Aside from immortality, Voldemort's greatest interest in life was collecting the relics of the four Founders of Hogwarts; Pure-blood supremacy and ambition for domination were merely secondary.
The Staff of the Serpent Staff originally belonged to the Gaunt Family. If it hadn't been stolen by Aesop Thale, a traitor who was friendly to Muggle, Gaunt Family would never have fallen into its current state.
The Vincent held at the hearing was undoubtedly the Staff of Serpent Staff, but it's unclear why it differed from the Gaunt Family's account.
But none of that matters. What matters is that the Serpent Staff possesses enough power to defeat Dumbledore.
That Mudblood is a thief; he's not Parseltongue, so he can't unleash the true power of the Serpent Staff.
Voldemort naively believed that Vincent stole the Serpent Staff, but it's understandable that he would have such an idea, since no one knew that the Serpent Staff was actually a product of Alchemy.
France, Normandy, Rouen, Les Andelys.
The white castle, located on the banks of the Seine, was commissioned by Richard the Lionheart in the late 12th century and was primarily used to defend Rouen.
During the Hundred Years' War between England and France, the castle was alternately controlled by the two countries and was eventually demolished by Henry IV at the end of the 16th century.
Currently, only ruins remain of the castle, with the foundation of the outer wall still visible, and some areas covered in moss.
But deep within the gravel path, unseen by Muggle, lies a White Manor.
The estate is not large, but a large area of roses is planted outside.
Every morning, a beautiful woman who looks to be around 30 years old would leave the estate to pick petals and make rosewater.
She was a little different today than usual. She hadn't slept all night and had spent the whole evening elegantly drinking red wine on the sofa in her room, with more than a dozen wine bottles lying haphazardly on the expensive velvet carpet.
She seemed drunk, but then again, she didn't.
When the first rays of morning sunlight tried to enter the room, they seemed to be blocked by something unseen.
"See you later, Mom and Dad." A dark figure appeared out of thin air above the manor and fell down, landing right in front of the manor gate.
Amazingly, he was not injured, nor did he even lift a single rose petal.
"Rosier ..." His deep blue eyes looked at the rose emblem on the door.
Rosier means rose in French, and this White Manor is the ancestral home of the Rosier Family.
The person who appeared out of nowhere above the manor was none other than Vincent, who jumped down from the cockpit of the La Voiture Noire.
Since you've decided to settle in France temporarily, it's definitely worth a visit.
However, things were not quite as he had imagined. Vincent had thought that even without the French Ministry of Magic's surveillance, there would be various spells cast around, but in reality, there was no trace of any other wizards within a three-kilometer radius.
Just as he was wondering what was going on, the door to the engraved rose emblem opened.
The interior of the manor is decorated with the unique romance and classical charm of the Middle Ages, with cream-colored walls, hand-painted murals, red velvet carpets, and palatial ceiling reliefs.
There was no one in the main hall, Vincent wasn't in a hurry. He sat on the comfortable fabric sofa and waited patiently.
A moment later, light footsteps came from the second floor.
The beautiful woman, who looked to be only around 30 years old, was wearing a red silk nightgown with a long black coat draped over her shoulders.
Compared to Madam Zabini's beauty, which is like a deadly poison, she looks quite pretty and very elegant and classic with her hair styled in a bun.
But if you look closely a few more times, you'll find that she seems indifferent to everything.
Vincent politely rose from the sofa. "Good morning, Ms. Rosier. Vida Rozier."
Vida remained completely calm, his tone remarkably even, "We've finally met, Grindelwald's successor."
Vincent frowned slightly, somewhat displeased with her form of address. "Ms. Rosier, I must clarify beforehand that I am not Grindelwald's heir."
Vida's expression remained unchanged as she gracefully sat on the other fabric sofa opposite her. "If you say it's not true, then it's not true. The ideology of the Wizards' Purity Party is indeed not suitable for the present era."
Vincent sat down as well. "Ms. Rosier, I think you already know about my situation."
Vida nodded slightly.
"I will settle in France for the time being, and I will go to Germany as soon as I am settled."
"Oh?" Vida raised an eyebrow slightly. "You say you're not Grindelwald's successor, yet you're eyeing his followers. How interesting."
Vincent ignored the mockery in her eyes. "Half a century has passed. We can't keep them waiting forever."
Vida's lips curled into a slight smile. "You are indeed not his heir. He will certainly not hesitate to use them and squeeze every last drop of value out of them."
Vincent leaned back on the sofa, quite relaxed. "Times have changed. Who talks to you about ideals these days?"
Vida's eyes showed a subtle change, a very light and faint sadness that was almost imperceptible unless you looked closely.
She gently waved her hand, summoning an elegant antique tea set. "Ideal, isn't it..."
Vincent keenly noticed the dejection on her face.
Grindelwald used " for the For the Greater Good" as his motto, raising the idealistic banner of breaking down the old and establishing the new, social reform, and saving the Wizarding World.
He attempted to create a utopia for wizards, which was one of the reasons for his failure.
Vida brewed a pot of rose tea, and after that, the loneliness and sadness on her face disappeared completely.
She gently placed the teacup in front of Vincent. "You are the second person to drink the tea I brewed."
Vincent took a light sniff of the strong floral aroma emanating from the tea.
The first person could only be Grindelwald, but I didn't expect her to be so... loyal?
He took a small sip of rose tea, the sweet aftertaste following the bitterness lasting only a moment.
"Ms. Rosier, I want wizards and Muggle to coexist peacefully."
Vida shook his head slightly. "Impossible. The systematic persecution of wizards by Muggle during the Middle Ages led to a consensus in the Wizarding World that 'concealment is survival.' The International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy is essentially a security protection mechanism."
Vincent put down his teacup. "Ms. Rosier, times have changed. Muggle technology is advancing by leaps and bounds, to some extent it can be called magic. Modern technological society is also more accepting of supernatural phenomena."
Vida didn't refute, but simply said, "You've got some nerve. Do you know you'll be considered an enemy by all the wizards?"
"I know." Vincent straightened up, his gaze firm and bright. "But I believe magic should not be hidden in the shadows; it is a torch that illuminates humanity's future."
Vida's eyes were somewhat dazed; she seemed to see a familiar yet unfamiliar figure.
She gave a stunning smile. "A truly lofty ideal."
Vincent smiled confidently. "This isn't an ideal; it's the reality that I and my 'Succession Society' need to strive for."
"The Superseding Succession Society..."
Vida murmured the name softly, "Replacement of Order? It can't be just the literal meaning... It's the natural cycle of time? The concept of metabolism in Muggle biology, old cells eventually die and make way for new cells?"
"That's right." Vincent raised his chin slightly. "The changing of seasons, the movement of celestial bodies, the rise and fall of dynasties—these are all objective laws. We will reorder the old human civilization."
Vida's throat tightened; he was deeply shocked by his words.
The Wizards' Purity Party is a cruel idealism, the Death Eaters are a dramatic ritual of terror, and the Succession Society is a systemic cruelty.
Reordering—what an ordinary yet cruel phrase.
Volume Four:
The True and False Dark Lord
Over