Chapter 45: The Forty-Fifth Looking Glass

The next morning, Ian woke up early before the dawn light shone through the window.

After washing and dressing, he went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the day.

In fact, Ian didn't have to do these things himself, especially now that they lived together. He could easily leave the task of cooking to Irene every day.

But Ian didn't do so, because he enjoyed the process of cooking with magic. It was like being the conductor of a symphony orchestra. With a slight wave of his wand, all the ingredients were arranged neatly. Then, they were placed there step by step, waiting to be cooked—frying, stir-frying, steaming, braising, boiling—whatever he desired.

This was undeniably a very enjoyable experience. In his previous life, only top chefs could perform such feats. Various knife skills, such as carving, shredding, slicing, etc., could be easily accomplished with the help of magic.

Cooking breakfast was relatively simple for Ian. First, he let the wheat flour float into a basin and ferment. Then, he placed the flour into the bread machine piece by piece and baked a few fresh breakfast rolls.

Next came the daily essential fried eggs, plus a plate of vinegar-fried shredded potatoes and two cups of mixed grain soy milk. This breakfast, which combined both Chinese and Western cuisines, was now ready.

The finished breakfast floated to the dining table by itself, neatly arranged.

Then, Ian walked to the dining room leisurely, took out the tea leaves he had prepared earlier, and brewed himself a cup of warm black tea. While drinking tea and flipping through Rosen's Fantastic Journey, which he hadn't finished reading the previous day, he quietly waited for Irene to come down.

Less than 10 minutes later, Ian heard the sound of a door opening upstairs. He knew that Irene must have woken up. Sure enough, not long after, Irene appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Good morning, Irene. Come over quickly; breakfast is ready. I might be very busy today because I have a lot to do, so I probably won't be back by noon. You don't have to wait for me for lunch—just eat by yourself."

Ian looked at her and said softly.

"Good morning, Ian. Thank you for breakfast."

Irene thanked him politely at first, then said with a somewhat disappointed tone:

"Although I know I'm useless, I still want to say that if there's something dangerous, I can help, even if it's just to help you distract them. So, promise me that you'll be careful, okay?"

She had truly adapted to life during this period and sincerely liked the quiet and ordinary moments they shared. Therefore, she didn't dare to imagine what would happen to her if Ian met with any accident.

After hearing this, Ian responded casually, "Don't worry, I just want to go to the library to sort out and bring back some books. On the one hand, I can read them to kill time. I really can't stand letting those books sit there idle. Otherwise, I'm afraid our brains will degenerate over time."

After a short pause, he continued jokingly:

"And I can also bring you some useful books. You're so hopeless at growing vegetables. I plan to bring back some gardening books so you can learn how to be a qualified gardener. That's why I said you don't need to wait for me for lunch; this matter might take a while."

This somewhat relaxed explanation successfully dispelled Irene's worries. However, the subsequent teasing clearly made Irene a little unconvinced.

She pursed her lips and gave Ian a coquettish look. Even Ian couldn't help but be a little bewitched by the charm Irene inadvertently revealed.

Irene looked at Ian, who seemed momentarily dazed, and couldn't help but chuckle. She was too familiar with this expression. In the past, the men around her would often unconsciously show such an expression, which was undoubtedly the best affirmation of her charm.

But what she said made sense. After all, she had been planting in the vegetable garden for some time and was aware of her shortcomings. The most obvious problem was that the potato seedlings, which had originally been quite vigorous, were now clearly crooked and malnourished.

Her unyielding character made her quietly retort: "At least I managed to grow them all…"

Ian pretended not to hear her words, taking her feelings into consideration. He changed the subject and said, "Let's eat now. The food's cold. Let's try it and see how it tastes."

…

The brief exchange was quite enjoyable for both of them. Their past experiences of survival had made them realize how important it was to have a trustworthy companion to accompany, communicate with, and live together in this desolate world.

Otherwise, despair and loneliness could truly drive people mad.

After finishing breakfast, Ian used magic to clean the dishes and then turned to his room. Although he planned to visit the library today, he still remembered what he thought of yesterday—installing a Looking Glass in their living base.

After all, safety-related items could be set up one day earlier, giving them peace of mind one day sooner.

He had already planned this. He had purchased three Looking Glasses in Hogsmeade. He placed one in his room, while the other two were hung on the gate and placed on the wall behind the villa. One in front and one behind—just enough to ensure the safety of the entire stronghold.

In the future, when he was out, even if a parasite managed to escape and approach the wall, the alarm from the Looking Glass would give Irene some time to prepare.

Installing the Looking Glass was not a particularly complicated task. You just needed to find a spot to fix it, use the Cutting Charm on the back of the wooden wall and the gate to carve out a space of about 10 centimeters, and then place the Looking Glass inside.

To prevent it from falling, Ian installed a 5-centimeter-high wooden bar on the outside. This would not interfere with the flashing light curtain when the Looking Glass alarmed, nor would it obstruct the propagation of sound. It would also protect the Looking Glass from falling due to wind and rain.

After finishing this, Ian found Irene, who was busy in the vegetable garden, and explained the location and function of the Looking Glass. He only mentioned that the Looking Glass would alarm when a parasite approached but didn't tell her that it would also alarm when untrustworthy individuals appeared nearby.

After all, Ian felt there was no need to mention this, as doing so might create a gap between them. Moreover, this could be considered as Ian's final test for Irene. His past life had made him a little cautious when it came to trusting human nature.

After briefly explaining to her, he grabbed the city map, turned it over, mounted his broom, and headed straight for the library.

According to the map, there were at least five libraries in the city. However, Ian didn't plan to explore them all. Instead, he chose to visit the largest library in the city center.

After all, anyone with a little common sense knew that a library representing the city would be authoritative. This meant its collection of books was likely the richest and largest. Compared to the other four libraries, it would undoubtedly be the best, as only this way could it maintain its authority.

...

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