What constitutes true strength? Many people have different answers to this question.
But for Tom Riddle, only those who have reached a certain height in terms of power, execution, and ruthlessness can be considered truly strong.
Anyone who is overly compassionate, indecisive, and has the chance to kill an enemy but doesn't seize it, cannot be considered truly strong! In Roger's eyes, anyone who doesn't provoke him, doesn't harbor hostility towards him, and poses no threat to him is not an enemy.
However, in Tom Riddle's view, anyone whose interests do not align with his own is a potential enemy!
Therefore, while he acknowledged Roger's strength, he did not agree with Roger's philosophy.
He was unwilling to be subservient to someone with a 'weakness'.
Upon hearing Tom Riddle's answer, Voldemort and Grindelwald showed no outward expression, but a subtle smile rose in their hearts.
In Voldemort's eyes, Tom was his past self.
He certainly knew very well what kind of person he used to be.
As for Grindelwald, it goes without saying. For a Seer who had witnessed so much of the future, sometimes, without even using the Seer's abilities, he could judge a person with considerable accuracy based on his own experience.
It was precisely this understanding of Tom that led the two of them to send him to the scene of Roger's virtual reality technology press conference.
They believed it would be very simple to provoke his resentment towards Roger.
Tom might not have been unaware of their scheme, but this was an open plot, and Tom could neither avoid it nor did he need to.
Roger's personality and Tom's personality were naturally incompatible. As long as the two had any direct and relatively in-depth contact, what was happening now was bound to occur.
"What do you plan to do next?" Although Tom had fallen into their trap, Voldemort still asked, to prevent Tom from deviating too far from the intended path.
"..." This time, it was Tom Riddle's turn to fall silent.
Because he found that he didn't have any good methods to deal with Roger.
Lie low?
What was his age, and what was that young Seer's age? Since his strength was already so formidable now, wouldn't it be self-inflicted trouble to compete with him in terms of talent?
If he followed the normal growth curve, the gap between him and Roger would only widen.
Use underhanded tactics? He was a Seer.
Even if Grindelwald was willing to help him, interfering with the future itself was a warning signal.
The moment he was noticed by Roger in the venue proved that his disguise was ineffective against Roger.
Tom had not forgotten how Roger had used spatial power to grab people from a distance during the Board of Directors' political struggle.
Even if he had Horcruxes, being instantly killed again the moment he revived, a cycle of death and rebirth, what difference would that make compared to being killed directly? It would even be worse than being killed directly.
After much thought, Tom Riddle realized there seemed to be only one method left.
"Fan the flames."
Tom Riddle had no habit of keeping people in suspense, and he proceeded to explain in detail: "Roger's power is immense, but not absolutely invincible, otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen his current course of action."
In Tom's understanding, the current Roger had some similarities to Dumbledore from his memory.
Possessing great power, but also having reservations in various aspects, unwilling to completely overturn the table.
The more he thought, the more cautious his actions became.
Since he wanted to be cautious, Tom would find a way to make him more aggressive.
"He wants to promote the popularization of virtual reality technology, so let's add fuel to the fire."
"Organize some people, use some radical methods, to forcefully push this technology forward in the world!"
At that time, Roger would only have two choices.
Either he would continue with his original approach, which would undoubtedly lead to various forms of 'cultural shock' and resistance.
Or he would seize the opportunity to become more aggressive... which would be exactly what Tom Riddle wanted.
No matter what choice Roger made, he could cause some trouble for him.
This would delay his progress, cause him to waste his energy on areas outside of magical advancement, and give himself more opportunities to overtake him.
And Tom's actions, strictly speaking, were not preventing Roger, but 'helping' him, so it was estimated that it would be difficult for Roger to find any solid evidence.
Would he say, "Because Voldemort helped me a lot, I want to kill him"? This kind of flattery that leads to downfall is difficult to deal with, and that's why.
Some overt forms of flattery that lead to downfall still have room to maneuver, but what about those that are hidden...
With his Horcruxes, as long as not all of them were captured simultaneously, he would have countless opportunities to start over.
Others, however, had only one chance! Especially after Voldemort obtained Time Magic, Horcruxes were no longer limited to the present. To truly kill him, it would likely require dealing with all his Horcruxes at the same time.
He would have to be prevented from obtaining any other Horcruxes from past timelines!
In fact, if Roger were not a Seer, there would be another method.
In the "Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra," there was a dialogue between a demon and the Buddha.
The Buddha said: The Dharma is the true law, and no power can destroy it.
The Demon King Pāpīyas said: In the Age of Dharma Decline, I will command my disciples to infiltrate the temples, wear your kasayas, and destroy your Dharma. They will misinterpret your scriptures and violate your precepts to achieve my goals.
Voldemort could also use a similar method, having people cause trouble in the name of Roger's followers.
Roger, in his early years, had genuinely accomplished a lot under the guise of a religious seer.
He truly had many followers.
Unfortunately, the power of a seer left Tom Riddle and Voldemort with very few means to utilize.
...
...
...
"You're leaving already?"
"Yes, I have quite a bit to do within Hogwarts and really don't have much time." Roger shook his head, politely declining the Ministry of Magic's Minister Fudge's attempt to keep him.
He had finished what he needed to do at the Ministry of Magic and intended to head back immediately.
"Is that so? What a shame."
This time, Fudge's plea wasn't just a formality; he genuinely had many things he wanted to discuss with Roger.
After the Board of Directors' lobbying, Roger had been granted a public office within the Ministry of Magic, with full authority over the virtual reality industry. His position, though nominally low-ranking, held significant power, allowing him to bypass his direct superiors.
However, regardless of his influence, Roger was, in name, responsible to the Minister of Magic, the highest-ranking official.
Many matters, by procedure, required the Minister of Magic's approval before they could proceed.
But in practice, Fudge, the Minister of Magic, often found himself working around Roger.
This was precisely what Fudge wanted to discuss with Roger in detail! It was better to clarify certain aspects of their respective authorities, and Fudge also needed to gain a deeper understanding of some of Roger's work.
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