"Tell me, Raven, what do you know of China?" General White prompted. Raven hesitated, recalling the knowledge he had read from intelligence reports. It had been far from his mind, admittedly.
"That we had a schism with them in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Nuclear power, the most populated country on Earth. Recovering from the Cultural Revolution. Magical population is scattered and had been heavily persecuted and nearly wiped out, most are in Taiwan. Enclaves in Tibet are the most notable hotspots, though the Chinese have a similar program to us training up magicals on a larger scale owing to their population advantage." The General remained stoic until the last sentence, at which his eyebrows quirked up slightly.
"You're unusually well informed. Yes, you are aware of the upcoming meeting?"
"Between Deng and Gorbachev, yes."
"You'll be accompanying me to visit the magical section. The Chinese are extremely interested in flaunting their progress. It should prove...informative. Ever since they one upped our dente, the magical section has embraced internationalisation," General White explained. Raven merely nodded his acquiescence. "While there...try and avoid any confrontation unless necessary."
"Of course sir," Raven promised.
"Good, we're scheduled to leave right after you complete your final ritual. I'll accompany you, I do want to witness it myself. Eighty one cores' worth, you sure ask much of me."
"I would like to think that my mission records have more than made up for it."
"That they have, Raven. That they have," the General chuckled, He patted Raven on the shoulder, squeezing lightly before diverting towards the observation room. Raven entered the surgical room to see that they had assembled eighty one virgins and eighty one infants in groups of three, and couldn't help a shiver of excitement.
He entered the surgical table at the centre of a large ritual circle and allowed himself to be strapped in, closing his eyes. The guardians around the room began chanting, and the runes activated, drawing blood curdling screams from the women as he felt their power drawn into him. HIs body reacted, reconstructing itself with greater and greater density of magic to accommodate, though he did not react to the pain.
A doctor cautiously pierced his arm with a needle before leaving the ritual circle and activating the switch to pump harvested magic, or as he now knew, dissolved and charged energy, into him. His body's aura flared up, much stronger than the prior two times, and he did his best to rein it in, though was only partially successful. It was not unlike taming an agitated beast, a slow and methodical process that only had gradual results.
The magical permeation in the room eased, allowing the doctors scurrying about to move with greater ease. He felt the energy coursing through his blood, and when the flow finally stopped and the humming of the runes ceased. He stood up, to find that he had filled out nicely, appearing like a young adult in muscle and build.
Stretching out with his senses, he smiled upon feeling slight electricity to his steps. Ignoring the withered corpses on the floor nor the awed look on the scientists, he donned his uniform, to the disappointment of more than several individuals, and shook each of the scientists' hands before leaving. General White was already outside waiting with a pleased look on his face. "Excellent. If I didn't know better, I would say you're sixteen."
"For a muggle perhaps. For magicals, apparently early growth sprouts do happen on occasion to even more ridiculous degrees," Raven admitted amusedly as they walked towards the airfield.
-Break-
Raven descended the plane first, giving a visual inspection of the surroundings before nodding for General Black to follow. Walking out to a cheering crowd waving Chinese and Soviet flags, he offered a wave for the cameras before descending, followed by six guardians.
At the bottom, the Chinese minister of magic and his entourage awaited them, shaking the General's hands and offering introductions before they were ushered into cars. He took the front seat of the car the General rode, a boxy car with a flat hood and trunk.
Beside him, an attractive female wearing a mao style suit sat at the wheel, immediately stepping on the gas and following. Recalling his Chinese, he greeted, "Good morning. May I have the honour of knowing your name?"
She turned and quirked a surprised eyebrow, before replying in flawless Russian, "Lin Mei Rou, but call me Jade."
"You speak Russian?" he asked, impressed. She nodded, shooting him a wry smile.
"So I do. You speak Chinese?" she returned.
"I do. A pleasure to meet you. Care to enlighten me on the security details?"
"Take a guess, I will fill the gaps," she challenged with a grin. He gave a dramatic sigh.
"Only for you, beautiful," he smirked at the slight blush that crept up her neck, even if her face remained a careful visage of friendly neutrality. "Armoured convoy with six aurors up ahead and six at the rear. Plain clothed aurors in most of the crowds we'll see, which were pre-selected anyways. Six aurors on brooms charmed to be invisible flying above us at all times. That in addition to boosted local security at the various attractions we will visit."
"Mostly correct," she admitted abashed. "Cars contain emergency portkeys that can be activated here or in the passenger compartment. Bulletproof and spell resistant armour plating and wheels. But apart from that, you know a surprising amount of detail."
"Impressive," Raven mused, "I presume the button underneath your ring finger?"
"You're entirely too observant for your own good," she shook her head amusedly as the car rolled to a stop. The two stepped out, opening the door on the respective sides and helping their leader out. Taking a good look at the surroundings, he was surprised to see that there were concrete towers that stretched up for over ten stories on both sides, with bustling neon signs pointing down towards the hundreds of stores that lined the street level.
As the two leaders conversed, moving forward, the Chinese aurors fanned out, clearing a path ahead for them, while the guardians remained close to the two leaders. He didn't need to look backwards to know that the Chinese had also ensured the bubble extended backwards, preventing anyone from getting too close. The two chiefs of security drifted together, and smiled brilliantly, gesturing towards the town, "Welcome to Xi'an's magical district. A major ley line passes through here, charging the air with mystical energies. It is also here that the tomb of the ancient dragon emperor is located. While the muggles have discovered part of the tomb by accident, we have ensured the most prized possessions remain securely preserved and in magical hands."
"And you build a shopping district here. It seems even China isn't immune to capitalism," he joked. Seeing her confused frown, he waved it off. "A joke on how both our societies seem to lean ever more capitalist."
"Ah," she nodded. "You are against it?"
"Capitalism is a necessary evil to develop the foundations for a communist society. Frankly, agrarian Russia in 1918 and China in 1949 were perhaps the worst places for Communism to take hold in my opinion," Raven mused. She nodded thoughtfully.
"I see...I personally believe that capitalism when utilised carefully and with the end goal of communism is justifiable. That is the line most under our leader have taken,"
"Fascinating...your society rises while ours stagnates. Perhaps time will tell," Raven sighed. Jade looked at him strangely.
"You would criticise your country?"
"Self-criticism is necessary for improvement, for evolution. Brezhnev might have called it the golden era of socialism, but it was a period of stagnation. Our machinery, our people, our spirit is all worn down over time, and for what? For all my critiques of Gorbachev, at least he recognises there is an imminent problem. Much like your leader, Deng," Raven explained. Jade hummed thoughtfully, before shyly proffering.
"I suppose there are aspects of Gorbachev that deserve to be replicated in China. Though I would like to believe our magical society is more...liberal than the country at large. Economic development has certainly made us bloom. Up ahead is the Dachang, the jewel of our community.
"Oh?" he queried, but Jade just smiled mysteriously, grabbing his hand and leading him along. He didn't protest the motion, merely squeezed it gently to affirm his assent. As they turned the corner, Raven was shocked to see thousands of fairies dancing above the street, providing illumination underneath the canopy that covered the entire section of street. It took much of Raven's willpower to not gape at the buildings that shot up, as though trying to climb over each other to reach the sky. Thirty...forty...the tallest must have been fifty stories tall, and lathered in large translucent panels of glass that reflected the light of the fairies.
"Impressive," he acknowledged, causing her to pout. Above them, several carriages were pulled by a magical creature he could not quite put his finger on.
"You're the first one I've met who's not had their jaws drop," she sighed. "Beautiful, isn't it?"
"I'm...surprised that it isn't more traditional," Raven admitted, causing Jade to scowl slightly. "My apologies if I misspoke-"
"No," she quickly assured, "it's...a bitter part of our history. When the traitors fled for Taiwan, they plundered most of the artifacts they could. Entire buildings were torn down to be moved to form a new capital there. We build up from the ground, from the dirt. There are, of course, remnants of ancient buildings restored, for the Cultural Revolution did not take as much a toll on magicals, but only the West side of Xi'an, Anyang, Luoyang and Hangzhou remain. For the rest of China's cities, they were reborn from the ashes. Nanjing, for example."
"That's...fascinating, and reminds me too much of our own Union. You know of Grindlewald's campaign?"
"Briefly, I would appreciate any additional supplement you could offer."
"Keep in mind I am biased in favour of the Union, but essentially many of the magicals fled with the Whites. Only the poorest and least able supported the Reds, and we fought hard to earn our place in the Revolution. At one point, our numbers dipped to a thousand. But from the ground up, we rebuilt everything, piece by piece, and we trained for war. War, of course, came, when in 1941 Grindlewald had the Germans invade. Many of their units were led by those who had fled the revolution and abandoned us, plundering our countries' wealth with them in turn. But we made them bleed, made them pay, for we had trained in war while they had remained mediocre, content on their laurels. We paid in blood, but we succeeded, and drove them out. A few enclaves remain well hidden even within Russia, and even more so in Eastern Europe in countries such as Romania even to this day, yet we won."
"That sounds...horrible," Jade proffered weakly. Raven merely nodded, as they lingered slightly behind the main entourage. Surveying the area. Tugging his hand, she led him towards a food stall, pulled out several notes, and ordered, "Two fried cockroaches,"
The street vendor happily grabbed the money and handed her two skewers, to which she passed him one, carefully observing his reaction. Raven shrugged, bit into it, and mused, "Tastes similar to chicken."
Jade pouted once again, biting into her own skewer and the two finished eating before she sighed. "You're no fun. Most foreigners are disgusted."
"When you had nothing, you learn to appreciate everything."
"Camps as well," she asked sympathetically, causing his eyebrows to raise. "I was sent to laogai because my parents were middle class and refused to comply. I had to denounce them before being sent to the mountains in Tibet to carve out new roads on the mountain."
"You're oddly accepting of it," he observed, causing her to hum in agreement.
"No point dwelling on the past, only to learn from it."
"I suppose it's only fair that I share. Kolyma for me, we dug for gold with our bare hands in the snow some days, laid down rail tracks on other days. If you missed the train that took you for the works...you ate what you could, and even what you couldn't."
"I like you," she decided thoughtfully as they regained ground to meet up with the rear of the entourage, now packing inside a noodle store. The two merely stood outside. "You understand."
"Likewise," he admitted, offering a rare smile. "You're quite young for the role."
"Twenty six, I could say the same for you."
"Ten, actually," he supplied, causing her to do a double take. "I'm not joking, Soviets do like us young."
"That's...very surprising. I thought you at least eighteen. You seem to have the General's trust. I've heard he doesn't trust easily."
"I saved the man several times, I think he appreciated it," Raven responded dryly, eliciting a chuckle from Jade. "Though I'm curious, what did the file say about General White?"
"Collected, well mannered, advanced occlumencer, de facto leader of magicals in the Soviet Union. Operates outside of a fortress somewhere in Northern Russia. Favours visits to the United Kingdom, for some reason," she smirked, "not much else. The General is a very private person."
"I would know, my job is to protect all aspects of his life," Raven shrugged. "That you are aware of the fortress' existence is impressive."
"Thank you," she beamed before quickly assuming a neutral face as the two leaders stood up from their tables, walking out towards the street once again. They followed, this time assuming the flanks of the two leaders, until they arrived at a private portkey hall, where they were handed keys and disappeared in a pop.
"Welcome to the Emperor's tomb," the Chinese minister offered as a tour guide approached and bowed before ushering them forward.
"The first true Chinese Emperor was Qin Shi Huang Di. He was famed for his pursuit of immortality. What wasn't known was that he succeeded, at least partially. While he could not completely stop death, he could slow down his aging to an incredible degree. After retreating from the muggle side to focus on organising magical China, which he saw as the bedrock of turning China into a future superpower to fulfill his ambitions of expanding South, West and North, he lived until the age of three hundred and fifty, at which point he finally passed away and was sealed in this tomb.
To this day, not all the tombs' secrets have been discovered, as despite the attempt of curse breakers, many sections still remain too dangerous to safely explore. But more famous are the terracotta soldiers." They stopped in front of a large display containing several perfectly preserved terracotta warriors. "These warriors are believed to be charmed to awake should the Emperor ever rise again to serve as his guardians. Each soldier is a real soldier who sacrificed their life in a ritual of vasilage, turning them into perfectly preserved statues. It is rumoured the Emperor left instructions for his resurrection, but such knowledge has not been found and has been dismissed as most likely hearsay."
They continued down further, until they arrived at a glass footbridge that provided them an aerial view of one of the caverns, which contained thousands of terracotta statues, most infantry holding spears, but several riding on horseback. He could almost feel the magic emanating from them.
"There are at least twenty seven different tombs, with more yet undiscovered. Within known tombs, there are at least Twenty Eight thousand within the known chamber. Many attempts have been made to awaken one of these warriors, but to little success. It is found that if sufficiently damaged, that the shell no longer is stable enough to house the soul and it dissipates. After several failures, it was decided that this would not be pursued further in absence of a major advancement or breakthrough."
The tour continued, with the two staying several steps back necessarily due to the relatively narrow corridors. Jade spent this time whispering titbits of knowledge about ancient Chinese magics, while he returned with knowledge on Chinese runes.
They were just in a debate over the evolution of Chinese characters when the tour finished, and they took another portkey, this time arriving in the mountains, where the air was thinner.
Clearly uncomfortable, General White took several gulps of air, before nodding that he was ready to proceed. Most others were not as affected, though even Jade staggered slightly, latching onto Raven for support. When he showed no indication of such, she gave him an incredulous look, to which he merely shrugged.
As they entered the steps of a temple, the Chinese minister explained, "Here are one of the few sects that remained loyal and steadfast, and thus they were rewarded with large autonomy. The ancient monks here practice battle magic, and are extremely powerful in wandless arts. They believe the use of conduits is destructive to the soul, and thus refrain.
Two monks appeared from the temple and bowed to them, which the entourage all returned. At Raven's questioning look, Jade explained, "We offer them respect, and they do the same."
"Should I be concerned you're trying to seduce the good General's chief of security, grand niece?" the minister asked humorously to his guard. General White looked impassive, without an interpreter unable to understand, though Jade did blush slightly.
"Who seduces who is a matter of debate, though Jade here would be a lovely catch," Raven responded, causing the minister to chuckle.
"You speak Chinese?" he prodded curiously, while Jade shot him a grateful look.
"I know the basics," Raven nodded. "Though perhaps we should not leave out the good general much longer."
"Of course, of course," the minister agreed, turning back to converse with White, who if anything looked amused at the byplay, giving Raven a knowing look. As the two men walked further ahead, Jade nudged Raven on the side.
"Grand niece?" Raven quirked an eyebrow, causing her to nod. "I don't suppose this is the guanxi I've heard so much about?"
"You're very, very well read," Jade purred curiously, pouting when he didn't provide any additional information. "No, grand uncle is annoyingly one of the few who refuses to play this game. It's gotten him a lot of resentment, but the results can't be denied. He pulled our family name out of the mud."
"Impressive, very large shoes for you to fill," Raven pondered. She nodded mutely. "I admit, I am surprised a woman was allowed into your position."
She frowned, but sensing only curiosity, answered, "When your society is on the brink, everyone must work. Such a culture remains even today. We did not have the luxury of discrimination. In many ways, we could be considered the meritocracy the muggle side tried to build up."
"If I am permitted to ask, how has the...muggle side not spilled over?"
"Do not worry, between comrades, there will be no offense, and I will tell you what I cannot answer," she assured. "Well, our contributions towards the First Five Year plan and loyalty during the Hundred Flowers campaign earned Mao our trust. It was our intervention during the Great Leap Forward that prevented the complete collapse of the party and the country, and for that we earned his gratitude for many years. It was us who preserved his life beyond what it should have been in his later years."
"And I presume you intervened with the following power struggle?"
"You would presume correctly, unofficially at least. Deng was our point of contact for much of Mao's tenure, and thus we had a friendly relationship. He had high respect for magical society, being a squib himself. He did not forget our kindness, which protected him when he was purged and eased him back into power. He has provided us autonomy ever since, even subsidised many of our projects."
"I suppose it's only fair you get to ask a question now, I've been a very ungracious guest already," he mused. She chuckled, waving it off.
"Nonsense, it is good to see a curious outsider, though I won't deny I have questions of my own. You will let me know if I ask the wrong ones?"
"No offense between comrades," he echoed, causing her to nod gratefully and emboldened. They took their seats at the steps of the inner sanctum, watching the monks conduct several demonstration drills showcasing their ability to control their bodies, balancing on a single fingertip and performing aerial acrobatics that defied most imaginations.
"What is the Union like?"
"Drab. There are only a few magical cities. Most births are from a breeding program within the security apparatus under General White. The iron curtain is as much to keep outsiders out as it is to keep insiders within. Much energy was expended to suppress resistance in Eastern Europe, and we never received the support from the muggle side that you had. The muggle side is no better. Under Brezhnev, every day was the same, focused on keeping the status quo, slowly chugging along. Infrastructure crumbles, as does the will of the people. Gorbachev, for all his flaws, is smart. The War in Afghanistan gained little while costing a generation of youth. While I believe his reforms will destroy the Union, keeping the Brezhnev doctrine would have done no longer than prolong the inevitable."
"That's a very...cynical view," she muttered, before ducking her head, blushing. Raven merely chuckled, more for the sake of easing her worries than anything else.
"You will find that Soviet humour is much like that. The Union lives on because the people don't know what else to do. Very few tears would be shed if it were to end tomorrow."
"And would you be one of them?" Jade queried slyly. Raven merely chuckled.
"Long live the revolution," he merely answered, causing her to roll her eyes with exasperation. The two edged closer together until their sides were touching, a silent gesture of goodwill.
"And now, our warriors will provide a sparring demonstration," one of the monks announced. The entourage quietened as they watched two monks step in from either side into the centre of the pit, bowing to the crowd then each other.
"The stork and the tiger," Jade whispered, almost in awe. At his confused look, she explained, "Many forms of martial art are based on animals. The stork is predicated on balance, deflecting and diverting the strikes of an opponent. The tiger is the near opposite, focusing on powerful, deliberate strikes. This will be a fascinating match up to watch."
Once the order to begin was given, the monk on the right leapt forward, quickly closing the distance. Vaulting in the air, he launched one kick, then another, then another, then another, his momentum only lost on the seventh kick. Yet the monk on the opposite side took not a single blow, merely moving back a step and catching the foot of his opponent each time, cushioning the blow into a nuisance for each kick that was launched. To do so once against a skilled opponent was a display of technique. To do so nine times in rapid succession was a testament to skill.
The two opponents backed up, reassessing each other, before the monk on the right once again leapt forward, white energy charging in his fists as he launched punch after punch. Once again, the monk on the left deflected each strike away from him, allowing the force to blast harmlessly into the air. When nearing a column, he backflipped, landing on the overhang, and looking down upon his opponent.
As his opponent leapt up, the monk on top leapt down, striking at his lunging opponent, and using him as a launchpad to vault back onto the overhang. Three times this move was repeated, denying the more aggressive monk a chance to meet him on equal ground, before the lead monk called for an end to the exercise.
Raven and Jade joined in the polite applause as the two leaders moved forward to converse with the monks. "I don't suppose you know those moves?"
"Not their magic. To hone it takes decades of training, and even then more fail than succeed. There is a reason why the liberation of Tibet only took place when the rest of China was secured," Jade lectured. Raven nodded in understanding, watching as the two leaders were served a cup of tea. As the general downed it in one gulp, he hunched over, causing Raven to leap up from his seat and rush to the General's side, prepared to choke it out of the General's system. Only when the General lightly shook his head, signalling he was fine, did Raven reluctantly take two steps back.
"General, are you alright?"
"Perfectly...fine. Their tea is just a tad bit stronger than I expected," White chuckled. "As you were, Raven." Observing him scrutinising for several seconds, Raven nodded satisfied and returned to Jade's side.
"Excellent reaction time, I barely saw you move," she complimented. He merely shook his head in bemusement.
"Training does that to you. Even half a second can be the difference between life and death."
"I'll defer to you on that. For all my experience, I've not been in a warzone like Afghanistan or Chechnya." At his curious gaze, she smirked. "I really did my research, but you were worth it. To think you are so young...you aren't joking, right?"
"Nope."
"Shame, you would have made a fantastic spouse," she sighed wistfully, causing his eyebrow to raise. She chuckled at his look, "Don't deny it, intelligent, cultured, and magically powerful, even if your family name was in the mud and you had no wealth of your own you would be an ideal match. What use is wealth or prestige to my family when we have that in spades? But nearly twenty years' difference, it is too much."
"Shame, I thought you were going to present me with a marriage proposal," he sighed in mock disappointment, eliciting a laugh from her. "I don't suppose I could get some tea to drown in my disappointment?"
Jade couldn't help a snort. "Alas, that tea is reserved for the highest ranking guests only. It takes literal centuries to grow. The minister had tasted it...maybe five times in his eighteen years tenure."
"Shame."
-Break-
"I guess this is goodbye," Jade mused as they stood to the side of the airplane. Raven nodded, pulling out his blade, pricked himself, allowing a single drop of blood to colour the tip, and, hilt towards her, offered it towards Jade. She gasped, understanding the significance. Reverently, she accepted it with both hands, withdrawing her own blade and presenting it to him after mirroring his motions. He accepted it with both hands as well, and the two, wielding each others' blades, pricked themselves once again, causing the colour of red to change slightly until they were matching hues. "You honour me, Raven."
"As you do me, Jade," he returned. "I do hope we meet again, it has been most enjoyable spending my time with you."
"I must confess the same," she echoed, pulling him into a hug. He quelled his surprised stiffening, forcing himself to relax and return the gesture, until a light cough interrupted them. Withdrawing, the two turned to see the Chinese minister staring with an amused smile, causing Jade to blush slightly before regaining her composure.
"I hope I am not interrupting," he mused, eyeing the two speculatively. Raven merely shook his head.
"Just farewell between comrades. Thank you for your hospitality, minister. This trip has been most enlightening. You must visit Moscow sometime."
"Indeed," the man nodded, beckoning for Jade to follow. Defiantly, she placed a kiss on his cheek, lingering near his lips, before walking to the minister's side. Noticing the last crates had been loaded, he quickly boarded the plane he shut the door behind him, and walked to his post, saluting several guardians on the way, before knocking on the executive office and entering.
"Ah, Raven, take a seat."
"Thank you General," he obeyed, waiting in silence until the General sat down himself, playing with a box of teabags.
"A gift from the Chinese. The minister was most delighted when I provided him with a case of the finest vodka of the Union. Tell me, what did you think of this?"
"A shame it had to be cut short. I would have loved to visit Beijing."
"Indeed, though that wasn't exactly what I meant."Understanding the small talk was over, he advised, "The meeting was less staged than expected, though I suspect out of necessity. The Chinese magical community is thriving and growing. From the crates being loaded on the plane, I suspect we're importing because they have far more natural resources than us in this regard. They will likely rival the likes of MACUSA or even Britain should they continue on their trajectory."
"High praise...but one I'm inclined to agree with," the General sighed. "I have no doubt you foresee the Union's collapse, and despite my reservations, I no longer believe that it is as impossible as I once thought."Raven remained silent as the man kneaded his forehead, pouring a shot of vodka and downing it. "Yes, yes, I know alcohol will kill this aging body well enough. Spare me the lecture. What I am concerned with is how we can keep up."
"Permission to speak freely?"
"I won't like this, will I?"
"The civilian sector needs to be expanded. Magic has a...sentience of its own. It does not like to be controlled. It is why breeding magical creatures in captivity is so difficult. While our program may produce average witches and wizards, keep in mind these are coming from the strongest we have. Test tube babies are often born as squibs. The fact of the matter is, magic cannot be regimented in the same way as most other things are, in my observation. Increasing the civilian sector and allowing couples to find partners of their own volition, I believe, will improve the results in line with other magical societies."
"So you want to demilitarise?"
"I fear it is a necessity rather than a choice, General. At this point, the Whites are simply biding their time. If we demilitarise, we risk being invaded and wiped out. If we don't, we slowly die out anyways. A catch 22, sir."
"What would you do?"
"Cease the breeding programs at once, replace them with fertility incentives. Subsidise the cost of childcare. Try and lure in foreign women with wealth and prestige. Demilitarise and encourage talented witches and wizards to instead focus on magical research. Invest heavily into the civilian sector, especially in producing magical fungi that only grow in near arctic conditions. Liberalise, and in time, open the borders, encourage citizens to travel abroad and learn. Adopt unwanted children and the shunned: vampires, goblins, veela, centaurs, werewolves. Provide them with hospitality."
"All of this will be expensive. And how would you propose we get funds for this?"
"Exports. We have large amounts of natural resources, sell them instead of hoarding. We still have one of the most trained military forces in the magical world. Sell our services. Sell our training. And if that fails, raids. Steal what we need and sell it on the black markets," Raven answered, carefully suppressing his distaste beneath a monotone. The General nodded thoughtfully.
"You make a convincing argument. And...it's not like the guardians have much else to do. Perhaps...yes...I believe I shall take some of these suggestions, no matter how dishonourable they may be."
"There is no honour in dying, sir," Raven mused. He saw that the General relaxed, finding the statement oddly comforting. With a wave of General's White's hand, he turned back to his papers, and Raven knew he was dismissed. Saluting the guardian outside, he knew he had reports that needed to be signed off waiting for him, and returned to his seat. He could not help but take a look outside the window, providing an aerial view over the beautiful mountians on Tibet.
Author Note:
Another chapter. You knew this was coming, the Sino-Soviet meeting of 1989. I've tried to draw parallels, in particularly the one day trip to Shanghai where Gorbachev and his officials sought to learn how the special economic zones worked and emulate similar policies back in the Soviet Union. The end of the summit is a nod to the June Fourth incident, but this is frankly not the appropriate medium for any sort of meaningful commentary on the issue. I have strong emotional investment in the incident, and living in Hong Kong under the NSL, I do not feel confident in my ability to handle the event in a tasteful, respectful and authentic manner in which it deserves.
On a lighter note, this was definitely a worldbuilding chapter. China, in chapters long in the future, will play a part in the storyline, as will many other magical countries. Over time, we will see more of the magical world than was explored in canon. Hopefully this wasn't too boring, that I focused heavily on the interaction between Raven and Jade was deliberate, not only to establish her as a character, but also as a nod to the real meetings, in which careful emphasis was placed on meetings between officials of similar rank for both the government and the party.
I wanted to thank Lord of Erebor for their kind words. Looking at the statistics, the conversion rate from start to finish is definitely lower than I like, and indeed the steepest drop off in from the introduction to the first chapter. I will definitely get to work on adjusting that as well as the story's description. Thank you for pointing it out, it is much appreciated.
Did you like the chapter? Dislike it? Definitely far less tense than the past few, so I get if it's a bit of a disappointment, but I felt that the pressure had to ease slightly. As always, follow, favourite and leave a comment, even if only to say hi.