The Fourth Rome

Meeting an old friend, especially one with whom you've shared hardships, evokes immense excitement.

You should know that year, William and Hermione went to the International Confederation of Wizards and encountered the Goblet of Fire being lost and the White Dragon incident.

It was thanks to Trene's help that they were able to turn the tide in Venice.

The only question is, why did she come to United States and still work for Babbling?

In fact, William understood the moment he saw Trene.

It must have been Babbling bypassed her and found her alone.

The year the Triwizard Tournament was held, Babbling specifically approached William, wanting to recruit Trene.

William, however, rejected her.

Trene was certainly good at this kind of thing. She was adopted by Martell as a child and trained specifically to assassinate wizards.

There's definitely no problem with his ability.

But the more this was the case, the less William wanted her to get involved in these matters.

Trene preferred sailing the seas in a gondola to killing people.

Seeing William's complicated expression, Trene smiled gently:

"At that time, Babbling approached me and asked if I would like to come to United States, as she needed someone to help her."

I found it interesting, so I agreed. Don't blame her.

Trene flicked a strand of hair behind her ear.

The "funny" part is obviously a lie; otherwise, she wouldn't have defected from Martell back then.

She only came here because Babbling told her it could help William.

But some things don't need to be said, and shouldn't be said.

She deliberately changed the subject, stood next to William, gestured to indicate their heights, and laughed:

"William, you've grown quite a bit taller. I remember you were a head taller than me back then."

Trene's height was absolutely towering among the witches.

With her incredibly long legs, she wouldn't be an exaggeration to call herself a "leg goddess".

However, two years ago, William was only fifteen years old and had not yet fully developed, so it was normal for him to be much shorter than Trene.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Hermione asked the most crucial question, "How do we get into the United States Congress. Capitol?"

"I have a plan, don't worry." Trene winked at her playfully.

The majestic and imposing United States. Capitol is located at the eastern end of the National Mall in Washington., on a towering hill.

Back then, Washington architect Pierre Longfon called this place "the base of a monument."

The Capitol Building occupies more than 16 acres and contains 541 magnificent rooms.

The entire building is a three-story flat-roofed structure, with a tall, three-story dome in the center.

There is also a Xiao Yuan tower on the dome, and atop the tower stands a bronze statue of Liberty.

She wears a feathered crown, holds a torch in her right hand, and rests her left hand on a scripture, forever gazing towards the place where the sun rises in the east.

Standing outside the Lincoln Memorial, gazing at the magnificent building, William felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity.

Of course it looks familiar, because the design of the United States Congress Building is modeled after the Pantheon in Rome.

When he went to Venice that year, he traveled with Hermione and also spent several unforgettable nights in Rome, so he was no stranger to the Pantheon.

It's one thing if one building is similar, but if William continues to tour Washington, he'll see many more familiar things.

It's very simple; many of the buildings in this city are copies of those in other countries.

For example, the city of Washington, D. C., while its vertical, horizontal, and diagonal axes evoke images of democratic republicanism such as the "separation of powers," a brief comparison with the floor plan of the Palace of Versailles reveals a stark contrast:

They're so strangely similar.

This is quite normal, after all, the designer L'Enfant, is France.

It's not hard to imagine that the ideal new city in his mind was an enlarged version of Palace of Versailles.

The Lincoln Memorial is a blatant knock-off of the ancient Greece Parthenon.

There's also the Washington Monument, modeled after Egypt obelisk.

Even the name of the capital city, "Washington," was originally intended to be "Rome" by the Founding Fathers of the United States.

They even went so far as to rename a small, dilapidated canal leading to the Capitol as the "Tiber River."

Who are you insulting?!

The buildings in Washington are also decorated with statues of legendary gods and goddesses— Zeus, Apollo, Minerva, Venus, the sun god, the god of fire, and Jupiter.

However, the appearances of these gods are all those of the Founding Fathers of the United States.

Therefore, there are reasons why the United States and Russia are not on the same page.

Russia has always considered itself the successor to Byzantium — the Third Rome.

The United States also has the concept of a modern-day Rome.

The founding fathers of the nation even wished they could replicate the capital city exactly like the Rome architecture.

It's practically an open declaration to everyone: I, the successor of Rome, submit!

Isn't this a battle for the fate of the nation?

However, this argument is truly laughable, after all, the true Rome legitimacy lies in... Zhangjiakou.

Even if Jing Luo is furious, it won't do any good.

The three men could still get close to the Lincoln Memorial, but from there, looking towards the Capitol, they could see rows of tanks parked at the entrance.

To enter the Capitol, you usually need to go through the underground visitor center.

Yes, tourists can visit government buildings like the Capitol and the White House.

Part of the area is open to the public.

However, the area had been placed under martial law by the Muggle army, and anyone who tried to approach would be run over by tanks as a warning.

There are definitely many Scourers inside the building; these wizards have sealed the entrance and cast Anti-Apparition Charm.

While forcing your way in might get you in, it would also compromise your privacy.

Tom probably couldn't be happier that the Magical Congress of the United States of America would send Auror to force their way in.

Other methods are needed.

William and Hermione both looked at Trene.

She's been here for several years and knows the geography better than either of them.

Trene knew the secret passage after all, she laughed:

"We can enter from the Library of Congress; there's a connecting corridor between the two buildings."

The United States Library of Congress, as its name suggests, primarily serves Congress and is located directly east of the Capitol, not far from Capitol Hill.

These appear to be two separate buildings, but few people actually know that they are connected.

This passageway, located beneath Independence Avenue, secretly connects the two building complexes.

However, because it is so well hidden, it seems that neither SSR nor the Scourers know about this place.

At least there was no army surrounding it.

Led by Trene, the three of them quietly Apparition towards the entrance of the Library of Congress.

The entrance was a bronze door, which was now closed.

But for a wizard, it's very easy to open.

After the three entered the building, even in the dim light of the night, the library lobby still shone brightly, displaying the classical and magnificent style of a European palace.

The ceiling, reaching seventy-five feet high, features stained-glass skylights that contrast beautifully with the aluminum foil-covered beams.

In those days, this was practically a nouveau riche decoration.

However, one thing is certain: the United States Library of Congress, as the world's largest library... without a doubt.

It truly lives up to its reputation.