No matter what, the wand had to be bought. Kael carefully pushed the door open and went inside.
Diana and Chris didn't follow him in, probably thinking that buying a wand would take a long time. So after knowing that Kael wanted to go to Olivander's first, they went to Gringotts instead.
...
The inside of the store was much better than the outside. Although it still looked very old and the items were arranged in a cluttered way, it was at least much cleaner.
With a crisp wind chime sound, a head with gray-white hair appeared behind the counter at some unknown time.
"Good afternoon, child."
Olivander looked at Kael and asked inexplicably, "Did you come alone?"
"Yes," Kael replied confusedly, "is there a problem?"
Olivander shook his head and said, "No, of course not."
As he spoke, Kael vaguely saw a hint of disappointment in his eyes.
Strange, why be disappointed when a customer comes in?
"Must have seen it wrong," Kael shook his head and didn't think much of it.
"Alright, young wizard."
Olivander came out from behind the counter and asked, "So, child, can you tell me your name?"
"Kael Chopper," Kael quickly replied.
"Chopper..." Olivander was slightly taken aback and said, "Then Mr. Chris is..."
"My father," Kael said.
"Oh, of course..." Olivander instinctively glanced out the shop door but quickly withdrew his gaze and explained, "I mean, after all, the surname Chopper is quite uncommon in the British Magical Realm."
It was confirmed that the old man was indeed disappointed!
Kael saw it clearly. Just as he mentioned that Chris was his father, Olivander's eyes were about to overflow with disappointment.
Not only that, but he also started muttering under his breath, repeating things like willow wood or oak wood. The voice was too low for Kael to hear clearly, but he didn't care either.
At this moment, Kael's head was filled with thoughts of his own wand, leaving no room to care about anything else.
After reporting his name, Kael proactively said, "Mr. Olivander, I'm used to using my right hand."
After saying this, he straightened his arms to make it easier for Olivander to measure his height and arms.
He was all too familiar with the process here.
After taking measurements, it should be time to choose a wand, which is the most time-consuming part.
The number of wands here is close to ten thousand, if not eight thousand. In Kael's view, even Olivander should find it hard to immediately find a wand that matches a young wizard. They can only select a rough range and then try one by one.
He was already prepared for this.
Moreover, trying wands and moving trash cans was also one of the things Kael wanted to do.
However, Olivander's next words left Kael a bit baffled.
"Oh, child, in your case, there's no need."
What followed was no height measurement, no inquiries about specific details; Kael just watched as Olivander quickly entered the counter, drew out a box from the most prominent spot, opened it, and pushed it in front of him.
The movement was executed in one go, without the slightest hesitation.
"What are you waiting for? Try it out!"
Seeing Kael not moving, Olivander couldn't help but urge.
"Huh? Oh, okay." Kael then regained his senses and subconsciously picked up the wand from the box.
Grayish-black, with a very smooth exterior, it had no unnecessary patterns or embellishments except for the necessary handle.
It looked quite ordinary.
As Kael held the wand, before he did anything, a beam of white light burst from its tip, instantly filling the entire room. The originally dark and stuffy little shop suddenly brightened a lot, as if a skylight had been opened in the ceiling.
"Good, excellent."
Olivander looked very excited and, without waiting for Kael to ask, he said to himself, "Thirteen and a half inches, cedar wood, phoenix feather. I have to say, this is a very magical combination."
"A magical combination?" Kael was a bit puzzled.
"Yes, magical."
Olivander looked at Kael, patiently explaining, "Cedar wood wands usually choose wizards who are wise and have keen insight. These wizards are naturally calm, and every choice they make is after careful consideration. As my father once said, you can never deceive a person holding a cedar wood wand, and I wholeheartedly agree."
"Therefore, those who own cedar wood wands often prefer the stable and loyal unicorn tail hair, while phoenix tail feathers are somewhat too proactive.
In fact, I have made and sold thirty-six cedar wood wands, thirty of which have unicorn tail hair as the core, five with dragon heartstring, and the last one..."
Olivander didn't speak, just smiled and pointed at Kael.
Kael asked puzzledly, "But sir, didn't you say these two materials aren't suitable to be combined? Then why did you make it?"
"Materials are not suitable, so you don't make it? No, no, no, that's incorrect. The wand chooses the wizard, child. Every wand chooses its destined owner after it is born. Just like them..."
Olivander pointed at the wand boxes piled like a mountain behind him and said with a smile, "They are still here not because they aren't good, but because their fated encounters haven't arrived yet. Their owners are simply waiting for Hogwarts' owl."
Olivander paused and continued, "Moreover, completely opposite wand body and core can perfectly play their roles in the hands of one wizard, which is what makes wand lore so fascinating.
Just like the wand in your hand, your father Chris tried it, and your mother Diana tried it, but they were both just a little bit off, just a little bit.
So after I learned of your birth, I've been waiting for this day. It's perfect, isn't it?"
Uh... well.
Kael instinctively nodded.
The feeling from the palm, as if the wand was an extension of his arm, indeed made him somewhat fascinated, naturally making him unable to put down the wand in his hand.
Though the process was slightly different from what he envisioned, the result was good. Kael was very satisfied with his wand.
"Then, child, seven Galleons."
Olivander clearly smiled even more happily.
"Okay." Kael took out the seven Galleons he had prepared and placed them on the counter.
The first wand for a freshman usually costs seven Galleons, which is a very favorable price in the magic world. However, this discount only applies to young wizards who have just entered school.
After paying, Olivander slightly bowed and, after seeing Kael off, turned to look at another young wizard who had just entered the store, along with the adult following behind him.
"Oh, nice to see you again, Mr. Thomas, eleven inches, hawthorn wood..."