area51novel Chapter 1, Section 1: The Diviner, Ian Prince
Chapter 1, Section 1: The Diviner, Ian Prince
London is foggy, thick fog.
In the smog-filled weather, where visibility was almost zero, a little boy was packing up his stall on a somewhat desolate side of a London street, preparing to go home early.
He wore a black hat and a black trench coat, drawing attention to his face, revealing his high nose, perfect lip curve, and captivating smile. It's undeniable that he was a boy who easily won over women.
Especially older women.
Just as the boy was about to leave.
"Little fortune teller, is there still time?"
Someone spoke softly from behind.
Ian Prince turned his head.
A gentle and refined lady was reflected in the green eyes. She was wearing a blue plaid turtleneck dress and had a cute brown-haired girl by her side.
The girl's hair was as fluffy as a bird's nest.
"Of course, fate gave me a little more time to linger, obviously to wait for this moment." Ian Prince immediately got into character and started his presentation.
His practiced manner of speaking was far beyond what one would expect from a child. "Every divination is a revelation of the future. If you don't mind, madam, may I ask for your name?"
"You can call me Mrs. Granger." Looking at Ian Prince's exquisitely sculpted face, Mrs. Granger found the little boy extremely adorable.
have to say.
People with good looks always find it easier to win people's favor. Ian can capture the hearts of many young girls just with his appearance, let alone this middle-aged woman in front of him.
"Yes, Mrs. Granger, what would you like to have divined?"
Ian smiled and rearranged his business tools.
"It's about..." Mrs. Granger was about to speak when the little girl beside her looked resistant. She shook off her mother's hand and rushed to Ian's small table.
"Don't try to fool us with these tricks! This is nothing more than a psychological scam! There's no such thing as divination or magic in this world!"
"Behind any mysterious method lies magic, illusion, and deception. Science has long since made its judgment on this. You should probably take a look at the book 'Medieval Lies'."
The little girl, who was clearly beautiful, insisted on making a fierce gesture, which made her look both cute and adorably intimidating. Her mother's expression changed, and she wanted to come over and scold her.
Ian raised his hand to stop Mrs. Granger from doing so.
"That's a great suggestion. I'll give you the same advice: 'The New Principles of Numerology' is a good book that you might want to take a look at."
Ian wasn't annoyed by the little girl's question; instead, he chuckled and agreed. His reaction left the little girl feeling frustrated, as if she'd punched a pillow.
Her doll-like face immediately turned bright red with anger.
"There is no magic in this world!"
The little girl emphasized it again.
"What if there is?"
Ian tilted his head to look at the little girl who was a little shorter than him.
"Then I'll eat your table."
The little girl spoke with great conviction.
"Oh, okay, Miss Hermione Granger, I'll remember what you said. People who don't keep their promises will go bald when they grow up." Ian smiled as if he were very happy.
How do you know my name?!
little girl.
Hermione Granger was startled. She quickly turned to look at her mother in a panic, while Mrs. Granger looked at Ian with equal astonishment.
"May we begin, Mrs. Granger?"
Ian maintained his mysterious demeanor, cutting the tarot cards in his hand into four pieces and placing them on the table. He had never been so straightforward when he used to show off his knowledge at his fortune-telling stalls.
Look at the little girl.
They were all so frightened that they hid in their mother's arms.
"You must have played some trick on him. Don't believe him, Mother." Hermione Granger seemed to still firmly believe in materialism, but she no longer dared to approach Ian, the fortune teller who called her by her name.
"We need a divination, sir."
Mrs. Granger's eyes lit up, and she didn't care what Hermione Granger was saying. Her tone was much more serious and attentive than before.
Ian ignored Hermione Granger's angry glare.
Instruct Mrs. Granger to choose a tarot card.
Mrs. Granger made her choice immediately—Ian raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly at Mrs. Granger as he looked at the tarot cards that had been flipped over on the table.
"You are a fool, madam."
Upon hearing this...
Hermione still looked indignant, but her ears perked up.
Mrs. Granger clasped her hands together, full of anticipation.
"Fortune teller, what does this foretell?"
Ian cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, "That's a question for you, Madam. What were you thinking when you revealed this card?"
Mrs. Granger nodded, with an expression that said, "I knew it."
"I just want to ask if my Hermione will be able to get into her ideal high school a year from now?" Most parents in the world are most concerned about their own children.
Ian often encounters this kind of situation.
but.
He still put on an expression of sudden realization.
"So you wanted to have your daughter's fortune told."
Ian's tone of amazement was perfectly captured.
"Yes, young fortune teller, may I know the result?" Mrs. Granger said, taking five pounds out of her bag and handing it to Ian.
Ian smiled slightly, his eyes fixed on Hermione.
At this moment, the little girl also seemed to look at Ian with some curiosity, but when she saw Ian's gaze, she immediately turned her head away and refused to look at him.
It's as if they're trying to show that they don't care at all.
however.
From the small gestures she would occasionally glance over, it was easy to see that she was quite curious about the divination results.
Saying one thing and meaning another.
But it is also reasonable.
After all, she is a future witch, one of the three giants in the original work. Born into a Muggle family, she possesses wizarding talent and naturally retains the wizard's nature of loving to explore the unknown.
"Of course, no problem." Ian Prince said slowly to Mrs. Granger with a gentle smile as he picked up the "Fool" tarot card from the table.
"This represents a new beginning and an adventure."
"After next year, your daughter will enter the school that is most suitable for her, and she will have extraordinary achievements in the future, becoming a high-ranking official surrounded by admirers."
Ian had been running his stall for a while, but he had never sounded so confident.
Mrs. Granger immediately beamed with joy, clearly extremely happy.
Hermione pursed her lips and remained silent.
But judging from the slight upturn of her lips, it was clear that she was in a good mood.
"Thank you, young fortune teller. Well then, I'll take my leave." Mrs. Granger, satisfied with the answer, waved goodbye to Ian with a smile on her face.
Hermione, who was standing nearby, couldn't wait to pull her mother away.
I had only taken a few steps.
She couldn't help but turn around and give Ian a cute but fierce look. Ian looked at the Fool tarot cards in his hand and, unable to resist a mischievous urge, raised his voice a few notches.
"Oh, by the way, she will have two more sons in the future."
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Granger turned her head in surprise, raised an eyebrow, and replied with a smile, "Wow, actually I think two children are still a bit too few."
"I'm not going to have children!"
Hermione blushed deeply.
Mrs. Granger patted her head.
Ian remained silent and bowed slightly.
"Welcome back next time, Mrs. Granger."
His voice was gentle.
"Thank you, little fortune teller."
Mrs. Granger left with Hermione. Ian also began packing up his stall to go home, just then he vaguely heard Hermione's annoyed voice.
"Mom, fortune-telling is so unscientific! He must have overheard our conversation to know my name. These people are just full of sweet talk!"
at this time.
Mrs. Granger simply patted Hermione's head: "Oh, Hermione, why are you so bothered? It's only five pounds, nothing to us, but for that child, it means a good meal. If circumstances allowed, which child your age would be out on the streets begging for a living?"
"His clothes were covered in patches; he was a poor child..."
The sound faded into the distance.
Ian then looked down at his clothes.
It is indeed somewhat dilapidated.
This is actually a piece of clothing that was donated by a kind person last year. Ian receives clothing donations from kind people every year, but after being caught by Gilly a few times at the orphanage, the clothing ended up looking like this.
Gilly was a cat, the only pet and playmate of the orphans in that square, gloomy, and old orphanage. In reality, she was just a stray cat who wandered there and then never left.
"Another fruitful day."
Ian Prince packed up his stall. He had already earned about £50 that day, which was a pretty good income for a child.
of course.
That's the kind of income they're capable of.
Ian must have something extraordinary about him.
Name: Ian Prince
Class: Bloodline Warlock
Magic: Level 4
Skill: Language Proficiency (Level 3): 23/400
Biological Anatomy (Level 4): 796/800
Free Fighting (Level 3): 85/400
Psychology (Level 6): 42/3200
[A remarkable characteristic of psychology: cognitive perception.]
……
Yes.
Ian has an attribute panel, but there are no system tasks or cute female system spirits. This is just a panel that gives him the trait of "getting stronger with effort".
It's very rudimentary.
But it is also very practical.
For most people, hard work is a positive incentive as long as they see a reward, not to mention that skill upgrades bring Ian additional benefits—extraordinary traits.
Extraordinary Trait is a skill that grants Ian a certain bonus once it reaches level five, allowing him to acquire some powerful traits derived from that skill.
If a skill can be leveled up to level ten, it can unlock even more powerful legendary traits. However, Ian has yet to successfully level up a single skill to level ten.
Gaining proficiency is not easy. For example, today he only gained five points of proficiency in [Psychology]. To level up, he would have to fool more than three thousand people.
Ok.
It can't really be called deception.
How can providing emotional value not be considered a form of giving?
Ian's fortune-telling business flourished because he could read the minds of many of his customers through his mental perception, and he became quite famous in the neighborhood.
"A small business doesn't count as a business."
Ian assessed his cheat ability, then returned to the orphanage with his gear—after all, for a transmigrator, a classic start is always the norm.
"Hey, Ian, wait a minute, don't go back yet."
"A Santa Claus has arrived!"
Ian pushed the cart back to the dilapidated orphanage.
A group of children surrounded him.
Ian also spotted a fleeting figure ahead.
"Nonsense, it's clearly Gandalf."
Ian corrected the child.
This moment.
His feelings were very complicated.
He had been waiting for this day.
only.
But I never expected it.
This day came so quickly, and the person who came was—Albus Dumbledore.
I watched as the elderly man with a white beard walked into the dean's office.
Ian Prince had some doubts.
strangeness.
Didn't Hogwarts first mail an owl and then send a professor to explain it to them?