Chapter 196. Beijing.
China. Beijing.
He didn't stay long in Karaganda and left for Beijing almost immediately. The city greeted him with bright sunshine and scattered clouds, and even Nagini crawled out from under the cloak to enjoy the warmth.
Severus arrived in Tiananmen Square, not far from the flagpole, about a hundred meters from the large red gates bearing the portrait of an elderly man in a gray suit, with the narrow eyes characteristic of the region and a slightly receding hairline.
From the memories of the Chinese man he had detained in London, Severus absorbed not only the language but also a great deal of other information: the country's history and that of Beijing itself, since the man had lived there and knew it well, having only been passing through Britain.
The square where he now stood was staggering in scale: nearly nine hundred meters long and over five hundred meters wide. It was the largest public square in the world.
Behind the gates lay the Forbidden City: a genuine imperial palace complex founded five hundred fifty-eight years ago and preserved in immaculate condition to this day.
The square also held a number of historical monuments and even a mausoleum belonging to Mao Zedong, the former ruler who had died two years earlier: it was his portrait on the gates.
Along with the enormous number of Muggles, a great many wizards moved through the square as well: too many to count, which was unsurprising. China was the most densely populated country in the world, with nearly one billion inhabitants compared to Britain's fifty-six million. The difference was enormous.
The same was true of wizards. This country had the largest number of them anywhere, but while the quantity was high, the quality suffered. The two wizarding schools simply couldn't train everyone, which meant the majority were self-taught or taught by their families, and the overall level reflected that.
For the same reason, the country had a vast number of factions, both large and small, that recruited unaffiliated wizards and trained them for their own purposes.
Strangely enough, based on what Severus had gathered about China's wizarding world, things were currently fairly calm: the last war had ended forty years ago, when the country had once again been divided among gangs and factions. The CWG itself didn't interfere in their affairs unless they crossed a line, since the Chinese Wizarding Government received decent tribute payments from them and accordingly looked the other way on most things, provided ordinary people weren't harmed.
After a brief look around, Severus didn't linger in the square and headed straight for the far exit, passing the mausoleum on the way.
He could visit the Forbidden City later. What interested him there was simple: Muggle rulers, especially emperors and kings, had always loved collecting ancient objects of every kind, particularly jewelry and weapons.
He had once visited an archaeological museum in London and found five magical items, modest as they were. After visiting several more, he had found a total of thirty-nine objects that radiated magic, three of which were reasonably significant artifacts for this world, and one of which he had actually purchased, not for its power, but for the opposite reason: it was cursed.
It was an urn, its neck sealed with layer upon layer of sigils, accompanied by an inscription stating that it contained the ashes of some Muggle ruler from antiquity. In reality, a dark wizard's soul had been imprisoned inside it, clearly from a very long time ago: when Eileen absorbed it, the dark magic had long since lost any coherent personality, and it offered no resistance whatsoever.
Why hadn't other wizards taken them? The answer was simple: they couldn't sense the magic coming off these objects. The emanations were no stronger than the ambient magical field in the air around them, which made it effectively impossible to distinguish an artifact from an ordinary object.
This was also the reason Severus intended to spend a week in this country visiting every museum he could find. The Chinese took extraordinary care of their history and heritage: a great deal had survived intact from ancient times, and he had no doubt something interesting would turn up. Their civilization was also among the oldest in the world, which raised the odds considerably.
He was careful not to repeat his earlier mistake and reinforced the concealment charms on himself. He wanted no one following him, and beyond that, he had no intention of frightening off bigger fish.
"The last time I saw this many people was in Diagon Alley before the first of September," Nagini hissed with surprise, watching the crowds streaming past.
They crossed the street at a crosswalk and continued on their way.
"It's normal, given the Muggle population here," he answered her quietly, scanning the ordinary two-story buildings around them. Unremarkable in appearance, they seemed unimpressive. His gaze drifted across the people passing by: some were dressed poorly for the weather, and others simply sat on pieces of cardboard against the buildings, wrapped in whatever cloth they had found. Among them, alongside the elderly, were children. The cars looked somewhat like the ones he had seen in the USSR. But these buildings, in the capital of all places, and this poverty... It seemed strange: the capital was supposed to be the face of a country. But that wasn't his concern. He pushed the thought aside and, focusing on a specific mark, turned at the next corner and stepped into a narrow alley between two buildings.
"Those poor people," Nagini murmured with genuine distress. The gaunt, pale children, who looked as if a strong wind could knock them over, were especially difficult to look at.
"It's the life they've been given." Severus exhaled, smiling bitterly, and stroked her head. "I know you'd want to help them. But it's impossible: we have neither the resources nor the time for it. Even if we gave them something today, tomorrow would be no different."
"I... I know."
He walked toward the wall without slowing down and simply passed through it.
A moment later, a wide street opened before them, lit by a warm yellow glow from above even though no sun was visible. The road was paved with stone slabs set in elaborate patterns, and along both sides stood identical wooden buildings ranging from one to several stories, their roofs curving upward at the corners and connected across the street by cloth from which hung red lanterns painted with various characters.
Small stalls lined the buildings or stood in front of them, attended by wizards selling all manner of magical wares. The very first stall displayed an assortment of talismans, paper sheets, small cloth pouches, carved figurines, predominantly dragons, and other trinkets.
The wizards themselves were countless. Nearly all wore robes, though a few moved through the crowd in garments resembling wide-belted robes. These were rare and almost always trailed by groups of followers, which spoke volumes about their status.
Severus didn't stop at any of the stalls. He walked forward, letting his gaze drift idly across the merchandise as he passed.
"Don't walk past!"
"Outfits to suit every taste!"
"Potions you won't find anywhere else!"
"Ingredients gathered fresh today, straight from Mount Tianzi!"
"Roasted snake, seasoned with the finest spices!" Nagini flinched almost immediately at those words and shot a lethal look at the smiling vendor in a wide robe, who held a skewered roasted snake still steaming.
This entire chorus accompanied them the whole way down the street. Severus felt tempted to examine the herbs more closely, but he wanted to finish the business that had brought him to this country first, then allow himself to enjoy the rest.
Finally, they reached a five-story building that stood entirely apart from its neighbors. In appearance, it resembled a pagoda. Its walls, which featured four windows on each side, were decorated with gold-painted dragons and phoenixes, and orange lanterns hung from the eaves on nearly every floor.
"So it's here. Not a bad choice of location." He looked with mild interest at the two wizards in suits standing at the entrance. "Hide yourself."
"All right."
He altered his face slightly, taking on the features of someone he'd seen on the street, then pushed his hood back and walked toward the building. As he reached the entrance, the two men immediately stepped forward to block his path.
"Welcome to the White Lotus Hotel. May we see your card?" one of them greeted him with a polite, friendly smile.
"I don't have one," Severus answered calmly. The man showed no reaction and simply continued to look at him, as if waiting for something. "A dragon adorns the white lotus." Their smiles instantly turned far more respectful, and they stepped aside with a slight bow.
"Good evening."
Severus gave no reply. He nodded once and walked inside.
The interior of the hotel resembled a restaurant: there was a large bar and tables occupied by guests, and in one corner stood a piano where a musician in a suit and a white half-mask played.
The walls, like the exterior, were decorated with dragons, phoenixes, and flowers against a red background. Above, elegant lanterns hung from the ceiling, with red translucent fabric trailing down to the railings of the second-floor balcony.
Severus attracted no particular attention; he was far from the only one in a cloak, and some of the guests weren't showing their faces at all.
"How did you know the password?" Nagini asked curiously.
"I simply read the guard's mind, which is exactly why you shouldn't rely on weak artifacts for mental protection." He let out a quiet, amused sound and looked toward the second floor, where a particular room stood, screened by red cloth, from which he could sense his mark. After a few seconds, a young Asian man stepped out from behind it: dark hair combed back, wearing a red suit and black shirt, a composed half-smile on his face, his arm around a girl in a long red qipao embroidered with a golden dragon. "There you are, old friend." Severus bared his teeth in a grin, settled at one of the tables, and calmly waited for his target to make his way down to the first floor.
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