great-warnovel Chapter 401 Long-term Cooperation
Chapter 401 Long-term Cooperation
Chapter 401 Long-term Cooperation
Back in the Eiffel Tower in New Paris, Hermione didn't go to report to Grindelwald or anything; she wasn't his subordinate after all. The Battle of Volgograd had left her in a bad mood, and spending time in the library reading and petting the cats helped her feel better.
As for Grindelwald, old Nagel would report everything to him in detail, and if all else failed, he still had his "squinting" third eye to see for himself.
The captured civilians were transported in batches to various UMNO strongholds, where they would be integrated into the new social structure as quickly as possible under the supervision of local Muggle administrators and wizards.
For ordinary civilians, there isn't much difference between living in a Muggle society or a wizarding society. The work they do is the same: to maintain their livelihood and supply the needs of the upper class and the war machine. The only difference is who oppresses and exploits them.
Hermione's appearance at the end of the war was not without its consequences; rumors about her identity and purpose quickly spread among the Fiery War Army and the lower-ranking wizards.
With people like Krum who knew her, it soon became known that Hermione Granger, the High Wizard from Hogwarts, was visiting New Paris, and that she had secretly followed the army to observe the entire Battle of Volgograd, likely with some unknown secrets.
The dark wizards had many different opinions about this, but only Regulus had a vague idea of what was going on. He had given his followers a gag order, and they kept silent about the destruction of the third stabilizer. Old Najel and the others all thought that Regulus had led the group to do it.
Sven died in the war, and the selection of a new saint was no longer in doubt. After a series of selection procedures, Regulus would become the new saint, keeping the title in the Black family.
Of course, none of this meant anything to Hermione.
The elf who was in charge of her daily life brought a gift, which was delivered by Regulus through Kreacher. All of this had to be done in secret and could not be made public.
It was a mirror sphere made up of hundreds of crystal lenses, with something resembling a peephole suspended in the center.
According to the accompanying description, this treasure, called the Invincible Lamp, is a magical artifact that can counteract spells cast by those around it. The central mirror continuously monitors the surroundings, and once a spell is cast at the holder, the crystal lenses will refract intense light back at the attacker.
It may not be of much use in the war against Muggles, but it is quite powerful against wizards and fairies, making it a practical and precious magical artifact.
What's even more remarkable is that this item contains absolutely no dark magic, which is almost unimaginable in the Black family. Regulus probably searched through his inventory for a long time to find such a gift that wouldn't offend Hermione.
The parties involved did not refuse; the little witch tacitly accepted the gift and then packed the crystal lamp and a letter and sent them to Sirius. This was their family matter, and she had done her duty.
Slightly distracted, she flipped through the book on fluid dynamics in front of her, still occasionally thinking about the war that had just ended. The Soviets should now know about the fall of the most important city on the western front, which means that the UMNO can more easily move in and out of their controlled areas.
Muggles may be planning an even larger revenge next time, and this chain of hatred will never end until both sides perish together.
"The Li Huo Army discovered a extinguished nuclear reactor in the lower levels of Volgograd. You saved everyone." The stern old man's voice echoed in the library once more.
"This is my home for now, can't you knock on the door first?" Hermione said irritably. Sure enough, the old man couldn't wait two days before coming down in person, seeing that she wasn't coming to him.
Grindelwald remained as aloof as ever, and even though he was saying thank you, he still looked arrogant, as if everyone owed him money.
"Everyone outside is saying that you were sent by me to deal with the nuclear reactor. They praise my foresight and ability to command the High Wizard of Hogwarts as if he were an extension of my own arm." He looked at the witch with a provocative gaze, trying to provoke her.
"If language is so powerful, you should send a lobbyist to Volgograd," Hermione said expressionlessly, flipping through the book.
"But I still have to thank you, Regulus escaped his tragic fate." The Dark Lord sat in his chair and forcibly grabbed Crookshank and started masturbating, only to be met with the latter's weak and feeble struggles.
"What you saw back then wasn't just Regulus's death, but the annihilation of everyone." Hermione raised her head, calmly examining the other person.
By now, she had long realized that without her intervention, Regulus would have died from an overuse of blood magic.
Sven will perish alongside the witch hunters, while the Fiery Legion led by old Najjar will be blasted into the air by the exploding nuclear reactor after entering Volgograd. Only the air column and the Black Ships fleet will likely survive.
The UMNO deployed its elite forces to destroy a key Soviet stronghold on the western front, but lost a large number of its main forces, giving Muggles and goblins an opportunity.
This is probably the future he envisioned, not just the death of Regulus.
"But I'm not lying to you. That child will indeed die. Our deal is simply to save Regulus's life." The old man revealed a sly smile.
"You did the extra work voluntarily. Rather than saying you did it to save the Fiery Army, it's more accurate to say it was for the tens of thousands of civilians in that city."
"You bastard—" Hermione didn't want to say anything.
Even though his vision was impaired, his wisdom remained.
Given the uncertainty of whether the future they foresaw was real or not, using partial truth to implicate Hermione and cover up the entire campaign was undeniably a bold and insane plan.
Seeing such a future, a normal person would rather seek stability and cancel the operation than stubbornly and head-on confront it head-on.
"I knew I wasn't wrong. You are indeed someone who can stir up the river of fate." The old man crossed his arms in front of him and looked at the girl with admiration.
"Keep it up, there will be new tasks for you in a while."
Snapped!
Hermione slammed her hand on the table and stood up: "What do you take me for! Some child laborer from under the pyramids?!"
"I thought we were working together very well." Grindelwald innocently spread his hands and sat up straight.
"You saved tens of thousands of people and also gained the gratitude of the Black family."
"These books can't just be given to you for free," he said, pointing to the Muggle physics textbook on the table.
Hermione narrowed her eyes: "Stop with your tricks, I'm not helping you anymore."
The Dark Lord, at this moment, looked like an old man begging his granddaughter for forgiveness, smiling kindly as he leaned closer.
"Good boy, we'll be open and honest, and I promise I won't lie to you again, okay?"
He said with a sincere expression, "There are some things that are really inconvenient for people below to do. They don't have the ability, and they will only make things worse."
"I won't let you do this for nothing. I know you're looking for the remnants of Tom Riddle. How about I use my Heavenly Eye to help you?"
They will also mobilize the UMNO forces to help you search!
Hermione sat back down in her chair expressionlessly. She didn't really want to refuse to cooperate with Grindelwald, but she was dissatisfied with his deceptive attitude and wanted to squeeze as much profit as possible out of the old man.
"I will not do anything unjust, and you cannot deceive me in any way to do so."
"I promise! I can even make a magical contract with you!"
"I need you to give me some time, at least until soon, so I can get some information about Voldemort."
"Oh, let me, this old man, try a little harder and pick out his from those dead futures—" The Dark Lord feigned an old and pitiful appearance, but Hermione remained unmoved.
"Oh, by the way, child, remember to visit the collection vault when you have time. I promised you could pick any item as a gift."
Grindelwald deeply understands the principle of giving a sweet treat after a beating.