"Hmph!" Aaron Gaius let out a long breath. He had somewhat anticipated this answer, but it was still hard to accept when he actually heard the result.
"There are only three days left. Can't you be a little flexible and give me, the future head of the family, some face?"
Gines calmly shook his head and said righteously, "Precisely because there are only three days left, we cannot relax our vigilance. Please, Young Master, respect our eleven years of hard work.
If something goes wrong in these last three days, it will be a stain on our lives."
Upon hearing this, Aaron Gaius's mouth couldn't help but twitch slightly.
Good heavens, really good heavens.
The way he said it, if he didn't agree to them following, it would be as if he had committed some crime.
"Fine, follow along then!
We're all neighbors, it's no big deal." Aaron Gaius opened a letter with a bitter smile and looked at the necessities he needed to buy: a uniform, textbooks, a wand, a cauldron, a set of glass vials, a telescope, and a brass scale.
There were many places to go: Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, Flourish and Blotts, Ollivander's Wand Shop, Potage's Cauldron Shop, Slug & Jiggers Apothecary...