"What does the progress in America have to do with establishing a transit station in Britain?" Alan looked at Aseria, somewhat puzzled.
"Because Britain is the closest to America," Aseria said without hesitation. "Currently, the organization's intercontinental transportation still largely relies on primitive methods like sea, land, or air travel. This is also why they value Scamander's suitcase so much."
"Because America is so far from the European continent, we must find a closer landing point. Many of those collaborators are quite cruel in their treatment of magical creatures, and many animals are transported with injuries. To act covertly, sea transport is necessary, but if the distance is too great, losses can easily occur midway. So, our initial landing point in Britain was on the island of Ireland. Landing there allows for ample time to rest and reorganize."
"Of course, I think there's another reason. According to information I've occasionally gathered, the Silver Spears' control over Northern Europe is weakening. Wizards from the Pure Land Society have already taken control of the northern coastal areas, and we have significant conflicts with them. If we were to land there, the risk would be far too high."
"Pure Land Society?" Alan raised an eyebrow. He had heard of this organization; it was similar to the Purifiers in America. Its members either advocate for pure-blood supremacy or harbor a deep hatred for Muggles, refusing any contact with them. Their nature was similar to that of Death Eater terrorists.
"That's right. They are a bunch of lunatics who constantly shout about purifying wizarding blood. They are keen on studying the Dark Arts and curses, and they deeply resent the Silver Spears, which has a complex membership and doesn't exclude Muggle-born wizards. Our business progress there is even more difficult than here in Britain. After all, getting caught in Britain only means going to prison, but being discovered within the Pure Land Society's jurisdiction? Being able to leave a complete corpse is considered a good outcome." Aseria had almost been assigned to a mission in Northern Europe, so she was quite familiar with the environment.
"So, you're saying that your Silver Spears organization is actually considered relatively mild among criminal groups?" Alan looked at Aseria, somewhat amused. Indeed, the tough fear the reckless, and the reckless fear those who don't value their lives. Pure violence was the most effective way to deal with these Silver Spear members.
"From the perspective of danger, that is true. When the Silver Spears carry out missions, we try to minimize bloodshed. Of course, there are also mad dogs like Thunderbird. However, since our main goal is still business, most of our branches in Europe adhere to the principle that harmony is precious. Some branches even conduct legitimate business and cooperate with the local Ministry of Magic. Moreover, there are generally no bloodline barriers within our ranks. Whether pure-blood or half-blood, as long as they join, they are treated equally. Of course, this might also be related to the fact that members don't know each other." Aseria sighed; perhaps this was also why she hadn't completely rejected the organization.
"Oh? Does the Silver Spears have different codes of conduct in different places? Why is there such a big difference between the branches?" Alan became increasingly curious.
"You could say that," Aseria nodded. "The organization is divided into two parts: 'The Silver Spears' and 'Silver Spears.' The former is only responsible for headquarters affairs, with strict and clear regulations. They maintain the operation of the entire headquarters, but basically no one has ever seen them, and the headquarters only exists in rumors. I haven't stepped foot in the so-called headquarters since joining."
"As for the Silver Spears, I only met one when I received my silver spear—which was when I received my aspen wand and mask. The other party met and vetted me in a large branch and gave me my equipment on the spot. I don't even know how many of them there are or where they usually operate. In short, they are a mysterious group. They only appear when distributing equipment, conducting reviews, or fulfilling rewards." Aseria had no clue about this and could only tell Alan what she knew.
Alan nodded. It seemed that this so-called headquarters was even harder to find than imagined. Newt had even tried to dig out the other party through his mental connection with Thunderbird, but from the information now available, the situation was likely more complex.
Aseria continued, "Correspondingly, the 'Silver Spear' is the team responsible for external expansion. I am one of them. For example, on the European continent, it is divided into multiple branches to handle business. They are basically divided by country. Of course, there are cases where one branch is responsible for several countries. Each branch is led by one Spear and multiple Short Spears. Since we follow an elite route, the number of people is never very many."
"There are usually only one or two Short Spears, just like in Britain, where there is only Thunderbird and me. We usually hand over daily business to our collaborators in the black market; they are considered our peripheral members. The branch with more members, as far as I know, is the Sphinx, who is in charge of Egypt. Besides leading his local Short Spear, he also has a dedicated infiltration team. However, many missions have to follow the headquarters' dispatch, though Spears do borrow members based on their relationships."
"However, this time, the Scamander mission was very important, supposedly arranged by the headquarters. Unexpectedly, it was completely wiped out. I guess they might not even have figured out the situation yet." Aseria sighed again. Ever since they got involved with Alan, their Silver Spears had been incredibly unlucky. Normally, they wouldn't lose a single person for several years, but now five had died in less than a month. She didn't even know if she would survive.
She realized she had strayed too far and continued: "Regarding the various branches, the headquarters' control is not strict; it can even be said to be completely hands-off. The headquarters only wants results and never asks about the process, so each branch is basically built according to the style of the individual Spear. Therefore, some branches don't even get involved in smuggling and directly become legitimate merchants," Aseria explained.