Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Water Margin

Chapter 225 Summoning Spy Liu Tao to Discuss Cause and Effect

Chapter 225 Summoning Spy Liu Tao to Discuss Cause and Effect

It is said that Liu Tao came not only to serve as a referee, but also to help investigate Voldemort's whereabouts in his attempt to harm Harry.

Although Harry didn't know exactly what the "underground party" was, he could figure it out. He knew that they were the kind of people who focused on gathering secrets and acted in a secretive manner.

He immediately clasped his hands in a salute and said earnestly, "I am deeply grateful for your kindness in helping me, sir."

"If there's anything I can do to you, just say the word! Even if it means snatching chestnuts from a fire or braving the waves, I'll obey your orders without the slightest hesitation!"

These words were resounding and showed true loyalty. Liu Tao's expression turned strange upon hearing them. He took another sip of wine and swirled it across Harry's face twice.

This kid has a really good story to tell —

He muttered a few words to himself, interlaced his fingers, adopted a solemn demeanor, and said in a deep voice, "You're right about that. If that Death Eater is hiding in the Ministry of Magic, then I need someone who can freely enter and leave the Ministry without arousing suspicion."

As he was speaking, he poured himself another glass of wine, "After all, if a foreigner tries to get into the Ministry of Magic, he'll be seen as a spy."

Harry nodded several times after hearing this. "Sir, you have a very insightful view. Please allow me to think about it and find a suitable person."

Liu Tao paused for a moment upon hearing this, then said, "Harry, what I mean is that you should handle this matter personally."

"You are the famous Savior, and many people in China have heard of you. I think the Ministry of Magic would not refuse a social celebrity like you."

Harry waved his hand dismissively and sighed bitterly, "Sir, you don't know this, but Fudge sees me as a thorn in his side, a thorn in his flesh. He just wishes I would die soon so he could sit comfortably in the minister's seat!"

"If I said I wanted to go into the Ministry of Magic, would that fellow agree? He'd think I was trying to seduce his officials, and he'd suspect I was stirring up trouble!"

Liu Tao was even more stunned, and asked strangely, "Has your relationship with the Ministry of Magic in this country deteriorated to this extent?"

Harry added, "No, no. It's not a feud with the Ministry of Magic, it's just with Fudge."

After saying this, he began to recount in detail his grudges with that scoundrel Fudge in recent years.

First, Peter was murdered in the snow, and Dementors were sent to disfigure the minister; then the nobles were slaughtered, and a mound of corpses was erected to intimidate the wicked; finally, even Azkaban was destroyed. Each and every one of these events was truly shocking.

Liu Tao listened for a long time without saying a word, not even noticing that his wine cup had tilted to one side, as if he had been frozen in place by a magic spell.

Even after Harry finished speaking, Liu Tao remained bewildered, as if he were lost in a fog.

He opened his mouth to speak, but then stopped, instead picking up the bottle and pouring a full glass of wine, which he gulped down to calm his nerves.

This child is a complete antisocial personality!

How could someone so young, only in junior high, be so murderous?

He was filled with questions, a jumble of unanswered questions, but he didn't know the whole story. He had only heard Harry talk about it once, but Harry was an outsider, so he couldn't interfere recklessly.

He had no choice but to put that matter aside for the time being and continue to argue with Harry about the mission to send someone to the Ministry of Magic to investigate.

While they were discussing this, Lockhart, who was standing to the side, had already been eavesdropping for a long time, his ears perked up as if waving in the wind.

Seeing that Harry and his companion had run out of options, he forced a smile, approached with a glass of wine, flashing his teeth, and said, "Mr. Liu, I just heard you say that you seem to need an assistant to go to the Ministry of Magic?"

Before Liu Tao could speak, Harry slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed, "Oh dear! We completely forgot about the professor!"

"The professor is a renowned literary master in the world. If he were to go to the Ministry of Magic, how could Fudge dare to be negligent? He would certainly welcome him with open arms!"

Lockhart nodded vigorously, echoing, "That's exactly what I meant!"

When he saw that Haliken was leading him to this earth-shattering event, his heart was burning with anxiety.

He quickly pulled over a chair and sat down next to Liu Tao. He first straightened his clothes and then reached out to shake hands firmly with Liu Tao.

"Please allow me to introduce myself, Gilderoy Lockhart."

Although Liu Tao didn't recognize the man's name, seeing Harry's trust in him, he didn't suspect anything. He simply shook hands with him briefly and said seriously, "Mr. Lockhart, I must remind you that gathering information from the Ministry of Magic is not a one-time task."

"You need to go for at least a week straight."

Lockhart paused for a moment, then broke into a smile and replied, "That's easy to solve. If I tell Fudge I want to publish his autobiography, I dare say he'd even be willing to let me live in the Ministry of Magic!"

Seeing that he had said enough, Liu Tao stopped hesitating, laughed, and patted Lockhart on the shoulder several times.

"Remember to come see me tomorrow, Mr. Lockhart. I'll give you some specific guidance."

It should be noted that Lockhart, having been by Harry's side for some time, is no longer the naive young man he once was. His experiences in the world have honed his courage and broadened his horizons; he is no longer the timid and hesitant man he once was.

Now, even if he were faced with a cage of Cornish little monsters, he would dare to venture in and try to provoke them.

He had previously led a group of students into the Ministry of Magic and ambushed its officials; he was even involved in the monumental case of the loss of hundreds of time-converters.

Right now, it's just about gathering some information; what's the big deal?

Lockhart felt no fear whatsoever; instead, he felt as if a cat was scratching at his guts, his only thought being what kind of thrilling and dangerous things Harry and his companion were about to do.

Thinking this, I felt an itch all over my bones, and I wished I could sprout wings and fly away immediately.

He quickly imitated Harry's usual manner, filling each of them a glass with wine, and then holding his own glass beside them, asking expectantly, "Harry, Mr. Liu, what information do I need to gather from the Ministry of Magic?"

"It's not a big problem," Liu Tao said slowly, taking a sip of his drink. "I just need your help to find out who the Death Eater in the Ministry of Magic is who wants to assassinate Harry."

Lockhart, upon hearing this, suddenly understood and nodded. "So it was for the Death Eaters?!"

He suddenly let out a strange cry and leaped three feet into the air as if he had stepped on hot coals, nearly overturning the entire table.

His previous curiosity had long since vanished, and the itch in his bones had disappeared. Instead, he felt a chill run down his spine, making his joints stiff and unable to move.

Seeing his appearance, Liu Tao became suspicious, but still said gently, "Mr. Lockhart, please don't get so agitated."

"I know you're eager to get to the Ministry of Magic, but you'll need to undergo professional training."

Upon hearing this, Lockhart's face drained of all color.

Professional training is required?! That seems like a bit too dangerous.

His tongue felt dry, and he licked his lips before carefully saying, "Mr. Liu, after thinking about it carefully, it seems that I don't have much time."

"You should know that Professor Karkaroff is missing. Durmstrang's students still need me."

Before he could finish speaking, Harry slapped him on the back, sending him sprawling.

"Professor, don't refuse! I'll go find Professor Dumbledore to find someone more capable to handle Durmstrang's situation."

"This task of gathering intelligence on the Ministry of Magic can only be accomplished by you!"

Seeing Harry's resolute tone, Lockhart dared not hesitate any longer. He had no choice but to grit his teeth, steel his resolve, and nod heavily.

With that nod, he felt as if half his life had already been given up.

He slumped back into his chair with a sigh of relief, head bowed, looking dejected for half the day. Suddenly, he mustered his strength, straightened up, and began to question Harry in detail about the whole affair.

Harry knew he was about to venture into a dangerous place, so he didn't hide anything from him, but instead taught him to first make an unbreakable vow.

Once the runes had seeped into his skin, he explained in detail all of Barty Crouch Jr.'s schemes and intricacies.

Lockhart, upon hearing this, slapped the table and exclaimed how satisfying it was, then downed three or five more cups of strong liquor.

The alcohol hit him hard, and he slumped back in his chair, feeling dizzy. Before long, he was snoring loudly, completely drunk and looking like a lump of mud.

The following day at noon, Lockhart spread out paper and ground ink, wrote a letter, and sent it to Fudge. In the letter, he only mentioned that he wanted to write a biography for the minister, so that his political achievements and merits could be passed down to future generations.

Lockhart's previous works in the Harry Potter series were already famous worldwide, and his writings were known throughout half of the wizarding world.

Fudge was overjoyed to receive this letter, as if he had found a pillow while he was sleepy. He was so happy that he scratched his head and cheeks. He hurriedly took out a piece of parchment a foot long and wrote a reply in a long and flowing style.

His words were smug and self-satisfied, and he added many obsequious thanks at the end.

When the letter arrived, Lockhart glanced at it briefly, saw that the fellow had indeed fallen for the trap, and tossed the letter onto his desk.

He then gritted his teeth, forced his two limp legs to stumble along, searching for Liu Tao's ingenious methods of reconnaissance and assassination.

Thus, Liu Tao trained Lockhart for seven days and seven nights.

Just as Lockhart was packing his bags to head to the Ministry of Magic, Grindelwald, who had been recuperating at St. Mungo's, returned home fully recovered.

Upon hearing the news, Harry exclaimed that it was bad luck. Before leaving, he took some fresh pomelo leaves and patted and wiped Lockhart's body three times before he felt a little at ease.

When he set off, Harry and Liu Tao, who knew about the matter, all wore white clothes and hats to see him off.

Upon reaching the castle, they took their turn. Harry waved his wand, and Fred and George sang along, a melody of alternation.

Harry then sang: "The wind is gentle, the school is warm; the brave warrior departs, and returns!"

It returned to the bright and clear palace sound.

Narohart's eyes were glazed over, his knees trembled, and as the others helped him into the carriage, he kept looking back.

Seeing the two or three horse-drawn carriages disappear into the clouds, the people who had come to see them off dispersed.

Harry and Liu Tao walked back side by side. As they passed through the Forbidden Forest, Harry suddenly turned to the side and asked, "These past few days, I've only seen Mr. Sunshine instruct Lockhart on techniques like spotting and stealth, but he hasn't taught him a single bit of magic. I wonder what the intricacies are?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Tao smiled and replied, "There is no necessary connection between intelligence gathering and magic."

"Besides, Mr. Lockhart doesn't need to go to anyone's office at night to search for things, nor does he need to interrogate anyone."

"All he has to do is observe; he doesn't need any magical means."

Harry was even more puzzled after hearing this. "How can you spot that birdman under Voldemort's nose just by looking?"

"Sir, this approach is truly unheard of."

Liu Tao pondered for a moment, then asked, "Have you ever heard of the law of causality?"

Harry's heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out, "Could it be that thing called the 'Law of Equilibrium'?!"

Seeing that he knew this, Liu Tao's face showed a strange expression. He looked Harry up and down and asked in surprise, "Since you know about the existence of causality, haven't you figured it out yet?"

"9

Without a second thought, Harry immediately cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and said, "Please enlighten me, sir!"

"—You should know the core of the law of cause and effect, right? Every action that causes will produce an effect."

The stronger the cause, the stronger the effect.

Harry nodded and said, "That's exactly right. Every breath we take, every action we make, is connected to cause and effect."

"But there are those cowardly people who see cause and effect as something sinister, wishing they could hide in the deep mountains and forests to avoid it all. They are truly making trouble for themselves and worrying unnecessarily!"

The scarred man's last sentence was almost drunk out. Although Liu Tao didn't know who he was referring to, he didn't delve into it. He simply continued, "As the savior, you yourself are a walking embodiment of cause and effect. Whether you interact with someone directly or indirectly, you will be affected by this cause and effect."

"So now there's someone who's following Voldemort's orders to tamper with the trophy to murder you—"

""

At this point, Liu Tao glanced at Harry and asked, "What do you think he'll do during this time?"

Harry frowned and pondered for a long time, then suddenly his mind cleared, and he said slowly, "It seems I'm going to suffer some great divine retribution."

"That's right, the law of causality will come upon him."

"What we need to do next is simple: just wait quietly."

"Just wait for Mr. Lockhart to record the daily lives of the officials involved in the Triwizard Tournament, and then find out who among them has inexplicably become unusually unlucky."

After Liu Tao finished speaking, Harry felt as if the clouds had parted and the sun had shone through, clapping his hands and praising it as wonderful.

Then, he frowned and said, "I've heard that this divine retribution may not come immediately. What if it drags on for three or five years?"

"So I told Mr. Lockhart that he would be gone for at least a week."

Liu Tao's face showed a hint of smugness as he said lightly, "China has a department that specializes in the study of causality, and I am currently the head of that department."

"I can assure you, Harry, that the fruit will arrive in about two weeks at the latest."

"This is based on my decades of research experience."

Seeing that things had come to this point, Harry was completely convinced, but he still asked curiously, "But I wonder what this divine punishment is like? Is it a lightning tribulation?"

Liu Tao shook his head. "Generally speaking, it will be done in various reasonable and indirect ways."

"Determining whether causality is at play or the victim is simply unlucky has always been a key challenge for our department."

After saying that, he glanced at Harry again, and said thoughtfully, "Of course, lightning tribulations also belong to the law of cause and effect, but they generally don't have a delay. When the 'cause' is born, the 'effect' it represents will also descend."

Harry listened with great interest, thinking to himself: So, Nagini's fire accident was just a consequence of this law of cause and effect.

Thinking of this, he laughed again, "Why is this tribulation so imminent? Can't it even wait a moment?"

Liu Tao suddenly stopped, pondered for a moment, and said, "I have indeed studied this matter, although I haven't reached a conclusion yet, but my opinion is—"

"Only by affecting this world will the law of causality impatiently send down a tribulation of lightning."