At this, Thunderbird paused, then continued, "When I was in Britain, our American collaborators were unexpectedly encountered by the Ministry of Magic during one of their transfers. For this, I activated the Unicorn, and with her information, that operation was considered to have been perilous but without mishap. It was during that time that we successfully acquired a young Thunderbird."
Everyone nodded upon hearing this. The Spears were all aware of the Unicorn's situation, and cultivating and placing spies in Britain was something they had decided on together earlier.
"However, that encounter, which we initially thought was just a minor interlude, would not normally attract excessive attention from the Ministry of Magic. After all, smuggling is a business that exists in every country, and occasional discoveries are quite normal. But the problem arose with the Thunderbird being transported that time. When those collaborators fled, they left behind its feathers. After the Ministry of Magic identified them as belonging to a Thunderbird, they immediately gave it high priority." Thunderbird's tone carried a hint of irritation, as if regretting that their carelessness had drawn the Ministry of Magic's attention.
"Even if it attracted the Ministry of Magic's attention, it shouldn't have driven you to a dead end, right? Every country has a Ministry of Magic, and every country has Aurors. Are we going to stop transporting goods because of this?" Phoenix was not satisfied with this explanation.
"I haven't finished yet, why are you interrupting?" Thunderbird shot Phoenix an annoyed glance, then continued, "Indeed, if it was merely attracting the British Ministry of Magic's attention, it wouldn't be much. We would just need to adjust our transport strategy and strengthen our defenses. In fact, after that, we did manage to evade several encirclements by the British Ministry of Magic, but this seemed to have stirred Minister Bagnold's competitive spirit. Besides continuously sending more personnel, he even purchased a large number of alchemy tools from the Silver Lightning Trading Company."
"Among those tools, there were convenient Tracking Glasses, which worked even better than ordinary tracking spells. After being equipped with these tools, it wasn't long before the Ministry of Magic caught the tail of those collaborators, and they were even ambushed head-on once. That time, we lost several Peruvian Vipertooths." Thunderbird's frustration intensified as he spoke.
"Silver Lightning Trading Company? Is that the alchemy company run by that young man named Alan?" Golden Knight immediately pressed for more information after hearing Thunderbird mention Alan.
"Precisely. Besides the Tracking Glasses, that company also provided the British Ministry of Magic with a large number of combat tools. Those guys, relying on this garbage, forced those collaborators into a corner, and our American collaborators suffered heavy losses as a result," Thunderbird cursed angrily.
The people around him rolled their eyes in silent exasperation. They knew Thunderbird was particularly averse to alchemy tools, especially when used in combat, considering them external forces. It was understandable how much his dislike would be provoked by the British Ministry of Magic using such items against Thunderbird.
The reason Alan chose to reveal his involvement at this point was that this matter couldn't be kept hidden for long. If the club were to inquire even slightly in Britain, they would learn how much his equipment had helped previously. At the same time, Alan estimated that with Golden Knight's intelligence, he probably already suspected him. By exposing himself now, he could reinforce his identity as an alchemist in the other party's mind, causing him to overlook Alan in other areas.
"Golden Knight, you just asked about this Silver Lightning Trading Company and even knew the owner's name. Do you know this company?" Fwooper, who was a seat away from Thunderbird, had lived in Northern Europe for many years, where Silver Lightning Trading Company had not yet expanded its business, so she was completely unfamiliar with it.
"This Silver Lightning Trading Company is quite extraordinary; its business has already gone international, covering almost half of Europe," Phoenix was not unfamiliar with this company and offered an explanation.
"Indeed, the products sold by this company are very interesting. They look flashy, but don't they only sell products like magic lamps and gramophones? Do they also have equipment that can be used in combat?" Acromantula seemed to be a user of the Silver Lightning Trading Company herself, praising it unreservedly.
"This trading company is indeed unusual." Golden Knight nodded in agreement, "Its business is actually divided into two main parts. One part is ordinary products, mostly entertainment-oriented, while the other part is high-end military equipment, which only large organizations are qualified to purchase directly from the British Ministry of Magic. I've also seen the Tracking Glasses Thunderbird mentioned. Their effect is indeed very strong. The charms used in them are said to have been created by Alan himself, and he even won the International Alchemy Conference's Gold Award for Pioneering Contribution for it. That guy looks young, but he's a genuine alchemy genius. I've seen other equipment produced by his company, and their functions are all very powerful."
"Can the club also purchase some to use?" Fwooper, who was nearby, asked curiously.
"We've already purchased quite a few. They are currently deployed in the breeding parks. These tools are too distinctive and not suitable for equipping the Silver Spears." Golden Knight explained, then looked at Thunderbird, "Did the Ministry of Magic completely block the transit station's transportation channels relying solely on the Silver Lightning Trading Company's tools? Did you not try to personally intervene in the transportation?"
"That's the second item I need to report. The biggest variable in this British transit station operation came from Newt Scamander." Thunderbird sighed with some annoyance.
"Newt? Is there something special about him?" Golden Knight frowned, "I remember the stealth team failed when they went to carry out the box operation. Could it be?"
"Exactly!" Thunderbird nodded, admitting directly, "Newt's strength is extraordinary. He dealt with the four members of the stealth team, causing me to receive no information and completely lose contact with them. And during a subsequent large-scale transfer, the one I came to report to you about, a big problem occurred." Thunderbird gestured to Golden Knight.
"Hmm, you only said at that time that you wanted to try a large-scale transport and requested personnel from headquarters. In the end, Bird Snake from the French branch was seconded to Britain." Golden Knight said this, specifically glancing at Phoenix next to him.
"It was during that large-scale transfer that we fell into the Ministry of Magic's trap and were ambushed on the spot by the British Ministry of Magic and Newt." Thunderbird seemed to recall something unpleasant, his fingers on the sofa suddenly tightened, gripping the armrest tightly.
"Ambush? Was it at the delivery location or during transport?" Golden Knight asked this question to analyze where the mistake occurred. If they were ambushed at the delivery location, it meant the British Ministry of Magic's methods were superior. If a problem occurred during transport, it was very likely there was an inside mole.
"It was at the delivery location. Bird Snake and I were both there. Those Aurors caught us off guard. More than twenty collaborators lost most of their numbers on the spot. In the end, it was only by relying on the Inferi summoned by Bird Snake that we barely managed to hold them off," Thunderbird said in a low voice.
"Even you couldn't stop those Aurors? Or rather? Is that Newt really that strong?" Golden Knight knew Thunderbird's strength. With him present, ordinary Aurors couldn't stop him at all; no matter how many came, they would just be sending themselves to their deaths.
"Hmph, Newt's strength indeed exceeded my imagination. He alone completely tied me down, preventing me from sparing any effort to support Bird Snake. Later, when I saw the situation was bad, I reluctantly cast Blue Fiendfyre, but I still couldn't deal with Newt. In the end, after the Ministry of Magic's high-level reinforcements arrived, I was almost left behind and only escaped by Portkey." The more Thunderbird spoke, the angrier he became. He suddenly raised his hand and slammed it hard onto the armrest. The immense force even caused the sofa to crack, seemingly breaking the wooden components within the armrest.
"What? You used Blue Fiendfyre and still couldn't take down Newt?" At this, not only Golden Knight, but also Phoenix, Acromantula, Fwooper, and the other Spears were all extremely surprised. They knew Thunderbird's strength all too well. Although some of them were unwilling to admit it, they all knew in their hearts that in a head-on battle, Thunderbird was the strongest person in the club.
"Since then, I've been single-mindedly seeking revenge to wash away the shame of defeat, but the results have been very unsatisfactory. In this past year, I've fought Newt once more, but I still couldn't completely defeat him. Instead, he managed to stall until reinforcements arrived." At this, Thunderbird let out an angry snort, "I knew this Newt would become a major problem. We should have dealt with him directly back then, before he grew stronger. If only it weren't for… sigh!"
Golden Knight and Phoenix knew Thunderbird was recalling events from his time in the Acolytes. They were indeed familiar with Newt; he was the one who had constantly opposed the Saint Party and Grindelwald, and it was he who had exposed Grindelwald, disguised in the Magical Congress of the United States of America, and personally apprehended him.
"I didn't expect his strength to still be so formidable after all these years. I saw him settle down and get married, constantly busy with his research in Magizoology, and I thought the guy had forgotten how to fight." After understanding the full story, Phoenix, though somewhat surprised, found it reasonable. He just shook his head with a touch of melancholy.
Actually, bringing Newt out to take the fall wasn't Alan trying to trick the old man; making the club realize Newt's extraordinary strength would actually ensure his safety. After all, no one would provoke a wizard whose strength was comparable to Thunderbird's. Additionally, this was to increase the rationality and credibility. If he had truly confessed directly, saying that Alan had stopped Thunderbird, it would have seemed unreasonable and unbelievable in the eyes of these Spears.
After Thunderbird had fully reported the entire process of establishing his transit station in Britain, everyone finally understood the ins and outs of the situation. And Golden Knight also sighed, "So, after two encounters where you didn't gain an advantage, you decided to abandon the strategy of continuing to establish a British transit station?"