Our Plan Is to Have No Plan

Looking into Dumbledore's deep eyes, Xiwen felt a lot of pressure.

"Why are you suddenly asking this?" Xiwen forced a smile and asked in a low voice.

"Because I have a very important plan that may require your help," Dumbledore said seriously, looking at Xiwen.

Before Xiwen could respond, Dumbledore continued, "In fact, I went to see the Grey Lady specifically, and she believes you can be trusted."

"Of course Helena trusts me," Xiwen said with a slight smile.

"No, I meant Rowena the Grey Lady when I said the Grey Lady," Dumbledore shook his head and said to Xiwen. "I secretly went to the Room of Requirement once, and I must say, the Grey Lady's methods are truly eye-opening!"

"Did the Grey Lady tell you my true origins?" Xiwen frowned slightly. He didn't know what Ravenclaw had told Dumbledore, or whether it would affect Young Wizard Xiwen still in school.

"I never imagined you came from another universe, Doctor Strange," Dumbledore nodded and said. "In that case, everything else is easily explained—different magical systems, different soul states, and different concepts."

"I suppose you taught that young Rosier Family wizard, Xiwen, all those novel spells he learned?" Dumbledore asked.

Hearing this, Xiwen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At least Dumbledore hadn't learned the true relationship between Ghost Xiwen and the Young Wizard Xiwen; otherwise, he really wouldn't know how to face this Transformation professor as the Young Wizard Xiwen...

"I taught him," Ghost Xiwen nodded, his expression unchanged. "Xiwen helped me a lot when I was imprisoned in the dungeon."

"I understand." Dumbledore nodded slightly, unconsciously fiddling with the silver rhombus pendant on his wrist, seemingly deep in thought.

Looking at the Blood Pact radiating a faint red glow in his hand, Xiwen finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "Professor Dumbledore, what do you need my help with?"

Dumbledore then spoke again, asking, "Have you heard of Grindelwald, Doctor Strange?"

Xiwen nodded, but his mind was on the scene when he met Grindelwald at the Palais Garnier in Paris, and on the tone and attitude of Dumbledore when he went to meet Grindelwald, as seen in Lemaître's book of phoenix reliefs.

"To be honest, I met with Grindelwald a few days ago. I hoped he would back down, but the result wasn't good," Dumbledore said in a deep voice. "He's determined to start a war against the Muggle world. But such a war will obviously bring heavy disaster to both the Wizarding World and the Muggle World!"

"So, is there anything I need to do?" Xiwen took a deep breath and asked softly.

"I've heard you possess a spell that can create a Mirror Dimension..."

After leaving Dumbledore's office, Ghost Xiwen drifted somewhat aimlessly toward the Room of Requirement on the Seventh Floor.

Opposite the Troll-Clubbed Barnabas Tapestry, a smooth door has appeared on the wall.

Xiwen passed through the door and entered an elegant room filled with blue and bronze tones.

The pure white marble statue of Ravenclaw still sits on that mysterious and elegant tall bronze chair, its face beautiful yet somewhat stern.

"I knew you would come looking for me, so I opened the door beforehand," said the Grey Lady. "I guess you want to know why I told Dumbledore your secret."

Xiwen nodded slightly. He was indeed curious as to why Ravenclaw would tell another person this secret, which was known only to them, their daughter, and Xiwen.

"First, I'd like to ask you, what kind of person do you think Dumbledore is?" Ravenclaw asked Xiwen with a smile.

After a moment's thought, Xiwen unconsciously recalled Dumbledore's ease and comfort when facing enemies, his effortless teaching, his imposing presence when chanting spells, and his masterful arrangement of his and Newt's whereabouts, which easily thwarted Grindelwald's scheme.

"Knowledgeable, powerful magic, highly skilled, and adept at planning..." Xiwen commented aptly.

Ravenclaw nodded and looked at Xiwen, saying, "Since you speak so highly of him, have you considered that, given his intelligence, he might inevitably become suspicious of your true identity?"

Xiwen was stunned. He had actually worried about this issue before, but he had always subconsciously avoided it, which gradually made it fade from his memory.

"So instead of letting him suspect your identity and purpose, it's better to tell him part of your identity directly. This way, you can dispel his suspicions and hide your deeper secrets." The Grey Lady's words were incisive and hit the nail on the head, analyzing Xiwen's current situation thoroughly.

Xiwen then suddenly realized her good intentions.

Nevertheless, one question remained unanswered for Xiwen, which was also his biggest motivation for seeking out the Grey Lady.

"Do you really think Dumbledore can thwart Grindelwald's plan?" Xiwen asked.

Xiwen still clearly remembered what Dumbledore had said to him—

"Grindelwald has the ability to foresee fragments of the future, and he could potentially detect any of our plans. Therefore, our plan is to have no plan!" Dumbledore said. "What I need from you is to trust me unconditionally, even if what I ask you to do goes against your intuition or your will!"

Thinking about this Xiwen felt somewhat lost. If all plans were to be abandoned simply because Grindelwald possessed the ability to foresee fragments of the future, wouldn't such an action be nothing more than a matter of who had better luck, relying purely on chance?

So Xiwen didn't hesitate to ask his question.

At that time, Dumbledore gave this ambiguous reply, "That's why I need you to join us, Doctor Strange!"

Could it be that Dumbledore already had a plan in mind, but couldn't tell his allies directly because of Grindelwald's Prophecy abilities? Xiwen could only hope that was the reason.

As Xiwen's expression shifted between light and shadow, the Grey Lady spoke up, "Do you think Dumbledore is a man who speaks without reason?"

Xiwen paused for a moment, then shook his head.

"Then you might as well choose to believe him, if you don't think you're wiser than him," The Grey Lady said with a smile. "What a pity he was assigned to Godric's House!"