Shen returned the next day without a response.
I shrugged.
I expected her to at least respond, but apparently her current situation didn't allow it or she had gotten over her crush on me.
Without having much to do I decided to finish Jonathan's last order of potions and go out to find something to do.
Magic may be a muscle that needs to be exercised, but right now I needed to exercise my body so I could get used to the changes that had occurred.
At the end of the afternoon I finished the potions and went to deliver them to my 'partner'.
When I got there he gave me a curious look.
"What happened to you young man? You've changed so much in such a short time." – he said analyzing me.
I laughed at his statement.
As we were alone in the apothecary, I took off my shirt and flexed my muscles for him to see.
"By Merlin, what did you do?" – he asked worriedly.
Still laughing I put my shirt back on and took the Body Refining Dan from my bag.
"Effect of this beautiful little thing." – I said, placing her on the counter.
He picked up Dan and examined it.
"A Dan? Where did you get it?" – he asked, becoming even more worried.
"Own research." - I spoke.
"You know how dangerous this is, you shouldn't ingest things like this and since when do you know how to do Dans?" – he said dissatisfied.
"I did the calculations, there are no side effects, let me show you." – I said confidently.
Then I took my study notebook out of my bag.
I spent the better part of an hour explaining to him each of the ingredients and their role in the formula.
Jonathan was a Potion Master, but he would rather run the family shop than stand in front of the cauldron all day.
"So, interested in losing a few pounds?" – I asked him when he finally accepted the effectiveness of my work.
"Claire always says I've relaxed a little over the last few years." – he murmured thoughtfully.
"I was thinking, maybe we could sell it to Quidditch athletes or to explorers, caretakers of magical creatures and other people who need to be at their physical peak to do their jobs." – I said, catching his attention.
He just shook his head.
"The Ministry would probably consider doping for Quidditch. And I imagine it's not very cheap to make." – he said opining.
"About six hundred galleons each." – I said.
He had seen my list of ingredients and as the owner of an apothecary he knew how much the materials were worth.
When I said six hundred he was expecting to hear twelve hundred.
"How?" – he asked confused.
Realizing that I had spoken without thinking, I decided to tell him.
"I can make two Dans from each portion of ingredients with the same effect as a potion." – I explained.
Jonathan's jaw dropped.
"Why didn't you say that before?" – he asked confused.
"I thought it would be difficult to convince people here to buy Dans." – I confessed.
He began to think seriously.
"You're right, before we try to sell them I'm going to put up a sign about the possibility of ordering them. If everything goes well, we can start stocking up." – he said, making the decision.
I nodded.
"Then I'm going, it's time for you to close the store. Oh, don't forget to only ingest Dan after being in a bathtub full of water and be prepared to take about three baths." – I said saying goodbye.
Leaving there, I went to dinner at my favorite restaurant. A Chinese place a few blocks from my house.
After getting to know the place I noticed that this world must have received cultivators in the past, Chinese culture was very derived from what I know of cultivators worlds. And that's why I love their food, it reminds me of home.
While waiting for my food I decided to chat a little with Mei Ling, one of the waitresses, in Mandarin.
"Do you know where there is a place where I can learn to fight?" – I asked her.
Mei Ling thought for some time,
"Oh, there's a boxing gym a few blocks over." – she said pointing to the east.
"How far?" – I asked.
"About 10 blocks, maybe a little more." – she replied.
I nodded.
I didn't know what boxing was, firstly because I'm not from this world and secondly because I spent my first 18 years basically locked in the Nott mansion.
When I started coming here, the employees thought it was weird that I spoke their language, but everything was explained when I said my last name.
I admit that I was actually thinking about having something more with Mei Ling, but after some research I discovered that I shouldn't have a relationship with any non-magical girl.
If everything went well I would have to teach her how to live in a new world, something I don't have time for being at Hogwarts most of the year and the formation of the magical core can go very wrong in an adult.
In one of the ritual books in my father's library I found a project worthy of a crazy cultist where a guy in the 16th century tried to induce muggles to become magicians and in 50% of cases it resulted in physical and mental mutilation and in another 45% in death. 5% success rate is simply absurd.
After I was fed I decided to look for the Boxing Academy.
I walked calmly through the streets of London until I reached my destination.
The space wasn't very big, some men were training with equipment or punching bags. In the center of the place there was a ring where two were clearly facing each other without giving their best.
I watched for a while until I got a good idea of the techniques and movements.
There are no superior fighting styles, there are superior fighters and I could see a master of that style causing big problems for anyone who underestimated him.
I prefer to fight with weapons, but in unarmed combat fighting with my hands is my preference. I generally incapacitate my opponents with as few moves as possible, make them faint or break something important in their body.
But even I have to admit, a good kick has its value. But boxing is all about hand-to-hand combat.
"Can I help you with something, young man?" – asked a middle-aged man.
I had been watching for a long time.
"I'm staying here until the end of the month and I was looking for somewhere to train." – I said.
It wasn't a lie, I needed to get used to the changes and moving my body was the best solution.
"Oh, you do box?" – he asked.
I shook my head.
"I fight some other things." – I replied.
The man nodded in understanding.
"As it's already the end of the month, if you want to practice for the last 10 days here, just pay that guy at the counter 30 pounds." – he said pointing.
I nodded and went to the counter.
Wilhem, the middle-aged man, was the owner of the gym.
I settled payment at the counter and he began showing me the training regimen.
I started to sweat, because he was working me hard compared to what I saw others in the gym doing, and then I took off my shirt.
The moment I did it, I regretted it.
I may be almost a million years old, but the eyes of a dozen men analyzing my body is still uncomfortable.
After training I felt lighter and returned home.
When I arrived I saw a figure sitting at my door apparently waiting for me.
"Bridget, what are you doing here?" – I asked worried.
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