Chapter 742: Reasons
Chapter 742: Reasons (Request for Subscriptions, Collections, and Votes)
"John Parkinson." Upon hearing Old Parkinson's plea, Snape frowned and then spoke in his usual slow, deliberate tone. "We have a decisive advantage in this war and are bound to win an easy victory. How can you doubt our great Master here and spread such defeatist emotions?"
Seeing Old Parkinson's face suddenly change, Snape continued, "Of course, since you came to me not for your own sake and didn't plan to flee, I will overlook this for the sake of your concern for your daughter. However, I hope you will not say such things again, nor talk to anyone else about this."
"Fine, Snape, I'll remember this. I hope everything goes smoothly for you this time." After staring intently at Snape's face for several seconds, Old Parkinson saw no expression and, with a bitter remark, left in a huff.
The door slammed shut, and Snape stood silently in the dark room for a long time. Finally, a barely audible sigh echoed through the darkness.
This was not the first Wizard to come to Snape for intercession. Given that Bellatrix was now little more than a madwoman, most of the Death Eaters had set their sights on Snape, who, like Bellatrix, was one of Voldemort's right-hand men. They offered various resources, knowledge, and even arranged marriages with their pureblood daughters, hoping he would speak well of them to Voldemort and help them avoid the next battle.
Unlike Voldemort, who was extremely excited and believed the war was nearly won, almost all the Death Eaters could feel the balance of power tipping day by day in favor of the people in Hogsmeade, whom they had once looked down upon. The possibility of their victory was diminishing with each passing day.
This was not because Voldemort had not won any battles. Even in the previous war, Voldemort's personal power had not given him a significant advantage. The reason the Death Eaters had been able to spread their influence across Britain and Europe was primarily due to the absolute advantage the pureblood Wizards held in resources, which allowed them to crush the resistance.
When this war began, the Death Eaters believed their advantage was even greater than in the previous conflict. After all, they had achieved what they had not managed in the last war: complete control over the Ministry of Magic and the ruling power in the British Wizarding World.
This is why so many pureblood families openly declared their allegiance to Voldemort after the Ministry's fall. They believed that even with Dumbledore's presence, Voldemort could easily crush the resistance in the North, making the war's outcome a foregone conclusion. If they did not show their loyalty quickly, they would face severe consequences once the war ended, either being completely purged or significantly weakened.
Thus, one pureblood family after another publicly aligned with Voldemort in the shortest time possible, vying to offer resources and favors in the hope of securing a share of the spoils after the war. With their help, Voldemort launched a comprehensive blockade against the resistance in the North.
These purebloods believed that under such conditions, even if Dumbledore and his loyal followers resisted with all their might, Voldemort and the Death Eaters, with their overwhelming advantage, would easily crush them.
But reality slapped them hard. The war, which they thought would end quickly, dragged on. The ragtag group they had deemed weak only grew stronger after the initial chaos.
What confounded them even more was that, according to their calculations, once the pureblood Wizards imposed a complete blockade, Hogsmeade's resources would last at most a week or two. They only needed to wait, and the resistance would crumble without a fight, followed by some minor skirmishes.
But one week, two weeks, one month, two months—time slowly passed. The prolonged stalemate had now lasted over half a year. To their horror, they discovered that the wizards in the North not only did not deplete their resources as quickly as expected but were actually improving their equipment and supplies, even surpassing their own.
With the loss of their greatest advantage, the Pureblood Wizards fell into complete panic. One defeat after another only exacerbated their fear, and now, like the German army in Berlin in April 1945, they had almost entirely lost their morale, hoping only to escape with their lives.
After entering the Underground Base, Voldemort had already executed several individuals who tried to flee or spread news of their failures. However, this did little to boost the morale of the others. The wizards from the Pureblood Families were now desperately seeking any means to escape this place or avoid the next battle. Attempts to bribe Snape for information had become increasingly common.
No matter how hard they tried or how many schemes they devised, they could not escape Voldemort's order for everyone to join the final assault. As a result, the Underground Base increasingly resembled a subterranean tomb, with the atmosphere growing more and more oppressive each day.
Trapped in the Underground Base, the Pureblood Families began to ponder a pressing question. Despite having a greater advantage this time around and swiftly seizing control of the Ministry of Magic, which had eluded them for decades in the previous war, why had things turned out this way?
"Because they never imagined that they were not just competing with an individual or a nation, but with several complete worlds", Liam explained to Hermione at the same moment, standing by the puppet production line in the Aerial Fortress.
Ryan and the others had come to the Aerial Fortress to inspect the first batch of new Combat Puppets. After acquiring the manufacturing method from the Sky City worlds and conducting a series of studies and improvements, they finally developed a new model that balanced power and functionality. Today marked the first day of production for these puppets.
Fortunately, the puppet production line started smoothly and, with sufficient materials, could produce an average of five hundred puppets per day. Watching the fully automated line churn out the puppets one after another, Hermione asked why Voldemort's side, despite being stronger than in the previous war, was losing so quickly.
Liam, of course, gave Hermione a thorough lesson from a productivity perspective, concluding that Voldemort's failure was inevitable. His greatest advantage had become a liability, and neither he nor his subordinates realized this.
"So, the misunderstanding caused by information asymmetry actually benefits us", Hermione added after Liam's explanation. "Although this war has brought significant losses, it has also forced all our enemies to reveal themselves. Once we eliminate them, achieving our dreams will be much simpler."
"Yes", Liam nodded. "And in this war, I have invested a great deal of resources. But from a certain perspective, this is not a loss. The resources we donated and lent during the war will play a crucial role in our next steps to reform the wizarding world."
"Much like the Marshall Plan after World War II", Hermione said, her eyebrows arching in excitement. "We are only investing some resources and wealth, which are insignificant to us. But these investments will help us influence the entire British Wizarding World."
At this, Hermione clenched her left hand, her eyes sparkling with an indescribable flame.
After all, she was destined to become the Minister of Magic. Hermione's character was not as laid-back as Liam's. In this moment, she seemed slightly out of control, but she quickly regained her composure, her face turning red.
"It's nothing to be embarrassed about, pursuing your dreams is nothing to be ashamed of", Liam stepped forward, took her hand, and looked into her eyes earnestly. "After the war, we will surely usher in an era of our own, just as Professor Dumbledore did with his."
(End of Chapter)
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