Chapter 67: Calamity Has Not Disappeared, Only Shifted
"I believe our joint efforts will bear fruit sooner or later, and the people of all ethnic groups in our country will live in a prosperous and democratic society sooner or later."
"I wish everyone all the best."
After the television address from the maphead ended, Dumbledore and Roger remained silent for a long time.
After a long while, Dumbledore murmured softly, "...It's over."
For the nearly 100-year-old wizard, he had witnessed the establishment, strength, and glory of this country bit by bit, seeing a brand new possibility emerge for the direction of human civilization's progress, and he had also witnessed its decay and corruption... and today, he witnessed its end.
Even for Dumbledore, it was quite a shock to his spirit.
After a while longer, Dumbledore let out a long sigh and said, "Regardless, the most terrible outcome did not occur; the catastrophe has not arrived."
As the greatest wizard of 20th-century Britain, his greatest achievement was stopping Grindelwald back then. He was also a pro-Muggle wizard who stood on the pro-Muggle side.
If the Cold War had escalated into a hot war, it would have been a true world-ending crisis.
On the surface, the power of nuclear bombs could not completely destroy the human race; humanity would still have a chance to rebuild civilization.
But in reality, that was not the case.
This is a magical world. In the Middle Ages, it wasn't just the Black Death that claimed a large portion of Europe's population; Dark Magic creatures, born from despair, also had 'fruitful' results.
Once a nuclear war broke out, who knew what monsters would emerge from humanity, having lost their civilization and in despair.
Keep in mind that the current global population is many times what it was in the Middle Ages when the Black Death raged! "The catastrophe won't arrive? Not necessarily," Roger countered, shaking his head.
After World War II, in 1960, the average life expectancy in the Soviet Union was 70 years. After its dissolution, the average life expectancy dropped to 58 years, nearing Somalia's 56 years, a place of prolonged anarchy and rampant piracy. The living conditions can only be imagined.
The great plunder of Soviet heritage was about to begin.
The disaster had not disappeared; it had merely shifted from the people of the world to the people of the Soviet Union.
This catastrophe would not be very intense, but it would be very long.
Economic decline, a drop in national status.
A superpower had fractured into numerous smaller countries, and the entire region's geopolitics had changed.
They were once a single country, a single nation, but in the future, they might even become enemies due to new international confrontations.
This was not just true for the Muggle world.
It was the same for the wizarding world.
Since the signing of the International Statute of Secrecy, there had been an unwritten rule in the wizarding world.
The territorial divisions of wizarding influence were calculated based on Muggle national borders.
The Ministry of Magic over there must also be in utter chaos.
It was unknown how it would eventually be resolved.
It was likely that many eyes, originally focused on the Middle East, would shift their attention to the other side, making things a bit easier for Dumbledore when dealing with Statute of Secrecy issues.
"What do you mean?" Roger's identity as a Seer made Dumbledore somewhat concerned about his remark.
Did the dissolution not signify the end of everything?
Roger didn't reveal much about this, only briefly mentioning what might happen in the coming years after the dissolution.
Dumbledore listened, his brow furrowed.
"Is there no way?"
The 'spoiler' from the Seer made Dumbledore feel a bit physically unwell.
"You want to stop the tide of the era?"
"The last person who thought that was Voldemort, and before him, someone you knew even better," Roger said meaningfully.
Since ancient times, those who went against the current of the times rarely met a good end.
Roger believed Dumbledore should have a deep understanding of this.
Unless... your individual strength could overturn the torrent chosen by all living beings! Dumbledore clenched his fist, then relaxed it after a few seconds.
Despite being hailed as the greatest wizard of modern Britain, he always had to accept the reality of his own 'weakness.'
His individual strength could not change anything; the power of one wizard could not turn the world upside down.
Whether it was Voldemort or Grindelwald, they only began to do great things after gathering a following.
Voldemort could gather a group of fanatics, and Grindelwald could rally elites who believed wizards were superior.
And himself? Would the members of the Order of the Phoenix, because of his slight goodwill towards Muggles, be willing to get involved in this crisis that had nothing to do with wizards?
Even if they were willing, should he lead them, who had already found stable lives, into this mess?
Moreover, his interference as a wizard might not bring salvation, but rather a greater catastrophe.
After his thoughts swirled in his mind, Dumbledore calmed his turbulent emotions caused by the drastic changes in the world's structure.
Seeing Dumbledore calm down, Roger continued, "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun."
"Don't overthink it. In the future, human suffering will inevitably repeat itself countless times, unless..."
"Humans are not human."
As he spoke, Roger placed the notes he had been holding into Dumbledore's palm.
"The Three-Dimensional Theory"
"If humanity evolves into a higher form of life, with fundamental changes to the underlying logic of thought and various abilities, perhaps everything would take a different course."
In Roger's view, as long as the human mind doesn't undergo a fundamental change, any shift in systems, laws, or rules is merely rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Because no matter what kind of rules you establish, they are meant to be executed by people, and ultimately, they will take on the characteristics of 'people.'
Whether it's the current Soviet Union, the future United States, or even all the powerful nations that will emerge in the distant future, even if they become strong enough to unify the globe, they will ultimately succumb to the greed inherent in human nature.
The strongest fortresses are always broken from within.
History teaches us about rise and fall; how did those incredibly prosperous dynasties in China fall? It was nothing more than this.
To change everything, one must, on one hand, bring about a transformation in human nature, and on the other, revolutionize productivity and the relations of production. And the answer to both lies in... evolution! Taking the book, Dumbledore looked at Roger's face, offering no opinion.
Everyone has their own answer to how the world can become better, and Dumbledore had no interest in arguing with Roger about it.
As he'd said before, how you say it doesn't matter; what matters is what you do.
The shampoo guy also had a dream of a world where everyone was like a dragon, but his final actions involved sterilizing disabled people and 'inferior races.' The America of 1924 did something similar.
Therefore, rather than Roger's opinions, he was more concerned with what Roger might do in the future.
And what Roger would do in the future...
Dumbledore carefully opened the book in his hands.
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