Although Voldemort was unhappy about this initially, he didn't intend to pursue or settle any scores.
The so-called fence-sitters were people who leaned whichever way the wind blew, and he understood them all too well.
Wizarding power had its limits. While a powerful wizard could fight many, they couldn't be invincible. If a powerful wizard wanted to do great things, they would definitely need to gather a force.
From Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix in modern times to the Knights of Merlin of ancient times, and various organizations like the International Confederation of Wizards and the Ministry of Magic, none were exceptions.
Although fence-sitters were detestable, they were still a force, and one that couldn't be underestimated.
If getting rid of them had no impact, then Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic at the time would have purged them all over a decade ago.
Just like in ancient Eastern times, every time a dynasty changed, no matter how the banners of the mountain lords changed, the lower and middle ranks remained the same people. Modern Great Britain was similar.
It was like how the Muggle Prime Minister of Britain was elected every few years, but the British civil service system remained steadfastly unchanged.
In the British wizarding world, those Pure-bloods were the steadfastly unchanged group.
Voldemort originally believed that once he was resurrected and the prophecy was dealt with, he could rule the world as he had over a decade ago, so he didn't plan to bother with these people.
Because these people were still a latent force for him. Some things only happen once, and then they happen countless times. Since they had stood by his side once, they could do so a second time.
Loyalty?
He had never sought everyone's loyalty. As long as they obeyed, that was enough for Voldemort.
But now, the situation had changed drastically.
In two ways.
Firstly, in terms of magical development, Voldemort couldn't find a direction to surpass Roger. This meant that not only could he not claim the throne of 'strongest,' but he might even fall out of the top tier of wizards in terms of power.
If things turned out this way, those fence-sitters would never stand with him again.
They would only stand with the strong or the victors.
Secondly, Roger had provided a new path. After experiencing Virtual Reality, Voldemort was certain that the upper limit of wizarding power could be broken in this era.
And this meant that those 'ironclad Pure-bloods' would become less necessary in the new era.
When the power ceiling was raised and the strong could accomplish more, Voldemort would no longer need to compromise in certain aspects.
Combining these two, the current situation was that if these fence-sitters remained, it would only strengthen Dumbledore's side and indirectly weaken his own.
They could submit to him in the past, and they could betray him to save their lives. So, for a better tomorrow, it wasn't impossible for them to become Dumbledore's dogs.
If it were the Dumbledore he knew, he might be wary of these people, and even if he accepted them on the surface, he wouldn't use them.
But now, Dumbledore's side wasn't entirely under Dumbledore's sole command.
Previously, Dumbledore led the Order of the Phoenix alone. Now, Dumbledore, Roger, and Nicolas Flamel, three powerful wizards, were making decisions together.
Voldemort did not understand the other two as deeply as Dumbledore, with whom he had been entangled for decades. He couldn't predict which direction things would go, so…
Of course, even if he wanted to settle scores, Voldemort couldn't go door-to-door killing people like in the past, causing a bloodbath.
He was the weaker party now. If he dared to cause trouble recklessly, he wouldn't know how he would die.
Horcruxes only made him immortal, not immune to injury or imprisonment.
Although Voldemort had some contingencies for such situations, some things were best not tested until the last moment to see if they were reliable.
When the time truly came, who knew what special circumstances might arise? Being hit by a reflected Avada Kedavra and having his soul shattered was enough of a lesson.
"It's not impossible for you to use this method, but will things really go in the direction you envision?" Tom pouted after listening to Voldemort.
Voldemort's method was actually very simple, describable in a few words.
Use some means to exacerbate the distrust and conflict between those traitorous Death Eaters and Dumbledore's faction, and then sit back and watch the tigers fight.
Anyone who has ever planned anything knows that the more complex the plan, the more likely it is to go wrong. It's better to keep it simple. Sometimes, the simpler the plan, the more effective it might be.
"It doesn't matter if it doesn't work; it's just an idle move." Voldemort just wanted to use everything he could to shorten the gap between himself and his dream.
As the old saying goes, to forge iron, one must be strong oneself.
Currently, Voldemort and Dumbledore's faction had a huge conflict.
But Voldemort's ultimate dream was long-term rule over everything. This meant that his enemies were not just Dumbledore's faction, but that this group was currently the most threatening to him.
Voldemort ultimately had to focus his main energy on researching and exploring his own magical path. If all his energy was spent on taking down Dumbledore and the others, what if more troublesome wizards appeared in other countries?
"Alright, alright, we'll do it your way," Tom Riddle shook his head.
He had emerged from the Diary Horcrux, and in a sense, he was a fragment of Voldemort's student days. He hadn't experienced the ups and downs that Voldemort had.
Therefore, he lacked a sense of reality regarding some matters.
Those people betrayed Voldemort, not Tom, and he really couldn't be bothered with them.
In Tom's eyes, the world was a very simple world of the strong.
The strong were respected, and only the brave dared to be first!
Great power returning to oneself was the future of this world.
Those so-called Pure-bloods, whom Tom considered useless parasites, were not even worthy of a mention in his eyes!
If they were to appear, perhaps their only fitting end would be to be shattered into dust in the background!
In a sense, young Tom Riddle seemed less insane than Voldemort, but in reality, he was much 'crazier' than Voldemort! Although Voldemort was a bit paranoid due to his exposure to too much Dark Magic, he had also experienced too many setbacks, falling from peak to trough. Therefore, he possessed more 'wisdom,' something cultivated through weathering great storms.
Tom, on the other hand, was much more youthful and spirited.
A young genius, full of ambition. If he had a choice, he wouldn't want to be like Voldemort, living like a rat underground.
Looking at Voldemort, who had lowered his eyelids as if plotting something, a dangerous glint flashed in Tom's eyes.
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