[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-wizard-war-at-hogwarts":3,"chapter-wizard-war-at-hogwarts-wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-487":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},2358460,4612,"Chapter 487: Heaven's Mandate Hangs High","wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-487",487,"\u003Cp>With a faint sense of unease, Harry stepped out of the airport surrounded by the delegation. The journey from Chengdu to Shuntian was too far for him to avoid Muggle transportation—a novel yet slightly humiliating experience for a native of the old Union Jack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The convoy welcoming him began heading toward the city center. Harry was no stranger to cars, but he gazed out the window in confusion: the suburbs of Shuntian were dotted with countless factories, belching white smoke that lingered for hours. Between the factories, barren lands rose with towering, inexplicable scaffolds, interspersed with dilapidated shacks—no one knew if anyone lived there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gradually, they neared the urban area. Two- and three-story buildings appeared, then gave way to large structures eight or nine stories high; soon, skyscrapers began to emerge from the distance, drawing near and then slipping behind as the car moved forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are we in the city center yet?” Harry asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not yet—we haven’t entered the Fifth Ring,” Lin Shuanghe explained. “You’ll see it soon: Shuntian’s city walls aren’t tall, but the moat is extremely wide. It’ll take us at least ten minutes to cross the bridge.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That long?” Zhang Qiu questioned. “Why don’t we use the Floo Network?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Ancestor is in seclusion, and Bai Gong is under lockdown—the network between inner and outer cities has been severed,” the driver explained. “So we’re entering the city the mundane way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lockdown?” Zhang Qiu suddenly sat up. “Does that mean we can’t go up there either?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. Our entire itinerary in Shuntian will remain in the mundane world,” Lin Shuanghe said. “You can stay with Harry at the Guest Residence. The meeting with the Chancellor is tomorrow afternoon. Today, you can take him for a walk around the streets.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Qiu grimaced. “I don’t know this place at all!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So does the magical community of Shuntian have its own name?” Harry began to understand their conversation. “And we can’t enter it for now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s right,” Zhang Qiu sighed. “And it floats permanently in the sky, physically separating wizards from Muggles. As a result, imperial wizards look down on Muggles even more disdainfully.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I admit there’s some disdain, but not malicious—more like pity,” Lin Shuanghe tried to salvage their diplomatic image. “We’ve always taught those with power to aspire to saving the world. Most wizards believe it’s their duty to aid Muggles. Many call it condescending charity, but the truth is we do help them…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand,” Harry said, not overly concerned. “I’m just curious about the magical community floating in the sky.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The mundane world is about to change,” the driver suddenly said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?” This time, even Lin Shuanghe, who had been tirelessly explaining imperial culture, looked startled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The driver, a well-informed middle-aged man, spoke calmly: “The Indian army has entered Ustang. Their vanguard is less than forty kilometers from Shigatse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They really came?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It could happen any day now. When news of Shigatse’s fall reaches Shuntian, the Chancellor will surely decide to go to war,” the driver said with the tone of someone watching a spectacle. “You’ve arrived at the perfect time, foreign friend—you might witness a spectacle most people never see in their lives.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry’s attention wasn’t on spectacles—he was merely startled by the outbreak of war, for he’d heard nothing of it in the West.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean by ‘Shigatse’s fall’?” Harry asked, tense. “Has the empire been invaded?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After Yanayev declared the Iron Curtain, we conducted a massive troop redeployment, shifting our focus northward and frequently clashing with Soviet borders,” the driver explained. “Under the influence of certain agitators, Annam, Zhenla, and Malacca formed a coalition and invaded Guangxi, besieging Nanning Prefecture; Lancang and Dongyu attacked Yunnan from two directions and are now stalemated against Ming forces. The Indian army is the most aggressive: without Ming troops, they’ve repeatedly defeated the armies of the Three Dharma Kings. Shigatse likely won’t hold.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That sounds terrifying,” Harry swallowed hard. “You’re effectively fighting six countries at once.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eight,” Lin Shuanghe added. “Our main forces are simultaneously facing off against America and Russia.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry looked out the window. He knew they were nearing Shuntian’s gates—the towering drawbridge signaled they were about to reach the moat. He worried for the empire’s fate and asked: “This is terrifying—if they reach here, will the moat even help?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other three in the car burst into laughter. Lin Shuanghe recovered first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’ll never reach here. With their backward armies, they’ll never even see the walls of Shuntian Prefecture in their lifetimes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They will see them,” the driver said calmly. “Children, what do you think the moat is for? Have you noticed all sixteen bridges into Shuntian Prefecture can be raised?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, we often bring in large cargo ships,” Lin Shuanghe replied instinctively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Never mind. Seeing is believing,” the driver shook his head and fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry could only respect the empire’s policy more deeply. Though he questioned the morality of conventional war, the people here seemed universally enthusiastic about foreign conflict—a trait he’d already seen repeatedly in Zhang Qiu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That afternoon, as Harry and Zhang Qiu wandered the streets, he grasped more clearly the war’s impact: nearly every teahouse or tavern hosted passionate speeches; public enthusiasm for war ran high, and squads of soldiers in uniform frequently sprinted past on the streets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s all propaganda,” Zhang Qiu scoffed. “The Three Camps never enter residential zones.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I saw it once—the other Chancellor’s domain. That’s where all the troops are stationed, along with every kind of massive weapon,” she gestured. “You might not understand, but imagine the Room of Requirement—the room that changes and becomes temporarily inaccessible, yet nothing inside vanishes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean a massive spell surrounds Shuntian, hiding all the troops…” Harry struggled to picture it, “in another room within the city?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly. And that’s why they’re putting so much effort into propaganda…” She trailed off, silent. “Perhaps the Chancellor, like Hark, wants to use you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But what could I possibly be useful for?” Harry quickly caught on. “Perhaps his real target is you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Clearly, your Muggle regime is using every means to justify the war to everyone, and needs domestic factions to believe they have the Xuan Jun’s support,” Harry said clearly. “That’s why they’ve sealed off the magical quarter. Once the magical world is cut off, you’re the only one outside who can represent the Xuan Jun, aren’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s true. But I don’t think it’s entirely bad,” Zhang Qiu said after a brief pause, smoothing her hair with relief. “If Britain ever needs aid, I believe the Chancellor will be far more generous than my Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next afternoon, Harry met the empire’s Chancellor—and finally had the chance to ask his true intentions. More than that, he wanted to know: had the Chancellor plotted to uncover some small secret of the Xuan Jun? And why was he so eager to meet Harry?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Potter, I can say sincerely: our entire nation holds the Xuan Jun in deep respect, even if mixed with complex emotions—respect remains dominant,” the Chancellor answered the first question readily. “Everything we’re doing now is like a mischievous child playing in the courtyard or rummaging through his grandfather’s study while he naps. Please understand—we don’t truly oppose the Xuan Jun.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand, Prime Minister,” Harry said, using his own habit—he saw no essential difference between Chancellor and Prime Minister.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, that’s the first matter, and the less important one. We welcome your continued exploration of the Xuan Jun’s youthful works and their hidden meanings, and we promise to assist you as much as possible. But the second matter is what I truly wish to discuss—it’s far more important,” the Chancellor said. “We wish to use this opportunity to weaken Russia as much as possible—ideally force its dissolution—and this requires the power of the magical world.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry’s alarm bells rang. He had never imagined confronting Yanayev directly—not only because of the power imbalance, but because he believed Yanayev was striving toward some noble ideal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t rush to refuse, Mr. Potter. What I ask of you is surprisingly simple: use your own methods and technology to replicate our achievements—ideally with the Ministry of Magic, as this will be a massive undertaking,” the Chancellor proposed a seemingly risk-free suggestion. “This technology is revolutionary for conventional war—a spectacle of power no one can ignore. The magical knowledge required is extremely simple—according to me, even your first-year students can cast the incantation fluently.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Spectacle… weapon?” Harry pondered the two utterly unrelated words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It is, at its core, merely a spectacle—but one that exerts overwhelming deterrence, forcing anyone who sees it to submit to the might of wizardry. You’ll have the chance to witness it soon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what exactly is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Floating City.” The Chancellor grinned wildly. “After two hundred and twenty-four years since the Six Dynasties, we shall witness the Forbidden City rise once more. We shall proclaim to the world—through Lingxiao Heaven’s Gate—the return of the Great Ming.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1490,"2026-06-21T04:54:29.438Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","39d5e9b1396b8e56c27c84496b24d4c86d9d3c340784ac9044f6b57b9c53d91e","wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-488","wizard-war-at-hogwarts-chapter-486",528,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwizard-war-at-hogwarts-cover.jpg"]