Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Turkey, Greece, Italy, France...

The sickly green Dark Mark was present at every European magical government that Cornelius Fudge and the others arrived at.

The situation in Istanbul was not an isolated case; almost every Ministry of Magic had suffered some degree of damage and looting. Fortunately, just like the British Ministry of Magic, none of the Ministries had a night shift, so there were no casualties from resistance.

On the other hand, perhaps having received advance warning, most of the Dark Wizards had already left by the time Cornelius Fudge and the others arrived.

Except...

"The merciful Dark Lord grants you one month to cleanse those filthy things mixed into the magical world..."

Paris, French Ministry of Magic, atop the highest point of the main hall's warning clock.

Several wizards who seemed to have no faces stood above, looking down upon the Aurors below, who appeared as insignificant as ants.

Cornelius Fudge and the others squinted, carefully examining the uninvited guests hidden beneath hoods and masks. Their words sounded like the grating of metal, constantly echoing with a chilling unease, so much so that they couldn't discern their true voices.

"And after that, the great Dark Lord will personally intervene—you can start pondering a question now, you, Cornelius Fudge, the British Ministry of Magic, and all the Aurors present, how should you demonstrate sincerity and repentance to earn the Dark Lord's forgiveness—"

"Oh, really? Well, I can tell you the answer right now, go to hell."

Amelia Bones looked up, a cold glint flashing in her monocle, and drew her wand.

The surrounding Aurors also drew their wands, pointing them at the Dark Wizards above. Cornelius Fudge looked around, panting as he shouted, "Arrest them! Don't let those bastards escape!" He drew his wand and waved it forcefully upwards.

However, the Dark Wizards standing on the clock face were clearly faster than the Ministry of Magic's people.

With a deafening roar, the clock in the French Ministry of Magic, used to monitor the level of magical exposure, instantly exploded.

It turned into countless flying shards of stone, falling towards the crowd below, and flames erupted suddenly between the debris.

In the ensuing chaos, the Dark Wizards Disapparated one after another, leaving behind only a series of shrill, piercing laughter echoing in the air, like the eerie cries of night owls in a midnight forest.

"The Master is waiting for you in London, gentlemen, we hope you won't keep us waiting too long..."

Master... Master?!

Cornelius Fudge and the others' expressions changed.

However, before they could question further, more stones and fiery rain came crashing down upon them.

The Versailles-style openwork sculptures, colorful mosaic glass decorations... all sorts of fragile, broken architectural debris were tossed high into the air by wave after wave of chain explosions, turning into deadly weapons that rained down on the Aurors huddled below.

At that moment, the Aurors from various countries finally began to understand the meaning of "mad" Dark Wizards in the mouths of the British.

Unlike those evil villains with clear goals, Voldemort and his followers were all lunatics obsessed with destruction.

…………

When the dust settled, the scattered flames were quickly extinguished by the Aurors' magic.

French Minister of Magic, Caster, stood like a gray-white statue, staring blankly at the ruined hall of the French Ministry of Magic.

Compared to other magical governments, the response speed of the French magical community was clearly much slower. Even now, there were not many officials present at the French Ministry of Magic, but this was no longer important to most people. They were now more concerned with another question:

"Well, retaking the British Ministry of Magic... shouldn't we wait a bit?"

According to those Dark Wizards, "Voldemort" was most likely in London, England—most likely in the British Ministry of Magic—waiting for them.

If Cornelius Fudge and the people of the British Ministry of Magic were not lying, as a "Demon King-level" Dark Wizard on the same level as Dumbledore and Grindelwald, with careful preparation, he even had a considerable chance of encircling and annihilating them...

No one would forget that Gellert Grindelwald almost single-handedly wiped out fifty elite Aurors.

Moreover, "Voldemort" was now surrounded by an unknown number of "Death Eaters." The risk of rashly counterattacking the Ministry of Magic was simply too great.

Perhaps gathering the strength of everyone could repel him, but with a top wizard directing the battle, even the death of one person was unacceptable to the Ministries of Magic in various countries—after all, most of them had already "recovered" their respective Ministries. If the situation in Britain was just a formality, then most people would have no objections.

But if this meant participating in a magical war that risked their lives, they were not yet mentally prepared.

Not to mention, that was in another magical country...

"...This is not a threat faced by the British magical community alone, it is a test for the entire magical world."

Cornelius Fudge looked at the hesitant wizards around him, his face flushed, and waved his arms vigorously, shouting, "The Dark Lord is testing whether we will stand together in the fight against Dark Magic. If we retreat now, then the magical world will become a paradise for Dark Wizards to enter and leave at will."

"Don't worry, Scrimgeour and the others notified Dumbledore at the first opportunity, and he should be on his way."

"And on the other hand, don't forget, we have a new ally besides Dumbledore!"

He pulled out the list he thought he wouldn't need, waving it fiercely a few times.

"Justice is never a lone battle—"

…………

London, Diagon Alley, Gringotts Wizarding Bank.

Cornelius Fudge and the others glanced at the mithril wall rings engraved with twisted goblin script and quickly exited the teleportation hall's altar.

Following the guidance of the goblin attendant, the group easily arrived at the main hall of the bank. At the end of the high counters, the door leading to Diagon Alley was opened in advance, just like the previous branches. However, this time, Cornelius Fudge and the others were not in a hurry to go out.

He stopped in the center of the hall, turned his head to look at the middle-aged goblin standing near a counter not far away.

The goblin leaned on an exquisitely crafted cane, a cigar clamped in his right hand, looking completely different from the other goblin managers.

"So, you are the goblin responsible for Gringotts Wizarding Bank's 'special assistance'?" Cornelius Fudge asked.

The goblin looked up, casually blew out a smoke ring, grinned, and said with a meaningful smile.

"Gringotts Wizarding Bank's Chief Financial Officer, Douglas. Her Majesty has instructed me to stand by here. Gringotts can spare no effort to assist the Ministry of Magic in maintaining social order, but this means war, a magical war, and the opponent is the most dangerous Dark Wizard in history."

"Of course, since I am here, it means that Gringotts does not believe that the Ministry of Magic is at a disadvantage—"

Douglas flicked his cigar, blew out another swaying smoke ring, and the sharp, thin teeth in his mouth flashed a hint of coldness.

"Her Majesty said that war is just a continuation of finance. If the Ministry of Magic is willing to bear a small price, I have a very simple and effective physical assistance...to drive the Dark Lord and his followers out of the Ministry of Magic while minimizing casualties. This is what Minister Fudge wants to see the most, right? Sorry, we goblins are not used to beating around the bush. We focus more on efficiency and return."

"Wait, why does the Ministry of Magic have to pay a price? Your Queen wasn't like this before..."

Amelia Bones frowned, looking at Douglas with some confusion.

However, before Ms. Bones could finish speaking, Cornelius Fudge hurriedly interrupted her.

"What price?"

"Some facilities and documents of the Ministry of Magic may be damaged..."

Douglas shrugged, replying in a flat tone, smiling and nodding at Ms. Bones.

"You also know that he is the most dangerous Dark Wizard in history. We can waive the fee for military assistance, but we cannot protect the combat environment... Of course, we can undertake the post-event repairs—these contents will be charged extra, but if it is caused by Gringotts, we will appropriately transfer the fee according to the situation. With my personal authority, I can at least strive for a 30% to 60% discount in this regard..."

"If the 'price' is only these things, then there is no problem at all!"

Cornelius Fudge was like a drowning man suddenly seeing driftwood, agreeing without hesitation, looking at the other party with a serious expression.

"If Gringotts Wizarding Bank can complete all this before dawn today, then at the public press conference later in the day, the goblins can attend with the Ministry of Magic and directly establish the requirements put forward by your Queen in front of the public. The key is—what are you going to do?"

"Very simple, three adult dragons are raised in the underground vaults of London Gringotts—"

Douglas raised a slender index finger and said slowly in a calm voice.

"We can temporarily lend two to the Ministry of Magic, two Ukrainian Ironbellies, the largest dragons in the world today. They will resist all fatal spells for you and crazily attack all evil wizards standing directly in front of them. Isn't it simple?"

"Are you crazy? Is this the good advice you goblins have? Releasing two adult dragons inside the Ministry of Magic?"

Bones looked at Douglas in disbelief, laughing in anger, "Without the Dark Lord even lifting a finger, the dragons will destroy most of the Ministry."

"But, isn't that what war is like? This is the price the Ministry of Magic must bear, turning into ruins in the flames of war."

"Why do we have to let the Ministry of Magic turn into—"

"You're right, this is an extremely difficult battle, but we must win it."

Cornelius Fudge suddenly raised his hand, interrupting Amelia Bones's question, and nodded approvingly.

"You will have dragon tamers following beside them, right? And... you have a way to transport the dragons into the Ministry of Magic, right? If you can make the dragons appear in the underground vaults hundreds of meters deep, then there must be some magical means to transport such large things, right?"

"Of course, Minister."

Douglas's eyes flickered, as if recalling something, and he bowed slightly, replying with a smile.

"In this regard, we are professionals."

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Yay!