Chapter 462: Inner Chang'an
Chapter 462: Inner Chang'an
Inner Chang'an, the heart of the Chinese Wizarding World. Liam's great-uncle brought Liam and Hermione here via the Cloud Path. Before they left, Liam had released the Rose Crystal. How could a trip be complete without the little guy? However, unexpectedly, Teacher Luo Zhen and Alice were invited to the Palace of Versailles for a visit. So, when Teacher Luo Zhen's Miniature Dolls heard that Liam was taking the Rose Crystal to see the most bustling part of the Chinese Magic World, they also decided to tag along.
Now, besides the three of them, there were eight more puppets standing outside the fountain in Inner Chang'an, looking excited.
"I see your skill in making Automata is quite advanced", his great-uncle said, stroking his beard with a smile as he watched the puppets, who were curiously exploring the area around the well in the courtyard. "I think I can introduce you to Professor Yan Yun later. She is a descendant of the Automaton Master and would be delighted to exchange some valuable items with you after seeing these puppets."
After gathering the lively and playful puppets, they left the courtyard and followed a brick-paved avenue. Each courtyard had a well, and as they walked, they occasionally saw wizards transform into white mist and merge with the water or emerge from the water as wizards. It was as busy as the Ministry of Magic's Floo Network during office hours, never idle.
Exiting the courtyard, which served as the transportation hub of Inner Chang'an, they were greeted by an ancient city. This city, nestled in a vast valley and surrounded by mountains, was encircled by high walls. The view was filled with ancient and quaint houses, densely packed together.
"This is the heart of the Eastern Alchemists", his great-uncle said proudly. "The permanent population is around 15,000, making it one of the few cities in the world exclusively for magical folk. The city is divided into 18 districts. If you're well-versed in history, you can think of this as a miniature version of the Chang'an city from the Tang Dynasty. Since its expansion over 1,000 years ago, the overall layout of the city has remained largely unchanged."
"Miracle", Liam said, amazed, after a long moment of silence. Under his great-uncle's lead, they continued down Zhuque Avenue. On both sides of the road were various shops, workshops, inns, and residences. Liam also noticed the city's modern touches, such as the street lamps and the electric speakers powered by magic in some shops.
There were many people on the streets, many of whom seemed to be visitors from other places, shopping or sightseeing. After carefully observing the Chinese Wizards, Liam combined his impressions from the past few days and asked, "Why do I see most Wizards in Britain wearing Wizard robes, while the Sorcerers here dress almost the same as ordinary people outside?"
"This is due to a reform that took place over a hundred years ago", his great-uncle explained. "At that time, the Chinese Sorcerer community, after a long war with the undead that lasted for centuries, decided to focus on their development. However, apart from three modern Sorcererhouses, everything else was still ancient. The Sorcerer leaders, after carefully observing the ordinary world, decided to learn from them. So, we secretly sent a delegation to the most advanced place in the world at that time—Europe."
Looking at the two attentive young people, his great-uncle continued, "Upon arriving in Britain, the delegation was captivated by a completely different world. The roaring machines gave them a sense of power that rivaled magic. Not to mention the trains, newspapers, electric lights, and flush toilets they saw in the British wizarding world, which made us seem like barbarians in comparison. When the delegation returned, the Chinese Sorcerers believed that Britain's wizarding world was the best in Europe because of their willingness to learn from ordinary people. Thus, we began a reform called the Enlightenment, drawing knowledge from the ordinary world while keeping magic at the core."
Hermione, hearing this, leaned over to Liam and whispered, "The Chinese Wizards' view of the British wizarding world is completely different from the real one. They clearly have some misunderstandings."
"I think these deviations are quite good, actually", Liam said as he watched a tricycle modified with magic carry a towering load of goods down the middle of the road. "It would be foolish for the ordinary world to simply pretend they don't see the progress. Of course, Grindelwald's method of inciting war among ordinary people to prevent their development now seems even more foolish, as war is often the catalyst for technological advancement."
"Alright, we're here", Uncle said, interrupting their whispers. Before them stood an ancient, ornate gate. A blue plaque with a golden border read "Chinese Alchemist Academy" in golden letters.
"Our educational system might differ from Britain's. In China, students study for seven years at Jiuli, Penglai, or Kunlun. Those who wish to delve deeper into magical research can take an exam and come here to complete their advanced studies over three years. Unlike the traditional family-based knowledge transmission of a century ago, if you can pass the exam and make significant contributions to the Sorcerer House and the magical community, you can gain access to the most advanced magical knowledge in the Far East. Over 60% of our great sorcerers born in the past century to ordinary families are a result of this knowledge liberation, which has greatly accelerated our magical research."
Uncle, who was leading them, continued, "I work here as a professor of Transcendent Botany. See, that's my laboratory and teaching greenhouse up ahead."
"That's massive", Liam exclaimed, seeing the greenhouse, which was several times larger than those at Hogwarts. "The greenhouses at my school combined aren't as big as this one."
"Uh—" Uncle stood there, a bit awkward. "What I meant is, I work here. The greenhouse belongs to the school, but the small one beside it is for my personal use."
"That's a pretty good perk. I remember Professor Sprout having to work hard just to get the resources she needed", Hermione said, eyeing the 100-square-meter greenhouse with some envy.
"I'm going to start my research now. You two can explore the campus. To study here, you need to pass an exam, but much of the knowledge is open to the public. If you want to learn, you can exchange your knowledge, resources, or labor for credits. With these credits, you can access the library and even request a professor to explain things to you if they have time."
Uncle led them to the Visiting Scholar Reception and gave them a lengthy briefing before leaving. The Miniature Dolls accompanied him around the campus. Each Auditing Card required one gold coin, but the credits inside had to be earned through knowledge or valuable magical items. Even with many credits, outsiders still needed approval to access certain knowledge, and all books could only be read in the library, not taken out.
Despite these strict rules, Hermione was deeply envious of the academic atmosphere, especially after seeing the list of available resources. "Think about Hogwarts. The ordinary section of the library has few books of real value, and the Restricted Section is heavily guarded. Each pureblood family tightly holds onto their secrets, with no spirit of sharing."
"Other aspects aside, China's approach to knowledge can prevent a lot of unnecessary repetition in research and greatly benefit magical research."
"That's why I say everything starts with education", Liam smiled. "Alright, let's go exchange some credits now."
Liam exchanged a large collection of seeds from the Plants vs. Zombies world and some forging techniques from the elves of The Lord of the Rings world, which earned him over 1,000 credits. This was more than enough to acquire all the knowledge they needed.
Fundamentals of Runes, 174th Edition of the Classic of Mountains and Seas, 96th Edition of the Baize Diagram, Fundamentals of Spellcraft... With a stack of books, Liam and Hermione settled into the large reading room of the library to begin their studies.
(End of Chapter)
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