Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 294 Vaughn: You're wrong, Albus!

What Vaughn found wonderful were the infinitely subdivided "monkeys" of thought, who didn't care about the main body's ideas. Each of them wanted to seize power and become the dominant mental entity of "Vaughn Weasley," and each of them also wanted to separate.

However, deep in one's heart, an "anchor" is firmly anchored there.

That was also a "Vaughn Weasley," with white mist drifting from his eyes, the continuous mist spreading out to entangle, capture, infect, and control the noisy "monkeys"!

"My anchor—"

Vaughn, who was falling into the boundless darkness, saw "him" and came into contact with "him". Anchored in the ether, he was also free from the limitations of time and space.

When the owner of the mental entity sees "him", he can contact "him" and escape from the ether through him.

Remember our website domain, Bannixian, waiting for you to find it.

This is also an opportunity that the Consciousness Protection Spell has earned.

The instant he touched the "anchor," in Vaughn's perception, the world around him abruptly inverted and then spun back up, and the next second—

"Thump!"

With a heavy thud, Vaughn crashed to the ground, his knees and elbows slamming against the hard wooden floor, sending piercing pain through him.

But this pain brought Vaughn joy.

He left the ether, left that dream, and left that terrifying giant in the dream!

Only now did a wave of lingering fear wash over Vaughn.

"Vaughn!"

Before he could calm his racing heart from the relief of surviving the ordeal, the classroom door was flung open. Vaughn looked up and saw Fred, George, and Professor McGonagall burst in.

Professor McGonagall, who was usually stern and unsmiling, rushed over to help him up, her face full of concern: "Darling, how are you feeling? Are you alright?"

The twins, however, didn't seem too worried, laughing and sidling up to him: "Professor, look, Inviting the Aether isn't in any danger, his arms and legs are still intact—hey Vaughn, did you get the symbol? Show it to us."

"Fred! George!" Professor McGonagall roared. "Look at your brothers! Can't you hear their hearts pounding like drums? Can't you see how pale they are? What are you all standing there for? Go and fetch Mrs. Pomfrey!"

"Hey, don't pinch my ear, Professor! We're coming right now!"

The twins ran away in a panic.

"His mind suffered some kind of shock, Minerva, a rather strange kind of shock, like—like those ghosts, deprived of the protection of their bodies—oh, Fred, George, I didn't say he died, it was a metaphor, understand?"

"You two, come outside with me!"

Professor McGonagall's angry voice could be heard from afar, then her voice softened: "Bobby, you come too, I have some questions to ask."

"Okay, but can I ask Weasley what happened? It looks dangerous—"

The sound faded into the distance, the door to the school clinic creaked once, and then the entire infirmary finally fell silent.

Lying in the hospital bed, Vaughn felt a little better about his heavy head, which was still throbbing slightly, but much better than when he first came back from the Ether, when his head felt like it had split in two.

"It's probably because the mental body is damaged."

he thinks.

The specific cause of the damage is still unclear. If we were to generalize, the mental body could be considered as a combination of conscious, subconscious, and collective unconscious.

Of the three components, only the conscious mind exists in the real world, while the subconscious mind is generally located in the "gap" between reality and the ether, also known as the edge of the dream world.

Of course, spacetime and dimensions do not actually exist in such a gap. Whether space is bounded and infinite or finite and unbounded, it cannot be a measurable sphere or a cube, with its length, width, and height predetermined, and you and I being entities that keep to ourselves.

The so-called "gap" is more of a conceptual level, a transition from the real to the virtual, or from the virtual to the real, like two different colored solutions coming into contact with each other and merging to form a gradient layer.

Even according to the "Golden Soul" theory, conscious awareness is merely a subjective impression and interpretation of "truth" projected onto reality and presented according to the rules of reality; strictly speaking, it is an illusion.

The subconscious is the shadow cast by the collective unconscious itself.

If the subconscious can be briefly manifested in reality through magical means, then the collective unconscious absolutely cannot do so.

It represents a person's instincts, primal self, archetype, and alien.

Each element is not merely a noun, but possesses unique magical power.

For example, the aliens among them.

The Anima, also known as the Anima, is the "original opposite" to the original self. In the theory of the Golden Soul, it governs the desires of the human heart.

Therefore, when the theory of the Golden Soul was first introduced and was in the midst of a frenzied research phase in the magical world, many legendary wizards conducted magical developments targeting the collective unconscious. As a result, a powerful transformation magic based on the alien elements of the collective unconscious was born.

Animagus!

This powerful transformation magic can transform a person into an animal from the inside out, completely breaking through the principle summarized by Gamp's Transformation Law that transformation magic cannot change the essence.

The mere existence of "alien" can cause such a lawless distortion of reality.

So, what would happen if the collective unconscious entered reality?

Nobody knows, or rather, someone might have tried it, but since it didn't spread, the outcome probably wasn't too good—Vaughn certainly wasn't that crazy.

Without the collective unconscious, this "original self, archetype," the conscious and unconscious cannot be integrated into the mental body.

Naturally, they also couldn't see what injuries they had sustained.

Unless we risk going back to the Ether again.

"I'd have to be crazy to go back—" Rubbing his throbbing head, Vaughn muttered to himself, "I don't even know what hurt me. Was it the giant and the dream, or the darkness that swallowed me when I used the Mind Protection Charm for the last time?"

Thinking about the two things I encountered during my journey through the ether...?

Let's just say that for now!

Vaughn felt his head throbbing more and more.

What is that giant?

What is that darkness?

Why would such a thing exist in the ether?

Furthermore, those pale blue, transparent figures that appeared in the giant's dream disintegrated and melted in the twilight light emitted from the giant's eyes.

And the immense, almost instinctive grief he felt when he saw them melt.

"dusk----"

Vaughn turned his head and stared out the window, lost in thought.

The sky over Scotland remained overcast, but the leaden clouds were not as thick. The full moon occasionally peeked out from behind the hazy clouds, and the pale moonlight fell through the windowpanes and curtains, casting a few dim rays of light.

Light and shadow subtly shifted.

As the moonlight once again streamed across the window, and the leaden clouds returned to cover the room, the warm flames of the fireplace on the other side of the ward suddenly intensified.

Dumbledore's towering figure, surrounded by blazing sparks, emerged from the fire.

"Ha, darling, long time no see!"

The old man, all smiles, brushed away the embers stuck to his robe sleeves as he walked over, looking Vaughn up and down on the sickbed. He joked, "The Vaughn Weasley I remember has never been this weak. How are you feeling?"

"Not so great, but I still have the energy to insult you," Vaughn retorted sharply.

"It's really heartbreaking. I immediately dropped the negotiations and rushed back from the Far East after receiving the message from Minerva. Look, Fox is exhausted."

By the fireplace, Fox, exhausted to the point of losing almost all his fur, rolled his eyes, whether to express speechlessness or to truly be on the verge of death, was unclear.

The two were arguing when, perhaps hearing the noise, the door to the ward opened, and Professor McGonagall peeked out.

Upon seeing Dumbledore standing beside Vaughn's bedside, the Vice-Headmistress visibly breathed a sigh of relief: "Albus, you're back."

"Good morning—oh no, good evening, Minerva." Dumbledore greeted Professor McGonagall cheerfully. "I was in China an hour ago, it was morning there, and I haven't quite adjusted to the time yet. By the way, could you please go to the kitchen and get me something to eat? I've traveled nearly five thousand miles, and I'm starving."

As he spoke, his azure eyes lit up. He glanced at Vaughn a few times and added, "Prepare one for our dear Vaughn as well, with a cup of hot cocoa. His mind and body have suffered some injuries, and he needs to replenish a lot of energy."

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips, forcibly suppressing any complaints about Dumbledore's insistence on eating him upon meeting him, and asked with concern, "Is your mental body injured? Is the impact serious? Should I contact St. Mungo's?"

"It's not too serious, Minerva. Just replenish your energy. The body is the best refuge for the spirit. I assure you, Vaughn will be lively and energetic again after a period of rest."

"I don't trust your assurances. The Weasley twins already told me that Vaughn's invitation to the Aether tour was with your permission!"

Professor McGonagall retorted.

Old Deng grinned shamelessly, not ashamed at all.

Professor McGonagall didn't care whether Old Deng would starve to death, but after all, there was still Vaughn, the patient, in the ward.

Therefore, despite her complaints, she hurriedly left the school hospital to go to the kitchen to wake up the house-elves and prepare a sumptuous meal.

As Professor McGonagall's footsteps faded into the distance, Dumbledore winked at Vaughn and whispered, "I bet she'll have the house-elves make a whole bunch of sweets, and I'll have some later."

To be honest, Vaughn was a little shocked by Deng's shamelessness at that moment, so much so that he forgot to confront him.

Dumbledore was not ashamed: "The food of the Chinese is really not to my English palate, especially their desserts..."

I can't taste any sweetness at all; I've been craving it for the past two weeks.

"—Hehe, you'll get diabetes sooner or later."

Vaughn sends his heartfelt blessings.

Old Deng readily accepted: "Thank you, dying sweetly has always been my ideal."

As he spoke, he sat down on the edge of the bed, pulled a wand from his wide sleeve, and behind his crescent-shaped glasses, a dim light, like the moon outside the window, seemed to be gathering: "Release Occlumency, let me examine you?"

"No," Vaughn said decisively.

Dumbledore didn't insist, and shrugged regretfully: "I have a lot of experience in traversing the ether and have encountered many cases of mental and physical damage. Let me examine you, and I may be able to heal you soon."

"Thank you, but I'm afraid you might have planted something else in my mind."

"—Darling, what you're saying really hurts me."

"Stop pretending. I'm only mentally injured, not that I've lost my magical abilities. I can see that you're protecting your head like a rock."

There was an undercurrent of tension in their conversation, but this was their usual way of interacting. If one day Vaughn and Dumbledore were to become affectionate, then—

In any case, it's probably not a good omen.

In fact, seeing that Vaughn could still mock him, Dumbledore was quite relieved. Seeing that Vaughn was not in a good mood, he was not in a hurry to ask what was going on. He just chatted for a few words while waiting for Professor McGonagall to bring the food.

He mainly said, "The Central Qi Refining Academy—the pronunciation of 'Qi Refining' is really hard to pronounce. Anyway, they are quite proactive in reconnecting with the world, which stems from the dramatic changes in their northern neighbor."

"Those two countries in the Far East are the most closely linked in the world between the magical community and the Muggle regime. After the great changes in the north, the Central Academy of Magic witnessed firsthand the damage that the Muggle regime caused to Cordosdoritz—that magic school with nearly 700 years of history almost collapsed as a result."

"Although the Russian Ministry of Magic responded quickly, the change of secular power inevitably affected wizards. Wizards from many republics have left Cordosdorez. I heard that they are struggling to recruit students this year."

"Many parents, especially those of Muggle or mixed race, would rather send their children to Durmstrang or Beauxbatons from afar. The reasons are twofold: firstly, their confusion about Muggle government, and secondly, Cordos Dorez's secluded policy of disconnecting from the international community, which results in its low profile."

"The Central Alchemy Academy also had the same policy of seclusion. They were very worried that with the opening up of the secular world, they would also face the same predicament as Cordosdoriz. Therefore, your potion exchange plan is actually launched at the right time. They currently have a very strong need to re-establish exchanges with the international community."

Vaughn listened quietly. Dumbledore's account seemed to be going smoothly, but he knew that if things were really going well, Dumbledore wouldn't have stayed in China for half a month without sending back any news.

Sure enough, Dumbledore then changed the subject: "But—you know, no group can have only one voice, let alone a place that has been isolated from the international community for decades. Although some of my old friends who are still alive at the Qi Refining Academy told me that they really want to participate in potion exchanges, the reality is that their officials still haven't given me a clear answer."

"I don't know what kind of struggle took place within the Alchemy Academy, but the fact is that the conservatives are more powerful than I imagined—actually, I understand them. They've been out of touch for too long and are unfamiliar with everything in the international arena. It's normal that they don't dare to take the first step easily."

Hearing this, Vaughn finally spoke: "So what do you think the chances are that they'll agree?"

Dumbledore thought for a moment and replied, "70%!"

"So optimistic?"

"The first step has to be taken," Dumbledore said calmly. "Even if the conservative forces are unwilling, they cannot stop it. I've been traveling around there for the past two weeks, and the secular reforms in the Far East are astonishing. They're progressing by leaps and bounds. I've never seen such a radical reform before."

"Secular reforms and the opening of minds will inevitably lead to the emergence of Qi cultivators—oh, by the way, there's no such thing as purebred or mixed-race people over there. Although they use families as their social unit, just like us, these families haven't formed powerful clans. Instead, they've replaced the aristocracy and powerful clan system with a concept called 'Dao,' which is similar to a school of thought."

"The existence of those schools of thought is somewhat similar to the Sorting Houses at Hogwarts, but more complex. Each school has its own unique theories and research directions on magic. For example, an old friend of mine surnamed Zhang comes from the Zhengyi School and is most skilled at making limn."

Perhaps sensing that Vaughn didn't know what "limn" was, Dumbledore then explained the concept in detail.

He failed to notice the subtle strangeness on Vaughn's face.

What is limn? It's a talisman.

Vaughn truly hadn't expected to hear such familiar words in a magical world; it certainly had a distinctly Eastern flavor.

This includes other terms, such as the Central Qi Cultivation Academy, the various "Tao" within the academy, and the administrative unit, the People's Committee of Qi Cultivators—

It features a blend of modern and traditional styles, which is quite addictive.

However, after Dumbledore's explanation, ignoring how strange the translations of those terms into English were, Vaughn did indeed gain a better understanding of the place where he "once" lived.

For example, within the Central Alchemy Academy, the People's Committee of Alchemists was the most active in promoting openness, and they basically represented a secular attitude.

The five major Daoist sects, including the Righteous One Dao, which actually manage the alchemy academy, have a rather ambiguous attitude. Some hope to align with international standards as soon as possible, while others oppose it, and there is basically no unified opinion.

Dumbledore analyzed that they had been away for too long and were a little timid.

That's actually a bit one-sided.

Having experienced this era in his previous life, Vaughn understood the psychology of the Chinese people of that time better than Dumbledore. It was a mixture of complex emotions such as vigilance, fear, inferiority, longing, defiance, and desire.

"Old Deng missed the point of the negotiations!"

He suddenly realized.

According to Dumbledore's account, the differences between the Chinese and English magical communities, and even those in Europe, North America, and Africa, are very significant.

In all these places, the Secret Service Act is strictly enforced. In other words, in Europe, America, Africa, Central Asia, and South Asia, based on the relevant regulations of the Secret Service Act, the magical world and Muggle society have long been effectively separated.

When wizards engage in so-called international exchanges, they do not consider the opinions of "secular" people, that is, Muggles.

China is different.

This difference only began in modern times.

In ancient times, hundreds of years ago, China was also a signatory to the Secrecy Law, a founding member of the Federation, and even an important force in the International Wizarding Federation. The ceremony for deciding the final president during the election of each Federation president was modeled after the Chinese Luotian Grand Ritual.

As mentioned earlier, the Luo Tian Grand Ceremony is a system in China for selecting national magic leaders, and it is also a magic ritual.

It's not complicated. Basically, it's a conference attended by representatives from various regions. At the conference, the representatives first vote to officially select the candidates.

Once the candidates are decided, the next step will have little to do with humans.

The conference will invite a Qilin (a mythical creature) to examine the souls of the candidates.

The Qilin is a unique creature belonging to China, the only one capable of discerning whether a being is good or evil at the level of its soul.

Because the method of identifying the Qilin is at the soul level, no wizard, not even a legendary wizard, can observe or conceal their own soul. Therefore, when the International Wizarding Federation was established in the 1690s, it also adopted the system and rituals of its founding member country, China.

For over 200 years, this system has functioned very well. The Qilin examines the souls of the candidates and ultimately selects the president of the federation from among them. This is the most credible method recognized by the whole world.

Everything changed more than 40 years ago.

Therefore, for an old wizard like Dumbledore with a century of rich experience, his impression of China may still be based on his youth.

Even wizards outside of China are mostly like this.

But China, which has truly undergone a complete transformation, has become something that no one recognizes!

"You're wrong, Albus."

Just as Dumbledore was about to continue describing the situation in the Far East, he heard Vaughn, lying on his sickbed, suddenly speak.

Dumbledore paused, but didn't question it; instead, he asked with interest, "In what way?"

"You said that the People's Committee of the Central Alchemy Academy is the most proactive in promoting openness, but things are probably the opposite of what you think."

After glancing at Dumbledore, whose expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, Vaughn said, "I'm afraid they are the biggest obstacle preventing cooperation from progressing, while the five major academies of the Academy of Magic, as well as the congress and other magical institutions, are actually the more proactive parties in re-engaging with the international community."

After a moment of silence, a smile slowly appeared on Dumbledore's aged face: "During our conversation just now, I clearly felt that you weren't very familiar with China. It seems I misunderstood—"

Vaughn interrupted him: "No need to test me. The intelligence channel you're so suspicious of, which belongs to me, really doesn't know much about China. I just know more about the culture there because I like it—you know, my food preferences are biased towards that side."

"Hmm—that's definitely true—"

Dumbledore couldn't find any flaws. In his memory, Vaughn had indeed always favored Eastern culture, which wasn't something that was hard to understand.

Although England is not an immigrant country like the United States, it is still a melting pot of cultures, a blend of many ethnicities.

The Celts, Romans, Franks, Germans, and even Normans have all left a profound cultural influence here.

Dumbledore himself loved France.

He didn't pursue the matter further, nor did he take the opportunity to test Vaughn's "intelligence network." He simply asked out of curiosity, "Why did you make that judgment?"

"Because I understand their system. To be precise, the People's Committee itself didn't intend to obstruct the Chinese magical community from re-integrating with the international community; rather, they had other demands!"

"Demands?"

"Yes, it's a demand from the Muggle regime over there."