"So, has anything happened with the Silver Spears while I was gone?" Alan asked Hog, stuffing dragon meat sausages and sliced ham into his mouth.
"Hehe, it's still the same. After all these days, they still haven't found any clues about the lost magical creatures. Ashwinder has been a bit self-destructive lately, drinking heavily at headquarters all day," Hog said with a mischievous grin. Peeking at the Silver Spears was his daily source of joy. After a couple of snickers, Hog regained his serious demeanor and said, "But aside from within the Silver Spears, there's been big news in the German wizarding world recently. Do you remember the Berlin United Front?"
"You mean that civilian group that popped up recently? Golden Knight seemed to be planning to disrupt their actions; has something gone wrong?" Alan remembered Clement and Peter mentioning this group when they met. He had thought then that the organization's backing might not be ordinary.
"That's right, that civilian group. During a recent gathering, they clashed with the West German Endeavor Society, and what happened next essentially confirmed your initial suspicions," Hog said, instantly energized by the gossip.
"Oh? Did someone from the West German Endeavor Society kill a member of the Berlin United Front?" Alan sneered. He knew this civilian group wasn't simple; Golden Knight's enemies probably weren't just them, and now they were all starting to show themselves.
"It wasn't that serious," Hog denied, shaking his head. "A few members of the Berlin United Front were severely injured. This incident caused a huge public outcry in East Germany. The West German Endeavor Society's actions drew condemnation from many civilians, media, famous wizards, and wizarding families."
"Only a few people injured? It seems the force behind the Berlin United Front is a bit soft-hearted. This can only cause minor trouble for Peter's side at most; it won't undermine their foundation." Alan shook his head regretfully. If he were to handle this, he would definitely aim for more gain.
"But even so, it's given Peter a hard time," Hog said, his expression immediately lighting up. "He's been tied up by this mess recently, and the previous decree to divide the International Magical Trade Standards Association has been shelved because of it."
"It seems that without Clement, Peter's control over those civilian groups has been greatly weakened. Otherwise, with people watching, it wouldn't have escalated this much," Alan mumbled, chewing on the delicious dragon meat sausage. Then he suddenly asked, "Has the club investigated the force behind the Berlin United Front? Do they know who is opposing them?"
"No, they haven't. The club's recent efforts have been focused on recovering the magical creatures," Hog looked at Alan with some surprise. "Why? Do you have any suspicions about this?"
"I do have some thoughts," Alan nodded in acknowledgment. "I think this Berlin United Front is probably closely related to Kuhler, the Director of the International Magical Cooperation Department."
"Ah? Kuhler? That good-natured old man in the German Ministry of Magic? Hasn't he always stayed out of the power struggles within the Ministry of Magic?" Hog looked at Alan, puzzled. He didn't know why the other party would come to such a conclusion.
"It's simple. Just look at who benefits from this incident. When this matter escalates, the International Magical Cooperation Department is directly affected. If the division bill isn't implemented in his department, then his power won't be weakened," Alan simply deduced.
"But that doesn't make sense. What good does Kuhler get from doing this? Just preventing the division bill from entering his department? That's too small-minded. Using a civilian group to oppose Peter should have a bigger goal, right?" Hog still felt something was off.
"This Kuhler is known as neutral in the Ministry of Magic, but neutral can be rephrased as a fence-sitter," Alan sneered. "The Berlin United Front incident was handled with great discretion. If they truly wanted to completely stop Peter from dividing Germany, the methods should have been more drastic. In the end, only a few people were injured. So I feel that the force behind the Berlin United Front is either soft-hearted or has another agenda."
"Another agenda?" Hog tilted his head in confusion. "Are you saying they're not entirely against Peter?"
"I estimate the other party wants to use this Berlin United Front as their bargaining chip. If Germany's division process truly cannot be reversed, he will use this to negotiate terms with Peter, making internal deals. If Peter's side encounters any setbacks, he probably wouldn't mind kicking them while they're down. In short, the other party won't lose out no matter what," Alan seemed to have already grasped Kuhler's thoughts.
"Then does he have value in cooperating with us? If the International Magical Cooperation Department joins our side, our chances of winning should increase significantly." After hearing Alan's explanation, Hog also found it very reasonable, and then considered whether they could win him over.
"I think it's better not to bother with him," Alan shook his head in denial. "If my suspicions are correct, then that old man is probably very cunning. Exposing our existence to him would only increase the risk. We already have enough cards in our hand; we just need to play them systematically. As long as Kuhler isn't foolish when the time comes, he'll know which side to stand on."
"Hehe, that guy is probably still gloating over his own schemes right now," Hog seemed to think of something amusing, covering his mouth with a paw and snickering. "I wonder what kind of expression he'll have when he sees the big bomb we throw."
Alan shook his head helplessly at the remark; he didn't have Hog's twisted sense of humor.
The next morning.
After a night's rest, Alan had largely recovered. He then changed into his Silver Spears uniform and went to the Silver Spears headquarters.
Perhaps because the club's situation had been too turbulent recently, even Ashwinder wasn't in the mood to joke with him. One should know that even when he learned of the failure of the Britain transit station plan, this guy still had the mood to tease Thunderbird a few times. This shows how much the looting of the three breeding parks affected the club.
"Why are you here again? Has there been trouble with the Nordic transport this time?" Ashwinder grumbled irritably to Thunderbird. "I find that every time I see you, something unlucky happens to the club. First, the defeat in Britain, then the breeding parks, and now even this Nordic transfer…?"
"What are you thinking?" Thunderbird rolled his eyes at Ashwinder, speechless. "There was indeed some trouble with the Nordic transfer, but I've already resolved the situation. This time I'm here because…" Alan, using Thunderbird's tone, briefly explained the previous situation in Northern Europe to Ashwinder.
"Phew…" Ashwinder let out a long breath after hearing Thunderbird's words. "It's good that the goods are fine. So, you're here to ask for headquarters' support, right?"
"That's right. They suffered heavy losses in the previous battle. Although they have escaped the Pure Land Society's control, their environment is very poor, and they won't be able to resume operations for a while. So, in addition to supplies, it would be best to send some people to assist, preferably one or two Short Spears. Besides the lack of manpower and supplies, their subsequent journey won't have too many twists and turns, so I won't be returning to Northern Europe to escort them. When you pick people, it's best to find some strong ones. Although the rest of the journey isn't dangerous, an extra layer of insurance always brings more peace of mind." Thunderbird made his requests while handing the magical creature transport manifest to Ashwinder.
"Understood. I'll explain it to Golden Knight later." Ashwinder knew that Thunderbird, as a leader, had already been more than benevolent by wasting so many days in Northern Europe. The longer he was exposed in the open, the easier it would be for someone to find his molting period. Therefore, under normal circumstances, no leader would undertake such an escort mission. It was only because the current situation was truly tense that Thunderbird and Fwooper, two leaders, were deployed.
After Ashwinder took the cargo manifest and briefly reviewed it, especially when he saw a phoenix among them, his eyes lit up. "I didn't expect so many magical creatures to be transported this time! With these raw materials, we can replenish the Elixir of Life for at least over a year, which will buy us more time!"
*Over a year?*
Hearing Ashwinder's unintentional remark, Alan secretly nodded. It seemed Ashwinder knew quite a bit about the Elixir of Life's formulation ratio. There were nearly a hundred magical creatures transported this time, so how was the Elixir of Life's output determined? It certainly wasn't by quantity or weight. According to Alan's own deductions, it should be based on the life strength or magical reserves of different magical creatures.
If it was only based on life force, then the larger and higher-ranked magical creatures should produce more Elixir of Life. Creatures like the phoenix, which are not large but have extremely abundant life energy, might be an exception. And if magical reserves were also considered, then it would be somewhat troublesome… Because compared to magical creatures, many human wizards actually have magical reserves that are not lower than those of magical creatures. Does that mean wizards, or other intelligent beings, could also become consumables for making the Elixir of Life?
To be honest, Alan was a little worried that if the Silver Spears were truly pushed to a dead end, they might do something extreme. For example, the insane act of directly abducting wizards for potion-making! One should know that Shalltear was also cargo of the Silver Spears back then. Who knew if the club was planning to sell her or use her for some strange things.
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