"Hmm, her decision wasn't unexpected. I had already established a mental link with the young Thunderbird, and its mental state wasn't good, but after my communication, it can now cooperate with our actions. It will help Shalltear cover her tracks when it sees her."
Alan was quite satisfied with Shalltear's performance. What he needed to do now was to quickly break through the magic barrier of this base; otherwise, just looking at the sheer size of it, he would have a hard time taking it down. Initially, based on his experience in Britain, Alan believed there would be at most a few dozen people in this breeding base, and he could take it down with a dozen people called from Britain, but now he realized things might not be that simple.
After a moment of thought, Alan looked down at Hog. "Next, set up the monitoring center for this breeding base and quickly draw a top-down view of the entire facility."
"I need to know how many people there are in total, distinguishing between combat personnel and non-combat personnel. Also, collect the daily routines of the guards—morning, noon, and night—as well as their patrol frequency, routes, and where they live."
"Furthermore, regarding the magical creatures, collect as much information as possible on their species and quantity. This is crucial for their subsequent containment and handling."
"At the same time, pay close attention to Shalltear's movements. She is very likely to use Monitoring Spider No. 39 to contact us. If you detect any signs of her being in danger, remember to contact me immediately. If she is exposed, the operation can be directly abandoned, and I will initiate a direct assault."
"Also, these next two days I will try to contact Milan Claremont and record his image. Later, you need to see if you can find this person in this breeding base. Perhaps he is the key to breaking the magic formation."
Alan methodically assigned tasks to Hog, while watching the screen showing the magic spire's main gate with a serious expression. To break that magic shield, he had to find a way to see its internal structure. Thinking of this, Alan took out a monitoring spider from his person, and thoughtfully walked into the alchemy laboratory. He immediately focused on tinkering without resting.
Meanwhile, Shalltear, who remained in the breeding base, no longer dared to be as reckless as she was at night. As soon as dawn broke, the entire base seemed to come alive. A large number of wizards emerged from their residences and quickly took up their posts.
The number of guards responsible for security was more than double what Shalltear had seen at night. Besides protecting the base's security, these wizards actually focused more of their energy on the magical creatures. After all, a large number of extremely dangerous magical creatures were confined here, and no one knew when they might suddenly go berserk. The risk of working here was actually very high, with the possibility of being attacked at any time.
Furthermore, the base was equipped with a large number of non-combat wizards skilled in magical zoology. They were responsible for the medical care, breeding, and even training of these animals. At the same time, there were many ordinary wizards similar to general laborers, some of whom were not even wizards, but merely Muggle spouses or Squibs of wizards. They would assist the magical zoologists, acting as medical caregivers, or they would help in the living areas, work odd jobs in the wizarding shops, or perform tasks like cleaning, cooking, and transporting.
As Shalltear simply counted the visible Muggle figures, she knew that the estimated number from last night was likely too conservative. If these collaborating Muggles were included, the total number of people in the entire base was estimated to exceed two hundred.
At this moment, Shalltear, hiding under the eaves of a residential house, watched the scene full of life and couldn't help but be stunned. It was her first time seeing a scene where wizards, Muggles, and Squibs coexisted so harmoniously. In Britain, for instance, most wizards had a deep-seated prejudice against Muggles, and very few were willing to interact with them, let alone work and live under the same roof. In Germany and France, two relatively open-minded countries, their attitudes toward Muggles and Squibs were softer. Half-blood wizards were surprisingly numerous, and many pure-blood families had even grown accustomed to the existence of Muggles, which led to a significantly larger wizarding population in these two countries compared to Britain.
However, Germany and France also disliked the Statute of Secrecy, but their motives were completely different from those of the extremist pure-blood families in Britain, led by the Death Eaters. They rejected the Statute of Secrecy because they wanted closer contact with Muggle society and more interaction with Muggles. To put it bluntly, it was the environment where they couldn't live openly in the sunlight that made them feel a lack of freedom. The Death Eaters, on the other hand, instinctively discriminated against Muggles, believing they were unworthy of possessing more land and resources than wizards, and sought to conquer, rule Muggles, and turn them into their slaves.
However, wizarding societies with two different ideas both disliked the Statute of Secrecy. Perhaps this is why whenever someone starts a revolution against the Statute of Secrecy, they gain a lot of supporters. Their motives might be different, but their goals are surprisingly consistent. So, in Shalltear's eyes, Golden Knight's ability to build this breeding base so harmoniously made her quite admire him. However, the more she saw, the more wary she became of Golden Knight's existence.
The most terrifying thing in this world is not evil people who commit wicked deeds through violent and brutal means, because terrorism only invites the disgust and hostility of peace-loving people. Conversely, those who commit evil using rules, or even legal means, appear even more terrifying. They weave a vast net of lies and interests, entangling everyone tightly, achieving their ambitions like boiling a frog in warm water. These people might even prioritize fairness more than official institutions and treat others with great kindness and civility. Such behavior, after a long period of influence, can even lead to them being more beloved and trusted than official institutions in the eyes of many wizards. Finally, if someone tries to expose their conspiracy or oppose them, they will instead be met with hostility and resistance from the majority.
So, in Shalltear's eyes, if Golden Knight truly succeeds in his scheme to divide Germany in the future, then these breeding bases could eventually be transformed into legitimate institutions, using the entire country to continuously provide resources to the Silver Spears, who pursue immortality in the shadows. Thinking of this, Shalltear even shivered with a chill. Golden Knight's methods of manipulating people's hearts were far more sophisticated than Thunderbird, who only knew how to kill and set fires.
At the same time, Shalltear also began to worry about Alan. It wasn't that she was worried about her master's safety; Shalltear knew that given Alan's caution, if he prepared to act, he would certainly have a high probability of success. Shalltear was worried that with so many people in this base, if it were truly flattened, how would these people be resettled in the future? And how would they be explained to?
You know, there are over two hundred people here, and Alan and his team aren't butchers. Moreover, there are quite a few Muggles and Squibs among them. Many of these people should be unaware of the situation, so it's impossible to kill them all, but releasing them would leak the secret. But if they aren't released, their numbers are simply too great—so great that it might be impossible to keep it a secret, and so great that Golden Knight could use legitimate and legal means to investigate, and even issue bounties for them. It must be known that these people all have their own families and legal identities. If so many people suddenly disappear, involving so many wizards, a mishandling could potentially lead to international disputes.
Even in the eyes of the people living in the breeding base, Alan and his group might be seen as invaders, as bad people disrupting their work and lives. It should be noted that these people are not forced to work here; they receive generous compensation and benefits. Furthermore, they are not currently abusing or killing magical creatures, and on the surface, they haven't even broken the law, making it difficult to convict them. Under these circumstances, a raid on such a breeding base could potentially make Shalltear and others public enemies and completely strip them of legitimacy. Legitimacy might seem insignificant, but it can guide public opinion, labeling others as righteous or evil.
This Golden Knight is more than just sinister; his established breeding base not only provides them with abundant resources but also essentially holds hundreds of wizards and Muggles hostage. Shalltear even speculated that Golden Knight deliberately placed so many legitimate individuals in the breeding base because the more people involved, the safer this place would be on the surface. A sparsely populated breeding base is an illegal den, and taking it down would be considered eliminating a public menace. However, a breeding base with a large number of people, even to a certain extent, transforms into a legitimate wizarding community, and attacking it indiscriminately would make them public enemies. At that point, they themselves would become terrorists.
So, in Shalltear's eyes, this breeding base had transformed from a lucrative golden goose into a huge problem that could cause them to stumble at any moment. Thinking of this, Shalltear couldn't help but shiver, feeling even more unnerved.
"I wonder if Master has realized this point. I really don't want to become a German fugitive," Shalltear thought, annoyed. Then she realized something was wrong. "No, if Master truly considered this and decided to abandon the plan to attack this base, then what should I do? Do I really have to live here indefinitely?"
Shalltear's mind felt like a tangled mess at this moment. She both hoped Alan wouldn't get caught in this quagmire and didn't want to be confined here, losing her freedom, making her incredibly conflicted.
"Forget it, for now, I can only pray that Master finds a proper way to handle this. I shouldn't worry so much and just focus on my own job first." Shalltear shook her head vigorously. Such headache-inducing matters should be left for Alan to worry about; after all, when the sky falls, the taller ones bear the brunt. She wasn't the type of person who excelled at thinking. Her greatest dream was merely to be a carefree eater.