"The problem now is that the club has been exposed to the British Ministry of Magic, and Newt is not unfamiliar with us; they won't let us continue to develop in Britain." Phoenix was also a smart woman and quickly realized the crux of the problem.
Everyone nodded in agreement; they never went against the local authorities, and these Silver Spears were all seasoned veterans—no one wanted to be a trailblazer. Didn't they see that even Thunderbird, the strongest in the club, had returned defeated?
"Understood. Although Thunderbird, as the person in charge, is largely to blame for the British transit station mission, it was also due to unforeseen circumstances, and Thunderbird's report is consistent with the current understanding of the situation." Golden Knight nodded, summarizing, then scanned everyone. "Therefore, I propose not to punish Thunderbird for now. Those who agree, please raise your hand to vote."
"Agree."
"Agree!"
"I have no objections."
Everyone present unanimously approved Golden Knight's decision, including Phoenix, who had initially criticized Thunderbird. After so many years, they had seen all sorts of storms; a small setback was not enough to make them overreact.
This form of collective voting was also considered a more humane aspect of the club. Generally, when making important decisions affecting the club's future, or when appointing, removing, or punishing members of Spear-level, a full vote was required. Those not present were considered to have automatically abstained.
However, Thunderbird and Black Dragon were exceptions. One of them had to guard the Americas, so during the Longspear Meeting, they usually attended in turns, and the attending person could have two votes. Therefore, decisions like the club establishing a breeding park were very clear to Thunderbird, even though he wasn't at the headquarters, because he was present when the decision to establish the breeding park was made.
The reason Thunderbird was not very clear about Golden Knight's splitting of the German headquarters, or rather, not very familiar with the details in that regard, was because Black Dragon represented him in the meetings discussing related decisions, and given Thunderbird's personality, he wasn't very concerned about these matters and didn't ask Black Dragon much. In fact, Black Dragon was similar, so Black Dragon also didn't know much about the situation of the local breeding park in Germany.
At the same time, this was also why those few department heads accepted Golden Knight's defection. Golden Knight tempted them with the two major privileges of a Spear: one was naturally the Elixir of Life, and the other was the club's decision-making power. Only when they became Spears would they truly enter the club's center of power; otherwise, they wouldn't work so diligently for the club. And the day the three department heads truly became Spears would be the day the club could completely control a country.
"But having lost the advantageous geographical environment of Britain, our goods from the Americas now have no way to be transported back. I believe the transit station strategy has no problem. Now we need to open up a new base." After the vote, Acromantula eagerly suggested. As a Silver Spear who had used the Elixir of Life very early on, she was very nervous about matters affecting her life and fortune.
"Indeed, the establishment of a transit station cannot be stopped." Phoenix nodded in agreement, then looked at Golden Knight, "Can we choose another place to establish a transit channel?"
Golden Knight was silent for a moment, then turned his head to the right. "Manticore, is the Spanish Ministry of Magic's blockade of the Mediterranean still so strict?"
Manticore, who had been silent, slowly shook his head, followed by a young male voice from behind his mask, "It's not just the Ministry of Magic; the influence of the Holy See has not waned. Let alone transshipment from the Americas, even getting things out of Egypt is very difficult. If you don't believe me, you can ask Phoenix and Acromantula; they should have a deep understanding of this."
"Indeed." Acromantula also nodded in agreement. Italy, which she was responsible for, was the Holy See's hometown. "They want to crack down on smuggling to and from Egypt, so the blockade on entry and exit will be very strong. Going through Spain or the Mediterranean can easily lead to problems."
Phoenix also nodded, "The French waters have always been closely watched. Establishing a transit station in Southern Europe is not a good idea."
In fact, besides the Silver Spears, which specialized in smuggling magical creatures, there were many other smuggling crimes in the European wizarding world, most of which were concentrated along the Mediterranean coast, which bordered Egypt, a major trading and alchemy nation. So many people took risks to smuggle alchemy products. The Ministries of Magic in the countries along the Mediterranean coast were very strong in their crackdown on smuggling, and they often conducted joint law enforcement. If you got caught smuggling there, often several countries' Aurors would pop out together, take you down first, and then discuss allocation issues.
The Silver Spears, also a smuggling group, had a huge headache because of this. They might not be targeting you, but if you were discovered, they certainly wouldn't let you go. The club was simply caught in the crossfire. Also for this reason, the club never asked Sphinx in Egypt to smuggle magical creatures. He would like to transport them, but no one else in the club dared to receive them.
"Then what about opening up a new branch in Eastern Europe? For now, with the scattered goods collected from various countries and the breeding parks, we can still hold on for a while." After speaking, Golden Knight looked at Horned Serpent beside him.
Horned Serpent smiled leisurely upon hearing this, "That question, you should ask Nundu who died in the line of duty, and his predecessor, and his predecessor's predecessor. I heard the club recently added a new Nundu. Why don't you send him to Eastern Europe to try?"
Upon hearing Horned Serpent's sarcastic remarks, Golden Knight hadn't spoken yet, but Thunderbird retorted first, "The question now is whether Eastern Europe has the possibility of establishing a branch. No one wants to hear your strange words, or are you saying you want to end up like the previous Nundu?"
Hearing Thunderbird's naked threat, Horned Serpent sneered indifferently, "Teacher, you just messed up the British transit station, and you have the nerve to criticize me?"
"Do you still have the face to call me teacher?" Thunderbird's voice was filled with anger and menace, "If all my students were as useless as you, the club would have been gone long ago. I've heard for a long time that the goods transported from your side have never been in full quantity. If you could just show a little ambition, would the club still need to go to such lengths to build a transit station?" Thunderbird's voice suddenly rose, scolding Horned Serpent from a commanding height, but upon hearing his words, except for Horned Serpent, the expressions under the masks of the other Silver Spears were somewhat uncomfortable, because the number of magical creatures transported back to the headquarters from their side was also not many. Thunderbird was essentially scolding everyone.
"We can't compare to you. You and Black Dragon are used to calling the shots in the Americas and are not accustomed to Europe's petty ways. But if your goods can't be transported back, isn't it all for nothing?" Horned Serpent retorted without showing weakness. To be honest, no one in the club liked Thunderbird.
"Enough, stop arguing! We are discussing serious matters now, don't divert the topic elsewhere." Golden Knight saw these two suddenly butt heads, and if he didn't intervene, they would probably start fighting again. To be honest, when Thunderbird was still in Europe, this kind of situation was the norm, and he was always the peacemaker who came out to mediate. Seeing this scene, Golden Knight recalled that somewhat painful past.
After Horned Serpent saw Golden Knight intervene, he stopped arguing with Thunderbird and said seriously, "The situation in Eastern Europe is still the same, difficult to operate sustainably. If we want to re-establish a branch now, it will take three to five years to stabilize."
"That's too slow. Three to five years is enough time for the German division strategy to be implemented, and then a permanent transit station can be established at the headquarters. What we need to consider is short-term supply." Golden Knight shook his head regretfully upon hearing this. He then turned his gaze to Fwooper, "In that case, we can only start with Northern Europe. Although the situation there is equally tricky, the official resistance in Northern Europe is the smallest."
"Northern Europe…" Fwooper felt a pang of bitterness upon hearing this. This was practically asking her to walk into a pit of fire. Fwooper said somewhat reluctantly, "My side isn't very good either. Although the Pure Land Society is not an official force, they are a bunch of ruthless killers. The previous heads of the Northern European branch didn't even have a direct conflict with them, they just…"
Northern Europe, like Eastern Europe, is known for its fierce folk customs. The branches in these two places are also where the club most frequently incurs losses. The Spear in Eastern Europe died a few years ago, and no one has been replaced yet, so Fwooper was also somewhat reluctant.
"You don't need to completely set up the transit station; just open a temporary transportation channel. This is very crucial!" Golden Knight did not listen to Fwooper's rebuttal, his tone firm.
"This… Alright, I'll do my best." As a newly promoted Spear, Fwooper had not yet drunk the Elixir of Life, so she didn't feel the same sense of urgency as the other Spears.
"It's not 'do your best,' but 'you must do it'!" Golden Knight's tone became even firmer at this point. "In a few months, Northern Europe will enter winter, and transportation resistance will become even greater. We don't have that much time!"
"This…" Isn't this making things difficult for people? Fwooper complained inwardly, then looked at Thunderbird with a hint of hope, expecting him to speak up for her.
"A temporary transit station is indeed very necessary. The Americas do not have the same level of magical creature care as the headquarters' breeding park. If it drags on too long, many magical creatures will be lost for nothing." At such a critical moment, Thunderbird still had to stand on the club's side. However, Thunderbird did not completely deny his old subordinate, "Of course, I also know your difficulties. I won't return to the Americas too quickly. If you encounter any difficulties in Northern Europe, I can help you."
Seeing that Thunderbird also meant the same, Fwooper knew that this matter was settled, and she could only reluctantly agree to it.