Robert was so dizzy that he didn't know how he made it back to the inn. He had listened to what was supposedly a long-winded speech from one of his ancestors, though he couldn't make heads or tails of it. Once he gathered his thoughts, he went to find Cliff.
"Oh, I think what he was trying to say is that you should focus on certain subjects while learning magic," Cliff said nonchalantly. "I heard people from Flower Country are pretty indirect when they talk— they say one thing but take a thousand routes to get there. No need to overthink it."
Robert suddenly remembered that he'd encountered similar situations in his past life, like when teachers would suddenly focus on a particular type of problem before an exam, explaining various solutions that left you dizzy—without ever telling you which topics would actually be on the test. He guessed this must have been what his great-grandfather meant too?
The next day, Chen Xiang led him into a shabby room.
"Don't be fooled by how run-down it looks here," Chen Xiang said mysteriously. "Actually, the best things are kept inside." He continued, "travel isn't easy. People who lack the physical strength and willpower can't pull it off. So, we came up with other, more convenient methods."
"Is it the Floo Network?" Robert looked around, but he didn't see a fireplace.
"What's that?" Chen Xiang was confused. He shook his head. "Never mind. Just follow me." He led Robert to a corner of the room, where it felt like he was squeezed into a tight space, only to be pulled out into what seemed like a completely different location. One moment, Robert's vision blurred, and the next, he was surrounded by a sea of bookshelves.
"So many books!" Robert was shocked. Even in Hogwarts, there couldn't possibly be this many magical texts.
"This is the Taoist library," Chen Xiang explained. "It has nearly every classic text related to Taoist magic. It used to be incredibly hard to access." He added, "You can get a library card and read for one hour a day."
"One hour a day for everyone?" Robert asked, surprised. "Can't we borrow them to read elsewhere?"
"Of course not," Chen Xiang shrugged. "I guess even wizards understand that knowledge is power. Do you think anyone would lend their books to young people like us to show off? Getting access to knowledge for free is already the greatest gift."
After receiving the library card, Robert curiously asked, "Can we accumulate that time? For example, use all the hours I've built up over a year in one go?"
"Sure, but if you don't visit for more than two years, all your accumulated time will be reset," Chen Xiang explained. "You can come back in a few days, and there are staff who can recommend books based on your situation."
Next, Chen Xiang took him to another place. "This is our equipment factory," he said. "Just like wizards need wands to cast spells, we Taoists need special tools to perform our magic. Some of us even have customized primary weapons."
The factory looked like a modern assembly line. Parts were sent along conveyor belts to workers, who then assembled them into finished products.
"What is this? Is it tape?" Robert couldn't believe his eyes as he held a roll of paper tape with characters he didn't understand, feeling like his worldview was crumbling.
"Oh, this?" Chen Xiang glanced at the tape Robert was holding and casually said, "It's just a common spell for repelling ordinary people. You guys use it too, right? What do you call it... a Muggle-repelling charm?"
"But why is it tape?" Robert was perplexed. Hadn't he imagined Taoist magic to be full of symbols drawn with yellow paper, red ink, and brush pens? Why were they using tape?
Chen Xiang laughed at Robert's expression. "What, do you think we carry around a box of paper to throw talismans when we duel? The police know to set up a boundary line. Do you really think we're going to fight ghosts while crouching down to draw symbols on the ground? This is the latest research—yellow paper printed with the most authentic talismans, with a waterproof coating on the surface, and a peelable backing. It sticks on walls without interfering with use. It completely prevents the awkwardness of newbies drawing symbols wrong because they're nervous."
"Ghosts?" Robert seemed to have heard something classified.
"Did you think the spirit realm only brings benefits?" Chen Xiang said matter-of-factly. "After the spirit world was opened up, things from there started causing trouble. Not just people—even a piece of paper could suddenly sprout legs and run away. Ordinary people can't deal with these things, so we have to go out and clean up."
"Right, right," Robert said, feeling a little lost.
"Also, the spirit realm is a whole world. Exploring it requires a lot of equipment. How could one person make all those talismans by themselves?" Chen Xiang patted Robert's shoulder. "Speaking of, there's something I think you'll like."
He led Robert to another corner. "Wait, wait, how do you guys generate power here?"
"Power? Oh, you mean energy," Chen Xiang said, pointing to the bright lights overhead. "We use spiritual energy here. The use of electricity is disrupted because of the abundance of spiritual energy, so we directly use it instead."
"As for things like televisions, they work the same way. But I heard that the United Kingdom doesn't have widespread spiritual energy recovery yet, so you probably can't use them for now," Chen Xiang said dismissively. "Honestly, it's the regular people who get to enjoy this. People like us, er, sorry, I meant Taoists, have to learn so much. These convenient things were mostly invented by ordinary people."
He looked puzzled. "By the way, why doesn't your Ministry of Magic in the UK introduce these devices? I mean, sure, the modifications are a bit of a hassle, and they require special energy sources to operate. But in large-scale production, automation really is much more convenient."
Robert gave him a strange look, realizing why the Ministry of Magic in the UK was reluctant to engage with Flower Country. With their attitude toward confidentiality, it was no wonder the purebloods would be outraged.
"Snap!" Chen Xiang suddenly clapped his hands, as if a thought had just occurred to him. Then he sheepishly said, "Ah, I remember now. Your country's population is so small. The entire population might not even be as many as one of our provinces. I guess you don't really need large-scale production like we do."
"..." Robert silently grumbled to himself. Of course, the UK had a small population, but didn't that mean more people in Flower Country should be studying the more advanced things rather than showing off? But of course, he couldn't say that aloud.
(End of Chapter)