Chapter 597: Bad News
Chapter 597: Bad News
The next morning, around seven o'clock, Liam and Hermione finally dragged themselves out of bed, yawning. After sleeping for over ten hours, they had finally adjusted to the time difference. They tidied up briefly and then headed to the hotel's Great Hall for a buffet breakfast. Afterward, the two of them returned to Songjiang Market and used the Cloud Path station to travel to Inner Chang'an.
Unlike the Chinese Alchemist Academy, which is located in the city center of Inner Chang'an, the headquarters of the Chinese Magic Association is situated on a small hill in the northeast corner of the city. After leaving the Cloud Path station, they walked north along Phoenix Avenue for about seven or eight minutes and arrived at Phoenix Square, the largest plaza in Inner Chang'an.
The most eye-catching feature on the plaza were the six massive bronze statues on each side, each about ten meters tall. As an Alchemy master, Liam could sense that these bronze statues were not just decorative; they were also powerful Magic Puppets with formidable magical and physical combat capabilities.
These bronze statues have been standing guard for over two thousand years and still look impressive. They stand silently on either side of the plaza, maintaining their posture and silently protecting the area, regardless of the changes in the outside world.
"First Emperor's Twelve Bronze Statues? This must represent the depth of a Wizarding World that has endured for thousands of years without interruption." Liam stopped to carefully examine these national treasures for several minutes, even though he had heard about them in his previous life. He only continued on when Hermione began to urge him.
After passing through the Danfeng Gate, guarded by fully armed Chinese Wizards, Liam finally entered the headquarters of the Fangshu Federation, surrounded by red walls. Without the walls obstructing his view, Liam realized that, unlike the underground structure of the British Ministry of Magic, the Fangshu Federation headquarters was built in a miniature traditional Oriental palace complex. He could see buildings clustered around a small hill, with the largest nine-room palace at the highest point, which was likely used as the meeting hall of the Fangshu Federation, the Han Yuan Hall.
Of course, Liam and Hermione didn't need to go there today. The grand hall is only opened for major events or meetings. Following the signs, they bypassed the grand halls along the central axis and arrived at a small courtyard to the east of the Han Yuan Hall. Liam noticed the sign above the door read "Ministry of Foreign Affairs."
"Ministry of Foreign Affairs? Why are we coming to a religious place?" Hermione asked curiously, looking at the sign.
"Religious place? What religion?" Liam was initially puzzled but quickly understood and laughed. "In China, not all places with the character 'temple' are religious sites. Especially for Chinese Wizards, they have inherited many ancient terms. For example, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is equivalent to our International Magic Cooperation Department."
"Oh, I see—" Hermione gave a slightly embarrassed smile. She had learned Mandarin using the memory infusion device in Liam's hand, so her grasp of the language was still a bit imperfect in some areas.
After entering the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Liam explained their purpose to the old sorcerer in the guardhouse next to the gate. The old man, with a white beard that rivaled Dumbledore's, checked a hardcover black notebook in front of him and said, "Mr. Liang and Miss Granger from Britain? Yes, we have your appointment. After you enter, turn left and go to the second room. Mr. Li is already waiting for you there."
"Thank you." Liam thanked the gatekeeper of the Chinese Magic Association and went to the place he had indicated. Upon entering, he found that Mr. Li was not the only one in the room; there were also a few other sorcerers who seemed to hold significant positions. After Liam handed over the personal letter from Dumbledore, a middle-aged man in a navy blue Zhongshan suit took the letter and read it carefully from beginning to end. He then asked Liam a question.
"Mr. Liang, according to the information we have, the current situation in the British wizarding world is dire. Could you share your thoughts on the current state of the British wizarding world?"
"Of course, but I must admit that my qualifications and experience may not allow me to provide a thorough analysis. I can only offer some simple judgments based on my personal experiences", Liam replied to the middle-aged man in the navy blue Zhongshan suit. The name tag on his chest read "Wang."
"That’s enough. In fact, we need this kind of firsthand information from the British Wizarding World right now. Due to racial and other factors, we have very few people in Europe, and most of the information we receive is secondhand, often distorted or altered. This leaves us without an accurate and complete understanding of the current state of the British Wizarding World." A young man in a black Zhongshan suit spoke up. His name badge told Liam that this was Mr. Li.
"Since that’s the case, I’ll just give you a general overview." Liam glanced at the officials from the Chinese Magic Association. "In my personal opinion, the situation in the British Wizarding World is very dire. One might say it’s on the brink of war—a long, comprehensive war that could engulf all of Britain and even the entire European continent."
Liam didn’t think China would fail to see such an obvious trend, so he straightforwardly laid out the situation. He also didn’t forget to advocate for himself and Dumbledore. "Of course, I believe that although Voldemort’s side currently has the advantage, their goals and war potential do not match those of our Headmaster, Dumbledore. I am confident that we will ultimately emerge victorious."
"Speaking of war goals, we find the racial discrimination in Voldemort’s slogans deeply offensive. If he wins, things will become very dire indeed." The middle-aged sorcerer surnamed Wang said, and the other sorcerers nodded in agreement. "However, the issue is that Voldemort’s war potential is not as limited as you think."
"Most of Voldemort’s supporters are Pureblood Wizards, and their numbers are not large. While there are some foreign Death Eaters, I don’t believe many will join Voldemort’s ranks." Liam furrowed his brow, sensing an omen of misfortune.
"Unfortunately, that’s not the case." Mr. Li shook his head. "Have you considered that Voldemort’s side might have enough money to hire people? Due to the problems in Eastern and Southern Europe in recent years, there are countless wizards living in poverty. I believe that with enough money, Voldemort can hire a significant number of desperate individuals."
"But they shouldn’t have that much money!" Hermione, standing behind Liam, said in confusion. "I’ve investigated the Pureblood Families. They do have a lot of wealth, but most of it is in the form of real estate, magical artifacts, or knowledge—things that can’t be easily transferred. The actual gold they can use to hire people is limited."
"Theoretically, that’s true, Miss Granger. It was even true until 24 hours ago." Mr. Li explained. "However, according to intelligence we’ve intercepted, American Gringotts passed a secret decree last night. They now allow British wizards to borrow unlimited amounts of gold in the United States, and the wealth used as collateral remains the property of the borrower until the repayment date."
"What are the American wizards up to?" Liam furrowed his brow. He knew that due to Rappaport’s Law, many American wizards favored Pureblood Wizards and opposed contact with non-magical people. So, their inclination toward Voldemort’s side wasn’t surprising.
However, the passage of this clearly biased law still caught Liam off guard. Making such a bet before the war even began was unusual, especially for a powerful entity like the American Congress of Magic.
"I think the Americans may want to make this war more brutal." Mr. Li said. "For a long time, Britain has been the core of the European and Western Wizarding World. Even the American wizarding world was modeled after Britain’s. However, after a long period of development, the American wizarding world has become a powerful force on par with Britain’s. We believe the Americans want this war to destroy the British wizarding world completely, so they can take its place as the leading power."
"For those American wizards, success would make them the true leaders of the Western wizarding world, allowing them to inherit the best of the British wizarding world. Even if they fail, they can still slow down the development of the British wizarding world and gain substantial wealth. Therefore, it was inevitable that American Gringotts would pass this decree yesterday." The sorcerer surnamed Wang added.
"This is terrible." Liam and Hermione exchanged a glance, both seeing the urgency in each other’s eyes. They had to inform Headmaster Dumbledore of these developments and urge him to prepare in advance.
(End of Chapter)
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