Chapter 377: Knight System

Harry Potter snored loudly. He had sat in the study for less than half an hour, trying to fill in a few lines of his homework, before falling asleep. One cheek pressed against the parchment soaked in ink, his eyes skewed sideways, mouth wide open, a strand of glistening saliva dampening several lines of writing.

"I thought you were actually doing your homework." When the minute hand reached the bottom of the clock, Ivy pushed open the door and stepped in. "Why not go back to your bedroom to sleep?"

"Huh?" Harry stirred awake, instinctively reaching for his glasses. "Oh right, Zhang Qiu said she'd be here at two."

"Yes, and Ron is already downstairs." Ivy tapped the desk. "Want to wash your face?"

"Yes, yes." Harry pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his damp cheek, then opened the desk drawer and pulled out a slightly curled parchment. It bore neat, rounded script—words he had read only once or twice before. The letter had arrived long ago.

Dear Harry,

If all goes well, my uncle and I will visit Tang Dun around two p. m. on August 26th. We will take you to witness a transformation unseen in the wizarding world for millennia—we warmly invite you to join us.

Additionally, my uncle has also invited your best friend, Luo Tang Nade Wei Wei Silai. Please extend the invitation for him to meet us at Tang Dun in advance.

Should anything change, reply promptly. Until then.

Your most sincere,

Qiu Zhang

After reconfirming the date and time, Harry slipped the letter into his pocket and headed outside. He had wondered before what this "transformation" might mean: the last time anyone used that term was when Flitwick described Elizabeth Smarling's duel—the invention of the Disarming Charm had nearly erased ancient magic from history. Today, these powerful but painfully lengthy incantations were used only by a handful who preserved ancient lineages.

"Could it be," Harry mused as he descended the stairs, "that the people of Tianchao have invented something capable of utterly surpassing modern spells?"

"Hey, mate." Ron waved from the sofa. Harry noticed his friend had lost a bit of weight after two months apart.

"Long time no see, Ron," Harry clapped him on the arm. "Finished your homework?"

"Sort of." Ron clearly didn't want to talk about it. "Is Zhang Qiu here soon? Oh, and her uncle—you know this guy?"

"I think we might've met." Harry recalled the young man at Sirius's funeral. "But I never spoke more than a few words to him."

"Really?" Ron stood up, and both of them stared toward the hallway.

"Zhang Qiu mentioned something," Harry groped for words. "I think she said her uncle is an alchemy expert. Yeah, apparently he was once a stranger with amnesia, and only became her uncle after Ge Ge Xuan happened upon him. So maybe he's also surnamed Ge…"

A sharp crack interrupted him. Zhang Qiu appeared alone at the doorway, her face tinged with annoyance.

"Oh, Harry." She spoke with a complaining tone. "I don't know what happened, but last night my uncle and my master had a huge fight. This morning, he said he's been confined to quarters."

"Confined?"

"You could call it house arrest. Either way, my uncle won't be leaving for a long time." Zhang Qiu scratched her head in frustration.

"Then what about that thing you mentioned," Harry ventured, "that transformation—do we still go see it?"

"Well, he was supposed to introduce it to you himself," Zhang Qiu rummaged inside her sleeve, "but now I'll have to bring it to you."

She pulled out a belt buckle with slots and two small white vials.

"Here, Ron." She handed it over. "This is armor developed through alchemy. Its greatest feature: you're immune to spells while wearing it."

"What?" Ron took the buckle, dazed. He still didn't quite understand.

"Really? That's incredible." Harry instantly grasped the invention's significance. "Sit down. Let's talk slowly."

"I don't know much," Zhang Qiu said hesitantly after sitting. "My master seemed very upset, so my uncle and I didn't speak much. But luckily, he dumped all his memories into me—we should find all the usage details inside."

"As for this belt, its principle uses the magical stone's ability to shape magic—drawing your entire magical energy to form armor outside your body." She gestured. "Once formed, any spell cast at you simply bounces off. That's because of the nature of magic… anyway, you've all seen professors deflect spells with their wands, right?"

"So you've replicated that wand-deflection effect onto full-body armor using certain properties of the magical stone?"

"Strictly speaking, it's a matter of magical concentration—but yes, that's a fair way to understand it. And that's just one advantage. Another brilliance is that since the armor is formed entirely from your own magic, it doesn't hinder movement—it actually enhances your strength, agility, defense, and more."

"Yes, you have this technology." Harry naturally recalled the armor Ron had retrieved from Avalon. If so, that might have been a prototype. Even deeper: Tianchao hadn't developed this technology in a year. They must have had the idea long ago—only restrained by the Death Eaters' watchful gaze.

"But there's a flaw," Zhang Qiu scratched her head. "The transformation drains all your magic—so once transformed, you can't cast any spells."

"Huh? Oh, right, that makes sense logically." Harry felt his mind lag. "But if the armor boosts physical ability, doesn't that still let you easily defeat ordinary wizards?"

"Exactly. No matter what spell he's casting, just charge in and punch him twice." Ron swung his fists.

"Currently, ordinary wizards facing a knight either Apparate away immediately, or use Transfiguration to conjure obstacles." Zhang Qiu added with quiet pride. "But according to field reports, a knight's punch can easily shatter concrete—meaning our usual Transfiguration spells barely work against them."

"You call this armor 'rider'?" Ron looked uneasy. "I'd think it should be 'knight.'"

"It's Tianchao's linguistic custom—it's their invention, after all." Harry didn't mind. "But I can feel this is a groundbreaking invention that will reshape the wizarding world."

"Yes," Zhang Qiu commented. "With the Knight System's arrival, we predict future magical combat will resemble medieval warfare: armored knights duel face-to-face, while wizards serve as support."

"It's just a different fighting style. Why is that groundbreaking?" Ron frowned. "We've used fists and swords before—it's just that now it's mandatory instead of optional."

"Because this Knight System seems to be Tianchao's exclusive invention." Harry studied the buckle they called the Driver. "If it can't be easily replicated…"

Had Ge Xuan Jun finally decided to make his move in the wizarding world? Harry wondered. Zhang Qiu's uncle might not have truly quarreled with her master—this whole scene might have been staged for her. Yes—if there was something they didn't want Harry to know, first they'd make sure Zhang Qiu didn't know either…

"I still don't get it. Can I try?" Ron's question broke Harry's thoughts. "How does this thing work again?"

"I don't have instructions." Zhang Qiu sighed. "But when I was in second year, I entered my uncle's memories—I saw how he used it: fasten the Driver to your waist, insert two energy vials, then crank the handle. That's how you transform."

Ron stood, uncertain, and strapped the buckle to his waist. Instantly, a yellow leather belt materialized, securing the device firmly in place.

Harry watched curiously. Then Ron inserted the vials into the belt—but nothing happened. The crank wouldn't turn.

"What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?" Ron looked baffled.

"Hmm, I remember these vials need to contain a certain element." Zhang Qiu awkwardly patted her inner pocket. "You probably need to extract some substance, maybe purify it too… Forget it. First, check your uncle's memories to understand the correct method—then try again."

"Then we'll have to return to school and use the Headmaster's Pensieve," Harry said. "The Pensieve is said to be an ancient magical artifact—I've never seen one anywhere else."

"No need." Zhang Qiu subtly pointed upward. "He gave it to me on a video tape. Let's skip the old bat—after we get back, we'll watch it in the Chamber of Secrets."

"Oh, so what now?" Ron, disappointed, tugged the belt off easily. "It's still a week till term starts. Are we just going to wait?"

"Let's return to the original topic," Harry quickly regained his composure. "Did you finish your homework?"