Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 321 God!

Here is a suspended stone wall, thick and smooth, with a deep abyss below.

Li Tianshi, however, seemed to be treading on an invisible path, and walked straight through the stone wall without stopping.

The light shifted, and after only a few steps, the area suddenly brightened, revealing a valley surrounded by mountains and with a babbling brook.

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Li Tianshi was not surprised by the change of scenery. He continued to walk towards the center of the valley, where there was a flat grassy area. Several life-sized statues sat in a circle on the ground, leaving only one empty seat.

Master Li walked to the empty spot and sat down in the same posture as the statues.

The moment he sat down, a voice echoed in his mind: "You're back. What did Dumbledore say?"

As expected of the sudden voice, Master Li dispelled his magic, returning himself from the reflection to reality, and replied, "I didn't get any useful information. He's a cunning old fox and a master of memory magic. I didn't even dare to dispel my magic and interact with him in my true form and real appearance. However, based on the conversation, it's basically certain that his conflict with Vaughn Weasley stemmed from ideological differences."

"Ideological differences?" Another voice surfaced in my mind. "How serious are they?"

"Dumbledore said it was a minor issue, but we all know him. He's not one to make a mountain out of a molehill. I'm afraid some of Weasley's views are seriously against his wishes."

A third voice, grave in tone, said, "Another Tom Riddle?"

"It shouldn't be that bad." Master Li pondered. "I've heard that Dumbledore has always regretted bringing Tom Riddle to Hogwarts. Given his decisive character, if it were another Riddle, he would most likely have taken drastic action to nip the danger in the bud."

At this point, he changed the subject: "But it's hard to say. People are very complex. Hate and love are often intertwined. Even if Dumbledore were sent back 50 years, he might not have really been willing to kill Riddle."

"On this point, I think he was afraid of fate and dared not take action. We all know that England is the birthplace of destiny. I heard that when Dumbledore became a legend, he chose a magic that could peek into destiny. He should have known this long ago."

"—You mean, he also knows Vaughn Weasley—"

The second sound abruptly stopped.

Click!

The cracking sound, seemingly echoing deep within his soul, made Master Li look up in horror. He saw that the statue opposite him suddenly trembled as if it were alive, as if it had been struck by something invisible. It sank an inch, and a crack suddenly appeared on its head, almost splitting its entire face apart.

Master Li clenched his fists.

He only breathed a sigh of relief when a second voice rang in his mind again a while later.

"Ahem—He's becoming increasingly sensitive; he can even detect when we're communicating outside of reality—"

"What does this mean?"

"I don't know, maybe He is getting closer to reality, or maybe we are getting closer to death —"

For the four people present, either of these possibilities seemed to be a heavy topic.

After a long silence, the first voice sighed and said, "I once thought that legends could grant us freedom and the ability to realize our ideals, but I never imagined that the stronger we become, the tighter the shackles will be—I've ruined you. I shouldn't have helped you embark on the path of legends, and I shouldn't have tried to break the legends myself—"

"It's not your fault, teacher," the second voice comforted. "We all agreed to dispel the legend. We didn't consider that behind the laws that influence the mystery of the legend, there should be a response mechanism, there should be a powerful being."

The third voice also said, "Yes, who could have known that trying to destroy a legend would actually bring Him here? There are no related records in thousands of years of world history. We are feeling our way across the river, and it is normal for us to suffer losses."

"well----"

Hearing the first voice sounding dejected, Master Li changed the subject: "I've been studying Weasley in detail these past two days. He mentioned in his paper the pattern of how legends influence mystery."

"Oh? England didn't seal the data?"

"When I was studying abroad, it was sealed up in Europe. He probably discovered it himself."

"What astonishing talent! No wonder—should we try to warn him?"

"According to intelligence shared with North America, there are records of a batch of items for the Aether Ritual entering Hogwarts earlier this year. North America speculates that they were prepared for Vaughn Weasley. According to intelligence, Dumbledore returned to England in a hurry some time ago, and Weasley also left the castle during that period and lived in the game keeper's hut, seemingly injured."

"The injury was sustained in the ether?"

Master Li nodded slightly: "Yes, so we shouldn't need to warn him anymore. Although Dumbledore doesn't know about our ordeal, he knows the laws that legends influence mystery, and he also knows what's in the ether—when we first met, I smelled the stench of death on him."

"So he was being watched too—"

"He's one of the most powerful legendary wizards; it's normal for him to be targeted," the second voice said, then turned to Li Tianshi and asked, "How much longer can you remain active outside?"

Master Li silently calculated and answered with a number.

"Time is too short. Should we speed up the negotiations? At least it will give you a chance to go to England and see for yourself what Weasley is really made of."

Master Li shook his head: "There are many disagreements among people about participating in international activities. If we suppress their wishes just to make things easier for ourselves, then we are putting the cart before the horse."

"----well!"

This is indeed a helpless situation. Even legendary wizards, who are powerful as they are, still have to follow collective decisions. It's not that they are incapable of suppressing the will of others, but doing so would only increase internal friction and would not bring any benefit.

However, it's not entirely without good news.

Master Li said, "The North American intelligence network sent news today that Weasley has not shown up for several days, and it is speculated that he is developing the artificial potion matrix mentioned in his paper, a universal excipient that is compatible with magic and can carry the properties of a variety of potions."

Several of those present were science and engineering students who had studied in Europe and America decades ago, and had personally participated in the establishment of the industrial system in the East.

Just by thinking about it, they could understand how important what Vaughn was developing was.

They quickly reached a consensus: "Leak the information to the Qi Refining Committee and organize the Potion Association to discuss the impact of the creation of this matrix on the global potion industry."

"What about the conflict between Dumbledore and Weasley?" Master Li asked.

"First, we need to unify our internal opinions. If he still can't figure it out by then—then let Cornelius Fudge deal with him. In the meantime, you can instruct the committee to build a friendship with Fudge."

Consensus can be cold, but that's always been the case in politics.

The purpose of leaking the intelligence to the Qi Refining Committee was to unify internal opinions as soon as possible, use the technology that Vaughn Weasley might successfully develop as an incentive to eliminate the resistance of some opponents, and buy time for Master Li to have the opportunity to go to England.

Compared to the previous blunt proposal, this was undoubtedly much gentler, so Master Li did not refuse.

He drew his wand, extracted the decision the group had just made from their memories, and then summoned a raven whose body shimmered with silver-blue light—his guardian spirit—to send the memories away.

These matters are handled by their students, the True Lords who are cultivating in seclusion on Lao Jun Mountain.

As they watched the guardian deity fly into the mountains and disappear from sight, the third voice seemed to remember something and asked, "How is the progress of the True Lords?"

""

Master Li shook his head: "Nothing has changed. Their talents are limited, and the times are different now. Currently, no one shows any signs of embarking on the path to legend."

"Hmm—it seems like it's like that all over the world?"

"Since we re-engaged with the international community, the information we have received is indeed like this: the global wizarding community seems to be in a predicament of generational gap—before Vaughn Weasley's rise, there was a general belief that England was destined to be blessed and that a new legend might emerge."

"Oh!"

The first voice chuckled. "This saying must have originated from the French. We all know that destiny isn't always a blessing. Tom Riddle is already a legend. Even if he survives destiny, England will simply be 'reclaiming' its own legend. But if he dies by destiny—"

As legends, the four knew very well that killing a legendary wizard was no easy task, even with the blessing of "destiny."

There's a high chance a legend will be buried with him!

After a while, it became a business that lost money.

Master Li pondered, "Dumbledore couldn't possibly be unaware of this, but from my observation, he seems to have no opinion about his future death."

"He was an idealist, and idealists are usually prepared to be martyrs."

Upon hearing this, Master Li glanced at the "statues" beside him, then lowered his eyes and remained silent.

They are also idealists.

Otherwise, why would such a group of talented young wizards have gone to Europe to study? They were not learning European magic, but rather Europe's advanced Muggle technology.

Unfortunately, time is humanity's greatest enemy, and there was no precedent to follow on the path they were to take.

In the fleeting passage of time, there are few opportunities for trial and error, after all, their ideals can influence not just one or two people, nor even thousands or tens of thousands, but hundreds of millions.

It's a complex project, and sometimes a single wrong step can have disastrous consequences that may take ten times longer to rectify and recover.

But where would we find so much time?

Li Tianshi's aged face became sorrowful, for as time passed, many of his former followers had passed away.

Only the four old guys remained, and of the four, only he could still barely walk outside, thanks to an experiment—or rather, an accident—that trapped them in this small world, barely clinging to life.

Later, the other three paid a huge price to separate him from "cause and effect," in exchange for limited freedom every now and then.

"Nan Yu!"

Hearing someone call his name, Li Tianshi was startled from his thoughts. He followed the sound and nodded to the statue in the east that represented the first voice, replying, "Teacher."

The statue remained motionless, only a voice, tinged with a faint worry, echoed in his mind: "I see your heart is filled with distracting thoughts, chaotic and confused, and you are once again wallowing in the past?"

Li Nanyu remained silent.

"You don't need to be like this. I was the one who made the decision to conduct the experiment back then, and I should bear the responsibility for the mistakes and disasters that resulted. It's all the teacher's fault, but the sins were too great, which is why it had to involve Beiyuan and Xizhu. You—"

Sitting opposite Li Nanyu, in the north, the statue with cracked heads interrupted, "Teacher, the experiment was a joint decision, and there is no question of who is more or less guilty—we separated Nanyu from the cause and effect because he was not deeply involved, which is the optimal solution."

"Yes." The statue representing the third voice, sitting on the west side, also said with a smile, "Everything has been analyzed. Teacher and Nan Yu don't need to take responsibility."

Li Nanyu listened silently, then said softly, "I'm just thinking about something."

"What?"

"————The situation in North America————More than ten years ago, Wilkinson was marked by Death, and everyone thought he was long dead. But Vaughn Weasley's experience in August showed that Wilkinson is still alive and can even use magic normally. I'm thinking..."

"shut up!"

A thunderous rebuke filled Li Nanyu's mind. The Eastern Statue, whom the group called their teacher, roared in fury: "We already discussed this matter in August. It is not allowed to be mentioned again, nor is their so-called proposal allowed to be considered. You, like us, have faced the Aetheric Gods directly. What do you think those heretics in North America rely on to avoid the mark of death?"

Li Nanyu sat upright, his expression solemn.

Of course he knew.

Only God can stand against God!

This is what they discussed in August after receiving intelligence that Vaughn Weasley was directly fighting Wilkinson. It's the most likely truth about the "DeSantis" and Wilkinson—those barely surviving guys have sided with some Aether God.

The only uncertainty is which god they have pledged allegiance to, and how they managed to do so, since those "gods" are usually very "brutal" and inhuman!

However, regardless of their beliefs, ideologies, and past experiments, the Chinese magical community and the Muggle regime absolutely do not allow anyone to pledge allegiance to any deity.

This is the ironclad rule set by their teacher, the first voice, the "Eastern Celestial Master"!

But—

After a moment of silence with a complex expression, Li Nanyu lowered her head again: "I'm sorry, teacher, I was too eager for quick success."

"6

'

The atmosphere was heavy.

After a long silence, the Eastern Celestial Master finally sighed: "I know you want me and your two senior brothers to get out of our current situation, but you shouldn't see groveling to the etheric gods as a solution. What about us, and those lives sacrificed due to 'cause and effect' and 'sin'?"

"Sigh, go back now. While you still have the freedom to move around, do your best to complete the negotiations and secure a trip to England. Observe fate for us, observe Vaughn Weasley—see if the storm he stirs up is a new path to legend. That is the right way!"

"Yes, teacher!"

It's Friday again. Hogwarts Castle, the Transfiguration classroom.

"I need you to submit a four-foot-long paper next Monday."

On the podium, Professor McGonagall's face was tense, her eyes, hidden behind her tortoiseshell glasses, were wide open, as if shining, sweeping over the furry heads of the second-year wizards below.

She pursed her thin lips into a thin line, and when she opened them, they were like sharp blades, making one shudder: "I know some people like to deliberately write in large font and leave wider line spacing, in order to cheat and compress their vocabulary —"

Many of the young wizards in the audience instinctively shrank back, including Harry, Ron, and Seamus.

They even felt Professor McGonagall's gaze linger on them for a moment. No one dared to speak, lose focus, or even breathe loudly, listening in trembling silence as the vice-principal coldly announced, "So this time I've set the size: font size cannot exceed 10 points (a pound is a unit of measurement for English printing font size; 10 points is approximately equal to Chinese size 5 font), and line spacing cannot exceed 12 points—that's it, get out of class dismissed!"

In the ensuing silence, Professor McGonagall, her lips pressed into thin lines once more, stormed off.

Only after her figure disappeared from sight did the classroom erupt in groans: "My God, 4 feet! 10 pounds! I couldn't write that many words even if I wore my fingers down to the bone!"

"In fact, I've always felt that 9-point font and 10-point line spacing are more suitable, so that a single sheet of parchment can hold more content —"

"Granger! Please, stop talking—Harry, why don't you do something about your good friend? If Professor McGonagall hears her, everyone will be in trouble, including you."

Harry, still reeling from the devastating news, turned around upon hearing this, but the instant he met Hermione's murderous gaze, he smoothly turned his head back.

What a joke! How could he possibly control Hermione? In fact, he'd been trying to appease her lately. Hermione was furious at his sneaking off to the school board meeting to gather information.

Of course, Harry knew Hermione meant well. The Invisibility Cloak wasn't foolproof; if you walked along the riverbank too often, and with so many senior wizards at the Board of Governors meetings, he might get discovered any day.

Breaking school rules in front of the board of directors—well, even taking the most optimistic assumptions, Ha felt that if he got caught, he would be doomed.

However, he had to take the risk for the time being.

Ignoring the wailing of the little lion who told him to control Hermione, Harry neatly packed his textbooks and left the classroom with Ron.

Ron kept muttering to himself, "I bet Professor McGonagall's gaze lingered on me for at least five seconds. She was targeting me. Once she's got her eye on me, I'm doomed, Harry."

"Um----"

"And the requirements for this paper, oh my god, how many words do you have to write in a four-foot essay? Just thinking about it makes my scalp tingle, it's simply impossible."

"Um----"

"Hey Harry, are you listening to me?"

Harry, who was about to nod subconsciously, snapped out of his reverie and casually said, "Of course, I'm also worried about this, especially since Hermione hasn't been talking to us lately, so we don't even have anywhere to copy from."