What exactly does the Dark Lord want to do?
The people present looked at each other, their small heads filled with big question marks.
Seeing that the atmosphere was about to turn awkward, Tom felt that these guys who couldn't keep up with the leader's thinking were really useless.
He didn't expect that the subordinates trained by Voldemort back then were all like this. Sigh, he'd have to bother Tom to re-educate them properly later, which was tiring.
Just then, Lucius spoke: "Master, then what exactly is going with the times?"
Suddenly hearing Lucius's words, Tom swept away his previous melancholy and gave him a big nod of approval.
As expected of the 'Loyal and Devoted' Malfoy, he was so perceptive. This sidekick role was well played. Not all of Voldemort's subordinates were useless after all.
"You asked well, Lucius. What is the trend of the times? It is—" At this point, Tom deliberately paused before continuing, "Money!!!"
"Huh?"
"What?"
...
The Death Eaters present felt as if they were hallucinating. What did the Dark Lord say? It wasn't about pure-blood theory, nor was it about conquering the magic world, but about money?
Tom ignored their disbelief and continued, "In this day and age, if you control the economy, what is the Ministry of Magic, and what is Dumbledore? The development of us Death Eaters must also follow the trend. From now on, making money should be high-profile, and gang activities should be low-profile."
"Oh!"
Dark Lord, if you had said that earlier, we would have understood. The Dark Lord this time wants to occupy the magic world by controlling the economy, and also wants to lead us to make some money. Thinking about it, we're a little excited.
It must be said that for a large portion of Death Eaters, a Dark Lord who could bring them benefits was clearly more attractive than Voldemort, who focused on pure-blood theory and carried out terrorist attacks every day.
"Moreover," Tom looked at the Dark Wizards brought by Avery to cheer, "Look at these friends of ours meeting for the first time. Their lives are clearly not good. I believe that a large portion of them were forced onto the path of Dark Wizards due to life's pressures."
"We Death Eaters have a sense of social responsibility. We have the obligation and responsibility to guide them back to the right path, provide them with a job, and help them live a happy life."
The Dark Wizards who saw the Dark Lord for the first time suddenly felt like crying. The Dark Lord actually cared about small characters like them who hid in the dark corners of the magic world. As expected, rumors were unreliable.
This was not the Dark Lord who killed without blinking an eye; he was simply a great person, a saint. What the Dark Lord did back then must have been slandered by the Ministry of Magic and Dumbledore.
"Hail, Dark Lord!"
Suddenly, someone led the cheer, and a burst of cheers immediately erupted in the beer hall.
At this moment, the Death Eaters who had been with the Dark Lord for a long time were once again in a state of confusion.
Listen, 'social responsibility,' 'return to the right path,' 'happy life'—could these words really come from the Dark Lord's mouth? These words clearly belonged to Dumbledore. Didn't the Dark Lord feel awkward saying them?
They were villains, didn't they understand what a villain was? Was the Dark Lord going crazy again?
Amidst this strange atmosphere, half fanatical and half bewildered, the King of Sidekicks—Lucius—spoke at the opportune moment: "Then, Master, what should we do?"
Well done, Lucius.
After secretly praising Lucius, Tom asked everyone a question: "How do you view Knockturn Alley outside?"
Knockturn Alley, how to view it? For so many years, besides being dirty, chaotic, and poor, how else could it be viewed?
Just as someone cautiously uttered this answer, Tom looked approving.
"That's right, it's dirty, chaotic, and poor. And this will be the starting point of our Death Eater business."
Hearing Tom's words, everyone present didn't know what to say. What was this all about? How could Knockturn Alley, this dilapidated place, become the starting point of a business?
At this moment, it was Lucius's turn to make a grand entrance and ask what everyone was confused about: "Master, what are you planning to do with Knockturn Alley?"
Tom cleared his throat and said, "Acquire idle shops and land, bring existing shops into our team, re-plan, renovate, and expand Knockturn Alley, turning it into a comprehensive commercial center in the magic world that integrates dining, drinking, entertainment, and leisure."
"Moreover, our vision should not be limited to the British Isles. We must use this as a benchmark to promote the Knockturn Alley model throughout Europa and even the entire world. We Death Eaters will ultimately leave a glorious mark in the magic world."
Just as everyone was immersed in the grand vision Tom painted, a discordant voice came out: "But, Master, what if someone is unwilling to join our team? And how should we deal with the Ministry of Magic?"
"Then persuade him well. Do I need to teach you?"
The Death Eater who asked the question saw the faint green light emanating from the wand Tom took out, and cold sweat instantly broke out. Master, I understand.
"As for the Ministry of Magic, who can tell me, who is the master of the Death Eaters?"
"Of course it's you, Dark Lord!"
The Death Eaters quickly bowed their heads to show respect.
Unexpectedly, Tom shook his head: "No, no, no. From today onwards, the new master of the Death Eaters is Albus Dumbledore. At least, the master on the surface is Dumbledore."
"Huh?"
Is the Master crazy, or am I crazy? Aren't we fighting Dumbledore to the death? How did he suddenly become our new master?
But Tom showed no sign of joking and continued: "From now on, our Death Eaters' commercial development plan welcomes—no, it's mandatory—to bring the Order of the Phoenix, the Saints, and even the guys from the Ministry of Magic into the fold. For us Death Eaters, it's truly good when everyone earns together."
While most people hadn't fully processed Tom's words, Lucius was the first to react. Only by forming common interests could they be as solid as a rock, and Dumbledore was probably the one the Dark Lord wanted to push to the forefront to attract attention and take the blame.
Indeed, just as the Dark Lord and Draco said, the magic world is not about fighting and killing, but about human relationships. He liked the Dark Lord's current state.
The only question now was: "Master, how do we make Dumbledore our new master?"
"That will require a little bit of skill."
Tom's tone carried a hint of a smile, but Lucius inexplicably felt a chill.
Thus, the Death Eaters fully received Tom's 'love' education.
With the help of Oxtor Rookwood, a spy lurking in the Ministry of Magic, on the day Dumbledore was released, the Death Eaters stood in the Ministry of Magic Hall, lined up, and shouted:
"Welcome back, White Wizard!"
"Loyalty!"
From then on, the new master of the Death Eaters—Albus Dumbledore—was in place.