"Still not enough?" Golden Knight looked at Thunderbird meaningfully. "What do you mean?"
"Besides increasing revenue, the natural next step is to reduce expenditure. Controlling the production of the Elixir of Life might also be a solution." As he said this, a faint killing intent was hidden in Thunderbird's tone.
"Control production? What exactly do you intend to do?" Golden Knight also sensed the killing intent in Thunderbird's voice, vaguely guessing his intentions.
"Currently, apart from Sphinx and Fwooper, all other Spears must regularly receive the Elixir of Life. If we really can't supply enough of the Elixir of Life in the end, we can consider reducing some expenses," Thunderbird said in a cold voice. His meaning was simple: for every Spear eliminated, the amount of Elixir of Life needed would decrease, which could then be allocated to others.
Furthermore, the club's supply shortage was also related to the bloated size of the Spear team. Including the Rune Serpent and the three Silver Spears elders, an additional eight portions of the Elixir of Life had to be expended each quarter. With two portions per bottle, that meant twelve bottles every six months, which was no small expense.
"Are you suggesting eliminating those other Spears? Doing something so treacherous, it wouldn't look good if it were discovered." Golden Knight's eyes widened slightly in surprise as he looked at Thunderbird.
Phoenix also quickly asked, "Indeed, do you have the confidence to do it without anyone knowing?"
From their words, one could discern how ruthless these club elders were. They asked if Thunderbird had the confidence to do it, not whether it should be done, clearly indicating that in their eyes, the other Spears in the club were expendable sacrifices.
"As a last resort, this is the only path. Giving up one or two people can alleviate a lot of pressure." Thunderbird snorted coldly. "Moreover, if we don't act first, we will become the targets. Overthinking things will only delay the opportune moment."
"Thunderbird's consideration is good." Phoenix also nodded at this point. "I don't believe those guys will do nothing at this time. Perhaps they have already used their masks to communicate and unite. You should also be careful."
Golden Knight's heart also tightened upon hearing this. The three of them had sent everyone else away to enter the park, not only to prevent ambushes but also with the idea of communicating in advance and uniting to form a common front. However, the other Spears were not fools. They likely realized this, and might very well use this opportunity to collude with each other. Golden Knight sighed inwardly. After staying at the headquarters for so many years, had his sense of crisis really deteriorated to this extent, that he needed Thunderbird and Phoenix to remind him?
"I understand. If the situation changes, I will contact you immediately." Golden Knight's "situation changes" naturally referred to the Elixir of Life's production. Once a supply shortage occurred, they would have to act first.
"That's best. Also, you two be careful lately, and watch out for sneak attacks!" Thunderbird said with a hidden meaning.
"Do they dare to attack us first?" Golden Knight sneered, somewhat disbelieving.
"No, with such a major incident happening at the club, you can never be too careful." Phoenix shook her head anxiously. "You must understand that they don't know about the trump cards we hold. This is also why I suggested exchanging a batch of Elixir of Life for them in advance. Who knows what they are thinking now? Can you guarantee that people on the brink of despair will still think calmly? Furthermore!" Thunderbird said, then specifically looked at the other two, "At least the three of us must stay on the same front. Don't let me find out that you are secretly trying to contact some of them."
After hearing Thunderbird's words, the other two fell silent. Seeing their expressions, Thunderbird grinned coldly. He had guessed correctly; these two must have had similar ideas—to win over familiar Spears and secretly cause trouble.
"Don't worry," Golden Knight said firmly. "Compared to them, I prefer to cooperate with you, and given your strength, even if I unite with others, I don't have absolute confidence in defeating you."
*That last sentence was your true thought, wasn't it?* Thunderbird and Phoenix both mused inwardly at the same time.
Alan, however, didn't care if they had other thoughts in their minds. All he wanted was to throw the club into chaos. It would be even better if these guys really colluded and started fighting. After the three discussed their strategy, they turned and left the park, regrouping with the other Spears.
"Just now, a strong magic fluctuation suddenly erupted in the park. Was it an enemy encounter? We didn't receive Thunderbird's signal, which is why we didn't go in. Did you find anything?" Compared to the others, Acromantula appeared very anxious, indicating that she highly valued her own life.
Golden Knight shook his head. "No findings. The entire park has been completely cleared." He did not respond to the previous magic fluctuation but simply and concisely stated their three discoveries and speculations, and also explained the deployments they had thought of.
After listening to Golden Knight's account, the others exchanged glances, no one knowing what they were thinking at that moment. However, none of them raised any objections to the decisions made by Golden Knight and the other two. After confirming the next steps, they left the scene without delay, as if fleeing for their lives.
Golden Knight knew from their actions that these people had something to hide. Perhaps Thunderbird's guess was right, and they might already have established contact with each other. But at this moment, he had no time to scheme with them. The most urgent task was to recover those magical creatures. As long as the goods could be recovered, he believed the club could return to its former state.
"Don't let me find out who exactly is opposing me!" Golden Knight cursed inwardly, then quickly left the scene.
And to prevent these parks from being discovered by Muggles, Deformation Lizard still had to re-cast spells on them to conceal the areas, so he also disappeared. Phoenix also left in a hurry after the conversation ended. Only Fwooper was called aside by Thunderbird after a brief meeting with the Spears.
"Teacher, do you have any other instructions?" After everyone else had left, Fwooper turned her head to look at Thunderbird. She hadn't been a Spear for long, so she habitually used her old address when speaking to Thunderbird.
"After the three of us left, did those three guys make any unusual moves?" Thunderbird asked in a lowered voice.
"Unusual moves?" Fwooper frowned and pondered for a moment. "They occasionally chatted or complained a bit at first, but then they all fell silent, as if they had agreed upon it. Do you consider that unusual?"
"Silence, huh?" Thunderbird smiled coldly. It seemed these Spears had indeed been communicating with each other using masks. He wondered what ideas they had come up with. Had they united? Or were they preparing to wait and see?
However, Alan didn't care about any of this. The more chaotic the club was, the better. He didn't mind adding more fuel to the fire, preferably by having one or two people die in the club during this period. Thinking of this, he looked at the Fwooper beside him with a smile in his eyes, but his voice was stern as he said, "You immediately return to Northern Europe and await my news. At the same time, pay attention to collecting intelligence from the local wizarding community. The Pure Land Society are the ones opposing us in Northern Europe, aren't they?"
"So urgent? Teacher, could it be that the loss of these magical creatures is really that serious?" Fwooper wasn't foolish either. Seeing Thunderbird's urgency, she realized something was amiss, though she hadn't used the Elixir of Life yet and hadn't experienced that life-or-death pressure.
Thunderbird nodded without concealment upon hearing this, "The club has suffered a huge loss this time, even damaging our foundation. At this critical juncture, you must be careful yourself and not be swayed by other Spears. Also, don't rush to exchange for the Elixir of Life at headquarters. If you don't consume the Elixir of Life, you won't be in danger for now."
"Danger? Has the situation become this serious?" Fwooper was startled upon hearing this. From Thunderbird's words, it sounded as if the club was about to have a civil war.
However, she quickly agreed, "I understand, Teacher. If anyone contacts me secretly, I will report to you immediately. As for Northern Europe, I'm not being pessimistic, but it will probably be difficult to make progress there in the short term."
"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. The club urgently needs supplies now, and everything must make way for that." At this point, a sinister laugh emanated from under Thunderbird's mask, "I hear the Pure Land Society acts very extremely? I'd like to see how extreme they are. Furthermore!" Before Fwooper could respond, Thunderbird spoke again, "You find a way to gather some people from there. Their background doesn't matter, as long as they can contribute."
"Yes, Teacher." Fwooper also realized that the Thunderbird in front of her was serious. "In Northern Europe, I know some Death Mallers who fled from Britain, and some werewolves who have cooperated with us before."
*Death Eaters and werewolves?* Alan sneered inwardly upon hearing this. This was truly a narrow path for enemies. He hadn't even started looking for them yet, and now they had stumbled upon him themselves. Thunderbird immediately nodded in agreement. "Okay. Anyway, it's just to temporarily open a transportation channel, not for long-term cooperation. You handle it as you see fit, and you can offer them any conditions."
"Any conditions?" Fwooper frowned upon hearing this. "The club has suffered such heavy losses now; it can't afford too high a reward, can it?"
"Hmph!" Thunderbird sneered, then mocked her, "Have you been frozen silly in a place like Northern Europe? I said it's temporary cooperation. After we use them, we'll just get rid of all of them."