"Also…" Phoenix added in a timely manner, "We need to start investigating the Silver Spears and those collaborators within the club. The problem must be with them!"
"That's right, especially the managers of those parks. Where did you find these people? At such a critical moment, they couldn't even send a message. Surely they haven't all betrayed us?" Speaking of this, Thunderbird looked at Golden Knight with some dissatisfaction.
"Not all of them are my people. The manager of the East Germany park was selected by Phoenix. As for the two managers of the West Germany park, I will be responsible for investigating them thoroughly." Although Golden Knight said this, he didn't really want to believe that his long-term collaborators would betray him.
"I will naturally investigate my people thoroughly." Phoenix saw Golden Knight trying to shift the blame to her and immediately rolled her eyes at him. "But besides the relevant personnel, we also need to thoroughly investigate the employees working in the parks, especially the patrol team members!"
"That would involve too much investigation, and headquarters is very short-staffed." Golden Knight shook his head helplessly, then looked at the other two.
"I understand. I will transfer people from the France branch to assist." Phoenix knew what Golden Knight meant—wasn't he just trying to ask her for people?
"Unicorn is not very useful in Britain right now. If it comes to it, I can also have her return to assist." Thunderbird also responded.
Golden Knight nodded with satisfaction. Given the current situation, the Silver Spears recalled from outside were actually more reliable.
At this moment, Thunderbird seemed to have thought of something and then looked at Golden Knight, "The club has suffered such huge losses. Will this affect your strategy in Germany?"
Golden Knight knew Thunderbird was asking about the plan to split Germany, and he also knew that Thunderbird didn't know much about it. "There will definitely be an impact. First, those park managers and some personnel are part of Germany's civilian forces. Without them, it will be very difficult to incite the public through civilian groups."
"Then will this affect the progress of the Division Act?" Phoenix felt a headache at this moment. "This is not good news. You should know how important splitting Germany is to us. They and the park strategy are complementary. Now we have lost so many goods. If Germany's division process is also hindered because of this, then the Elixir of Life part…"
Golden Knight certainly knew how tricky this was. This was related to their lives and was the direction the club had been striving for over the past decade. Now, it was all gone just like that. Thinking of this, Golden Knight couldn't help but feel a surge of anger. He could barely control his emotions, but Thunderbird next to him couldn't. "That means it has already affected the very foundation of our survival. This won't do!"
Thunderbird clenched his fists in fury, then roared with a ferocious voice, "Can't we find a way to accelerate the progress of your so-called damn Act? Where is the resistance? If it's really impossible, then use some special methods."
The so-called special methods naturally referred to using force.
What Alan had to do now was to constantly fan the flames within the club using the park incident. If he could cause internal strife among them, or make them act impetuously and use force, exposing their own strength, that would be ideal. When he confronted Golden Knight earlier, he initially thought of using this opportunity to provoke infighting, preferably by fighting Golden Knight as Thunderbird. But the strength Golden Knight displayed was somewhat beyond his expectations, and he could indeed feel the emotion symbolizing calmness from Golden Knight's magic. This guy wasn't afraid of him making a move at all. That's why Alan finally decided to give up. Otherwise, if they really fought, let alone testing Golden Knight's true strength, his own identity might even be exposed.
However, he was now fanning the flames from another direction. If Golden Knight was truly tempted and used violence to promote the division, he could completely use this to set a trap and wipe out the club in one fell swoop ahead of time. But even in such internal and external troubles, Golden Knight's mind remained clear.
"No! The situation hasn't deteriorated to that point yet. Acting rashly will not only fail to accelerate the process but will also easily cause a backlash and add unnecessary variables. We have fought for this for so many years, and now that we finally have hope, we absolutely cannot lose our footing. It's not time to go to extremes yet!"
"But we no longer have raw materials!" Thunderbird still didn't give up. "The smuggling of magical creatures in the surrounding areas has always been low, and goods from outside cannot be delivered at all. Do you not care about our lives? Or are you already fearless?"
The so-called fearlessness was Thunderbird implicitly referring to Golden Knight having mastered the formula for the Elixir of Life. Of course, in the eyes of those Spears who couldn't access the Rune Serpent, this was a completely reasonable speculation. Phoenix at this moment couldn't help but look at Golden Knight again with an ambiguous gaze, which meant that besides Thunderbird, others also had such thoughts, but they kept them hidden, and only the straightforward Thunderbird would point them out on the spot.
When Golden Knight saw these two people suspecting him again, a surge of nameless anger immediately rose in his heart, and he roared at them, "How many times have I told you? I cannot control the Rune Serpent's thoughts. What does it have to do with me if he doesn't want to show his face? The place he stays is protected by the Fidelius Charm. I can't even take you to see him!"
Fidelius Charm? Alan nodded secretly when he heard this. Judging from Golden Knight's current performance, this should be true. And since Golden Knight couldn't take them to find this Rune Serpent, it meant he was his Secret-Keeper. If that were the case, the difficulty of contacting this club leader would become even greater.
All sorts of thoughts raced through Alan's mind, but he still mimicked Thunderbird's tone and roared back, "Then what do you suggest we do? If we can't produce enough Elixir of Life next quarter, let alone me, those few Spears out there will fight you to the death!"
"Sigh…" Golden Knight rarely showed a melancholic expression. "I understand what you're saying, but if the breeding parks are gone, they can be rebuilt. However, if this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to divide Germany is lost, we won't be able to wait for it again in the future!"
"Thunderbird, I know you're anxious, but now is really not the time to be impulsive." Phoenix, who knew a lot about the Division Act, also spoke to appease him. "Golden Knight is right; the German strategy has reached a critical moment. If we succeed, we won't have to worry about magical creatures in the future." But she also looked at Golden Knight at the same time, "However, the crisis facing the club is also a fact. If we can't gather enough raw materials, the first thing we'll face is the club falling apart. Tell us honestly, how much longer can the current Elixir of Life last?"
Although Phoenix was acting as a peacemaker at this moment, she was essentially joining Thunderbird in pressuring Golden Knight. One could only say that her methods were much more subtle than the volatile Thunderbird.
Have lived for so many years, Golden Knight naturally detected the trick. This pair of scoundrels, one playing the good cop and the other the bad cop—weren't they just trying to dig more information out of him? But faced with this situation, Golden Knight couldn't continue to shirk responsibility; otherwise, these two might really fall out with him on the spot. So he could only sigh secretly and say, "You don't need to worry about this. The current stock of goods in the club can guarantee half a year's supply of Elixir of Life without any problem. As long as those lost magical creatures are recovered during this period, or enough magical creatures are obtained as replenishment, the supply of Elixir of Life can continue."
Thunderbird and Phoenix exchanged glances, then both nodded silently. They found this result acceptable. Half a year's time, whether it was recovering the lost magical creatures or collecting some new raw materials, was not entirely impossible.
"Since that's the case, then we need to re-plan. We must find a way to increase revenue and reduce expenditure." Thunderbird said somewhat irritably first, "Next, Golden Knight, you and Phoenix will be responsible for recovering those magical creatures and handling matters related to the German strategy, while I will immediately set off for Northern Europe to open up a magical creature transportation channel as quickly as possible."
Golden Knight and Phoenix both nodded upon hearing this. Thunderbird's strategy was undoubtedly the most appropriate.
"Also!" Golden Knight interjected at this point, "We cannot place all our hopes on Northern Europe. The scale and frequency of smuggling by other national branches must also increase. Even if it's difficult, they have to step up now. This is a matter of life and death."
"That's as it should be." Phoenix also nodded, but immediately asked tentatively, "However, to stabilize the emotions of the Spears, shouldn't we allow them to exchange for a quarter's worth of Elixir of Life?"
Thunderbird also looked at Golden Knight upon hearing this.
Seeing this, Golden Knight could only grit his teeth and agree. Although there was an element of being pressured by the two in front of him, he also knew that this was a necessary means to stabilize morale. Otherwise, once those Spears discovered that they couldn't exchange for the Elixir of Life at headquarters, that would be the moment the club completely collapsed.
"Then everything will proceed as we discussed." Golden Knight glanced at the two of them. "Next, when we negotiate with them, we must maintain consistency and absolutely not reveal unstable emotions."
Phoenix nodded. This was as it should be. She guessed that Thunderbird's reason for having the others wait outside the park earlier was to brief them beforehand.
"Wait." Seeing the two about to return, Thunderbird softly called out to them, "Recovering those magical creatures is easier said than done, and reopening transportation routes is not that simple. If, and I mean if, the club still doesn't receive enough raw materials, what should we do then?"