However, this did not bring any joy to Ian; the expectant expression on his face froze almost instantly. What use did he have for a slaughterhouse where there wasn't even a single mosquito?
"Can't conjure living creatures! What about dead pigs? Dead cows? If not, a dead sheep would do! Without anything suitable for slaughter, this isn't even a complete slaughterhouse!"
"Don't try to fool me. This won't do; we'll try again." Ian lectured the Room of Requirement while stepping out through the door, making another wish as he turned the door handle.
Everything remained the same.
Nothing had changed.
Let alone the live pigs Ian hoped for, there wasn't even a dead mouse. The slaughterhouse was immaculate, devoid of any authentic atmosphere, only exuding a scent of what seemed like disinfectant used for unknown purposes.
"This joke isn't funny at all; start over, start over." Ian closed the door again, adjusted his wish content once more, yet the miracle he longed for did not happen.
The scene changed, though.
But it was just the placement of various tools and the specifications for wall tiles and floor drains that had changed. The Room of Requirement seemed to be doing its utmost to satisfy Ian.
"Liar! Where's the promised 'requirement'!" Ian's voice fell, and the Room of Requirement trembled slightly, as if refuting, indicating that its name wasn't Room of Requirement.
"..."
Ian sighed, unwilling to give up, and decided to try again, "Then give me some food, meat, meat, alright? I want to go to a place with a lot of meat."
At least this was a reasonable wish.
When Ian opened the door again, it was finally not an empty slaughterhouse.
The air was filled with a rich aroma of meat, and there was even a cacophony like the clamor of gongs and drums. Over a dozen alien-like heads in the room turned simultaneously to look at him.
"!!!"
Ian's eyes widened.
It seemed he had discovered another use for the Room of Requirement?
"It's Mr. Prince! The learned and kind Mr. Prince! He must be starving!"
"He only had a little for his supper tonight! Rabi actually guessed he'd be hungry; Mr. Prince is still growing, the age when human wizards eat the most!"
"So, will Mr. Prince have some hotpot tonight? Habi went out of his way to find a lot of peppers for Mr. Prince!"
...
The House-Elves chimed in eagerly, and Ian, hardly able to believe it, stepped in, stomping hard on the floor to confirm that it was indeed Hogwarts' kitchen.
"A portal?"
Ian turned to look, and the door had closed automatically; even if he went to open the kitchen door, outside was not the eighth floor of the Room of Requirement but the corridor outside Hogwarts' kitchen.
"I need a sheep weighing over a hundred pounds."
Ian pondered how the Room of Requirement was created while heading back to the kitchen hall where the Little Elves gathered, as if welcoming some distinguished guest.
"Mr. Prince won't eat beef tonight?" The House-Elves' eyes widened, looking extremely surprised, and among them, a Little Elf showed a panicked, guilty expression.
"It must be because last night's beef cooked by Xibi was no good, so Mr. Prince doesn't want to eat beef anymore!!" It raised its tiny hand and began furiously slapping its own ears.
Slap, slap sounded.
Not able to bear watching, Ian quickly went over to stop this self-harming Little Elf, "I'm not hungry; I just want to find a whole goat for an experiment."
"Alive or dead, it doesn't matter." Ian saw the House-Elf's face swelling on both sides, this group of Little Elves would actually slap themselves for poor service!
"Mr. Prince wants to use the goat for an experiment?" The House-Elf Rabi looked at Ian thoughtfully, and after seeing Ian nod, immediately had an epiphany.
"Rabi can take Mr. Prince to find live animals!" It might have misunderstood Ian's intentions, but before Ian had time to explain, it reached out its small hand and grabbed Ian.
The world spun.
The surrounding world began to twist and transform in an indescribable way.
This wasn't a simple visual illusion but as if space itself folded and stretched under your will, until it completely lost its original form.
The experience was similar to Apparition but more primal and direct. Ian felt a strong tugging sensation as if an invisible force was pulling him across the boundaries of time and space.
A very distinct experience.
"Ugh~"
As Ian couldn't help wanting to vomit, he realized what the House-Elf Rabi had done.
Sure enough, when everything suddenly returned to normal, Ian, covering his retching mouth, saw clearly that he was standing in the middle of a forest.
The trees were dense, with interlocking branches and abundant wet soil covered in weeds. The moonlight was obscured by the lush trees, making the entire forest appear dark and foreboding. Countless ancient trees' leaves gently swayed in the breeze, rustling as if whispering from the depths of the forest.
"Mr. Prince, are you okay? Did something go wrong with Rabi's magic?" Rabi looked at Ian a little bewildered.
As a House-Elf accustomed to endless space-hopping, serving the Little Wizards all over the castle, perhaps it didn't realize such a mode of movement wasn't exactly a delightful experience for a Little Wizard.