"Heh, there's certainly nothing wrong with my memory, but what you say is your business, and what I do is mine. Is there a problem?"
The cloaked wizard responded with disdain, then removed his hood to reveal a pristine white mask that lacked any facial features. He glanced at Aseria, who remained on guard. "Your posture won't intimidate anyone of true strength; it only exposes your nervousness. If I were to attack you, you wouldn't even have a chance to fight back."
"And who gave you the audacity to point your wand at me? Have you forgotten who is in charge of this branch?" Although the mysterious wizard did not reveal his face, his condescending aura was palpable.
"You!" Aseria hissed angrily, then reluctantly lowered her wand.
"Why did you come here without permission? What if someone discovered you? Don't you know that the British Ministry of Magic has already started suspecting internal personnel?" Although Aseria put away her wand, she continued to complain sharply.
"Hmph! Do you think I wanted to travel all this way in the middle of the night? I simply didn't trust you. It was just a simple theft, and yet it took you so long. You're useless. I really don't know what Headquarters was thinking, assigning you to me. I thought your identity would bring some convenience to the operation, but the results have been contrary to expectations." The mysterious wizard retorted without a shred of politeness.
"How can you even say that?" Aseria countered with equally harsh words. "What kind of place do you think I went to? That is the most prosperous commercial center in the British wizarding world, not some remote corner. Do you even know what I went through tonight?"
"And don't blame your mistakes on me. The reason for this failure is entirely due to your arrogance and your subordinates, who were tracked down so easily."
"Making excuses for one's incompetence is a common trait of the weak." The mysterious wizard's featureless mask was directed at Aseria; she could almost feel a sharp gaze piercing her skin. "If you were more useful, you wouldn't be in the Ministry of Magic yet still kept in the dark by your own people, unable to transmit any useful information. Do you know how great our losses were this time? You must be held responsible for the Club's failures!"
Aseria immediately became anxious. "Thunderbird! Don't push your luck. Every time there's a mistake, you push the responsibility onto others, and when there's credit, you claim it all for yourself. You're shameless!"
After saying this, she suddenly felt foolish. The man currently had no face to speak of—and for that matter, neither did she while wearing her own mask.
"And didn't I inform you beforehand that the Ministry had updated its equipment? I reported the unfavorable impact of those tools in full detail. If it weren't for your self-importance, how would the Club have suffered such losses?"
"Also, in the last operation, it was your people who exposed themselves too early, almost getting caught by the Aurors. If I hadn't cleaned up your mess, do you think you could have transported the goods so easily..."
"Enough!" The mysterious wizard hadn't expected Aseria's reaction to be so strong and glanced at her with some surprise. "The past is in the past. I don't want to pursue any more responsibility, but you must remember this: you serve the Club wholeheartedly, or I don't think I need to remind you again of the consequences that await you."
Upon hearing the warning, Aseria fell silent, though she continued to glare at him through her mask with a malicious gaze.
"Don't look at me like that." The mysterious wizard resumed his condescending posture. "My senses expose your every move. A weak person showing defiance to a strong one only brings misfortune upon themselves. This is my last warning."
Feeling the heavy pressure on her shoulders, a thin layer of cold sweat involuntarily seeped from Aseria's back.
"The items—did you get them?" After warning her, the mysterious wizard finally got to the point.
"Nonsense. If I hadn't gotten them, would I have returned so easily?" Aseria used sharp language to mask her fear. She took eight jammers from her spatial pouch and handed them over. "Four Anti-Apparition Jammers and four Shield Jammers."
The mysterious wizard took a jammer, examined it carefully, then looked up. "Is this thing really as effective as you say?"
"Didn't you already experience their power the day before yesterday?" Aseria glanced coldly at him, then explained: "I asked the Aurors about the tactics they used. They deployed several Shield Jammers before the battle, and the intensity of the Shield Charm was so strong that your warning magic couldn't detect them even when they got close."
"And even more powerful are those Anti-Apparition Jammers. With them, your subordinates had no way to escape."
"There are actually such methods? And that tracking technology they used—was that also from similar alchemy equipment?" The mysterious wizard played with the metal rod in his hand. He really couldn't imagine that this small object was the culprit behind his great losses.
"That's right. These are all products of Silver Lightning Alchemy. It's because of the equipment supplied by this company that most Aurors were equipped with Tracking Glasses a few months ago. Then, based on the clues from the last operation combined with a large-scale search, they finally located the handover point." Discussing serious business, Aseria maintained her restraint and calmness.
"I was wondering how those fools suddenly became so keen-scented. It turns out they rely on these external forces. What a pathetic group." The mysterious wizard sneered, venting his frustration.
Aseria, on the other hand, rolled her eyes. What era did he think this was? Was he still like those old-fashioned wizards who believed in relying solely on their wands for everything?