-- flipping through the latest "Guardian" and "Daily Telegraph" and rambling on nonsensical topics, drinking afternoon tea, or a few glasses of whiskey mixed with soda and ice, and surfing the Internet on the office computer...... This is what the British Department for Polar Development sees most of the time.

Compared with the busy and busy Department of Administration, the Foreign Office, the Ministry of Defence, the Treasury and even the Department of Northern Ireland Affairs, the Department of Polar Development Affairs, which is also in Whitehall, can be described as extremely relaxed. Minister Porter's red box (designed for government documents from Whitehall for cabinet ministers) is always empty, usually with only a few government briefings, but often not as detailed as television news programmes.

As for the day-to-day work of the Department, it is even more scarce than a sunny day in a cold winter in London - no, although the Department of Polar Development Affairs currently covers a total area of 1.7 million square kilometres, and is said to be buried with countless precious resources, and perhaps even mysterious remnants of prehistoric civilizations...... But the problem is that the geography of this jurisdiction also seems to be a little too remote, even further than the Malvinas Islands and its affiliated islands, which were contested with Argentina during the Falklands War: its location is in Antarctica!

-- The British Antarctic Territory, the largest overseas territory that the British government has successfully preserved after the collapse of the colonial system in the early years of the Cold War, encompasses a vast area of Antarctica from the South Pole to 60 degrees south latitude and 20 and 80 degrees west longitude.

Although Britain first claimed sovereignty over the territory in 1908, it was not formally established until 3 March 1962. These include Graham Territory, South Orkney Islands and South Shetland. and Elizabeth II's Territory, near the South Pole, with a total area of more than 1.7 million square kilometres, roughly seven times the size of the British mainland. Or about the same size as China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region.

In some ways, this vast overseas territory was the easiest for the British Empire to maintain, because it had neither towns nor permanent residents, but only four Antarctic scientific research stations, plus the occasional visit from all over the world during the southern hemisphere summer, and the management costs were low. Nor will any indigenous people jump out to fight for national self-determination - unless the penguins can also hold a referendum and declare independence with their ballots!

But on the other hand, this is an overseas territory that hangs on the other side of the world. With Britain's current strength, it is also difficult to hold. Because its legitimacy has never been recognized by the world's leading countries or by the United Nations, and it overlaps with the territories claimed by Argentina (which belongs to the Antarctic region) and Chile (the province of Chile, Antarctica) in Antarctica. Now it is only because the human jishu ability is not enough to exploit the abundant resources under the Antarctic ice sheet. Therefore, disputes between countries can be put on hold for the time being. One day, when mankind has jishu that can develop Antarctica. If Britain still wants to keep this distant territory, I am afraid that it will have the consciousness to fight another Antarctic war for this purpose.

However, these speculations and assumptions are still quite distant, and the current Department of Polar Development is still idle to the point of mold.

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In fact, Whitehall in London set up the Polar Development Department primarily for the Arctic, not thousands of miles away, the Arctic Ocean, whose ageless ice caps are shrinking as global warming. In the summer of recent years. A considerable part of the water, which was once frozen all year round, has become a vast and open ice-free sea. So. Various natural resources in the Arctic Circle, such as oil and natural gas, that were originally frozen by the bitter cold, have the possibility of being exploited by humans, thus triggering fierce competition among the countries of the Arctic Ocean.

Although the United Kingdom is not directly facing the Arctic Ocean, its northernmost Scottish territory is not far from the Arctic Ocean. Therefore, in the competition for the resources of the Arctic Ocean, the greedy eyes of the British have never left the fat meat of the Arctic, and they have made full use of the residual power of the former domination of the Seven Seas, starting from the northern tip of Scotland, to carry out geological exploration in the Arctic, looking for new oil and gas resources, and building a strategic base in the Arctic, in an attempt to grab their own piece of the pie in the carve-up frenzy after the thaw of the Arctic Ocean.

The successful opening of the Arctic Ocean summer route, especially after the first large-scale Chinese container merchant fleet successfully arrived in Western Europe along the Eurasian Arctic route, it was a shot in the arm for the old Europe, which had been in economic depression for a long time - before that, a container merchant ship departed from Shanghai, entered the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal, and then sailed out of the Strait of Gibraltar to London, a total distance of 20,000 kilometers; If you want to make a detour to the Cape of Good Hope, then the voyage will have to be extended by another 6,000 kilometers. But if you enter the Arctic Ocean through the Bering Strait instead and enter the Atlantic Ocean along Russia's northern coastline, the so-called "Northeast Passage," you can shorten the Shanghai-London sea voyage to 12,000 kilometers!

In this way, the sea voyage between the East and the West can be greatly shortened, the transportation cost can be greatly reduced, and it is not limited by the navigable capacity of the Suez Canal, without having to pay tolls to the Egyptian government, and without worrying about the sneak attack of Somali pirates and Malacca pirates!

It is important to note that this not only means that the cost of goods exported to the West by East Asian countries can be significantly reduced, but also represents a significant change in the global shipping landscape. The significance of making the Nordic countries, which were originally at the end of the Shijie shipping network, become the central hub of the shipping network connecting the three major economic plates of Asia, Europe and the Americas, is no less significant than that of the Portuguese in the fifteenth century. Gamma opens up a new route to the East!

More importantly, if they can seize this favorable opportunity, the Nordic countries can find a new growth point for their long-weakened economies.

For example, Iceland, which is located at the center of the Arctic shipping lanes and is blessed with geographical conditions, has ambitiously drawn up a huge international entrepot despite the painful lessons of its previous financial catastrophe that bankrupted the country and shattered the dream of "Wall Street on the tundra". Claiming to be a "Singapore of the Arctic Circle" – it must be admitted that the Icelanders have made a crazy move to turn the country into a hedge fund compared to the previous madness of the Icelanders who threw the entire country into the international financial futures market. Jihua, who is engaged in the entrepot of the Arctic shipping route, is obviously much more pragmatic.

The British, who were also anxious to get out of their economic predicament and find new economic growth points, did not show weakness, and quickly surveyed the port in the northernmost part of Scotland, near the Arctic Circle, Shetland Islands, and built docks, warehouses and business districts, competing with Iceland for the status of an entrepot for the Arctic shipping route. Meantime. Whitehall has also established a Polar Development Department in London to facilitate the overall planning of the opening of the Arctic shipping lanes and the development of Arctic resources.

Regrettably, the poor policies of successive governments have become more and more chaotic. This feast of wealth in exploiting the resources of the Arctic Ocean turned out to be a pre-emptive and harmful event for Britain, and became the fuse that induced the division of the country. The fundamental problem lies in the various schemes of unfair distribution of benefits that are heavily tilted in favour of the financiers of England and Wall Street. It made the Scots feel the shame of being exploited - it was clear that the shipping lanes and resources were in Scotland. The benefits have been taken by Wall Street and the City of London. This further fueled the already high sentiment for national independence in Scotland...... Then, after a series of struggles and entanglements, marches and riots, and even a mutiny in the garrison, the Scottish authorities in Edinburgh finally got all the rights and interests in the development of Arctic resources at the end of last year, taking advantage of the continuous victory of the "Scottish Home Rule Movement".

The Polar Development Department in Whitehall, London, is empty, and all the performance and construction achievements achieved in the early stage have been cheaper than the local government of Scotland. Since then, it has unfortunately been reduced to a real ornament, and the only remaining use is to house frustrated politicians - albeit after the loss of the North Pole. The agency also has a vast Antarctic territory, but that land is clearly not yet ready to be developed. Whaling vessels plying the Antarctic ice sea are also not under the jurisdiction of the Department of Polar Development. As for the few economic revenues that the British Antarctic Territory has to offer: the Antarctic tourism program, which hosts about 10,000 people a year, the Antarctic stamps and postcards issued by the Antarctic Post Office, and the Antarctic banknotes, which are mainly used as collections and souvenirs, each with its own competent authority, the Polar Development Department in Whitehall is completely inadequate, just as China's National Development and Reform Commission does not control the issuance of commemorative coins and stamps.

In fact, the countdown to the abolition of this department was already underway, and it was only temporarily delayed for some political reasons.

So, since being defeated in the party struggle and being kicked to the Ministry of Polar Development by Prime Minister Mason last month, David Murphy has been defeated. Chancellor Potter knew that he had completely lost his future in this Labour government, and then he would either stay in the government with a dead face and continue to drink whisky and read newspapers in this super cold yamen that was close to absolute zero, or he would resign decisively and go back to the House of Commons to be his back-bencher. Only those who have positions and status can sit in the front row) for the time of resumption......

Because this career setback is too heavy for his psychological blow, and he hasn't thought about what to do with his next career plan for the time being, David. Minister Potter decided to be cheeky and stay in the Department of Polar Development for a few more days to see what the news was about.

However, what he never expected was that a certain zealous and excellent civil servant seemed to be worried that he was too idle and that the burden on his shoulders was not heavy enough. Unbeknownst to Minister Potter, he quietly served as an additional messenger......

Originally, this secret would have been kept until David. Minister Porter stepped down from office. But due to a series of accidents and mishaps, Harry, as an insider and the mastermind behind the scenes. Gordon, the permanent secretary, found that some things could no longer be hidden.

On this day, the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Polar Development Affairs, Harry Brown. Gordon had always been a little emotionally disturbed, always going around each room in a trance, and he came to Davy several times. Chancellor Potter wanted to say something, but the next moment he stopped talking...... Chancellor Potter, on the other hand, was unusually observant because of his frustration and self-abandonment, and he never noticed Secretary Gordon's strange behavior.

Eventually, N different types of "civil servant languages" were conceived. But after discovering that no matter how clever the words are, there will definitely be a in full view of the public, Harry. Gordon finally decided to spread it all out and tell the truth. Then there was a knock on David. The door to Chancellor Porter's office.

“…… Tuk tuk, can I come in? Minister? ”

“…… Oh, of course, please come in! Harry. ”

It's tea time, Davy. Chancellor Potter was sitting on a small sofa in his private office, listening to classical music while enjoying a simple afternoon tea: muffins, raisins, and almond cake. The hot chocolate drink was so thick that you couldn't even pour it down with a spoon in it," ...... Harry, it's tea time now. How about a drink together? Do you want black tea, coffee, or hot chocolate? ”

-- Because of the leisurely things that have been all along, David. Chancellor Potter had no idea that his permanent secretary was here to get down to business.

“…… A cup of black tea, xiexie. "Harry. Gordon sat down with some restraint and hesitated for a moment before deciding to speak. “…… That one...... Honorable Minister, I would venture to ask, what do you think about magic, the things J.K. Rowling writes about in his books?

“…… Belch? You mean Harry Potter? I'm a fan of Rowling's books! I didn't leave any of the seven Harry Potter movies behind! I remember standing in line for two hours at the book signing for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows......

Speaking of this topic, David. Chancellor Potter seemed to be talking for a moment, "...... It just so happens that my uncle is also named Harry, and my father's name is James. So, at a couple of family gatherings before his death. We're not kidding each other about it...... Uh, by the way, Harry, why did you bring this up all of a sudden? Could it be that J.K. Rowling is writing a prequel or sequel to Harry Potter again? ”

After a long brow-brow and chatter, David, whose mouth was still covered with crumbs, remembered to ask the permanent secretary about his intentions.

Harry, on the other hand, hesitated for a moment before waving his finger and letting a water balloon hovering in the air, "...... Chancellor, you see, if I told you that there really is a group of mysterious wizards in this country. And you yourself are the current Minister of the Ministry of Magic...... What do you think? ”

“……？？！！” In this moment, David. Chancellor Potter's glasses slipped off the bridge of his nose.

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A veteran member of the British Labour Party, a veteran politician in Whitehall, a former editor-in-chief of the political commentary magazine The Rock, and the current Secretary of State for Polar Development. Potter, rubbing his temples with a melancholy face, was shaken by the explosive secret he had just learned.

- There is an unknown Ministry of Magic in England, and he himself is the current Minister of Magic?!!

My God! Although he loved the Harry Potter book, he didn't want the descriptions to be true at all!

Because, although he could read wizarding novels with relish, he didn't want to be called a "Muggle" in the slightest!

However, David had to admit the brutal truth—especially when he saw Secretary Gordon tap dance with a wave of his hand, and behind the fireballs, lightning and ice that danced on the permanent secretary's fingertips.

The poor minister checked the tea set on the table over and over again, hoping that it was just some kind of magic trick, but it was all in vain.

“…… All right! All this ridiculous thing seems to be true, I see, you are a wizard, Mr. Gordon! But I still hope that you can give me a reasonable explanation, weishenme I will become the Minister of Magic without my own knowledge? The minister shrugged his shoulders and then asked suspiciously. As a politician's intuition, he suspected that this was a trap for himself to be blamed for.

“…… I'm sorry, Sir, but it's customary. Secretary Gordon bowed his head slightly, "...... The Ministry of Magic is directly accountable to the Prime Minister, who secretly appoints a Cabinet Minister as the nominal Minister of Magic. And Prime Minister Mason named you......"

…… I knew it was, how much so was that narrow-minded old bastard Mason...... David thought to himself as he rubbed his forehead and continued to ask, "...... But since I didn't even know I was the Minister of Magic, how could I do my job? ”

“…… The Minister of Magic has very few matters to attend to, Your Excellency. If there's something you need to do, I'll spell you into getting it done, and then we'll cleanse your mind of memories - like Girold in Harry Potter. Professor Lockhart is the same. ”

“！！！” Minister Potter stood on end with a cold hair on his face, and continued to ask without thinking, "...... So this time Weishenme confessed to me again? ”

“…… Because during this vacation trip to India, not only did I lose my ancestral silver pocket watch, but my wand was also stolen by the abominable Indian monkey, and now I can barely use a few powerless wandless spells, such as memory manipulation and commanding the living, and high-level spells like memory manipulation and commanding the living cannot be used at all - I never dreamed that there would be monkeys in a five-star hotel suite! ”

Secretary Gordon, who had lost his wand, cursed indignantly, while Chancellor Potter quietly breathed a sigh of relief. (To be continued......)