From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 673 The Feasibility of Modern Weapons Against Demons

"Your educational philosophy is impressive, Ivy. But I still have a question: what is a Planeswalker?"

Dumbledore raised a question that everyone wanted to know.

“A direct translation would roughly mean ‘Planetwalker,’ but a more accurate description would be spellcasters who are born with the power to travel between many worlds. They may not even be intelligent beings in the conventional sense,” Ivy explained simply. “Those like me who travel through time and space using their knowledge and magical skills cannot be called Planeswalkers.”

“Because of the Planeswalkers’ almost instinctive ability to travel between worlds, how to coexist with so many different worlds is a serious question that every Planeswalker needs to consider. They are particularly prone to becoming the epicenter of turmoil, and goodwill and a sense of responsibility alone are far from enough.” Ivy looked at her apprentice again. “You must also understand the fundamental differences between worlds, Quinn. Take Stryhaven, for example. It is located in a world where magic is exceptionally prosperous, founded by the five founding dragons with noble goals, but not all intelligent beings in all worlds understand the benefits of cooperation. Even in some barren worlds, no matter how much the native intelligent beings yearn for peace, it is impossible. The harsh environment forces them to fight and plunder to survive.”

“Just like in Grellion, demons and humans are both native species there, but they have irreconcilable conflicts…” Kuntori nodded with understanding, “Just like the differences between people, the differences between worlds are also very great…”

“The world of Glalieon is maintained by the balance of souls. Demons, mortals, celestials... all life is born and dies within it, not to mention the gods who are responsible for maintaining the balance of this system.” Ivy also sighed, “As outsiders, we should at least show some respect to the local gods.”

"Lady of the Graveyard..." Little Elephant had also heard the priests of the Crusader speak of this deity in charge of the cycle of life. "But I remember that she opposes any form of necromancy. Won't the spirit tower you built in the City of Favor invite her retribution?"

Necromancy is not a respected form of knowledge in many worlds. Even in the enlightened Stryhaven, at the Mihua Academy, which specializes in necromancy, it is not discussed in public.

“You already have a general understanding of the gods of the inner seas of Grallion, which is good.” Ivy revealed a somewhat sly smile. “But if you delve deeper into their customs and traditions, you should know that in the south of the world, on another continent, there exists a necromancy empire called Geb. An undead dictator rules over an unimaginable number of undead, as well as the living who serve as undead reserves. They are probably the biggest target of the Graveyard Lady. Considering that the Geb Empire has existed for an unimaginable time, I can only speculate that the Graveyard Lady does not always personally intervene in mortal affairs. If we do encounter interference from Her, it is most likely just from Her followers. There is nothing that a rational conversation cannot resolve.”

“I guess this is one of Professor Doom’s philosophies of life?” Little Elephant smiled knowingly. Having followed Ivy closely for two months and witnessed firsthand how he handled the complex affairs of the Crusades, Little Elephant was no longer the sophomore who would be overwhelmed by a final grade evaluation.

However, the conversation between the two was still a bit too adult and intimidating for the others in the principal's office.

After all, only this master and disciple pair present had visited other worlds and witnessed just how vast the world beyond their own had become.

They could not imagine a world with real gods, especially gods who would interfere in the lives of believers, nor could they understand what the so-called genocide of the dead by Geb was like.

However, a little witch, eager for knowledge, instinctively stepped forward and, as the brains of the trio, posed the question: "An immortal dictator? An unimaginable number of undead? What exactly is that?"

“For those who have never heard of or seen them, it is indeed hard to imagine…” Ivy thought for a moment before asking another question, “Do you know about Egyptian mummies? Why did the Egyptians make them?”

“Oh, those mummies were Egyptian pharaohs, or their servants. They believed they could preserve the pharaoh’s body through similar black magic and store it safely inside the pyramids, hoping the pharaoh could be resurrected someday. Even now, the curse in the pyramids still troubles Gringotts’ curse-breakers.” The know-it-all rattled off a string of technical terms without hesitation. Even Ron, who had once traveled to Cairo, could only understand half of it, but he never stopped nodding in agreement.

"In Geb's case, the pharaoh really did rise from the pyramids and continue to rule his kingdom, and all his subjects who died on his land were resurrected as ghosts. It was a kingdom overrun by skeletons, vampires, ghosts, and zombies." This explanation is much clearer. People can never truly imagine things they have never seen, but if they use existing concepts, it becomes much easier to understand.

“Incredible… Absolutely incredible…” Hermione’s brown eyes gleamed with excitement. She was now certain that she would obtain enough certification in the upcoming NEWT (Ultimate Wizarding Exam), which meant that she had learned the knowledge that was publicly available in the wizarding world, but she knew almost nothing about the other world.

“Wait… I suddenly realized that you’re waging war in another world, right?” Hermione smiled with a look full of curiosity.

“That’s right. In Grallion, it’s called the Fifth Holy War, a counterattack against demons and cultists launched with the support of the Crusader gods and the Church.” Ivy then added, “It’s similar to the Crusades, but not against infidels and their kingdoms, but against driving demons back into the abyss.”

Hermione had once given Ivy a complete set of the Encyclopedia Britannica, so she certainly knew what the Crusades were.

“Holy War…it has a very strong religious connotation…” Hermione nodded. “What weapons do the Crusaders use? Longswords and spears? They can’t possibly use spells like we wizards, can they?”

“Swords, magic, and faith.” Ivy used a few words to encompass the Crusader’s military power. “You can think of Grellion as a medieval Earth where people are aware of all sorts of supernatural powers, and where the abyss, hell, and heaven are real.”

“Merlin’s beard…” Hermione sighed, then coughed lightly, softening her tone. “I must say, those in our world who don’t use magic have an extraordinary talent for waging war and manufacturing weapons. If we could get our hands on some modern weapons, dealing with demons shouldn’t be a problem, right? Since they can be harmed by swords and magic, they can certainly be killed by gunpowder. There are even nuclear bombs; the five permanent members of the UN Security Council each possess a certain number of nuclear weapons, although they cause nuclear contamination and such… but if it’s for eliminating demons, perhaps that’s within acceptable limits?”

“Are you really Hermione?” Harry held up the badge of the Hogwarts Herald. “I thought you’d at least think about fighting for demons…” “Good heavens, Harry,” Hermione rolled her eyes. “Maybe, like Professor Snape said, you can’t learn Occlumency because you don’t have a brain… They’re demons! They even feed on other intelligent beings! There’s no possibility of peaceful coexistence between them and humans!”

“Wait…the main race in the world of Grellion is humans, right? Or…” Hermione looked Quintor up and down again, especially at his long nose, big ears, and longer tusks.

“The intelligent races of Grellion are far more complex than those of our world, including dwarves, halflings, elementals, fox spirits, elves, dwarves, and so on… However, Little Kun is not from Grellion, but from the Elephant Clan of Akavievo.” Ivy waved her hand, using magical fluorescence to outline a large group of intelligent races of varying heights and builds. “These races, or at least similar intelligent life forms, exist in many worlds.”

"Wow……"

The people in the principal's office learned something new again and were all amazed.

However, Hermione quickly steered the conversation back to the ongoing holy war in Grellion.

"What do you think about procuring weapons from our world? Maybe it could even foster friendship between wizarding and non-wizarding communities!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly. "Nothing unites people more than a common enemy, doesn't it?"

“Don’t imagine our world to be too rosy, Hermione.” Ivy shook her head with a smile, a very bookish thought. “We all live in the same world, yet we still form different countries due to culture and geography, which then lead to conflicts. Contact between different worlds can easily trigger new wars. Besides, traveling between worlds is never an easy thing. And on this land beneath our feet, as far as I know, I am the only one with this level of knowledge and power.”

“You’re right…” After a brief moment of thought, Hermione abandoned her impulsive idea. “What about weapons procurement? Powerful bombs, tanks encased in metal, and nuclear weapons capable of destroying an entire city… I can’t guarantee anything for the other five permanent members of the UN Security Council, but the British government would be happy to sell one or two. Those are relics from World War II and the Cold War, extremely difficult to maintain, let alone properly dispose of. I even suspect that Whitehall might have disposed of one or two nuclear weapons on its own soil; perhaps many people are completely unaware that they are exposed to radiation!”

“Even if Whitehall is unwilling to sell, we can steal it. That’s not difficult for a wizard, right? And the British government would never dare to make a fuss about it. Whitehall is already embarrassing enough in the international community just to maintain its current status as a major power.”

Ivy felt a sense of suffocation. Was this girl really the little girl who had secretly cried in the bathroom because of a single sentence? Could it be that some warmonger had transmigrated into her body?

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Hermione gave her a "you're making a fuss over nothing" look. "You're the one who taught me this. Sometimes, if you want others to agree with your point of view, you really do need to use a little force!"

“Okay…” Ivy recalled that when she was in first grade, she did give the little witch in front of her a moral lesson and even encouraged her to use her newly made magical artifact to blow up a giant.

“Your idea is indeed very constructive, but considering the differences between worlds, most modern weapons won’t work in Glalieon. Guns and bombs using classic gunpowder formulas might work, but modern weapons might not. The laws of physics are not exactly the same between two worlds.” Ivy shook his head regretfully. He had once imagined the swarm tactics of AK47-wielding skeletons from old web novels, or the scenes of using modern technology to crush primitive people, but after gaining the divinity of the sun, all those ideas vanished.

In Faerûn, the sun is illuminated by the Silver Our Lady of Serenne, not by a stellar-scale fusion reaction that occurs naturally after matter has accumulated to a certain level. The same applies to the sun in Grallion.

Even the fundamental nature of matter differs in its microscopic form, and these differences will cause modern weapons, built upon the edifice of physics, to be completely incompatible with our environment.

As for simpler individual firearms, it is indeed not impossible to deploy them on a large scale, but they would cause negligible damage to demons. After all, you can't expect every bullet to be made of rare metals such as cold iron, mithril, or adamantite.

These firearms may have an unimaginable deterrent effect on non-magical creatures, but relying too much on such modern weapons will only turn the army into cannon fodder when facing monsters that are immune to ordinary metal bullets.

After a series of arguments, Ivy concluded that firearms in Grallion and Faerûn could only be expensive weapons for adventurers, and that adventurers who used them must be able to handcraft bullets of various materials or master corresponding enchantment spells to overcome the diverse resistances of monsters.

The idea of ​​equipping it on a large scale for general troops is utter nonsense.

Even in a low-intensity modern war, the amount of weapons and ammunition consumed far exceeds the logistical capacity of a medieval feudal state. The only way to improve logistical capabilities is through industrialization. Large equipment like lathes are clearly beyond the power of hand-made generators.

This means that Ivy must localize the supporting industrial system before it can be used, and every time he arrives in a new world, he has to start all over again, because no one knows which brick is missing from the foundation of physics.

(End of this chapter)