History and Reality

A furry thing brushed past Zheng Qing's nose. With a huge sneeze, Zheng Qing rubbed his drowsy eyes and pulled a small, furry creature into his arms, then manhandled it a few times.

Accompanied by a squeaking sound like suppressed laughter, Zheng Qing let out a heavy sigh.

He casually grabbed his phone. The time displayed was August 29th. It had been over a month since that dreamlike experience, and in two days, he would officially depart for First University.

It felt like a dream.

Zheng Qing couldn't help but take out his admission letter again and read it carefully.

A wet tongue tirelessly licked his cheek.

Zheng Qing turned his face. A pair of bright, sparkling eyes stared at him without blinking. Its small pink nose twitched, its large ears flicked, and its pure white tail swished back and forth. It was incredibly cute.

It was Poseidon, the little fox.

"Go play with Fei Rui, don't keep licking me," he mumbled, getting up. He cradled the little creature and walked towards the balcony.

Since that fat hamster had been staying with him for so long, it was only right that it help look after the little one. Zheng Qing mischievously tossed the little fox next to Fei Rui's nest.

In less than two months, Poseidon had grown from the size of a fist to the size of two fists, and the light blue markings on its body were becoming increasingly distinct. Just like its mischievous mother, the little one was very lively. Waking up with a sneeze every day had become a new habit for Zheng Qing.

He casually wiped his face, did a few rounds of boxing on the balcony, drank a warm cup of soy milk, and after breakfast, Zheng Qing hurried back to his room to read.

That's right, reading.

If Mr. Wu had led him into a mysterious world, then the reading list for First University had peeled away a layer of that mysterious world, allowing Zheng Qing to see a broader history and reality.

In the past, he always thought his future lay in high mountains and dense forests, only as vast as the Huizi Market.

But in just one month, his world had become boundless.

He opened the bookmark in "Great History: Modern and Contemporary World History" and turned to where he had last stopped reading, engrossed in his reading:

"...In the early 20th century of the muggle Calendar, there were still disputes in the wizarding world about whether wizards should appear on a large scale..."

Thomas had visited again a few days prior, bringing Zheng Qing a copy of the "Encyclopedia of the Wizarding World" borrowed from the library. It was the version published by the Wizard Alliance Education Committee Quality Education Office that he had mentioned before. Since Zheng Qing was not yet officially enrolled, Thomas himself was the borrower.

After repeatedly warning Zheng Qing to take good care of the book, the busy interviewer left in a hurry.

After this period of intensive study, Zheng Qing could now understand many unfamiliar terms.

Like "muggle."

In the wizarding world, muggle specifically referred to humans other than wizards; in other words, the muggle world was the world of ordinary people.

"...Stubborn Wizards (Isolationists) believed that wizards were noble by birth and that mortals were untouchable, strongly resisting any form of contact... Conservative Wizards (Limited Contactists) believed that wizards should remain mysterious and low-key, reducing contact with mortals to avoid uncontrollable events... Radical Wizards (Active Contactists), on the other hand, believed that wizards were friends of humanity and had the responsibility and obligation to help human society develop and progress better. They believed that segregation policies were discriminatory..."

"...The series of vicious incidents caused this debate to reach a fever pitch... On the mortal land of Europe, several kings were controlled by dark creatures, causing huge casualties among the muggle... In Vienna, an evil soul wizard, by spreading hatred on a large scale, triggered one of the most insane instances of self-destruction among the muggle... Meanwhile, in the Greater China region, Fusang samurai families appeared wantonly, while Middle-earth's Three Religions and Nine Streams turned a blind eye due to their stubborn stance..."

"...Given that the muggle world is the foundation of the wizarding world, after several debates and referencing regulations such as the 'Blood Clan Seclusion Treaty,' on July 21, 1945, the Wizard Alliance Grand Wizard Council unanimously passed the 'Wizard Conduct Management Measures' at its 1536th meeting, imposing strict restrictions on the secular lives of wizards... At the same time, capable wizards were dispatched deep into the muggle world, bringing nuclear power, which, from another perspective, prevented the recurrence of tragedies..."

Zheng Qing took out a notebook, turned to the last page where he made notes, started a new line, put an asterisk, and jotted down: July 21, 1945 - Wizard Alliance Grand Wizard Council - 1536th Meeting - "Wizard Conduct Management Measures."

The most famous achievement of China's education system is exam-oriented education. Having been educated in this environment for nearly twenty years, Zheng Qing was skilled at quickly grasping knowledge points.

He knew his foundation was weak and his grasp of knowledge points was poor.

So, he raced against time, trying his best to enrich his understanding of the wizarding world.

Soon, the entire noon passed.

After lunch, his dad pulled Zheng Qing into his room and handed him a bus ticket to Chang'an, saying, "You don't spend much of the family's money in university, and the school even provides your plane ticket. So, we want you to have a comfortable journey from home. You must study hard when you get to school and not waste such a good opportunity."

Glancing at the white hairs at the temples of his father's temples, Zheng Qing blinked and gave a very forceful "Mm."

"Your school is strange, it only has one special flight, and it doesn't accept parents picking students up," his mother said, entering the room at some point, complaining with a smile. "Are you sure you don't need any money? Please take some from home."

"No need, the school is a closed system, and there's nowhere to spend it even if I bring it," Zheng Qing thought of the astonishing exchange rate between wizarding currency and RMB, feeling melancholic. In the past few days, he had sorted through the spell scrolls in the box under his bed. The intact ones numbered less than thirty. Based on the prices he had inquired about at the Four Seasons Market, he estimated he couldn't even exchange them for one Jade Coin.

Perhaps he could try to work part-time to earn living expenses.

Thinking this, a sense of eager anticipation welled up in his heart.

"Take some anyway," his father finally decided, handing him a bank card. "There's a few thousand yuan in here, consider it pocket money. The password is your birthday."

"Mm," Zheng Qing no longer refused, lowering his head and acknowledging.

"Hurry up, go say goodbye to your classmates when you have time."

"Don't forget Mr. Wu!" Professor Zheng called out from the study, reminding him.

"Got it!" Zheng Qing nodded vigorously. "I'll go check out Sanyou Bookstore. I wonder if Mr. Wu is back today."

On the day he received his admission letter from First University, Zheng Qing had gone to Sanyou Bookstore to find Mr. Wu. However, the bookstore was closed, and there was a sign on the windowsill that read, "The owner is out on business, the store is temporarily closed."

This kind of thing had happened frequently over the past decade. Every autumn and winter, Mr. Wu would go out for a period with that yellow-striped cat. The duration ranged from ten-odd days to several months. Zheng Qing still remembered that when he was fifteen, Mr. Wu left before the Mid-Autumn Festival and didn't return until the Spring Equinox the following year.

According to Mr. Wu, he was going to save the world.

Whenever Zheng Qing heard this, while he didn't scoff, he would keep his eyes on his nose and his mind focused, remaining silent.