Chapter 598: Agreement
Chapter 598: Agreement
"Thank you for sharing this information with us", Liam said, addressing the officials of the Chinafangshu Federation. "I believe we should inform Professor Dumbledore about this as quickly as possible."
"Please wait a moment", the elderly Wizard who had been sitting in the main seat spoke up as Liam and the others prepared to leave. "Please convey to Mr. Dumbledore that we share his stance against evil. We are willing to cooperate with him in multiple areas. We hope he will come and talk to us in person; perhaps we can reach some form of cooperation."
"Thank you, we will inform him immediately upon our return", Liam thanked the officials of the Chinafangshu Federation once again before leaving with Hermione.
"I'm curious, why were the Chinese Wizards hinting that they could offer us assistance?" Hermione asked Liam as they walked out of the headquarters of the Chinafangshu Federation.
"This is quite normal", Liam explained. "For the Chinese Wizards, maintaining a balance of power between Europe and America is the best scenario. If the entire Western Wizarding World were to unify under the American Congress of Magic, the Chinese Wizards would be the next to worry."
"So they want us to defeat the Dark Lord as quickly as possible to ensure the strength of the British Wizarding World, thereby maintaining a balance among the three powers", Hermione immediately understood why the Chinese Wizarding World was offering to help them. "Regardless, this is a good thing for us. We should inform Professor Dumbledore as soon as possible."
"Yes, because only Headmaster Dumbledore has the authority to make the final decision", Liam agreed. He could also guess why these events were not mentioned in the original story. At that time, Professor Dumbledore had already died, and it was clear to everyone that Voldemort would soon rule Britain.
For the Americans, this meant the British Wizarding World had declined, making it unnecessary to provide additional funding to Voldemort. Additionally, Voldemort’s ranks were already filled with many Dark Wizards and Death Eaters, along with Giants, Giant Octo-Eyed Spiders, and Dementors as allies. They were not as short-handed as they were now, needing to recruit foreign Dark Wizards as enforcers, nor did they require as much cash.
Therefore, in the original story, the Americans were likely focusing on recruiting Wizards who had fled Europe to escape Voldemort, while the Chinese Wizards, due to Dumbledore’s death, found the British resistance disorganized and lacked a clear point of contact for aid. So, they had to mimic the American Wizarding World by recruiting Wizards who had fled Europe to maintain a balance with the Americans.
However, everything had changed now. Liam only wanted to get to the Post Office quickly and inform Dumbledore of this news. He hoped Dumbledore would come soon to resolve the issue and secure more assistance through negotiations.
Although Chinese Wizards did not use Owls as messengers, Liam had been somewhat concerned about how to contact Britain, especially since this trip to China was just a routine assignment, and Headmaster Dumbledore had not provided him with any means of immediate communication.
However, the long-distance communication methods used by Chinese Wizards far exceeded Liam's expectations. Upon arriving at the Inner Chang'an Post and Telegraph Office according to the street signs, he found that the place looked more modern than the Owl Post Office in Diagon Alley. In addition to some pigeon-sized green birds in one corner, there were small booths with telephones, and the front was divided into several service windows by glass partitions.
Liam approached the window marked "International Communication" and asked, "I would like to send a long-distance message to Britain as quickly as possible. How long will it take to arrive?"
"Your message will be transmitted via Fangshu Telegraph to our station in Antwerp within five minutes, and from there, it will be delivered by Owl to your destination", the staff member, dressed in a uniform suit vest and white shirt, explained. "Each three Chinese characters cost one Copper Plate, and for English, each six letters cost one Copper Plate, with punctuation at half price. There are pens and ink on that table; you can write your message there."
“Thanks!” Liam said, then he and Hermione drafted a letter to Dumbledore. The letter vaguely mentioned that the planned arrangements had been completed, but that the China side had further matters to discuss and hoped Professor Dumbledore could visit. They then handed the letter and three gold coins, two silver coins, and seven bronze coins to the counter.
Five minutes later, after confirming that the owl carrying the letter had departed from Antwerp, Liam and Hermione left the Inner Chang'an Post and Telegraph Office.
Professor Dumbledore arrived much faster than they had expected. Around five o'clock in the afternoon, while Liam and Hermione were strolling down a commercial street in Inner Chang'an, a bluebird flew towards them and dropped a letter. The letter was from Dumbledore, informing them that he had received their message at noon, made some quick arrangements, and used a Muggle airplane to arrive. He hoped they could inform the Chinafangshu Federation to prepare for his reception.
“Headmaster Dumbledore, taking a plane?” Hermione looked at the flight number attached to the letter, her face full of shock. “I thought he would choose to travel by his Phoenix or Apparition.”
“Maybe it’s a matter of respecting local customs,” Liam said. “You see, Chinese Wizards have always been very opposed to people using Magic to teleport into the country without permission. So Dumbledore probably wants to show respect by following local customs, which will facilitate further discussions and help us reach beneficial agreements.”
After informing the Chinafangshu Federation of Professor Dumbledore’s flight arrival time, Liam and Hermione’s task was complete. They then continued to spend their time at Chang'an’s Chinasorcerer Academy, as planned, reading and studying. After creating the Rose Madonna, Liam felt confident enough to offer more advanced knowledge in exchange.
Three days later, while Liam and Hermione were reading the notes left by a sorcerer named Zhong Kui on battling various evil creatures at the Chinasorcerer Academy, Professor Dumbledore appeared before them.
“Professor, what brings you here?” Liam looked up and quickly greeted Dumbledore, who was standing at the table.
“Ah, I’m here to say goodbye,” Professor Dumbledore smiled and stroked his white beard. “The negotiations went very well, and I think Mad-Eye Moody can only mimic me for three days. If I stay any longer, I’m afraid Voldemort will notice I’m not in Britain. So I should head back.”
“What kind of agreement did you reach with the China Wizarding Community?” Hermione asked, curious. “Of course, you don’t have to tell us if you think it’s not appropriate.”
“There’s nothing inappropriate about it,” Dumbledore smiled and waved his hand. “Through the negotiations, the Chinese Wizards secretly passed the Chinasorcerer Defense Promotion Act. This law allows them to sell, exchange, transfer, or lease magical artifacts, raw materials, and any other essential items needed in war to forces deemed significant to China’s security.”
“That doesn’t sound very useful,” Hermione seemed puzzled.
“No, it is useful,” Liam saw the hidden meaning in the law. “I think the forces deemed significant to China’s security are us. This means we can obtain the resources we need through leasing, which will offset the wealth advantage of the Purebloods allied with the Dark Lord.”
“Yes, exactly,” Professor Dumbledore nodded. “Well, enjoy the rest of your stay here, and remember to attend the Weasley Family’s wedding!”
(End of Chapter)
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