Who truly holds power in the wizarding world?
It's actually quite similar to Muggle society.
Just like Muggles, wizards operate with two sets of systems running concurrently.
In the Muggle world, many people believe the government is all-powerful, that it reigns supreme.
But in reality, if you were to put it in more metaphysical terms, most governments are essentially a 'sect alliance'.
Various factions and power bases unite, ceding a portion of their authority to form a new entity, making their collective strength more competitive and formidable.
This new entity appears unified, but the voices within are 'very mixed'. In truth, whoever wields more power speaks louder.
The wizarding world is the same, though there's a subtle difference between the two.
That difference is that in the Muggle world, power primarily exists in the form of 'resources' and is quite dispersed. In the wizarding world, however, power is violence, often concentrated in individual people.
They are the uncrowned kings of the wizarding world! Fudge certainly had opinions on this phenomenon, but he was powerless to change anything.
He was currently facing not Dumbledore, who had little attachment to this world, only wished for stability, and didn't want to flip the table.
When confronting powerful wizards who were willing to wield their might indiscriminately, he could only plaster on a smile, just as he was doing now.
After all, he didn't want to be sound asleep at home, only to be grabbed through the air while still in his pajamas and slammed onto the ground.
"..." Looking at Roger, who was about to leave, Fudge hesitated, unsure if he should speak.
But after a moment's thought, Fudge finally spoke, "Roger, please stay."
"Hm?" Roger, who was preparing to Apparate to a village near Hogwarts before entering the school, turned back in confusion.
"I have something I'd like to discuss with you regarding Virtual Reality," Fudge said.
"You mentioned at the press conference that you would allow Virtual Reality technology to be shared externally."
Roger nodded, "Yes."
"I recall there was relevant content in the report I submitted to you, and you approved it," Roger continued.
That was true.
But the question was, could Fudge dare to not approve Roger's proposals, as long as they weren't too outrageous?
"Yes, I read the report, but I estimate that someone from the German Ministry of Magic will be contacting us soon to seek cooperation. What should we do then?" Fudge was a very strategic speaker.
Of course, he wouldn't jump straight into sensitive issues. He intended to use this as an opening to smoothly guide the conversation toward his desired path.
"Do whatever needs to be done?" Roger found Fudge's question rather perplexing.
He looked at Fudge and continued, "The general direction has already been decided: technological cooperation and sharing. As for the specifics of how to cooperate, how to ensure our own interests within it, I believe the Ministry of Magic should be far more experienced than I am."
Fudge nodded noncommittally, "Then, if there are any conflicts with other countries due to Virtual Reality related matters..."
"I said it at the press conference, just do as I outlined."
"So, even though you're fully responsible for matters related to Virtual Reality, I can make my own decisions on some things?"
Roger's eyebrows shot up. Hearing this, he began to grasp the underlying meaning.
Fudge wanted to clarify their respective roles? That anything related to Virtual Reality fell under his purview, but Roger's methods and the power he wielded left Fudge, the Minister and his nominal superior, unsure of how to proceed or the proper weight to give certain matters.
At this moment, he likely wanted to clarify some ambiguities.
"That's right. As long as it doesn't directly concern the spread, maintenance, or technology that fosters the prosperity of Virtual Reality, other departments of the Ministry of Magic can make their own decisions."
Although Roger had seen through some of it, he chose not to reveal it.
For some things, mutual understanding was enough; stating them outright could be detrimental.
Humans are emotional beings, and being too blunt can often hurt someone's pride.
It was like in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, when Lü Bu saved Liu Bei. It should have been a great favor, but Lü Bu's boasting made it seem like they had become enemies.
"I see, I understand," Fudge was a genuine politician, highly sensitive to the emotional shifts in people.
Even though his position as Minister had come about unexpectedly, due to major scandals involving his competitors.
But being able to enter the competition, and in his original destiny, transforming from a clumsy minister who relied on Dumbledore for everything to someone who later held great power, this in itself proved his capabilities.
From the subtle changes in Roger's eyes, he knew Roger understood the implied meaning of his words.
And Roger's response made him realize that he could delve into more profound topics.
"Roger, can you give me a clearer picture of Virtual Reality technology?" Fudge asked earnestly.
But he immediately added, "Of course, I understand you might have reservations. Just tell me what you can."
"I have some understanding of your relationship with Dumbledore. The fact that Virtual Reality technology is suddenly spreading to the entire world, potentially having a massive impact on not only wizarding society but also Muggle society, without any prior warning..."
"This matter must have received your unanimous agreement, but it's a stark departure from how Dumbledore has handled similar matters in the past."
"What happened here?"
"Or rather, what exactly does Virtual Reality technology signify? Does it hold some special meaning that I'm unaware of?"
Fudge's magical talent was quite limited, and he didn't understand much about magic.
However, as a politician, he understood people!
He knew that Dumbledore had originally been quite a conservative person.
Getting Dumbledore to agree to something that would cause such drastic changes to the world would absolutely not be an easy task.
Things had reached this point.
There were two possibilities.
Either something had gone wrong with Dumbledore, causing his stance to shift.
Or... this so-called virtual reality technology was definitely not as simple as it appeared before him! The spread of virtual reality throughout the world likely had a hidden agenda!
Dumbledore was the greatest wizard of the century in Britain, and Fudge firmly believed that with Dumbledore's strength, there wouldn't be any problems on his end.
Then there was only one answer.
As the Minister of Magic, Fudge wouldn't be able to sleep soundly if he didn't get to the bottom of this matter!
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// beta.randomtranslator.com/
Read 1111+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский at: https:// beta.randomtranslator.com/
Join our Discord: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------