A small Ministry of Magic like the Polish Ministry of Magic...
Really didn't have much standing in the international wizarding world.
Although they were also called a Ministry of Magic, the truth was that having even a thousand wizards under their jurisdiction was already remarkable.
With such a small population, they simply had no way to resist exploitation from large ministries like the MACUSA and the French Ministry of Magic. Most of them became resource suppliers for the larger ministries, forced to sell off their own resources in an unsustainable way just to secure room to survive.
So for them, the "Sky City deterrence" really wasn't that big of a deal.
Even if the Shadow Man's goal in creating the "Sky City deterrence" was to rule the world, it wouldn't have much impact on them.
After all, they had always been the ones being exploited. So what difference would it make if the people exploiting them changed?
Faced with the Polish Minister of Magic's question, Link wasn't quite sure how to explain it.
Because, even now, the Shadow Man hadn't shown any particularly obvious purpose or intention.
He just kept repeating nonsense like "the power of love" and "he loves all people."
Those words had appeared in the memories of the French Minister of Magic. They could be considered the only thing that could be treated as a motive.
Unfortunately, the group of small Ministry ministers represented by the Polish Minister clearly refused to believe such an absurd explanation.
Just then, August suddenly stood up and looked expressionlessly at the Polish Minister of Magic.
Immediately afterward, Picquery also rose to her feet, turning her gaze toward the other small Ministry ministers.
Under the pressure of those two gazes, the courage the Polish Minister had barely managed to gather instantly disappeared. The other small Ministry ministers also lowered their heads timidly.
Only then did a faint smile finally appear on August's face.
She turned toward Link and said with a charming smile,
"Mr. Link Flamel, you don't need to trouble yourself. These people simply don't know when they're being treated well. The nicer you are to them, the more they'll push their luck. On the other hand, the firmer you are and the less room you leave them to negotiate, the more obedient they become!
"Hehe, this just shows your lack of experience in international diplomacy. But that's all right. I'm quite experienced in this area. Perhaps we should find some time to sit down and exchange ideas. Don't worry, I'll teach you everything I know!"
After saying that, August even winked at Link.
"Heh! Bitch!"
Picquery cursed viciously.
She didn't speak loudly, but her voice was just enough for August to hear.
This time, however, August wasn't particularly angry. She merely shot Picquery a disdainful glare.
At the head of the table, Link had already frowned deeply.
The Russian Minister of Magic, August, really was exceptionally beautiful.
And it was natural beauty, without the aid of any beauty potions.
Combined with the seductive manner she unconsciously revealed through her every word and action, she was enough to drive any normal man mad.
But Link had absolutely no interest in her.
Because she was the internationally famous black widow.
From what Link knew, the number of male wizards involved with her was already close to three digits.
And every one of them was either powerful, influential, or simply extremely strong.
Without exception, after becoming involved with August, they had all become her slaves, allowing themselves to be used however she pleased, until even their wealth and lives had been completely devoured.
Her toxicity could only be described as horrifying.
Not only that.
The land of Russia only produced Tsars.
Nothing else.
That same pattern existed in Russia's wizarding world as well.
So anyone capable of becoming the Russian Minister of Magic was, by nature, nothing like the seductive and gentle woman she currently appeared to be.
Link even felt that if he stripped away August's gentle exterior, what lay beneath would probably be Siberia's ruthless snow and bitter cold.
It was precisely through those methods, some brutal, some cunning, that August had firmly controlled the Russian Ministry of Magic and developed it into what it was today.
Faced with a woman like that, no matter how enchanting she looked, Link had no interest whatsoever in interacting with her.
He didn't even want to look at her.
Dumbledore, on the other hand, seemed quite interested in August.
The moment he heard August say she would "teach Link everything she knew," his eyes immediately sparkled with curiosity.
Even the spectacles on his nose couldn't hide it.
As for the Polish Minister of Magic and the other small Ministry ministers, they all had their heads lowered now, looking as though they had given up resisting altogether.
But Link, who had practically pushed Legilimency to its limit, could smell a strong sense of anger from their reactions.
They were dissatisfied with the unfair treatment they had received.
To be fair, Link didn't care about this at all.
He only wanted to unite the entire international wizarding world against the Shadow Man.
Whether these small Ministry ministers accepted it, or what they felt inside, had nothing to do with him.
But it was different for Dumbledore.
He wanted to quickly rebuild order now that the International Confederation of Wizards had collapsed.
Although the small Ministries lacked strength, they still maintained the Statute of Secrecy across their respective regions.
They couldn't simply be abandoned.
So after noticing the state of the Polish Minister and the others, the smile quickly disappeared from Dumbledore's face.
"I think that in a situation like this, we should remain united," Dumbledore said seriously. "After all, we still want to continue living peaceful lives in the future. And based on that alone, the Shadow Man is the enemy of every one of us!"
"Yes, you're absolutely right."
The Polish Minister of Magic replied respectfully.
His attitude was incomparably obedient.
There wasn't a trace left of the courage he'd shown earlier when he had stood up to question Link.
That left Dumbledore rather helpless.
He knew very well that no matter what he said now, these small Ministry ministers would only think it was hypocritical acting, empty promises meant to trick them into serving as cannon fodder.
These people could no longer trust Dumbledore.
Letting out a deep sigh, Dumbledore could only turn to Link with a pleading look.
In his opinion, only Link, or ministers of Picquery's and August's level, might still be able to win these small Ministry ministers back.
However, faced with Dumbledore's gaze, Link had no intention of speaking at all.
Picquery and August completely ignored Dumbledore's existence.
The two of them had already begun discussing how to deal with Sky City.
Picquery proposed a decapitation operation.
They should directly eliminate the Shadow Man inside Sky City.
That way, not only would they pay a much smaller price, but they would also inherit Sky City in its most complete form.
After all, she had long coveted the various technologies inside Sky City.
August, however, believed they should first send spies to gather intelligence.
Then, after formulating the proper plan based on that intelligence, they could assemble a large army and crush Sky City through sheer numbers.
Such an approach would inevitably result in heavy casualties.
Everyone had witnessed Sky City's achievements in spatial technology.
Even if the wizard coalition could withstand that kind of power, it would still have to pay a considerable price.
But the advantage was that it was the safest approach.
As the two argued, the expressions of the small Ministry ministers in the conference hall became increasingly ugly.
Because no matter how different their strategies were, both plans shared one fundamental requirement.
Every Ministry of Magic had to send troops and form a coalition army.
Within that coalition, the forces of the British Ministry of Magic, the MACUSA, the Russian Ministry of Magic, and the other major ministries would naturally hold absolute dominance.
Then what about the miscellaneous troops sent by the small Ministries?
What role would they play in that army?
The answer couldn't have been simpler.
Cannon fodder.
That had always been the standard pattern of wizarding wars.
Just like during Grindelwald's rampage across Europe.
Back then, to oppose Grindelwald, the coalition assembled by the International Confederation of Wizards had also contained large numbers of cannon fodder, used to exhaust Grindelwald's forces' magic and alchemical equipment.
The difference was that, back then, the cannon fodder on both sides mostly consisted of other magical races that had been deceived into joining, such as giants and centaurs.
After the war ended, those magical races were practically reduced to endangered species.
Among them, the giants suffered the worst.
Those simple-minded creatures, together with their close relatives, the trolls, were later deceived again by Voldemort and took part in the war within Britain's wizarding world.
After those two consecutive wars, the trolls had fared relatively well.
They could still hide in forests and swamps, surviving by eating mud.
The giants, however, had practically disappeared.
It was said that fewer than a hundred true giants remained in the world.
This war against Sky City was of a very special nature.
Other magical races had absolutely no way to resist Sky City's spatial attacks.
They couldn't even help deplete Sky City's magical reserves.
So the best candidates for cannon fodder became the miscellaneous troops sent by the small Ministries.
That would directly lead to the further decline of the regional small Ministries.
Some of them, especially those that suffered heavier losses during the war, might even disappear altogether.
Meanwhile, the large Ministries wouldn't have to worry about any of that.
Even if they also suffered heavy losses during the war, they could recover them through developing Sky City afterward and through exploiting and absorbing the weakened small Ministries.
Just imagining that future made the Polish Minister of Magic feel a powerful wave of dizziness.
He considered himself a fairly responsible man.
He had served diligently as Minister of Magic for many years.
Although he had made quite a lot of money and had sent all of his children to study at Ilvermorny, he had also done a great deal for Poland's wizarding world.
But after this war...
Everything would probably come to an end.
Whether the Polish Ministry of Magic would even continue to exist was uncertain.
There was a very good chance it would simply be annexed by the Russian Ministry of Magic.
"Sigh..."
The Polish Minister of Magic let out a deep sigh.
He had already accepted his fate and had begun thinking about how to transfer his assets.
Quite a few people at the scene had reached the same decision.
But just then, they unexpectedly noticed that Link Flamel, seated at the head of the conference table, seemed to have received some message.
He was holding his wand against his earlobe as though listening.
Although no one knew how such magical voice communication worked, everyone present still held their breath, afraid of disturbing Link.
As time passed, the expression on Link's face kept changing.
First he frowned tightly.
Then his face returned to calm.
Finally, he looked toward the Polish Minister of Magic with a faint smile that wasn't quite a smile.
The thin Polish Minister immediately felt his scalp go numb under that gaze and couldn't help swallowing hard.
"Ah, I see. Understood."
As Link spoke, he finally lowered his wand.
"Poor... uh, what's your name again? Mr. Minister of the Polish Ministry of Magic?"
Link's words made many of the small Ministry ministers present feel dissatisfied.
After all, they were only here because Link had personally sent them an "invitation."
And yet now, Link didn't even know their names.
It was simply too insulting.
But the Polish Minister of Magic clearly had no mind left to care about that.
Link's strange behavior filled him with a bad feeling, and he hurriedly asked,
"Mr. Link Flamel, p-please... what happened? Has something occurred?"
Link raised an eyebrow.
He wasn't angry that the Polish Minister hadn't given his name.
He merely flicked a finger lightly.
The holographic projection in the center of the conference hall flickered.
The image changed from the French Ministry of Magic to a bird's-eye view of a city.
Judging purely by its scenery, the city had nothing particularly remarkable about it.
Apart from its many old European-style buildings, it even looked somewhat run-down, and it wasn't very large.
But the moment the Polish Minister saw the city, he shot to his feet in excitement.
Because the city now displayed before everyone was the location of the Polish Ministry of Magic.
Krakow.
Before the Polish Minister could ask anything, Link moved his finger again.
The image immediately began shifting.
The perspective gradually descended from its original aerial view until it became a wide, level view.
And with that change in angle, a gigantic castle, not much smaller than the city of Krakow itself, appeared in the image among the clouds.
The Polish Minister's body instantly stiffened.
He said in disbelief, "Merlin's beard! Th-this is Sky City! They... they attacked the Polish Ministry of Magic?"
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