In the office, the Director handed Aiden a glass of fresh lemon juice.
"Hurry up, don't waste words. The audience is waiting," Aiden urged impatiently.
"Hmm, young people are always impatient," the Director said, picking up a piece of pastry with deliberate slowness.
"Voldemort... why do you think a half-blood wizard with Muggle ancestry who inherited some Gaunt legacy would have such enormous influence?"
The Director crossed his hands and rested his chin on them thoughtfully.
"Isn't it because the pure-bloods of Britain are increasingly weakening, so they're promoting a proxy?" Aiden thought for a moment and answered.
"Yes, but that's only part of it. What do you think the development of the entire world looks like?" the Director asked, throwing out another question.
"From order to... chaos!" Aiden said, thinking of something important.
"But he didn't join the Court of Servants, did he?" Aiden asked with obvious puzzlement.
"That's exactly what makes him troublesome. Throughout millennia, there's been no shortage of powerful wizards researching Deep Realm Kings and then dividing and using their power. Eastern Jianmu, our Fiendfyre, and your transformation rituals all prove that Deep Realm Kings can actually be utilised."
The Director's voice carried obvious exhaustion.
"So Voldemort deconstructed chaos and utilised it?" Aiden asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, he certainly doesn't have that ability. How could a mind pursuing power possibly resist the temptation of Deep Realm Kings?" the Director said, shaking his head.
"You mean..." a flash of inspiration crossed Aiden's mind.
"Salazar Slytherin," the Director spoke a familiar name.
"In Salazar's later years, he had disputes with his friends. External records say it was because he was dissatisfied with Muggle-born wizards entering the school to study. But in that era when magical instruction was still in master-apprentice mode, if he held such ridiculous beliefs, how could he have become close friends with the other three legendary wizards?"
The Director spoke while taking out an ancient parchment bearing Salazar Slytherin's own portrait and handing it to Aiden.
"So their real point of contention centred around Deep Realm Kings," Aiden murmured with growing understanding.
"In that chaotic era, the entity the four founders could most easily access was Deep Realm King of Chaos. Salazar once proposed a rather extreme plan and implemented it to a certain degree."
"What did he do?" Aiden asked with growing interest.
"He scattered the chaos fragments that he and the other three founders had divided among Muggles," the Director revealed.
"Cough." Aiden, who was drinking lemon juice, choked directly.
"No, this isn't just extreme anymore, it's complete madness!" Aiden said, wiping his mouth with a tissue.
"Actually not really. The four of them constructed an extremely powerful ritual at Hogwarts. As long as Muggles remained perpetually chaotic and unable to form an effective organisational system, they would remain in backwardness and ignorance for a long time. And wizards born from Muggles would be protected by the ritual after entering Hogwarts, thus staying away from Deep Realm King influence."
After listening, Aiden frowned, discovering the problem within.
"But this would also greatly strengthen the power of Ignorance, thus forming Deep Realm tides. So the other three founders vetoed it, right?"
Aiden, who had considerable understanding of the second layer, Ember Sea of the Deep Realm, understood the whole story.
"Exactly. After the dispute erupted, Slytherin left alone and went to America to continue his research. As for what he did there afterward, no one knows."
The Director finished the story and looked at Aiden, waiting for his questions.
"So, two questions. First, what did Slytherin leave behind in his homeland? Second, how deep is Voldemort's integration with chaos?" Aiden asked.
"Let's talk about the first one. Salazar Slytherin should have left all his research records at Hogwarts. So according to our speculation, the ritual Voldemort performed was deduced from there."
The Director took a sip of tea, paused, and continued with a serious tone.
"As for the second, having completed integration with a Deep Realm King while retaining some rationality, he can almost be seen as the Deep Realm King's avatar in the mortal world, except his reality-altering abilities would be greatly weakened."
The Director explained the complex issues in just a few words.
"How much harm would allowing him to continue cause?" Aiden asked, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"Are you thinking of using him to complete your plan?" The Director, seeing his expression, understood some things.
"Well then, I have a suggestion..." the old fox revealed a knowing smile.
"Oh, I'm all ears," the dragon said, leaning over to whisper with him.
After discussing with the Director, a refreshed Aiden was led upstairs by the Director for an important meeting.
Upstairs at the Ministry of Magic, Fudge urgently summoned the heads of various departments.
Since old Barty had been poisoned, Fudge took the opportunity to install his own people into the Department of International Magical Cooperation.
At this time, out of the Ministry's seven departments... Sports, Transportation, Cooperation, Magical Creatures Management... four had already returned to Fudge's control.
In the meeting Fudge convened, he denounced Barty's inaction and pinned all the World Cup failures on Barty.
At the same time, Fudge forcibly assigned the Aurors under his command to various department heads under the pretext of protecting their safety.
It was protection in name but surveillance and intimidation in reality, selecting, attacking, and eliminating his competitors.
After the meeting ended, in the Department of Mysteries Director's office.
"Dragon, look at him, just look at him," the returning Director began, throwing a dramatic tantrum.
"What am I looking at him for? I'm not the one being surveilled anyway," Aiden said, watching the show from the side.
"I don't care. If you don't help, I'll... I'll go to your school every day to harass you," the Director said, showing a wicked smile.
"What kind of pervert are you?" Aiden asked, holding his forehead.
"I'll also bring the young ladies from the Department of Mysteries with me. We'll hold support activities at your school gate every day!"
The Director threw away all dignity, though there wasn't much left anyway.
"Seriously?"
"…"
"Fine, I'll help. Where's the person?" Aiden said with resignation.
"Wait there, they should arrive soon," the Director said. He had just been throwing a tantrum but immediately sat up straight.
Seeing his shameless appearance, Aiden couldn't help but sigh deeply.
Knock knock. Soon the door was knocked, and a dark-skinned strong man walked in.
"Director of the Department of Mysteries, hello. I'm Kingsley Shacklebolt, here on orders to protect you," Kingsley spoke formally.
"Uh." Now it was the turn of the two who had been preparing to do questionable things to freeze.
"What's wrong? Is there something on my face?" Kingsley asked with obvious puzzlement.
"Um, did you volunteer to come to the Department of Mysteries?" Aiden asked.
"No, our superiors just drew lots. Why?" Kingsley answered honestly.
"Quick, wipe his memory," the Director and Aiden huddled together whispering.
"He's from the Order of the Phoenix," Aiden objected.
"Don't you have the ability to manipulate people's minds? Give him one. At worst, we'll undo it later!" the Director suggested desperately.
"...Fine... alright," after thinking for a while, Aiden reluctantly agreed.
Kingsley saw the two finish their discussion and walk toward him.
"Sorry about this, mate," Aiden said, wanting to pat his shoulder but could only reach his waist.
Then Kingsley only felt darkness approaching and then lost consciousness.
When leaving, Aiden conveniently helped solve the trouble around Amelia Bones as well, then returned to Hogwarts.