Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 299 The Meeting of the Legendary Wizards

"Two weeks—" Dumbledore thought for a moment, looking at the cat licking its paws at his feet, and asked, "Can you manage on your own during this time?"

Vaughn did not hesitate: "If you want to go back to the Far East, then go ahead. I'll take good care of myself."

'

"There's no need to rush, I just got back."

"You're no good anyway. I have enough of Nicolas Flamel's works, and Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape. You should spend your time on something meaningful."

"Honey, your attitude really hurts me!"

After making a joke, Dumbledore's smile faded: "I'll have Fawkes leave you a few more tail feathers. If anything happens, like any changes at the Board of Trustees, let me know immediately. I'll get back as soon as I can."

Vaughn nodded silently.

Then he dismissed the Patronus and cast the spell again. Dumbledore said nothing more and watched quietly. In the quiet grove, only Hermione's shrill voice echoed in the distance, along with Harry and Ron's sullen faces and occasional weak and hesitant protests.

An angry Hermione is terrifying, but it's even more unpleasant when she's not angry.

For example, Vaughn and Dumbledore.

Dumbledore didn't stay with Hagrid for long before leaving. Harry and Ron didn't even notice when he left, and he didn't say a word to them.

As for Vaughn—his attitude remained the same as before. Harry and Ron watched from afar as Hermione scolded them while he cast dozens of Patronus Charms, eventually stopping due to exhaustion.

He greeted them with a weak smile, but said nothing else.

But the more they thought about it, the more uneasy they felt. They suddenly realized that Vaughn would have been better off doing what Hermione did and giving them a good scolding; that would have made them feel better.

Unlike now, when they had no idea what he was thinking, their hearts were hanging on the edge of a knife, afraid that it would fall at any moment.

This left the two of them in a daze all afternoon and evening, their minds elsewhere, and they didn't even taste Hagrid's venison feast.

They didn't dare say a word to Vaughn until they left at night, only knowing that Vaughn would stay with Hagrid to recuperate for the next few days.

I can't go back to the school hospital; there are too many curious people visiting, even Mrs. Pomfrey can't stop them.

This made the two of them feel even more guilty.

The atmosphere at school made it impossible for them to escape for the next few days. The students around them didn't talk about anything else but Vaughn's injury. The less they saw him, the more engrossed they became in the discussion, and rumors such as "Vaughn is seriously injured and has been transferred to St. Mungo's" would occasionally pop up.

As Vaughn's closest confidants, the trio naturally became the focus of everyone's "attacks." This time, Harry and Ron were very tight-lipped, not even discussing Vaughn's whereabouts in their dormitory.

Hermione, on the other hand, almost lost her temper several times when faced with rumors. Although she managed to restrain herself, Harry could clearly feel the terrifying anger brewing within that small body as he sat beside her every day.

It terrified him!

Fortunately, in early December, on a cloudy day when the temperature dropped below zero, Harry and Ron finally saw a bright smile on Hermione's face once again.

She braved the cold wind to bring good news: "Vaughn isn't having nightmares anymore!"

This was indeed good news for Harry and Ron. On the one hand, it meant that Vaughn's condition was improving, and on the other hand, it meant that they no longer had to live in fear around Hermione. Miss Know-It-All had been a powder keg lately!

Just as the two breathed a sigh of relief and happily followed Hermione to Hagrid's hut to visit Vaughn, about 500

More than 0 miles away in the Far East, lies Laojun Mountain.

On a winter morning, thick fog drifts through the towering peaks. The vegetation on the mountains has long since withered, but as wisps of fog gather at the summit like flowing water, a gentle breeze blows, the clouds surge and the rising sun leaps over the mountain peaks, turning the sea of ​​clouds and the snow-capped peaks into gold.

The desolation vanished, leaving only solemnity and reverence!

Dumbledore and his entourage Apparated halfway up Lao Jun Mountain, disturbing the air currents in the distorted and then smoothed-out space, stirring up a gale, tearing the clouds and mist apart and then mending them, like rolling waves.

"I love the scenery here. Li really knows how to enjoy life."

Admiring the sea of ​​clouds and the golden roof, Dumbledore smiled at the people following behind him.

The people following him were in two groups. One group consisted of Beauxbatons' principal, Olem Maxim, and her most valued student, Fleur Delacour, along with several tall French Aurors dressed in light blue fitted cashmere robes.

Compared to them, the other group's attire seemed much stranger to the European wizards present—it consisted of about a dozen people with Eastern faces, both men and women, but all dressed as Muggles.

He wore no robes, no pointed hats, had short hair, and wore a strange, serious, and formal suit that resembled a Muggle coat of arms.

If Ms. Maxim hadn't witnessed them using magic with her own eyes, she would have found it hard to believe these people were wizards.

Of course, in this country they are called alchemists.

Similarly, the name of the organization they belong to is also very strange. It is neither called "Ministry of Magic" as is common in Europe, nor is it called "Magic Congress" or "Magic Council" as is common in the Americas.

Instead, it's called the "Chinese Magic Association".

What Ms. Maxim found most absurd was that this committee, which managed all wizards (alchemists), was not an independent body, but rather belonged to an agency called the Bureau of Sect Affairs.

The sectarian affairs bureau, on the other hand, was subordinate to a higher-level Muggle department.

Yes, both theoretically and practically, in this strange land of the Far East, alchemists are entirely under the jurisdiction of Muggles.

In Ms. Maxim's view, this was utterly upside down!

However, compared to her, who had never been to the Far East, Dumbledore, who had visited many countries during his 100-year wizarding career, was obviously used to it.

The old man affectionately pulled along an Eastern wizard of similar age, pointing out the scenery in the mountains.

"This place is almost unchanged from when I came here 50 years ago—oh, I remember that valley over there was where Lao Tzu went into seclusion, wasn't it?"

"Yes, Professor Dumbledore—"

"My dear Li, don't be so serious. The purpose of my visit today is to pay respects to your father, my old friend, and also to enjoy the scenery—Meilin, I can never get enough of this sea of ​​clouds!"

The rudimentary mountain path echoed with Dumbledore's shouts, and there was no other sound.

After climbing the stairs for a while, Fleur lifted her leaden legs, quickened her pace to catch up with Principal Maxim, grabbed her clothes, and whispered, "Madam, how long are we going to stay here?"

Maxim turned around, his eyes filled with concern: "What's wrong? Don't you like it here?"

Fleur pouted: "This country is too backward and too dull. There's nothing to do. The Muggle cities are chaotic and dilapidated. Nobody in the wizarding world has a smile on their face—look at the people behind us, they're all like statues, as if they want to wear solemnity on their faces."

Maxim chuckled, but when he looked back at the Qi Refiners from the Central Qi Refining Committee who were following them, he noticed that they, regardless of gender, did indeed look very serious, walking with a subtle rhythm and in a measured manner.

However, compared to Fleur's limited experience, Maxim, who, as a witch, managed to compete for the position of principal of Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the conservative French magical world, had much richer experience.

She could tell that those young and middle-aged Eastern wizards were not really rigid in character.

They would also secretly admire the scenery along the way and subtly listen to Dumbledore's eloquent speech ahead—clearly, they understood English.

Some of the witches would also secretly admire her expensive fur coat and the elegant robes on Hibiscus's body.

But they all controlled their thoughts very well, and Maxim keenly realized that their suppression of their inner desires was not due to any force, but rather—some kind of persistence? Integrity? Faith?

Without understanding, it's difficult to make a judgment.

However, Maxim also realized that they were normal people, unlike the "horrific" and "inhuman" image she had obtained from Muggles when she agreed to visit the Far East with Dumbledore.

This made her think.

To be honest, she had previously been quite opposed to Dumbledore's proposal to include China in the potions exchange program. One of the reasons was that she valued Vaughn's potions technology and subconsciously didn't want too many people to share the results.

The second reason is that she cannot understand the situation in China.

She seemed to instinctively resist this country, which was incompatible with her upbringing and the ideas she had been exposed to in every detail.

Maxim frowned slightly and looked up at Dumbledore in front of him.

Was the old man trying so hard to persuade her to go on the Far East trip to teach her a lesson? Or was this potion exchange just an excuse, and the old man—or rather, Vaughn Weasley—had a deeper purpose?

She couldn't help but overthink it.

The current international situation regarding magic is complex and unpredictable.

Something was brewing in the Americas across the ocean. Since Dumbledore and Vaughn Weasley left for North America a few months ago, the region had been completely sealed off. It was extremely difficult for outsiders to obtain news of that new continent. They could only indirectly confirm, through Canada and a few small Central American countries bordering North America, that the United States seemed to be experiencing political turmoil.

Two months ago, the local indigenous wizarding council in Mexico informed South America that a magical war had broken out on their border.

A strange group of wizards, extremely large in number, is hunting down another group of North American wizards.

To avoid conflict, the Mexican Indigenous Wizarding Council sealed off the border, and then they watched helplessly as the North American wizards were slaughtered.

This is not normal at all.

Maxim suspects that the reason why Principal Silva of Castorbuscher actively responded to the Potions Exchange Program and even took the initiative to follow Dumbledore to persuade Beauxbatons was related to the political turmoil in North America.

Both Central and South America, located in the Americas, have been deeply influenced by North America, whether in Muggle society or the magical world.

Especially in Muggle societies, where the lifeblood of almost all Central and South American countries is controlled by the United States, it is an undeniable fact that wizards cannot exist outside of Muggles to complete the self-circulation and purification of the social system.

A healthy society needs a constant influx of new blood to sustain its positive development.

The sheer size of the wizarding population means they cannot sustain a continuous internal supply of wizards and must rely on the Muggle community to awaken new young wizards.

Under such circumstances, the countries of Central and South America will certainly be wary of the turmoil in the United States, lest it affect them.

But they cannot contend with the United States on their own.

In Maxim's view, it's hard to say whether Lady Silva of Castorbusch's active participation in potion exchanges was intended to unite the English magical community and counterbalance the United States.

The Muggle government in England is a mess, but the wizarding world is not.

Leaving aside its millennia-old heritage, the British Commonwealth, whose Muggle society was almost completely torn apart, is thriving in the magical world.

Realizing Silva's possible intentions, Maxim re-examined the international situation in the wizarding world during this time.

You wouldn't believe it until you looked it up, and what a shocking discovery it was!

The Slavic countries, which had just undergone tremendous changes last year, not only failed to sort out their problems in a year, but also fell into complete chaos and disorder due to the aftermath of the dissolution of the confederation. The Balkan Peninsula, which borders them, was not spared either, and once again became a powder keg.

Also affected by the disintegration, the United States, having finally defeated its old rival, began to intervene in the situations in Asia Minor, North Africa, and West Asia, reigniting the flames of war in West Asia and North Africa.

Of course, these are all events in Muggle society, but as mentioned earlier, wizards cannot be separated from Muggles.

The unrest in Muggles will eventually have a repercussions on the wizarding world.

In fact, during his investigation, Maxim discovered that some reactions had already emerged—the problems in the Slavic countries were affecting the whole of Europe, especially Central and Northern Europe.

As far as she knows, the European Community, a Muggle organization in Europe, has noticed this trend and is actively pushing to include the remaining countries in Central and Northern Europe into the European Community, creating a buffer zone facing the north and the Balkans, and unifying all European powers to deal with the threat posed by American intervention in West Asia.

This was the first time she realized that the world was not peaceful; the peace she perceived was simply because she had never bothered to understand it.

"At this juncture, are Dumbledore and Vaughn Weasley really just holding a potions exchange program to share potions techniques? Or have they sensed something and started planning ahead?"

Maxim couldn't see clearly, nor could he understand.

But she didn’t hesitate to speculate about Dumbledore and Vaughn Weasley with “malice” because the more she gathered information about the English wizarding world over the past two years, the more alarmed she became about the political influence of the two men.

Dumbledore, whose reputation is widespread, needs no further introduction.

Vaughan Weasley was even more remarkable—he repeatedly humiliated Cornelius Fudge, something hard to imagine in politically conservative France.

These two people could have ulterior motives with any action, let alone such a large event as the Potions Exchange Program!

"Perhaps their goal is the Far East—"

Maxim's gaze swept over the Eastern alchemists beside her once more, a multitude of thoughts swirling within her, but she showed no emotion. She simply patted Fleur's hand reassuringly and led her to follow Dumbledore.

The Chinese accompanying them didn't completely ignore them. A young girl, who seemed to be a professional translator and had been brought by the alchemists, followed Maxim and Furong the whole time, introducing Lao Jun Mountain to them in English.

It was from her that Maxim learned that this mountain was one of the roots of Taoism and the hermitage of the legendary ancient shaman Lao Tzu.

Compared to other famous Taoist mountains, it is less well-known among Muggles, which is a deliberate choice by the Chinese magical community.

Since Lao Tzu, this place has become a secluded retreat for all those who aspire to cultivate in seclusion.

In Maxim's understanding, this place seemed to be a place similar to a Muggle ascetic monastery.

"Of course, as one of the ancestral temples of a sect, not just anyone is qualified to come here. Only those who have attained enlightenment or understand the Dao can come here to cultivate in seclusion, such as Celestial Masters and True Men."

The pretty young girl from the East easily refuted Maxim's guess with her not-so-fluent English.

"A Celestial Master? A True Person?"

The tall Headmaster Beauxbatons looked down at the little girl and asked her a question with curiosity.

The young girl smiled and said, "This is our classification of Qi cultivators' realms: 'Not trembling upon reaching heights, not getting wet in water, not feeling the heat in fire—this is the state of detachment from self and others, reaching the primordial unity of heaven and earth; this is the True Person.'"

She first read the last sentence in Chinese, and then explained it to Maxim and Fleur in English.

Simply put, a "true person" is someone who has reached the pinnacle of humanity, unaffected by water or fire, undisturbed by the desires of life and death, reaching the limits of human cognition, and beginning to transcend the human perspective when dealing with problems, thus coming into contact with "truth."

Although the explanation contained many terms from Eastern philosophy, Maxim still vaguely understood.

but-

A "real person" is probably a wizard who has reached the limit of the human aspect of magic.

In the Western magical world, this can be compared to a wizard who is about to transcend the ordinary and embark on a legendary path.

This answer was somewhat unexpected, and with a vague premonition in her heart, she asked, "Then what about the Celestial Master?"

'

The little girl still smiled, but this time she didn't launch into a long speech. She simply said, "A teacher who conforms to the Way of Heaven is called a Celestial Master, an enlightened being who has begun to grasp the truth. In your words, they are called legendary wizards."

"There are currently four Celestial Masters and fifteen True Men cultivating in seclusion on Lao Jun Mountain. Of course, they generally do not concern themselves with worldly affairs, and under normal circumstances, the motherland does not want to disturb them."

Maxim was no longer paying attention to what she said next; his mind was only focused on the number she had revealed.

Four legendary wizards!

15 wizards about to embark on a legendary journey!

What does this mean?

Leaving aside legendary wizards, and considering only the number of wizards on the verge of becoming legendary, France hasn't had a wizard reach that level for at least 20 years.

"—Yes, although this place is closed off, backward, and poor, it has 10 billion (actually 12 billion) Muggles—while France? Less than 6000 million—"

It was only at this point that Maxim truly realized that France and China were not even comparable in size. On the latter half of the mountain path, Maxim was completely immersed in shock and reflection. She was reflecting on her original prejudices, and at the same time, she was pondering what impact Dumbledore and Vaughn Weasley's "wooing" of the East would have.

The high-level combat power that the Muggle girl casually mentioned really shocked her, making her unable to ignore what kind of changes would occur if this terrifying power were combined with England.

It wasn't until the group reached the summit and a cold wind carrying clouds and mist blew in that she snapped out of her chaotic thoughts and sighed.

"Miss?"

Hearing her sigh, Furong worriedly took her arm.

Although Furong had overheard the previous conversation, she was only slightly surprised. She was surprised that the seemingly "weak" China and the barren mountain beneath her feet, which had a nice view but was otherwise useless, actually harbored so many legendary wizards.

She was still a child after all, and had no concept of the various impacts brought about by the imbalance of high-end combat power.

However—when it comes to children.

Vaughn Weasley was a kid too!

Thinking about this, Maxim couldn't help but feel frustrated.

Why do geniuses always appear on that tiny, run-down island?

100 years ago there was Albus Dumbledore, 50 years ago there was Voldemort, and now there is Vaughn Weasley.

Did those damned Onsa people save the world?

Feeling somewhat resentful, Maxim naturally upheld the century-old tradition of Anglo-French friendship, harboring a deep sense of pride.

Although the more she was compared to Vaughan Weasley, the more unbearable it seemed to her, she was, after all, her favorite student, so Ms. Maxim naturally couldn't hold a grudge.

She simply patted Fleur's hand and said earnestly, "Remember what I told you the other day, seize this opportunity for potions exchange, and hold on to Vaughn Weasley!"

Furong pouted, looking a little aggrieved.

Although she was short-sighted, she wasn't stupid. Of course, she could understand Maxim's subtext, which made her very uncomfortable. She felt that the lady was looking down on her too much.

However, she did not resist.

The girl knew very well that she couldn't fight against the French system. Madame Maxime doted on her; she was the real princess of Beauxbatons, able to be aloof, arrogant, and indifferent to everyone.

But if the lady stops pampering her, then she will immediately fall from grace.

"I understand, ma'am," Fleur replied obediently, trying her best to hide her emotions.

As the two were talking, Dumbledore and the alchemist surnamed Li had already reached the front of an old house standing alone on the summit.

The house doesn't look like a residential building; it resembles a religious site. Although old, it's well-maintained, with white walls, blue tiles, and vigorous pine and cypress trees.

The alchemist surnamed Li led Dumbledore to knock on the door. After a short while, the door opened, and a thin but vigorous old man with his hair tied in a bun came out, smiling as he shook hands and embraced Dumbledore.

Maxim blinked, a magical glint flashing in his eyes.

Then, her eyes suddenly stung, and she quickly lowered her eyelids.

Hibiscus looked at her in confusion, only to hear her whisper, "Indeed, a legendary wizard—"

Legendary wizard?

Furong's eyes widened as she turned to look at the old man, her gaze unconsciously focusing on his clothes—in Furong's opinion, the clothes were far too simple, almost shabby.