Chapter 734: Improved Battle Situation
Chapter 734: Improved Battle Situation (Request for subscriptions, favorites, and votes)
After speaking with Mrs. Greengrass, Liam and Hermione returned to the main building of the Manor. Having been away from the Manor for half a month, they now had a lot of work to do and couldn't afford to waste time on other matters.
They had a mountain of tasks to tackle, including but not limited to the creation of potions and magical items, training their followers, and discussions with the Ministry of Magic in Hogsmeade and Headmaster Dumbledore about the current situation.
The best news recently was that Voldemort's economic power had been significantly weakened by the relentless strategic sabotage carried out by Ryan and his allies over the past few months. In particular, the destruction of at least 80% of the manors and workshops belonging to the Pureblood Families was a heavy blow. American Gringotts, unable to bear the losses, withdrew from Britain, causing severe issues for Voldemort's economic chain.
Naturally, Voldemort, already struggling with the chaos caused by various attacks, had neither the energy nor the resources to deal with the Americans. In this situation, they even had to allocate a portion of their already limited budget to compensate the Americans for their losses, in an effort to prevent them from siding with Hogsmeade.
A significant factor contributing to Voldemort's current predicament was that American Gringotts was a private institution. They could assist the American Congress of Magic in certain tasks, but they wouldn't make sacrifices if it meant losing money. Moreover, if they truly angered wizards of Liam and Dumbledore's caliber, the losses would extend far beyond just financial.
Therefore, American wizards adopted a strategy of maximizing their gains while causing as much disruption as possible in the British wizarding world. They began threatening to side with the Hogsmeade Ministry of Magic to demand compensation from Voldemort's side for their losses.
The Death Eaters, of course, saw through the Americans' intentions. However, to prevent a sudden shift in allegiance that could cause a widespread collapse on their side, Voldemort's faction had no choice but to swallow this bitter pill.
"The Dark Lord is now demanding that those who join him hand over their wealth. A medium-sized Dark Wizard organization from Albania tried to leave with their earnings, which enraged the Dark Lord. As a result, everyone in the organization was executed on the spot", Hermione said, her eyes wide as she read a report from the Phoenix Order. "Doesn't he realize that this will only breed rebellion among those who aren't as fanatically loyal as Bellatrix?"
"I think the Dark Lord, even with his remaining soul fragments, understands that these actions are detrimental in the long run", Liam shrugged. "However, the biggest difference between wizards and Muggles is that, for wizards, power is the most important thing. The Dark Lord is confident that, even without a penny, he can use his formidable power to make his subordinates' wallets his own."
"It's not just their wallets", Hermione flipped to the next page and pointed to a section. "According to observers in Diagon Alley, the Dark Lord led a group into Gringotts, killed over a dozen goblins, and carried off a large amount of currency and treasures. This has dealt a severe blow to Gringotts in Britain."
"The financial losses are minor compared to the core issue, which is the bank's credibility. Now that Gringotts has lost its credibility, even if the wealth is recovered after the war, it won't regain its former status", Liam remarked, not overly surprised by Voldemort's actions, as they were entirely within his expectations.
Gringotts was established by the goblins after their defeat, partly to calm the goblins and prevent periodic rebellions, and partly to provide free financial services to wizards, helping them create wealth. However, goblins are not like house-elves, who can be exploited at will. Over the years, they have amassed a significant fortune through various financial means. They have also learned to collude with the Pureblood wizards who hold power in the Ministry of Magic, using their wealth to secure protection from the Ministry when they acquire money.
The Goblin's habit of waving money around and scattering it everywhere earned them countless riches, but it also eroded their will. Although Goblins are Immortal Beings, their lifespans are ultimately limited. The new generation of Goblins has never experienced war, so the courage to fight to the end is almost nonexistent. Therefore, after Voldemort established his authority through killings, these Goblins naturally chose to submit.
For Voldemort, a standard blood purist, even Muggle-born Wizards, who are human, are considered inferior beings. Goblins, who are not human, are even lower in his eyes. In his view, Goblins and House-Elves are no different and should be slaves to Pureblood Wizards. Thus, he had no qualms about directly taking what he believed should be his wealth from Gringotts.
"This could be considered good news in a way", Hermione said in a matter-of-fact tone after the shock had subsided. "Before this, Pureblood Families monopolized the entire Wizarding World's financial sector. Now, the Dark Lord's two strikes against Gringotts have almost completely destroyed the Goblins' credibility. As a result, the United British Wizard Bank in Hogsmeade replacing Gringotts is almost a certainty after the war."
"In other words, the Dark Lord has helped us remove the biggest obstacle to gaining control of Britain's financial sector", Hermione said, standing up excitedly. "Gringotts has always been a neutral institution, and Goblins rarely get involved in human conflicts. I was always worried that if the Pureblood Families used Gringotts to quickly rise again after the war, our efforts would have been for nothing."
"It's definitely not for nothing, you're just overthinking it", Liam reassured her. "Even if they have the money, they don't have the manpower to support it. With the jobs we offer, Muggle-born Wizards won't need to rely on Pureblood Families for their livelihood. The Pureblood Families are already few in number, and we've eliminated a significant portion of them. The remaining ones will need a long time to recover to their current level."
"You're right, I've been thinking too much", Hermione paused and pulled out a letter from the bottom of the pile. "By the way, this is a letter from Headmaster Dumbledore. He hopes we can inform each other of our plans to avoid friendly fire in the chaos."
"That's a good idea", Liam nodded. "Our surprise attacks with the Phoenix Order often happen at night. In those conditions, with poor visibility and everyone on edge, it's easy for us to end up fighting each other if we choose the same target."
"But it's a simple solution", Liam thought of the small toy used by the 101st Airborne Division during the Normandy landings in World War II. "I'll make a batch of badges that glow or vibrate when they get close to each other. That way, each mission team can carry two and avoid friendly fire."
Life resumed its routine. On one hand, after a long series of attacks, Ryan and the others had destroyed 80% of the targets and nearly 90% of the Southern Pureblood Wizards' production capacity. As more places were destroyed, the Death Eaters had fewer locations to protect, and the remaining ones were heavily guarded by Dark Wizards. This made it increasingly difficult to continue attacking without incurring significant losses.
On the other hand, it seemed that Voldemort and the British Ministry of Magic had become less active recently, possibly due to a strategic retreat because of their weakened strength. As a result, Ryan and the others found fewer targets.
In any case, this boring and monotonous life was broken in mid-April by a letter from Hogwarts. The letter was from Dumbledore, inviting Liam to Hogwarts to discuss some important matters.
"It looks like this boring life is finally over", Liam said, waving the letter at Hermione, who was sitting nearby drinking tea. "Maybe the war is also coming to an end."
(End of Chapter)
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