Aseria's heart tightened as she watched Alan remain impassive. Did he even know about the mask's specific functions?
But then again, since Aethonan had fallen into his hands, the mask would naturally be part of the spoils. This young man before her was praised by Director Bianca and others as the most promising alchemist in the British wizarding world's future. With a wry smile, Aseria continued her narration.
"The operations in the first half of the year proceeded very smoothly. Besides secretly observing within the Ministry of Magic, I mainly provided Thunderbird with basic intelligence—daily duty times for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, their schedules, and routine work content.
"There were also two specific things Thunderbird asked me to collect from the very beginning. One was the Scamander family's address, which I only recently managed to secure. The other was a regular report on wanted lists within Britain, including both domestic and cross-border fugitives."
*So that's how the Scamanders were exposed,* Alan thought. It wasn't surprising; Newt and the Ministry had always cooperated, so the information was available to anyone willing to dig. However, the interest in wanted lists was curious. Why would the Silver Spears, or specifically Thunderbird, be so concerned? Was Thunderbird himself an internationally wanted criminal?
Alan kept the question to himself and signaled for her to continue.
"After more than half a year of trial runs, Thunderbird found that no weaknesses had been exposed, so they prepared to start transporting high-value goods. The first major operation was moving a young Thunderbird half a year ago. It started smoothly, but they were unlucky—they were spotted by Aurors during a training exercise and were tracked and surrounded. That was the first time I actively sent a warning signal to Thunderbird, which ultimately helped them evade the Ministry's pursuit.
"However, although that mission was successful, it made the Ministry aware of the organization's existence. High-ranking officials became suspicious, and my intelligence access as a first-level secretary was restricted. Then they found you and proceeded with the alchemy equipment procurement. The Ministry's tracking capabilities improved significantly after that." Aseria paused, glancing specifically at Alan. She realized that the organization's luck had turned for the worse the moment they crossed paths with him.
"Oh? Since you knew the Ministry had upgraded their equipment, why were you still ambushed in that later operation?" Alan watched her with a thin smile. The Silver Spears had been his greatest benefactor; without them, his business wouldn't have flourished so rapidly.
"It's all because of that arrogant Thunderbird!" Aseria said, her expression shifting to one of deep resentment. "That idiot doesn't use his brain for anything but fighting. He arrogantly believed that a few alchemy tools couldn't possibly affect the mission. Later, because my security clearance was downgraded, I couldn't access the details of the Ministry's movements. When the mission failed, Thunderbird even tried to blame it all on me." She snorted indignantly.
"And then he instructed you to steal from me. My front door wasn't easy to open, was it? Though I don't understand—I clearly lowered the defense level of the main entrance significantly. Why were you still foolishly using a universal unlocking spell?" Alan teased.
Aseria's face flushed with embarrassment as she realized Alan had been watching her the entire time. She had truly been a fool, thinking she had found a genuine weakness in the door that night.
"That's right. After Thunderbird discovered the mission failed, he contacted me and ordered me to steal the disruptors. He planned to use them to complete the mission against the Scamanders."
"I am curious, though," Alan said, recalling the device he had found in her possession. "Why did they only take four sets of disruptors in the end? Was the set you kept intended for something else?"
"No," Aseria shook her head. "I never told Thunderbird about that set. I intended to keep it for myself. What I do is high-risk work, and I thought I might need it for self-preservation. Moreover, at the time, Thunderbird expressed apprehension toward you and wanted to eliminate you in advance. I tried to persuade him against it, but it was useless. I considered whether to warn you, but I didn't dare betray the organization then."
Alan nodded. He had sensed this rift in her thoughts previously, judging that her loyalty to the Silver Spears was fragile at best. He gestured for her to continue.
"After I delivered the disruptors, I returned to a dormant state. Aside from the time Sphinx's infiltration team came to my residence to retrieve them, Thunderbird never sent me another instruction. I only knew he was in action this time after I arrived at the scene." Aseria sighed. Thunderbird's unreliability had cost the organization the entire shipment and nearly cost her her life.
"Why do you place such a high priority on Britain?" Alan asked. "Why insist on a base here?"
"Because the organization hopes to establish a cargo transit hub. Britain has significant magical creature resources, but the Ministry's blockade made smuggling difficult. A werewolf collaborator who had developed a foothold here was inexplicably expelled, so the Silver Spears wanted to establish their own black market."
Alan rubbed his nose awkwardly. He was the one who had destroyed that werewolf network. It seemed he was indirectly responsible for the Silver Spears' increased interest in the region.
"And on the other hand," Aseria added indifferently, "it is because the market in America has developed so smoothly."