[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-wizard-war-at-hogwarts":3,"chapter-wizard-war-at-hogwarts-wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-486":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Wizard War at Hogwarts",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2358459,4612,"Chapter 486: Eastern Journey","wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-486",486,"\u003Cp>Zhang Qiu seemed unaware of Harry’s small resistance toward Xuan Jun, or perhaps she was aware but chose to silently support Harry’s decision. After personally witnessing and participating in the machinations of sixth year, she too had begun to wonder how many things Xuan Jun still hid from her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As for this, you can only say old people love to hide their thoughts and play riddles,” Ron remarked casually. “Dumbledore was already a master at it at a hundred. Xuan Jun must be even worse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Zhang Qiu’s support, Harry found it easier to quietly investigate the novel. Conversely, even though he merely sought to understand the mystery behind the two books, the embassy reacted with considerable alarm at this sensitive time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On Sunday, Lin Shuanghe, the Celestial Dynasty diplomat Harry had met briefly, arrived at Tang Dun with a thick file folder. She first explained Xuan Jun’s current status in an awkward manner. Of course, Harry knew Xuan Jun was occupied with a complex magical ritual, but Lin Shuanghe was clearly using Tang Dun’s ears to subtly convey to Yanayev a layered false intelligence: that Xuan Jun was temporarily unable to protect the Celestial Dynasty, that the Celestial people were trying to conceal it, but that this might also be an excuse because Xuan Jun did not wish to see Harry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She then framed this visit as an official diplomatic mission, officially titled “Interdisciplinary Security Dialogue,” including agendas on emerging technology assessment, ethical boundary discussions, defense security memoranda, and more—aiming to make everyone believe the two nations were preparing to discuss countermeasures against the Iron Curtain technology.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry skipped over this veil of euphemisms and began flipping through the itinerary booklet—they would likely spend about fifteen days, meaning he needed to request two weeks’ leave from school. Given that, he suspected Ron might not want to come along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our first stop is still Ying Tian, because this matter concerns cultural research, and most experts in this field are concentrated in the Southern Hanlin,” Zhang Qiu kindly explained. “We estimate spending two or three days reviewing materials there, and if necessary, we’ll proceed to Chengdu, since preliminary investigations suggest the missionary later settled and wrote the book there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After your investigation reaches a conclusion, you’ll need to go to Shuntian,” Lin Shuanghe added. “Our Prime Minister wishes to speak with you. Of course, he’s also very interested in this novel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry asked curiously, “Will the Celestial Dynasty’s Prime Minister really be interested in a fantasy novel?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because various signs indicate the true author of this book might be...” Lin Shuanghe did not finish, instead pressing a finger to her lips, her upward-glancing eyes implying everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry and Zhang Qiu nodded silently. They began to anticipate the findings of this investigation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, not just they. On Wednesday, the Prime Minister himself came to Hogwarts to express support for the visit. The logic was clear: if the two nations established communication within the magical world, even if they were merely investigating a novel, other countries would assume they were preparing to discuss how to respond to the Iron Curtain system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What excited the Prime Minister most was that the Celestial Dynasty had chosen them as the negotiating partner—this meant that, in the eyes of this ancient power, Britain was the true leader of the English-speaking alliance. Even this recognition, detached from facts, was enough for him to trumpet it across the press. Especially since the Secrecy Act would conceal Harry’s existence; the Muggle public would surely believe it was the Prime Minister’s achievement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, the Celestial Dynasty’s high officials also strongly supported this, for it was another clever display of weakness. If the Celestial Dynasty, which had long considered itself the Middle Kingdom, began lowering itself before Western barbarians, Yanayev might interpret this as a sign of fear and helplessness before the Iron Curtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With both sides’ leadership so elated, Harry couldn’t help wondering if this was yet another scheme. But overall, he tended to believe it was merely a coincidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In late September, Harry and Zhang Qiu prepared to depart. Ron had little interest in international travel and felt no subtle apprehension toward Xuan Jun, so he chose to remain at school and enjoy his carefree seventh year. Naturally, Ivy stayed behind too, and she solemnly assured Harry she would design at least three decent team tactical systems as soon as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a peculiar unease, Harry stepped into the embassy’s magical array. He had never imagined visiting that mysterious Eastern nation, yet when he had time to think, he could not help but feel curious about Zhang Qiu’s homeland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flash of white light, and he found himself in a completely unfamiliar complex of architecture—everything struck him as novel. Towering domes were painted with revolving starry rivers; twelve pillars of white jade stood around them, carved with dragons that occasionally turned their heads to observe them. Unlike the Ministry of Magic, the entrance to the visitor hall did not face a reception desk, but a massive screen—or rather, a vast living map. Magical institutions from every province and prefecture glowed as interconnected points, while pale golden dragon veins flowed slowly across its surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of officials in indigo-cloud-patterned magical robes had been waiting. Lin Shuanghe introduced them one by one; their titles grew increasingly complex, and Harry understood none of them. Their names and appearances were nearly identical—each was called “Zhenren of Xuan,” each with long beards and holding a dusting wand-like artifact. The only one he remembered was the leader of the four Auror bodyguards: Lu Wenzhao. Harry remembered him because his name sounded like Ravenclaw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After leaving the Xuanshu Jian, the group boarded a slender, flying vehicle that resembled an Eastern-style boat, though it bore an Undetectable Extension Charm, granting ample space and luxurious, comfortable interiors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t this a bit too showy?” Harry asked uneasily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It doesn’t matter,” Lin Shuanghe said. “The matter we’re investigating has no stake with domestic factions, so no one will obstruct us. Besides, various forces within the country are actually quite curious about the outcome.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry spent some time exchanging pleasantries with the officials and attending banquets, after which they headed straight to the College of Literature and held two academic meetings with several professors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, before Harry’s arrival, they had already held multiple internal discussions. In the end, a young man explained their conclusion to Harry: the true author of the Celestial Dynasty’s version of “Dragon’s Legacy: The Seven Kingdoms” was none other than Ge Xuan himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Based on lexical preferences, syntactic features, habitual rhetorical devices, and the work’s publication timeline, they deduced the full story: In his youth, Xuan Jun had been deeply passionate about writing popular fiction and had used several pen names to tell different stories. Early in his career, his writings focused on cultivation and martial arts, and due to their popularity, they quickly inspired many imitators. When similar genres saturated the market, Xuan Jun attempted to pioneer a new path with this Western fantasy-themed novel. The effect was excellent—so much so that many readers still believe it to be authentic European history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, the “A Song of Ice and Fire” Zhang Qiu had seen in Xuan Jun’s study was likely closer to the original manuscript. Through adaptations by storytellers and local residents, the book’s names and places had been thoroughly localized—such as the Northern Qi historian, the Southern Liang Lan family, and others—leading Zhang Qiu to mistakenly believe the novel was unread in the Celestial Dynasty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This raised another question: For ordinary Celestial citizens unaware of the truth, they were happy to believe Ge Xuan had translated and adapted European history into this novel. But for cultured individuals familiar with European history, such a clearly fantastical account must be a human fabrication.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The experts of the Southern Hanlin split into two factions. One side argued the novel was originally written in English by the missionary, then localized and published by Xuan Jun—thus, though it contained many of Xuan Jun’s favored vocabulary, its plot structure differed significantly from his other works. The other side argued it was entirely written by Xuan Jun himself, merely attributed to the missionary for easier promotion, because its narrative rhythm still bore his unmistakable personal style; analysis of its pacing and detail handling revealed it to be nearly identical to his other works from the same period.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Based on this, Harry realized the trip to Chengdu was indeed necessary, because the core of the two factions’ disagreement lay in whether the missionary had truly participated in the novel’s creation. If it could be proven the missionary had contributed, then Xuan Jun could be seen as a localizing translator, and the missionary’s existence would largely explain the divergence between Zhang Qiu’s and Ron’s plot interpretations: perhaps two different authors had continued the same incomplete manuscript.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this reasonable explanation was not what Harry and Zhang Qiu wanted—nor was it what the Celestial factions desired. They hoped to confirm the missionary was merely a pretext. If so, and if Xuan Jun had published the novel himself, then investigating the contemporary English writer could reveal one of Xuan Jun’s secrets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this quiet anticipation, Harry and Zhang Qiu arrived in Chengdu. After experiencing a radically different culture and cuisine—even steak drenched in chili sauce—they reached the conclusion they sought: the novel was written solely by Xuan Jun, falsely attributed to the missionary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But... Harry couldn’t help doubting again: Was this truly the case? Or had certain Celestial factions deliberately fabricated it? He felt compelled to speak with the Celestial Prime Minister—if confirming some anomaly in Xuan Jun was what they all desired, then if this anomaly was merely invented, it would be meaningless.\u003C\u002Fp>",1620,"2026-06-21T04:54:29.438Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","988383000bf260798bcc809d9dbef4368473bcde6e95eaf9e663f329b7bb76bc","wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-487","wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-485",528,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwizard-war-at-hogwarts-cover.jpg"]