Wolves and Giants Assemble

As mentioned earlier, Voldemort was most anxious about two things at this moment. The first was to check the safety of his Horcrux — the Ravenclaw's Diadem, the Slytherin's Locket, and Tom's Diary had been destroyed, and the remaining yew wand was in his possession. He also needed to confirm the safety of Gaunt Ring and the Hufflepuff's Cup.

Hearing what Herpo said, he guessed that they had most likely taken the Gaunt Ring he had hidden in the Gaunt Shack.

Voldemort was naturally unhappy that the key to his survival was in the hands of others, but every wizard present was capable of challenging him, so he dared not show any dissatisfaction.

Most importantly, it doesn't matter how many Horcrux he has, as long as he always possesses the most important one and maintains his immortality.

The magic wand he held in his hand was his greatest asset.

Of course, the safety of the Hufflepuff's Cup is also very important, but since he still has a Horcrux by his side, there is no need to go to great lengths for it, or even expose his existence. In the past few days, he has learned from various newspapers that the Ministry of Magic refuses to acknowledge his resurrection and has instead begun to smear and attack Harry Potter Dumbledore. This has given him an excellent opportunity to build up his power.

Voldemort's second greatest concern was regrouping his dark army.

Sure enough, before he could speak, Herpo said, "You should focus on gathering forces that only obey you. I know you still have many loyal followers in Azkaban, but attacking Azkaban would bring our presence into the open, which isn't a good idea..."

Voldemort nodded in agreement, his face expressionless, seemingly waiting for Herpo to say what he had to say.

"I know you rallied the forces of Werewolf and Giant during the First Wizarding War, but times have changed. Leaving aside the distant Giant, the Werewolf's power is far less than before. After the fall of the House of Rowle, the Werewolf in Knockturn Alley lost at least half their strength. Later, under Fenrir Greyback's leadership, they submitted to the House of Selwyn, but..."

Herpo had already learned of these Voldemort from his Death Eaters on the day of his resurrection: after the fall of House of Rowle, the Werewolf split into two factions. One faction chose to continue following Fenrir, while the other chose to establish their own independent group and wreak havoc. Most of the second faction that established their own group were eventually killed by the Auror, and a small portion mysteriously disappeared—He speculated that they might have joined Skylar's forces, meaning—

Skylar also had a Werewolf army!

"The head of the House of Selwyn is currently missing, and his wife has also died in battle at Little Hangleton Cemetery. In the past few days, there have been unusual movements among the Werewolf Tribe in Knockturn Alley. The surface calm can no longer conceal the undercurrents beneath. I suggest you set off as soon as possible to personally gather them together to avoid a second split in the Werewolf Tribe and further weaken your power," Herpo said.

Herpo, true to his age and experience, was much more shrewd than Voldemort, who was still standing there dumbfounded and doing nothing. Both the Order of the Phoenix and the Sleeping Dragon Society had already begun infiltrating the Werewolf in Knockturn Alley.

The Order of the Order of the Phoenix sent Remus Lupin, Lupin is a Werewolf himself and has a natural advantage in integrating into Werewolf society.

However, Skylar knew about the House of Selwyn's capture earlier than the Order of the Phoenix, giving him an intelligence advantage. In addition, the Night Cat had built a considerable gang in Knockturn Alley over the past few months, and with Old Borgin's covert support, they had more opportunities and resources to win over the Werewolf than the impoverished Order of the Phoenix.

Ultimately, whether they choose to follow Fenrir or go it alone, Werewolf are pursuing is nothing more than a better life.

In this respect, Skylar may not be able to grant the Werewolf the same unrestricted opportunities for rape and plunder as Voldemort, but with his considerable wealth, he could certainly do better than the Order of the Phoenix.

"You make a good point. I'll deal with the Werewolf issue as soon as possible," Voldemort said.

"Even if you eventually manage to bring all the Werewolf under your command, it won't be enough. After all, the Werewolf force is only half of what it was back then, so you need to make plans for your other forces as soon as possible," Herpo said.

"My original plan was to first conquer Azkaban, rescue my most loyal servants, and then take the opportunity to recruit the Dementor guarding Azkaban. This way, I would control two forces. Then I would recruit the Werewolf, and finally, I would win over the Giant," Voldemort said coldly. "But I agree with you; attacking Azkaban now would be unwise. Therefore, rescuing my servants and recruiting the Dementor must be put on hold for now—"

"So, your next step is to win over the Giant?" Herpo said in a deep voice, his eyes gleaming.

"Yes, I will head to Valley of Giants as soon as I finish dealing with the Werewolf."

Herpo slowly shook his head, sighed, and said, "You have absolutely no idea how urgent things are. The intelligence I received indicates that Dumbledore has already sent people eastward, most likely to search for the Giant. Fortunately, because the Ministry of Magic doesn't trust Dumbledore, they sent Auror to track and monitor Dumbledore people, which greatly delayed their journey..."

"But this is only temporary," Herpo said calmly. "Dumbledore's men aren't fools. Once they shake off the Ministry of Magic, they can use magic to reach the Ural Mountains very quickly."

"So, you mean..." Voldemort asked, frowning with an imaginary brow.

Although Voldemort was arrogant, he was not truly stupid. He had long realized the urgency of the situation, but unlike the powerful figure in the original story, he was now all alone. He simply couldn't manage to recruit Werewolf and Giant at the same time.

"We still have manpower here, so leave the task of sending people to the Giant to us," Herpo said. "Don't worry, we'll recruit them in your name, so that once they arrive in Great Britain, they'll only take orders from you."

Voldemort's expression shifted briefly before he said, "This..."

"Don't worry, this is just a token of our goodwill," Herpo said with a smile on his aged face. "Consider it a welcome gift to you, the 'most terrifying Dark Lord of this century,' joining our alliance!"

"Very well, then I shall respectfully comply," Voldemort said, nodding slowly.

A flawless version, checked one by one!

"Ms. Morgan, I need your help with this. Is that alright?" Herpo asked.

"No problem. I have someone among my men who is fluent in the language of Giant and knows Giant habits. Sending him to recruit the Giant is just right. However, recruiting Giant requires giving them gifts. As for the gifts..." Morgan said.

"The gifts will be provided by Walpurgis – Jafar and Barbarossa!"

"Yes!" Barbarossa and Jafar responded simultaneously.

"You've all amassed quite a few treasures within your respective factions over the years, haven't you? Each of you should contribute three treasures to Ms. Morgan; that should be enough to satisfy the Giant's needs. If there are any left over, consider it a reward for the Shadow of the Magic Dragon's hard work."

Morgan finally gave a charming smile and said, "Then I thank Herpo for his generous gift."