His original plan was to bring Durmstrang and Bubbaston closer to Hogwarts by hosting the Triwizard Tournament, so that the British wizarding community would not be isolated and helpless when Voldemort returned.

When Voldemort was rampant in Britain more than a decade ago, there was almost no help from the international community. This was because when Grindelwald brought disaster to the world, Britain just stood by and watched, which resulted in the bullet hitting itself.

But who could have thought that although Voldemort was resurrected, he was killed by Cyrus in less than half a day. But the originally planned competition couldn't be cancelled like this, right?

Under such circumstances, it was hard for Dumbledore not to suspect that Cyrus had some hidden secrets when he suddenly proposed to participate in the competition as the headmaster of Ilvermorny.

He specifically inquired about Cyrus's situation in North America and even exchanged letters with Bute.

However, in the letter, Old Boot praised Cyrus very much, which made Dumbledore believe that Cyrus would never be as extreme as Voldemort, so he was actually quite relieved.

After meeting Cyrus again today, he already knew that Cyrus might also want to break the confidentiality law.

To be honest, Dumbledore didn't treat the breaking of the Statute of Secrecy as a disaster. He confronted Grindelwald only because Grindelwald was too extreme in breaking the Statute of Secrecy, causing many casualties.

Moreover, his attitude towards Muggles is very subtle and hard to understand.

But Dumbledore knew very well that if Grindelwald broke the Statute of Secrecy, it would bring disaster to the world, because the Wizarding Party's action program was originally customized by Dumbledore for Grindelwald - at that time, Dumbledore hated Muggles very much because of family changes.

If it weren't for Muggles, his sister wouldn't have become an Obscurial, his mother wouldn't have died so soon, and his father wouldn't have been imprisoned in Azkaban and eventually died tragically...

At that time his chest was filled with hatred!

To be honest, it is impossible to expect him not to hate Muggles. As long as he is not cold-blooded, he cannot forgive the departure of his loved ones.

But later, especially after Grindelwald escaped from Godric's Hollow, Dumbledore's temperament changed drastically. He became taciturn and rational. He looked at the world with a different perspective. He asked himself more than once, are wizards good and Muggles bad? If so, why did Grindelwald, whom he loved so much, run away when he needed him to stay the most?

Why did his sister die under their spell again?

Later, Dumbledore realized that from the beginning to the end, arrogance, prejudice and fear were the biggest enemies between wizards and Muggles.

Wizards look down on Muggles. This is their arrogance. It is not just the pure-blood wizards who feel arrogant towards Muggles, even the wizards who are born from Muggles are equally arrogant. They feel that they are different from ordinary people. How can a mere Muggle be with them?

Pride breeds prejudice, and they tend to think that Muggles are worthless.

Grindelwald doesn't think so. He thinks Muggles have other uses, but mules pulling carts also have their uses. Few wizards view Muggles as equals.

Cyrus certainly has arrogance.

However, in his opinion, it was not wrong for people with talents to be proud of their talents, and he never lost himself because of his power, because he knew better than anyone how powerful Muggle weapons were.

As for Muggles, they are more afraid of wizards.

Fear of unknown power, jealous of talents that one does not have, so one excludes and bullies others...

It is not easy to cross this gap. When two completely different things collide, conflicts and contradictions will inevitably arise first. Therefore, Dumbledore is more worried about this. He believes that neither wizards nor Muggles are ready.

Maybe he is right, but fifty years have passed and wizards have not made any progress. It is not so much that they are not prepared, but rather that they are content with the status quo and do not have the courage to face a whole new world.

Since they were standing still, Cyrus wouldn't mind giving them a push from behind.

"In that case, the refereeing duties will be handled by the International Confederation of Wizards. I hope this exchange competition can go smoothly."

Then, the four of them discussed some other details, such as Cyrus's hope that the entire game would be broadcast live, otherwise it would be boring to be a spectator. At the same time, he also proposed that the game should not be played by a single warrior, but as a team.

This was something that had never happened in previous Triwizard Tournaments.

But in the end they all reached an agreement.

Now, with just a few months to go, the Final Four tournament has officially begun.

"See you then!" Dumbledore stood up from his seat, his wizard robe reflected on the obsidian ceiling above his head. Cyrus and others also stood up from their chairs and walked outside.

At this time, Dumbledore called Grindelwald.

"Ms. Vida Rozier, would you mind staying a few minutes longer?"

"I'd love to."

The two of them stayed.

Cyrus and Barty Crouch would naturally not disturb them at an inappropriate time, especially Barty Crouch Jr., who was now in a hurry to go back to prepare for the tournament and had no time to inquire about Dumbledore's gossip.

So he and Cyrus walked out of the conference room together and walked side by side in the empty black corridor.

"You are so tall, Ms. Maxime." Cyrus sighed casually.

He himself was not short, almost as tall as Dumbledore, but when he stood next to Maxim, he only reached the other's chest.

"I'm just a little bit big-boned." Little Batty pretended to be unhappy and said unnaturally. Then he refused to say a word.

The reason why Barty Crouch Jr.'s disguise can fool so many people is because he has a very good control of details. When he becomes Lupin, he will always live in Lupin's way, and the same is true at this moment.

He knew that bloodline was a secret that Maxim was ashamed to talk about, so when Cyrus mentioned this aspect, he immediately showed an angry expression and coldly ended the conversation.

During the next section of the journey, the two people did not exchange a single word until two figures, one black and one white, appeared at the end of the corridor.

Bella, in her black gown, pointed her curved wand at the other man.

The man's face was one Cyrus knew all too well - Lucius Malfoy.

"What are you doing here, Lucius Malfoy?" Bella's tone was very cold, and the look she gave Lucius was unfriendly.

"I just have something to say to - my master." Lucius pursed his cracked lips hard, his face was ashen, and his hands were tightly grasping the gentleman's cane.

He didn't seem to be living a happy life, so even though he refused to back down in front of Bella for the sake of face, it was obvious that he lacked confidence and momentum.

"Your master?" Bella sneered, "You are not talking about the monster without a nose? If so, you should go to the grave to find him!"

But Bella swung her wand fiercely at Malfoy, and the tip of the wand turned into a whip, which hit Lucius' face hard, leaving a bloody wound.

"Are you worthy enough to call the master by his name?" Bella's voice was cold.

She was very vindictive and was very angry that Lucius did not cross the flame and follow Cyrus. If she was not in the Ministry of Magic and the competition was imminent, Bella would not have said any more nonsense to Lucius. Even if she did not take his life, she would still be punished with Cruciatus.

"You poor thing, a rat and a bug running around!" Bella cursed in disgust.

She is not a good person. Although Cyrus used ancient magic to free Bella from the negative influence of black magic, her originally cruel character has not changed.

What Cyrus needs is not a kind saint, what he wants is a sharp blade that can kill people!

But this time, Bella misunderstood Lucius.

In fact, it was Cyrus who arranged for him to stay with Voldemort. But Cyrus didn't expect to see him here.

'Could it be that Voldemort arranged this?'

Cyrus thought to himself and walked towards Lucius.

"Don't be so harsh on my friend, Bella." Cyrus stopped Bella from abusing Lucius. At the same time, he noticed that Lucius' eyes were evasive when he looked at him.

No--

Cyrus rolled his eyes without leaving a trace and caught a glimpse of Maxim who was traveling with him.

'Lucius is keeping a watchful eye on her.'

Cyrus already had his suspicions in mind, but he didn't say them out loud. Instead, he greeted Lucius cordially.

"How are you these days, Lucius? I'm afraid you can't have a good life following your poor master?" He said with a mocking look on his face, "You come to me now, are you planning to betray him and join me again?"

"I was too stupid before, Lord Dark Lord..." Lucius' voice trembled, and he lowered his head, as if he was afraid of Cyrus's punishment. "Now I am determined to return to your side and serve you!"

His servile manner was obviously intended for Maxim to see.

Cyrus had never thought that his acting skills were so superb. It was impossible that someone who could stay by Voldemort's side had no skills at all.

"You are a smart man, Lucius, but betrayal is shameful. How do I know if you will betray me once?" Cyrus asked softly.

"It's not betrayal, Master!" Lucius said with a sob, "I just recognized the wrong person..."

"Nice excuse," Cyrus sneered first, and Lucius' face was immediately filled with fear. Even little Barty's expression not far away changed slightly, and he frowned, as if he felt that Cyrus was too vigilant and difficult.

He originally just wanted to place a spy next to Cyrus, just like Snape.

And there were not many candidates for him to choose from, and Lucius, who had previously helped Cyrus resurrect, was the most suitable one.

Seeing that Cyrus was not willing to listen, Barty gave up hope. But at this moment, Cyrus changed his mind.

"But I should give you a chance. You helped me resurrect, right? I won't treat those who helped me unfairly, Lucius." Cyrus didn't even look at Little Barty when he spoke, but every move of Little Barty was under his watch.

"Thank you, my Lord..."

Lucius cried like a girl, and at this time, little Barty also showed his confusion. His face, which was much larger than a human and as delicate as that of a lady, showed a puzzled expression.

"Sorry, I heard you talking about Lord? Could it be that you are also a lord?" Little Batty asked in a hoarse voice.

"Yes, they sometimes call me the Dark Lord." Cyrus smiled at him and said sarcastically, "But I don't like this title at all. You know, only the loser is the Dark Lord, and the winner will be called the 'greatest wizard'. But some idiots don't understand this truth, and they are complacent!"

After saying that, Cyrus chuckled, then walked out with Bella and Lucius without looking back.

As soon as he stepped out of the Ministry of Magic, he immediately performed Apparition and Coordinated Apparition, taking Bella and Lucius across half the world and back to the gate of Ilvermorny.

As soon as he landed, Lucius' body shook. He held his stomach in pain, bent his waist, and retched.

Bella was used to Cyrus's long-distance Apparition, and after taking two steps, the discomfort completely disappeared.

"Tell me, what happened?"

"Well, he wants to place a spy next to you." Lucius's answer was just as Cyrus expected. Bella was surprised, because from the conversation between Cyrus and Lucius, it was clear that Lucius was not someone who had just surrendered and was not trusted. On the contrary, he had worked for Cyrus a long time ago.

"Voldemort's orders?"

Lucius shook his head. "No, it was an order from Barty Crouch Jr. The dark... mysterious man, he disappeared."

“Disappeared?”

Cyrus raised his eyebrows, this statement seemed a bit strange to him.

Voldemort is now only a soul. If he doesn't stay with his loyal servant, where can he go? "I don't know," Lucius shook his head. "I guess even Barty Crouch himself doesn't know. He just said that during his return, we should obey Barty Crouch in everything.

"I think he must have some plan, otherwise he wouldn't give up participating in the Triwizard Tournament when he is so weak."

Bella's face was clearly filled with worry when she heard Lucius say this.

But Cyrus didn't take it to heart.

"Don't worry. Even if he has some plans, what does that matter?"

"I'm here."

(End of this chapter)