Chapter 412: Information of the Grid

"The Philosopher's Stone is in my hands. It's not impossible to lend it to you," Xie Lin said. "But I really want to know, after you recover your magic power to your peak, what are you going to do? Recall it back to the Witch Alliance and start a war against Muggles again?"

Grindelwald shook his head and said, "My time has passed. Yes, my vision tells me that the future is the time for you young people, especially you, Sherin."

Xie Ling raised his lips slightly and said, "It's great that you can think so. During the years you were imprisoned in Nurmengard, you must have figured out everything that happened back then, right?"

"I don't regret the decision I made back then," Grindelwald said firmly. "Perhaps my method was wrong, but I firmly believe that my direction is not wrong. Magic is the most powerful force in this world. In my opinion, wizards who possess magic but choose to hide in the shadows of the world to survive are the most absurd and ridiculous things in this world. It's a pity... not many people are willing to agree with my ideals..."

Xie Lin sneered, "Magic is magical, but it is not omnipotent. Open your eyes and see how much magic has developed in the past 50 years. There are only so many people in the entire global wizarding world, and those who can innovate magic are even rarer. As far as I know, a lot of magic nowadays is copied from Muggle technology."

"Muggles provided a lot of inspiration - magic cars, magic radios, magic telescopes, magic elevators, magic toilets, and even more ancient ones, drainage systems, magic trains, etc. These have greatly improved the lives of wizards," Sherin said. "Even if we don't talk about this, with the tiny population of wizards, if they don't intermarry with Muggles, the entire wizarding community will be finished sooner or later due to the cumulative effect of population deflation. As smart as you are, you must know the consequences of inbreeding, right?"

Grindelwald nodded slowly, then shook his head and said, "You have a point, but I cannot accept that a wizard with great power has to live like a rat in a ditch."

"But that doesn't matter. This is not the purpose of my asking for the Philosopher's Stone," Grindelwald said. "I have just said that the future of the wizarding world will be decided by young people like you. That is no longer something I need to care about. I need power to make up for my mistakes, or to make up for my regrets..."

Grindelwald's regret back then? Could it be... Dumbledore? Could he still want to fight Dumbledore again?
This idea was rejected by Schelling as soon as it came to mind. He was defeated by Dumbledore even when he held the Elder Wand. So he would not have any chance now.

The greater possibility is that he wants to restore his relationship with Dumbledore...

Grindelwald is not a heartless person like Voldemort. He also had feelings in the beginning, but as he became more and more involved in the cause of hegemony, his methods were forced to become more and more vicious. Coupled with the influence of repeated use of black magic, his mind gradually became paralyzed, and he eventually became a demon king who regarded human life as worthless.

The most favorable proof is that he once kept a pet, a Chupacabra, and he affectionately named it "Antonio". It was not until he escaped from the prison carriage of the International Confederation of Wizards that he cut off unnecessary emotions and abandoned this pet that had been with him for many years.

Schelling guessed that perhaps all those years of imprisonment without magic in Nurmengardi were enough for him to regain his lost emotions.

"Okay, the Philosopher's Stone is here. When you're done using it, ask the house-elf to notify me so I can come and get it back. As for your affairs, I won't interfere too much - right now, Dumbledore, the Ministry of Magic, and the International Confederation of Wizards are all looking for you everywhere." After saying that, Sherin casually threw the Philosopher's Stone to Grindelwald, who reached out to catch it.

Grindelwald was slightly startled and said, "We just met for the first time, and you trust me so much? Aren't you afraid that I will take your Philosopher's Stone and leave?"

Sherin grinned. "If you would do that, you wouldn't be Grindelwald. Besides, Aunt Vida has been kind to me, and I must repay her."

Grindelwald's eyes flickered slightly, and then he said: "It won't take too much time. I have a secret method. You just need to wait for me here for thirty minutes." Then he recited a deep and difficult spell, and the Philosopher's Stone glowed slightly red.

Thirty minutes later, Grindelwald's face returned to its appearance 50 years ago, which was similar to the appearance of actor Johnny Depp in the second Fantastic Beasts movie in Schelling's memory.

A pressure suddenly spread over Grindelwald, and the flames in the fireplace seemed to be stimulated to burst into flames and crackle. Xie Ling's magic eye saw his magic power rising steadily until it reached the level of a quasi-magician.

Grindelwald sighed softly, "I was still one step behind. I can only recover to this point. If I can find my wand back then, maybe I still have a chance to return to the level of a Grand Mage."

He kept his promise and immediately returned the Philosopher's Stone to Schelling.

Grindelwald chuckled, with a hint of cold pressure in his smile. He waved his hand lightly, and the luxurious chairs in the hall moved to him and Sherin, showing his precise control of magic, which was not easy for someone who had just regained his magic power.

He slowly leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest: "I won't say much to thank you, and I won't take your benefits for nothing - I have a piece of information that I believe you will be interested in."

A hint of interest flashed in Xie Lin's eyes. Grindelwald was a prophet, so he must have his reasons for saying that. He raised his eyebrows and said, "Then I'm all ears."

"Xie Lin, you are a smart man. I know that you have probably come into contact with the dark forces hidden in every dark corner of this world, right?"

Seeing Schelling nod, Grindelwald continued, "All the chaos in Great Britain today actually comes from a very ancient force - the Order of Walpurgis. With your ability, I believe you already know this."

"More than understanding," Xie Ling sneered, "I have even had several not-so-friendly 'exchanges' with them!"

Grindelwald's eyes flashed with a gleam of brilliance, and his understanding of Schelling deepened. He had already mastered the information about Walpurgis at such a young age, and seemed to have taken advantage of them. This boy seemed to be more powerful than himself and Dumbledore in the past.

"But what I want to talk about today is not the Order of Walpurgis, but another force that is more deeply hidden." Even a strong man like Grindelwald showed a solemn expression at this moment.

Xie Lin sat up straight and said in a deep voice: "You want to talk about the Death Cult, right?"

"You actually know this organization?" This time it was Grindelwald's turn to be surprised.

Schelling had already known the name of the Death Cult during Gryffindor's illusion test, and guessed that the organization still existed and was plotting unknown conspiracies behind the scenes.

But he had no way to confirm this speculation. The Death Cult was hidden deeper than Walpurgis, and there was almost no trace of it. This was almost impossible in the magic world. The only explanation was that this organization had been dormant and had never taken action.

The only event that Schelling suspected might be related to them was the inexplicable suppression of the Knights Templar by Philip IV in the early 13th century, which eventually led to the annihilation of the Knights Templar and the disappearance of the Holy Grail.

"Since you already know about the existence of this organization, it will be easy for me to explain," Grindelwald said. "In fact, I know about the Death Cult because of the little bit of the future I glimpsed from the Elder Wand."

Xie Ling's expression gradually became serious.

For an organization that has existed for centuries to be able to suppress its presence to a level that is almost zero, it must have big plans, at least not simpler than Walpurgis.

Walpurgis's purge plan was enough to make Schelling uneasy. If the Death Cult was added to the mix, the situation would probably get completely out of control, and the degree of horror would be completely beyond Schelling's cognition.

Grindelwald leaned forward slightly, his eyes blazing like flames. "The Cult of Death is not a simple dark worshipper. Their history can be traced back to the Peverell family. Yes, that family, the family that once created and possessed the three artifacts of Death. The Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, the Invisibility Cloak - they did not appear in history by accident, but were deliberately leaked out by the Peverell family."

Xie Lin's eyes narrowed slightly, and he said in a low voice: "Did you leak it out on purpose? Why?"

Grindelwald sneered: "To provoke fighting and killing. The Peverell family is well aware of mankind's greed for power. They hope that these magical artifacts can cause chaos and unrest to weaken the order of the wizarding world and make the Peverell family's doctrine - the worship of death - the only truth. The Cult of Death is the continuation of this idea. Their goal is to make the entire wizarding world fall into a fanatical belief in death and turn the living into slaves of the dead."

Xie Lin frowned slightly after hearing this: "What does this mean? Can you explain it more clearly?"

Grindelwald shook his head and whispered, "My vision can only tell me so much. The rest is up to you to discover."

"What is your relationship with the Cult of Death?" Xie Ling stood up, and his wand had silently slid into his palm.

"Before I decided to start an uprising and establish the Supreme Wizarding Union, I chose to embark on a journey to find the three artifacts of death because I didn't want to fight with my former best friend Dumbledore. At that time, I naively believed that as long as I found the three artifacts of death, Dumbledore would no longer oppose me, but choose to work with me to change this absurd magical world."

"During that period, I received some help. It was during that time that I got the clue of the Elder Wand and stole it from Gregorovitch," Grindelwald said with a look of nostalgia. "At that time, I didn't think much about it. After all, I just wanted to protect all my fellow wizards so that all of us wizards no longer need to fear persecution from Muggles..."

"Thinking back on it, the person who helped me obtain the Elder Wand was most likely a member of the Death Cult..." Grindelwald said in a light tone, but Schelling could hear a very subtle hint of bitterness in it.

"You mean, your subsequent actions were also pushed by the Death Cult?" Schelling frowned. This was inconsistent with his understanding. Dumbledore clearly said that Grindelwald's formation of the Witch Alliance was supported by Walpurgis behind the scenes.

There was no reason for Dumbledore to lie to him, and Dumbledore would not reveal information that he was not sure was true or false.

"That's not the case," Grindelwald shook his head. "Forming the Wizarding Union is my personal ideal, because I believe that the majority of people want wizards to return to the sun and live freely."

"For this ideal, I am even willing to turn against my best friend," Grindelwald said, with a hint of hatred in his tone unconsciously, "But what I cannot accept is that I am just a pawn manipulated by others."

"I, who originally aspired to protect wizards, turned out to be the culprit who directly caused the first global wizard war in history that affected the entire world. Because of me, wizards were split into two factions. They were obviously fellow wizards connected by blood, but they fought each other for different political views." Grindelwald's black hair fluttered in the wind, and a cold murderous intent faintly revealed on his body. Even though his magic power was slightly weaker than before, his heart, will and wisdom broke through the shackles of the past and reached a new realm.

"This arrangement, this method, this strategy, has caused wizards to fall into division, created disputes and killings, and led to turmoil and chaos. This is clearly the goal of the Death Cult all along!" Grindelwald said, "In my original plan, as long as I control the Muggle Demon Marshal and use him to cause war in the Muggle world and eventually win, I can achieve the goal of controlling and ruling Muggles. Things don't need to develop into what they did later, and there is no need to sacrifice so many precious wizard lives!"

Schelling suddenly understood what Grindelwald meant by regret.

He sacrificed almost everything for his dream, but in the end he found out that he was just a puppet. No one could accept this.

Walpurgis is fine. Although he is the mastermind behind Grindelwald, he is only responsible for providing human and material support behind the scenes, allowing Grindelwald to have sufficient resources to expand the war to a global scale on his own. But in the final analysis, this war is still Grindelwald's will.

However, the Death Cult took advantage of Grindelwald's launch of the Muggle World War to lead the wizarding community into division, causing the war to deviate from Grindelwald's original intention - from defeating and ruling Muggles to a wizarding civil war. No wonder Grindelwald still can't let go of this hatred after more than 50 years.

Grindelwald looked at Xie Ling with complicated eyes and said softly, "From the first time I saw you, I knew that you and I were the same kind of people. Your ideals, your ambitions, and your goals are no less than mine, and your methods are no more merciful than mine... I am telling you this now because I hope you don't make the same mistake as me and be used by the Death Cult."

Xie Ling smiled, his smile was so confident, so cool, he said casually: "Since the existence of the Death Cult has been confirmed, there is no reason for him to succeed in swaying my will--" His tone was so steady that there was no room for doubt, "My destiny is something that only I can control!"

"I knew I would not be wrong about you," Grindelwald said, "If one day you want to deal with the Death Cult, don't forget to call me and do my part."

"If they dare to trample on my and his ideals, I will make them pay the price!"

[Clues to the Death Cult have been obtained! ]

[The "special ally" to fight against the Death Cult can be obtained from the Witch Alliance! ] (End of this chapter)