Chapter 42: Traveling

The ministry of magic had different ways to access its headquarters. There was an entrance through a phone booth in London, the most used one. Access through the Floo Network could be used by high-ranking officials, and members of the High Society. Finally, Apparition was only reserved to those that stood at the top of the "food chain". And yet, the ministry was far from organized, as British wizards somehow found comfort in chaos.

Karl Greengrass walked through the fireplace, accompanied by Kaiser and Remus Lupin. They were not there for ministry related business, but rather to use the international 'Portkeys'. Their destination? Asia.

Portkeys could not cover such large distances, therefore they would have to go through intermediate countries, before finally reaching their destination. They estimated that the journey would take four hours at most, not because the Portkeys took time to arrive, they were an instantaneous form of teleportation, but 'International Portkeys' were strictly regulated, activated only on a specific time schedule.

The whole place was hectic, with people going in and out at an alarming rate, paper-airplanes and owls flying above their heads, making them hope they wouldn't be victim to an owl treat, but also getting them on alert. This was the perfect opportunity to attack someone as the situation made it very difficult to react, and more so to retaliate without collateral damage.

They were traveling light, only with their wands and expanded pouches, because they already had people in place ahead of time, to provide security and anything they may require.

Kaiser was growing restless at the disorder and also fearful; he was a control freak and did not like the situations where things could go horribly wrong one bit.

He was relieved when it was time for the 'portkey' to activate, and glad the French ministry was a lot more organized than the British one.

"You really should relax for a bit. All this paranoia is going to make your head gray before its time." Remus sighed, shaking his head.

"It's not paranoia if they really are out to get you." Kaiser pointed out.

Karl did not comment, but he noticed Kaiser's abnormal reaction and wondered why he acted that way. He was usually calmer and more collected. Maybe his recent confrontation with the death eaters had a more profound impact on him than Karl originally thought.

His daughter told him about that nightly incident, and he could not help but worry about him. Transcendence could not afford to lose him: He was too important for their future and they all knew it.

Even though Karl was the manager of every aspect of their organization, He was not the true head. As the Founder, Kaiser had the ultimate authority, and could override any and all decisions. Thankfully, he was smart enough to trust Karl's wisdom and experience, and recognize he was better suited for the job.

Karl may need to convince him to see a mind healer, but somehow, he doubted his success. Kaiser was a very reserved person when it came to his feelings, if his daughter's analysis was to be believed.

They spent twenty minutes in France, before portkeying to the next destination, the rest of the trip was uneventful as they spent most of the time in the waiting zone.

They finally arrived at the all-wizarding village in China, north from 'Mianyang', and it was a world of its own. Compared to Hogsmeade, the difference was akin to the Heavens and Earth.

Magical energy could be felt in abundance, generating a refreshing atmosphere, for the soul. Every rodent was conducting themselves in the appropriate manner, even the little kids, sticking strictly to the Chinese etiquette of conduct.

Almost all the locals had a weapon on their person, especially the teenagers, varying from swords on their waists, to spears on their backs. While some hid theirs, in an enchanted container.

The shops were numerous, their products ranging from local food to clothes and even trinkets. But they all had one thing in common: Hands being woven in an impressive display of wandless magic, making whatever would require manual labor. The only time they used their arms was to hand over the merchandise to their clients.

It was considered shameful to rely on physical efforts and was interpreted as a sign of weakness. Which made getting the most menial of jobs difficult: one must be both a wizard and a proficient one at wandless magic.

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Most important figures in the wizarding world converged to China, for the annual Youth Tournament, where Asian Wizards displayed their respective schools or sect magic. It was mainly a display of power for all to see, reminding them why Asia was the most powerful region in the world. The very nature of their combat style made them invincible when faced with western wizards.

Karl and Kaiser also had a meeting scheduled with Erling, one they were not looking forward to, to discuss the future of their association, which would definitely end with concessions on their part.

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In the meantime, they would spend time discovering what magical China had to offer, and relax in their expensive hotel.

Remus was currently in the practice room, with his wand pointed forwards, his expression cold and emotionless, a sign of an occluded mind. Suddenly, anger crept through his face, "Pyronefas Infernalis!". A small wisp of crimson gold flame took shape out of the tip of his wand, promising destruction to anything that stood in its way. A materialization of Remus' anger, the very principles of Dark Magic.

Remus maintained it for about two minutes, before forcing his magic to obey him despite its chaotic state, dispelling the deadly fire. He breathed a sigh of relief, thinking of how much he progressed since he began training, but his thoughts were interrupted by a slow approaching applause. He looked around to see Kaiser approaching him with a smile.

"Impressive. I see you haven't been slacking off."

"You know how embarrassing it is to hear your ex-student praise you because the roles have reversed?" Remus said, embarrassment seeping through his voice.

"Yes." Kaiser rolled his eyes. "But I'm way better at this than you. I've been practicing for longer, you see." He smirked. "Still, to think that you, one of the four Marauders, the Gryffindor's Golden Boys, is practicing Dark Magic." he chuckled at the thought. "Ironic, isn't it?" there was no malice in his words, maybe a little jab at how stupid they were, something Remus himself agreed on.

"We were teenagers." Remus sighed.

"I would hope so." A feeling of shame suddenly assaulted Remus, one that was impossible to forget. Kaiser told him in no uncertain terms, how he and his funny little friends spat on the founder's legacy, destroying what should've been a sanctuary to young wizards full of hope, just because they were "Slytherins", or "Slimy snakes" as they preferred to call them, such much that they pushed most of them over to the supremacist who accepted them with open arms.

He was very vocal, especially about the late "James Potter", for making the wretched Marauders' Map. James had found some schemes about Hogwarts' wards in the Potter Library, and admitted to them that his family were descendants of Godric Gryffindor himself.

The way he had used the map, however, was a sin Kaiser would never forgive. And somehow, Remus was certain that had Kaiser been alive back then, he wouldn't hesitate to kill him.

Kaiser had a deep amount of reverence for the four Founders, for the opportunities and trust they offered him unconditionally, albeit he did not understand why. Yet he swore he would do everything in his power to make sure their legacy would live on forever.

Remus understood that all the hope he was given, one that drove his life forward, was thanks to the founders. He believed he had much to make up for.

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Karl had an appointment with members of his political party, old friends and acquaintances, while Kaiser and Remus had the day to themselves. They decided to go out for a bit and explore.

Fortunately for them, they did not require a translator, because for some reason, Kaiser could speak Mandarin. When asked, Kaiser merely shrugged, claiming he had some time to kill. The truth is, he had to learn different languages in his past life, to be able to understand published scientific papers, as not everyone was nice enough to translate their research for others. The languages he had to learn included Russian, Japanese and French, while he was still adding more to his collection.

The locals, even those that could speak English, never used it, sticking strictly to their native language. Either to make job opportunities for Translators, or simply because they refused to use a foreign language in their homeland. "Why should I be the one to speak their language?" Something along these lines, Kaiser thought.

The first place he wanted to visit was the dueling Arena. He heard a lot about their fighting style, and he was dying to see it for himself.

As they walked through the busy streets, Kaiser could spot several people flying on what appeared to be swords, and could not help but get excited at the prospect. But Remus destroyed his hopes when he noticed his reaction.

"It is forbidden to own one of those by non-Asian people, you know?"

"We can always smuggle one?" Kaiser asked hopefully. But he knew it was a stupid risk to take, over such a small matter. Remus merely shook his head.

He did not need to ask for directions to reach it, because nearly every kid was headed there, talking excitedly about the fights they had witnessed there some day. The Chinese were obsessed with fighting, and it was clear said obsessions started from such a young age. Kids liked to spend their time practicing against each other and showing off their superior skills.

They arrived in front of a humongous circular building, very much like the ancient Greek arena, with cracks all over its walls, hinting at how old it was. The cracks would not cause the building to collapse, as there was a magical fail safe in place, not to mention the people responsible for its maintenance. They could easily mend them, but perhaps they preferred leaving it that way for its historical significance.

Remus and Kaiser first arrived to what appeared to be a hall the lavish ornaments and very expensive lifestyle that stemmed from the air itself was sickening for Kaiser, they walked through the hall gaining some very diverse eyeing from most of the crowd, they were wearing very formal British clothes that absolutely clashed with the customs in place.

Kaiser went straight to the booth to get two tokens for a duel that will start in 30 minutes, while Remus was eyeing back each and every one.

The team then had to their designed spots, they were seated in an outer layer of the coliseum-like building, that was 3000 feats in radius, the wide two doors from each side led to think that that's where the two champions would emerge.

Kaiser wasn't the only one interested by the show, to his side he could see wizards from Russia, France, and many more.

It was time, and the stone doors were gently taking off and floating in the sky, the two figures then emerged from the darkness each clothed in a distinctive color, representing their school or belief.

The first hero had a red gown that looked formal and plain, "I wonder if this type of clothing is specific to fighting like a Kimono", in his left hand rested a spear that looked as tall as a person, that pointed to its enemy.

The second hero had more European clothes, a fluttery blouse, and a rapier in his waist, his features looked determined, and unfazed. Both were merely 20 years old but they held so much might in front of each other.

After each of them paying respect to the referee that was hovering above the scene, but also to the crowd, that ran amok each one cheering mindlessly to one of the two champions.

"Begin!" The referee's word started a new wave of excitement and cheering.