Walking across the muddy ground, he saw mountains all around.
It wasn't a habitable place. At least, it looked far too remote.
And the mountains were too close to the valley floor, making the place damp and chilly.
"There's plenty of space here, Pochis. If we brought in workers to build a structure, how long would it take?"
Voldemort turned and asked Pochis, who was trailing at the very back of the group.
"Patter, patter, patter."
Picking his way across the muddy ground, Pochis skirted the wizards and hurried over to Voldemort.
"If we spare no expense and hire a top Chinese developer, we could finish the main structure in a year. But the details..."
Pochis unfurled the plans and pointed to the rather elaborate sculptures depicted on them. "If we include all of these, it's hard to estimate how long it'll take, Dark Lord."
"Let's leave those out for now, Pochis. But a Chinese developer is a good choice. Looks like you've been keeping an eye on that field."
As Voldemort spoke, he patted Pochis on the shoulder in encouragement.
Then he turned to Quirinus Quirrell, who was walking beside him.
Quirrell had nearly recovered by now. It wasn't because Voldemort had used some kind of magic, but because Quirrell had cured the lingering ailment himself through his in-depth study of the Ripple Golden Body.
"What do you think?" Voldemort asked him. "If we give up on this place, we'll have to wait for another opportunity. Finding a plot of land this large isn't easy."
"I think it's excellent, Master. A library doesn't need to be somewhere noisy."
As he spoke, Quirrell pointed to several mountains in the distance. "We could develop those areas too, build some Eastern-style pavilions or reading rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows. The view would be