Harry Potter: Magic and Guns

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"Dear travelers, please do not linger too long in front of Tianmen Square to avoid overcrowding and stampedes. The information desk is located 150 meters ahead…"

The announcement echoed in Harry's ears. When entering the country, their nationality information had been registered. Now, the voice in his ear spoke in a standard London accent, something that felt extremely familiar. A temporary magical mark, which could dissipate at any moment, allowed the guiding announcements to switch to a language he could understand.

Compared to the Muggle world, the wizarding world certainly had its conveniences. After all, if magic couldn't be used to improve daily life, it would be far too dull.

Having already planned parts of his trip, Harry didn't need to stop at the information desk. Instead, he and his companion followed the crowd out of Tianmen Square. After passing through a towering stone archway adorned with intricate carvings of mystical beasts and cloud patterns, the sight beyond the magical water curtain made them gasp in astonishment.

"Harry, look at the sky!"

Fleur tilted her head back, revealing her slender neck. Her deep blue eyes gleamed with amazement as she pointed upward. High in the distant sky stood an awe-inspiring heavenly gate, clearly visible to the naked eye.

Beyond that gate, an immense celestial palace complex seemed to float among the clouds. Though mist partially obscured the view, it did nothing to diminish the grandiosity of the scene—people couldn't help but look up in awe at its towering presence.

"Impressive, right? That's the Southern Heaven Gate!"

A sudden voice interrupted their moment of wonder. A thin, wiry boy, speaking fluent French, addressed Harry and Fleur.

"This is your first time in the Taishi Celestial Empire, isn't it? Need a perfect guide?"

"Don't be fooled by my age—I've been doing this for years!"

As he spoke, the boy puffed out his chest and revealed a gleaming silver badge pinned to his shirt.

"Officially certified! A thousand times more reliable than those shady tour guides. I guarantee you'll get your money's worth!"

"A guide?"

Just as Fleur's English carried a slight accent, Harry's French had its own peculiarities. But after spending so much time with Fleur, immersed in a language-rich environment, picking up a foreign language wasn't too difficult—especially with one-on-one tutoring.

"You sound like you're from England."

The wiry boy effortlessly switched to a perfect London-accented English. If nothing else, his linguistic talent was impressive—especially considering he wasn't even a wizard.

"But you don't seem like a wizard, do you?"

Though identifying a wizard by sight alone was tricky, if one had the ability to perceive magical energy, it was possible to notice subtle details. The boy before Harry lacked the usual aura of magic that surrounded most wizards. Or rather, it was so faint that Harry wouldn't have noticed unless he paid close attention.

"I get what you mean, sir. But no need to worry—I'm not a practitioner, but I do have 'Qi' in my body. Qi is what you wizards call magic."

The boy flashed a bright, confident smile.

"If I were in your world, I'd be considered a Squib. My spiritual roots aren't strong enough to make me a cultivator, but I'm still different from ordinary people. I can use most enchanted artifacts for daily life—things like flying boats and the Heaven Gate teleportation system."

"Is that so?"

Harry asked with intrigue. The boy's eyes seemed to gleam with a hint of pride, even more so than before.

"Of course! Though flying boats aren't allowed here, why don't you both follow me to the docking area? I can give you a quick demonstration."

It was the first time he'd been seen through so quickly, but in a place like Suiye City's Heaven Gate—where visitors from all over the world gathered—nothing was too surprising. Still, he hadn't exaggerated anything, and he had nothing to fear when it came to proving himself.

"My surname is Zhang—Zhang Shanfeng. How should I address you two?"

Cough, cough! 

Harry choked on his own saliva, his gaze toward the boy growing even more peculiar.

"Are you from Wudang?"

"Ah, no, no, it's Shanfeng, not Sanfeng—'mountain peak,' not Zhang Sanfeng." The boy let out an awkward chuckle and waved his hand. "I mean, I wouldn't mind, but Master Zhang is a towering figure, a legend. How could I compare?"

"But I must say, your Chinese is excellent! I've hosted at least a thousand foreign guests, if not more, but very few speak as well as you do."

"Thanks, but maybe we should stick to French." Harry gestured toward Fleur, whose confused expression made her look adorably lost.

"No problem."

"By the way, I'm Harry, and this is Fleur. Nice to meet you."

Unlike rockets, the primary mode of transportation in Taishi Celestial Empire was the flying boat, which functioned much like a car. The one Zhang Shanfeng drove could seat up to five people. Its exterior was streamlined like a spindle, with a fully transparent panoramic roof and floor, allowing for a 360-degree, unobstructed view of the sky.

After proving his credibility, Harry readily signed an official, notarized employment contract with Zhang Shanfeng. The agreement was valid for two days, during which Shanfeng would serve as their guide, providing sightseeing tours along with explanations of Taishi Celestial Empire's culture and daily life.

"Our first stop is the currency exchange," Zhang Shanfeng explained. "Both England and France use Gringotts' Galleons, but here, it's much more convenient to convert them into Jinyuan (gold yuan), Yinyuan (silver yuan), and Tongjiao (copper jiao). Our currency system is much easier to calculate—decimal-based, very practical."

"I heard the goblins at Gringotts didn't originally set those ridiculous exchange rates because of 'tradition'—they just wanted to confuse people so they could manipulate the numbers when doing business. But that's just a rumor, so don't take my word for it."

Zhang Shanfeng was well-versed in all sorts of quirky trivia. Within minutes, their flying boat had arrived at Wenchang Palace, the official bank of Taishi Celestial Empire.

Unlike the opulent grandeur of Gringotts, Wenchang Palace wasn't blindingly gold and extravagant, yet its refined decorations exuded a quiet, understated luxury. At first glance, it seemed unremarkable, but upon closer inspection, its elegance carried a depth far beyond the flashy ostentation of gilded surfaces.

Wenchang Palace only supported Galleon exchanges—Sickles and Knuts weren't accepted. Currently, the exchange rate stood at 4.257 Galleons to 1 Jinyuan. A Jinyuan coin was about the size of a 5.8mm rifle cartridge, nearly twice as large as a 9mm Galleon, which was closer to a handgun round. However, physical currency wasn't a necessity here; a universal savings gold card could handle all transactions.

Bound by fingerprint and magical imprint, the card completely eliminated fraud, supported MagicNet shopping, and guaranteed nationwide delivery within four hours—an incredibly convenient system.

"England is such a backward place!" Harry muttered bitterly. "They don't even have online shopping!"

MagicNet had been fully implemented in Taishi Celestial Empire four years ago, with nationwide connectivity long since established. Online shopping had been widespread for two years already, yet England? Not even a single strand of MagicNet infrastructure.

"4.257 to 1, correct?"

"Yes, sir," the smiling customer service representative replied. "How much would you like to exchange?"

"Hmm… let's see. I've got about three million in cash here. Just convert it all."

Harry pulled out a pouch—inside was a mountain of gold, untouched by any bloodshed. All generously donated… by that kind-hearted goblin, Chadrow.

(End of Chapter)