Chapter 405: The Dark Lord's Ambition, Shoulder to Shoulder with Merlin
"You're as meddlesome as ever!" Lord Voldemort chuckled meaningfully. "Do you think I won't lay a hand on you, or do you believe you can still turn the tide this time?"
"Uh… I just purely felt that someone's screams would affect my mood, and having nightmares at night wouldn't be good," Aaron said awkwardly. "Also, what happened before was purely a misunderstanding."
"I don't think it was a misunderstanding," Lord Voldemortgritted his teeth. "Three years ago, you prevented me from getting the Philosopher's Stone; otherwise, I would have resurrected long ago."
"That was Dumbledore's scheme; I just happened to be there.
You don't actually think he knew nothing, do you? Perhaps Quirrell's abnormalities never escaped him from the start," Aaron said, spouting nonsense with a serious expression.
That's how it was; whether others believed it or not, he certainly did.
"What about two years ago? You destroyed my memories; that's an undeniable fact."
"Hmm…" Aaron hesitated for a moment, then said, somewhat speechless, "I'm not stopping you from resurrecting, but be a bit more discreet—no, quietly resurrect without anyone knowing.
But why did you let the Basilisk out? Hogwarts is very important to me; I can't just watch it close down!
If I can't go to school, I'll have to go back and inherit the family fortune that Gaius has accumulated over thousands of years.
I'm only in my teens; I don't want to experience the frustration of worrying about all sorts of family matters when I could just be lying flat and living off my elders."
Everyone: …What's with this strong Versailles vibe?
"Hahahaha…" Lord Voldemort burst out laughing, his cold eyes glowing red. "Good, I can pretend that nothing that happened before ever occurred.
But now you owe me an answer: are you willing to serve the Dark Lord?"
Aaron pretended to ponder for a long while, then regretfully shook his head. "No."
Lord Voldemort frowned slightly. "The conditions I offered you before haven't changed. Your subjugation is only temporary. Once the Dark Lord's work is complete, and the Muggles and Mudbloods are eliminated, you will be the next ruler of the magic world."
Upon hearing this, everyone else was dumbfounded.
They didn't doubt the truth of his words; the Dark Lord's promises wouldn't be false, but it was simply unbelievable.
Aaron was stunned for a moment, then scoffed, "I truly don't understand why you value me so much."
"I've explained it before: you are a true Slytherin, possessing noble Wizard blood, talent not inferior to mine, and outstanding leadership qualities.
And after I change the magic world, I will need a qualified heir who can bring stability to the magic world."
"Tsk! I'm truly flattered!
But you could perfectly well find someone else; there's no need to hang yourself on one tree, is there!"
"The reason I chose you, in addition to the aforementioned conditions, is primarily because you are not interested in power."
"Oh!" Aaron drew out the sound, realizing. "You're not choosing an heir, but a spokesperson—a special spokesperson who holds administrative power."
"You could say that," Lord Voldemort said noncommittally. "The more one explores magic, the more one realizes one's own insignificance. Dumbledore and I have always been exploring the path ahead; he dares not walk it, and I also have some reservations.
But if the general environment stabilizes, I will have enough time to take a further step, reaching the realm of Hogwarts' founders, and perhaps even surpassing them."
"Hiss… truly ambitious." Aaron nodded inwardly while shocked. "I have to admit, you have great foresight. If I help you, it would indeed be twice the result with half the effort."
He also understood Lord Voldemort's ambition: ruling the magic world was just the first step; his ultimate goal was to become a legendary God of magic.
This was very, very difficult.
But, to be fair, Lord Voldemort had a chance of succeeding, perhaps even greater than Dumbledore.
He was currently at the peak of Archmage, just half a step away from the Saint Realm.
But if he could realize his ambition, kill all Muggles and Mudbloods, then his state of mind would have no flaws.
And once the turbulent magic world stabilized, he would transform from an executioner into a reformer.
At that time, no one would oppose him, and he could slowly find ways to mend the flaws in his soul, confidently breaking through the bottleneck of Saint Archmage.
As for whether he could become a god afterward, that would depend on fate.
However, a Wizard who had walked the path of longevity longer than anyone else had no shortage of time.
The path Lord Voldemort was taking was twisted, but it genuinely led to the end.
"Incredible, truly incredible." Aaron clapped. "I always thought you were crazy, but now it seems my perspective was too narrow.
It makes sense; a madman wouldn't rise to the position of Dark Lord.
No wonder your organization is called Death Eater; once you reach the final step, conquering death will not be an empty talk."
Lord Voldemort's lips curved into a smile. "You understand?
From the beginning of the magic era until now, many people have explored this path: the four founders of Hogwarts, Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and I, and even you in the future, are all part of it.
It's just that everyone's direction is different; I simply chose what I wanted to choose."
"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, puzzled.
"This is a conversation between two Slytherins. Are you, a Gryffindor, sure you want to know?" Aaron said playfully.
Harry hesitated for a moment, then nodded firmly.
He didn't know if he would survive today, but even if he died, he had to die understanding, right!
"One can only say that Lord Voldemort is indeed a SlytherinWizard; his ambition rivals that of his ancestor.
Ruling the magic world is just the first step in realizing his ambition. As for the ultimate goal…" Aaron paused slightly. "I guess it's to stand alongside Merlin."
The four champions exchanged glances, momentarily confused.
But the Death Eaters began to whisper; some Wizards with family legacies seemed to have guessed something, some with fervent expressions, others trembling all over.
"Master, great Master," a Death Eater immediately knelt before Lord Voldemort, kissing his Wizard robe. "To be a Death Eater is the greatest honor of my life."
Once the first one did, others followed suit.
No matter what they thought in their hearts, at this moment, they couldn't show the slightest abnormality.
"What's wrong with them?" Fleur asked, puzzled. "They feel very different from before."
"They've probably accepted their identity from the bottom of their hearts!" Aaron said meaningfully, sighing. "Eternal life; the boss's promises, though exaggerated, are not false."
Cedric suddenly thought of something, his pupils trembling violently.
"Does he mean… this is impossible, that's just a legend; even the four founders of the school didn't reach that step."
"Which step?" Krum asked, somewhat uneasy.
"Godhood," Cedric said, gritting his teeth with difficulty. "But this is absolutely impossible."
"In fact, it is possible," Aaron said calmly. "Besides his excellent magic talent, he has one major advantage—he can survive.
As he said, he has walked a long way on the path of longevity; even the Killing Curse cannot kill him.
Excellent talent combined with a long time, he will always find an opportunity.
And the power of a god far exceeds human imagination; resurrection and granting others eternal life might not be difficult at all."
Cedric opened his mouth, speechless.
"You understand the Dark Lord's will now. Are you willing to help me?" Lord Voldemort said confidently; this time, he was absolutely certain.
"I refuse."
"Just agree…" Lord Voldemort was triumphant for a moment, then his face instantly darkened. "Did I mishear?"
"You didn't mishear, I refuse," Aaron emphasized again.
"Reason." Lord Voldemort roared furiously. "How dare you refuse? No one can refuse this condition."
"There are many reasons, and they're simple," Aaron said, counting on his fingers. "First, if I agreed to serve you, the first thing the Gaius family would do is not follow me down a dark path, but expel Aaron Gaius from the family tree.
My parents, elders, siblings, uncles, and aunts are all very good to me; I can't bear to leave them to pursue an unattainable dream.
Secondly, the path you've chosen is paved with the bones of countless Muggles and Muggle-born Wizards; helping you would make me feel uneasy."
"Great endeavors require sacrifice," Lord Voldemort said indifferently. "To achieve godhood with the lives of ants, that deal is absolutely worth it."
"I understand the principle of 'one general's success means ten thousand bones,' but the problem is that the sacrifice you require is far too great, tens of thousands of times more than ten thousand.
By the time you take that step, the world's population will plummet to less than one percent, or even less than one-thousandth," Aaron said, somewhat alarmed. "During this process, countless people will try to stop you. First, you'll have to move the great mountain that is Dumbledore, which is incredibly difficult."
"Dumbledore is old; I will kill him sooner or later.
Moreover, I have ruled a part of the magic world before. As long as I can consolidate the power of Wizards, killing Muggles will be as simple as crushing ants."
"Madman, you, no, all of you are madmen," Harry Pottersaid, looking at Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters, unable to believe that human lives were so worthless in their eyes.
"One can't call them madmen; one can only say that everyone has their own ambitions, although they are indeed quite insane," Aaron said with a strained expression, then looked at Lord Voldemort with a serious face. "As for the last reason, it's a bit hurtful, nothing else, just purely that I think you're not worthy."
Lord Voldemort was instantly amused, "I am a descendant of Salazar Slytherin, the most powerful Dark Lord of this era. You say I'm not worthy?"
"Indeed," Aaron nodded. "No one is worthy of my allegiance.
Perhaps after you successfully unite the magic world, Gaius will add icing to the cake and help you maintain order, as in a sense, that is one of the duties of the hidden families.
But before that, I won't help you. However, you can rest assured, the hidden families will not stand against you either; for thousands of years, we have never actively participated in disputes between Wizards."