Grindelwald's Intelligence

"The Philosopher's Stone is indeed in my possession, and lending it to you isn't out of the question," Skylar said. "However, I'm curious to know, once you've regained your peak magical power, what do you plan to do? Recall the Supreme Wizard Alliance and wage war against the Muggle once more?"

Grindelwald shook his head and said, "My time has passed. Yes, my vision tells me that the future belongs to you young people, especially you, Skylar."

Skylar's lips curled slightly as he said, "That's for the best—you must have figured out what happened back then during your years of imprisonment in Nurmengard, right?"

"I don't regret the decision I made back then," Grindelwald said firmly. "Perhaps my method was wrong, but I firmly believe my direction was correct—magic is the most powerful force in this world. In my opinion, wizards who possess magic yet choose to live in the shadows of the world are the most absurd and laughable thing in the world. It's just a pity... there aren't many people willing to agree with my ideals..."

Skylar sneered, "Magic is certainly amazing, but it's not omnipotent. Open your eyes and see how much magic has developed in the past 50 years—the entire global wizarding community is only so small, and those who can innovate magic are extremely rare. As far as I know, much of the magic we have now is copied from Muggle technology."

"Muggle provided much of the inspiration—magical cars, Magic Radio, magical telescopes, magical elevators, magical toilets, and even further back, drainage systems, magical trains, and so on. All of these have greatly improved the lives of wizards," Skylar said. "Even putting that aside, with such a small wizarding population, if they don't intermarry with Muggle, the entire wizarding community will eventually be wiped out due to the cumulative effect of population decline. Someone as wise as you must know the consequences of inbreeding, right?"

Grindelwald nodded slowly at first, then shook his head and said, "What you say makes sense, but I simply cannot accept that a wizard with great power should live like a rat in a ditch, sneaking around in the shadows."

"But that doesn't matter anymore. That's not why I'm asking for the Philosopher's Stone," Grindelwald said. "As I just said, the future of the wizarding world will be decided by you young people. That's no longer my concern. I need power to make up for my mistakes back then, or rather, to make up for my regrets..."

Grindelwald's regret from back then? Could it be... Dumbledore? Does he perhaps still want to fight Dumbledore again?

The idea was immediately rejected by Skylar. He had lost to Dumbledore back when he had the Elder Wand, so he had no chance now.

More likely, he wants to salvage his relationship with Dumbledore...

Grindelwald was not a heartless person like Voldemort. He had feelings at the beginning, but as he became more and more involved in the conquest, his methods were forced to become more and more ruthless. In addition, the effects of repeatedly using Dark Arts gradually numbed his mind, and he eventually became a dark lord who regarded human life as worthless.

The strongest evidence is that he used to be a pet owner, a Chupacabra, whom he affectionately named "Antonio." It wasn't until he escaped from the International Confederation of Wizards's prison wagon that he severed the unnecessary emotional ties and abandoned the pet that had been with him for many years.

Skylar guessed that his many years of imprisonment in Nurmengard without magic might have been enough for him to regain the emotions he had lost.

"Alright, the Philosopher's Stone is right here. Have your House Elf let me know when you're done using it, and I'll come and retrieve it. As for your affairs, I won't interfere any further— Dumbledore, the Ministry of Magic, and the International Confederation of Wizards are all looking for you right now." With that, Skylar casually tossed the Philosopher's Stone to Grindelwald, who caught it.

Grindelwald was slightly taken aback and said, "We've only just met, and you trust me so much? Aren't you afraid I'll steal your Sorcerer's Stone and leave?"

Skylar grinned. "If you would do that, you wouldn't be Grindelwald. Besides, Aunt Vinda was kind to me, and I should repay her."

Grindelwald's eyes flickered slightly, and he said, "It won't take long. I have a secret method. You just need to wait here for me for thirty minutes." Then he began to chant a profound and difficult-to-understand incantation, Philosopher's Stone glowed faintly red.

Thirty minutes later, Grindelwald's face reverted to its appearance from 50 years ago, almost identical to Depp's look in Skylar's memory of the second Fantastic Beasts movie.

A sudden pressure emanated from Grindelwald, and the flames in the fireplace seemed to be stimulated, bursting forth with crackling sounds. Skylar's Magic Eye saw his magical power rise steadily until it reached the level of a quasi-magician before stopping.

Grindelwald sighed softly. "In the end, I was outmatched. This is all I can recover to. If I could find my old wand, perhaps I would still have a sliver of hope to return to the level of Grand Sorcerer."

He kept his promise and immediately returned the Philosopher's Stone to Skylar.

Grindelwald chuckled softly, a chilling pressure emanating from his smile. With a slight wave of his hand, the luxurious chairs in the hall moved to his side and Skylar's, demonstrating his precise control over magic—no easy feat for someone who had just regained his magical powers.

He slowly leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "I won't say much more about thanks, and I won't take your favors for nothing—I have some information that I believe will interest you."

A flicker of interest crossed Skylar's eyes. Grindelwald was a prophet; he must have his reasons for saying this. He raised an eyebrow. "Then I'm all ears."

"Skylar, you're a smart man. I know you've probably already come into contact with the dark forces hidden in every corner of this world, haven't you?"

Seeing Skylar nod, Grindelwald continued, "All the chaos in Great Britain today ultimately stems from a very ancient power— the Knights of Walpurgis. With your abilities, you must already be aware of this."

"I know more than I do," Skylar sneered, "I've also had a few less-than-friendly 'exchanges' with them!"

A glint flashed in Grindelwald's eyes, and his understanding of Skylar deepened. To have grasped the information about Walpurgis at such a young age, and even seemed to have gained the upper hand over them, this boy seemed to be more capable than himself and even Dumbledore in their prime.

"But what I want to talk about today is not the Knights of Walpurgis, but another, much more deeply hidden force." Even someone as powerful as Grindelwald showed a solemn expression at this moment.

Skylar sat up straight and said in a deep voice, "You're not trying to talk about the Death God Sect, are you?"

"You actually know about this organization?" This time it was Grindelwald's turn to be surprised.

Skylar had already learned of the name "Death God Sect" during the Gryffindor illusion trials and suspected that the organization still existed and was secretly plotting something unknown.

But he had no way to confirm this conjecture. The Death God Sect was even more secretive than Walpurgis, and there was almost no trace of it to be found, which was nearly impossible in the magical world.

The only explanation is that this organization has been lying low all along and has never made a move.

The only event that Skylar suspected might be related to them was Philip IV's inexplicable order to suppress the Knights Templar in the early 13th century, which ultimately led to the annihilation of the Knights Templar and the disappearance of the Holy Grail.

"Now that you know about this organization, it's easier for me to explain," Grindelwald said. "Speaking of which, I only learned about the Death God Sect because of a glimpse of the future I saw through the Elder Wand."

Skylar's expression gradually became serious.

For an organization that has existed for centuries to suppress its presence to such an almost zero level, it must have grand ambitions, at least no simpler than those of Walpurgis.

The massive purge planned by Walpurgis was already enough to make Skylar uneasy; if the Death God Sect were added to the mix, the situation would likely spiral completely out of control, to a degree far beyond Skylar's comprehension.

Grindelwald leaned forward slightly, his gaze burning like flames. "The Death God Sect is not simply a group of dark worshippers; their history can be traced back to the Peverell family. Yes, that family, the family that created and possessed the Deathly Hallows. The Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, the Invisibility Cloak —they did not appear in history by chance, but were deliberately leaked out by the Peverell family."

Skylar's gaze sharpened slightly, his voice low and menacing. "Deliberately leaked out? Why?"

Grindelwald sneered, "To incite conflict and slaughter, the Peverell family is well aware of humanity's greed for power. They hope these magical artifacts will cause chaos and create disorder, weakening the order of the wizarding world and making the Peverell family's doctrine—the worship of death—the only truth. And the Death God Sect is a continuation of this ideology. Their goal is to plunge the entire wizarding world into a fanatical belief in death, turning the living into servants of the dead."

Skylar frowned slightly after hearing this. "What do you mean? Could you explain it more clearly?"

Grindelwald shook his head and said softly, "My perspective can only tell me so much. The rest is up to you to discover."

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, all in one look!

"What exactly is your relationship with the Death God Sect?" Skylar stood up, his wand already Silencio sliding into his palm.

"Before I decided to start the uprising and establish the Supreme Wizard Alliance, I embarked on a journey to find the Deathly Hallows Deadly Artifacts because I didn't want to fight my former best friend Dumbledore. At the time, I naively believed that as long as I found the Deathly Hallows, Dumbledore would no longer oppose me, but would choose to work with me to change this utterly absurd magical world."

"During that time, I received some help, and it was then that I obtained a clue about the Elder Wand and stole it from Gregorovitch," Grindelwald said with a wistful look. "At the time, I didn't think much of it; after all, I was only focused on protecting all my fellow wizards, so that none of us wizards would have to fear persecution from Muggle anymore..."

"Thinking back on it, it was very likely that the Death God Sect helped me obtain the Elder Wand..." Grindelwald said in a calm tone, but Skylar could detect a very subtle hint of bitterness in his voice.

"You mean, your subsequent actions were also orchestrated by the Death God Sect?" Skylar frowned. This contradicted his understanding; Dumbledore had clearly stated that Grindelwald's formation of the Supreme Wizard Alliance was supported behind the scenes by Walpurgis.

Dumbledore had no reason to lie to him, and Dumbledore wouldn't reveal information he wasn't sure he could verify.

"No, that's not it," Grindelwald shook his head. "Forming the Supreme Wizard Alliance is my personal ideal, because I believe that the majority of people want wizards to return to the sunlight and live freely."

"For this ideal, I'm even willing to turn against my closest friends," Grindelwald said, a hint of hatred unconsciously creeping into his voice. "But what I can't accept is being just a pawn manipulated by others."

"I, who originally vowed to protect wizards, have become the culprit who directly caused the first global wizarding war in history—because of me, wizards were divided into two factions. They were clearly fellow wizards with the same blood, yet they killed each other for different political views—" Grindelwald's black hair fluttered without wind, and a cold killing intent emanated from his body. Even though his magic power was slightly inferior to what it used to be, his heart, will, and wisdom had broken through the shackles of the past and reached a new level.

"This scheme, these methods, this strategy—it's designed to divide wizards, create conflict and bloodshed, and incite turmoil and chaos. This is clearly the Death God Sect's long-standing goal!" Grindelwald exclaimed. "In my original plan, if I could control that Muggle demon named Hitler and use him to win the Muggle World War, I could achieve my Muggle of controlling and ruling Muggle. Things didn't have to turn out the way they did; there was no need to sacrifice so many precious wizard lives!"

Skylar suddenly understood what Grindelwald meant by regret.

He sacrificed almost everything for his dream, only to find out in the end that he was nothing more than a puppet, something no one could accept.

Walpurgis was alright. Although it was the mastermind behind Grindelwald, it was only responsible for providing manpower and material support, giving Grindelwald ample resources to expand the war to a global scale on its own. But ultimately, the war was still Grindelwald's will.

However, the Death God Sect took advantage of Grindelwald's control over Hitler and the subsequent outbreak of World War II to instigate a split in wizarding society, causing the war to deviate directly from Grindelwald's original intention—from Muggle and ruling Muggle —into a wizarding civil war. No wonder that more than 50 years later, Grindelwald still cannot let go of this hatred.

Grindelwald looked at Skylar with a complex expression and said softly, "From the first moment I saw you, I knew that you and I were the same kind of people. Your ideals, your ambitions, and your goals are no less than mine, and your methods are no more merciful than mine... I'm telling you this now in the hope that you won't make the same mistake I did and be used by the Death God Sect."

Skylar laughed, a laugh so confident, so carefree. He said nonchalantly, "Now that the existence of the Death God Sect has been confirmed, there's even less reason for them to successfully control my will—" His tone was so steady that it allowed no room for doubt, "My destiny is in my own hands!"

"I knew I wouldn't misjudge you," Grindelwald said. "If you ever have to deal with the Death God Sect, don't forget to call me along and include my share."

"They dared to trample on my and his ideals; I will make them pay the price!"

[Death God Sect Clue Obtained!]

[Obtained from the Supreme Wizard Alliance, a "special ally" of the Death God Sect!]