Chapter 129: The Daily Prophet Promotion Plan

Perhaps because there are so few places for wizards to roam in their daily lives, Diagon Alley is always bustling with activity. Ma Jun walked along with Harry, reading a newspaper as he went.

Before long, they arrived at the offices of the Daily Prophet. The room was not particularly large, and there were only three staff members inside. Each was hunched over their own desk, busy with some unknown task.

"Excuse me," Ma Jun said after they walked in, as no one had come forward to greet them. He walked up to a desk and tapped on it. "I would like to ask, what are the requirements for submitting books or written works to you? Can I submit them directly here?"

The man behind the desk was middle-aged, with a protruding belly and wearing an old-fashioned suit. A pair of glasses rested on his red, bulbous nose, and his bald head was quite prominent. He looked up, sized Ma Jun up, and replied with an expressionless face, "What type of submission? A novel? Realistic prose, or a news report?"

"I have just returned from a world tour, and I want to write about my journey. It would surely be quite interesting!" Ma Jun smiled. "Perhaps people would enjoy reading it! The lives of ordinary wizards are so routine; they need more books to broaden their horizons!"

"Pfft..." the bald man scoffed. "A wizard capable of a world tour must possess powerful strength! You look quite young."

"That is exactly why I had the courage to set off. Besides..." Ma Jun maintained his humble smile, but his aura suddenly sharpened, becoming piercingly intense.

"Oh, are you alright, Harry?" Ma Jun turned his head, his aura vanishing instantly, and looked at Harry with concern. "You see, I forgot you are still a prospective first-year student and cannot withstand such magical fluctuations."

Harry snapped out of his daze. "I'm fine, Mr. Ma Jun!"

The staff members in the office all looked toward Ma Jun. The bald man, shaken, immediately softened his attitude. Just as he was about to say something, his eyes caught sight of the scar on Harry's forehead. "Oh, my god, you are... Harry Potter?"

"Harry Potter? The Boy Who Lived!"

Everyone’s attention was suddenly fixed on them.

"Hello... everyone!" Harry said shyly.

"Gentlemen, I believe you need to show our Savior some respect. He has been living with Muggles until now," Ma Jun said, squinting with a smile, his goal achieved. "Please, don't frighten him!"

"Yes, of course!" The bald man stood up. "Mr. Potter, I am Thomas Ralph. It is a pleasure to meet you!"

Harry once again experienced the sensation of being a celebrity.

Thomas looked back at Ma Jun. "Sir, you and Mr. Potter seem quite close?"

"Oh, yes. Perhaps Dumbledore was worried little Harry wouldn't adapt here, so I am looking after him a bit," Ma Jun said, again leveraging the influence of a famous name. "Now, can you answer the question I asked earlier?"

"Yes, of course!" Thomas smiled. "You must be a very powerful wizard. Did you bring any work with you? The Daily Prophet would be honored to promote it. Do you know Mr. Gilderoy Lockhart? He is a very famous author. Perhaps one day you will achieve his level of success!"

"Not yet!" Ma Jun shrugged. "I only came to inquire first, as I haven't decided whether to become a writer! However, I have some drafts. Hmm... in about five days, I will bring my work. I hope you will take a serious look at it. I am very eager to share my experiences with everyone!"

"Ah, that would be wonderful! We look forward to it," Thomas said happily. "I wonder... would it be possible for Harry to grant us an interview? You know, everyone in the wizarding world is longing to see Harry again!"

Ma Jun pondered for a moment and looked at Harry. "What is your decision? As a friend, my personal advice is that you are still young, and you might not enjoy being constantly disturbed by the outside world. However, if you would like to, I will respect your choice!"

Harry had never aspired to be a star. He and Voldemort were two extremes; both had unhappy childhoods, but their personalities were vastly different.

After a brief moment of thought, Harry shook his head. "I don't know. I just want to go to Hogwarts, Mr. Ma Jun. Let's go shopping!"

Ma Jun looked at Thomas. "You see, our Harry has a mind of his own, which is a very good thing. My apologies, but we must be going!"

"Oh, very well!" Thomas looked disappointed. "I hope he changes his mind. You know, a simple interview is not a bad thing!"

"He will consider it seriously! Goodbye!"

The two left the Daily Prophet office and wandered through Diagon Alley. By utilizing the fame of Harry and Dumbledore, Ma Jun had successfully completed his first step, and he felt quite satisfied.

Indeed, to quickly build a career and integrate deeply into the magical world, becoming a celebrity was highly effective. Thus, Ma Jun thought of emulating Gilderoy Lockhart. In Harry's world, Lockhart was an oddity who relied on skilled Memory Charms to steal stories from other wizards, thereby gaining fame. Ma Jun did not believe his own ability to weave stories was inferior to that charlatan.

Ma Jun possessed stories from several other worlds, which he had originally collected to provide movie scripts for his own production company. Now, he only needed to modify them, replacing certain elements with magical creatures or enemies from this world. Unlike the fraud Lockhart, Ma Jun was genuinely powerful, and as long as he displayed his strength on certain occasions, his stories, combined with his actual prowess, would make him famous very quickly.

Furthermore, for his future plans, Ma Jun decided to bring over the four "Mr. Qians." With them acting as leaders for his fan base, he could promote himself even faster. By then, he would have a stepping stone to reach the upper echelons of the magical world, such as Dumbledore and Voldemort. Later, through his strength, he would gain access to even more magical techniques.

Overall, this world was relatively harmonious, and Ma Jun did not intend to rely on force for a large-scale invasion; after all, destroying everything and then having to rebuild order would be a headache.

After strolling through Diagon Alley, Ma Jun returned Harry to the Leaky Cauldron. He then bid Harry farewell, claiming he needed to visit some private friends. Once outside the Leaky Cauldron, Ma Jun wandered the streets of London until he found a secluded spot, where he summoned the four Mr. Qians.