"Aren't you making things difficult for me?" Ashwinder saw Thunderbird acting like a rogue and immediately rushed over. "I can't order him around. What if he really doesn't want to show up?"
"Then you figure out a way to take me to the Rune Serpent. Forget the future of the club now, even the source of the Elixir of Life might be in trouble. Aren't you nervous?" Thunderbird let out a cold, mocking laugh. "As the Rune Serpent's watchdog, he probably won't abandon you, but what about me? Have you considered my feelings?"
"Sigh…" Seeing Thunderbird's determined expression, Ashwinder couldn't help but sigh helplessly. "Alright, I'll try to contact him, but I can't guarantee success. As for seeing the Rune Serpent, I've said that's not something I can decide."
The recent events had left Ashwinder feeling mentally and physically exhausted. The club had been developing so well, and even the failure to establish the Britain transit station wasn't a big deal. But then the leaders seemed to suddenly fall on hard times, with bad news one after another. The breeding grounds were completely wiped out, the transport team vanished without a trace, and even the German Ministry of Magic, which they had painstakingly infiltrated, was now completely taken down. It was as if someone who knew the club very well was secretly manipulating it like a puppet. During this time, Ashwinder hadn't slept a good night's sleep, constantly immersed in worry.
After sending a message to Golden Knight through his mask, Ashwinder, like Thunderbird, sat silently in the reception room. The two of them just stared at each other without speaking. However, perhaps because Ashwinder had described the situation as very serious in his message, Golden Knight actually arrived at the headquarters a short while later.
And when Thunderbird saw Golden Knight appear, he immediately stood up and went to meet him. "Tell me, I want to hear your explanation!"
"What explanation?" For some reason, Golden Knight's voice was slightly faint at this moment, sounding like he wasn't in good condition.
"How dare you ask? What exactly is the situation with the German Ministry of Magic? Why were the division-faction wizards completely wiped out? Didn't you say the situation was all under your control?" Thunderbird stopped two meters away from Golden Knight, looking menacing, as if ready to act against him at any moment.
And hearing Thunderbird ask about this, Golden Knight was furious. "Can't you read the newspaper to see what happened? Our plan has been completely destroyed by Andre! Now everything is gone! The breeding grounds, the goods received from Northern Europe, and even the entire Ministry of Magic's foundation! It's all because of that damned Andre, and that bastard Clement! That guy was a traitor from the start!"
Golden Knight had lost his usual composure at this moment, yelling hysterically at Thunderbird. "And how dare you question me? Why does Alan possess strength not inferior to ours? This kid is clearly less than twenty years old, and you, after all these years in Britain, didn't even know this?"
Thunderbird saw Golden Knight's loss of composure, but instead of comforting him, he mocked him, "What? You messed things up and you still have the nerve to blame me? Blaming the mistake on a young alchemy wizard? If you had listened to me and eliminated Andre directly, wouldn't nothing have happened?"
"You!!!" Golden Knight was clearly hit where it hurt by Thunderbird's words, and he glared at him fiercely, but he knew in his heart that the other party was right. It was because of his own indecisiveness and that trace of luck in his heart that things spiraled out of control.
"Alright… I don't want to argue with you about this." Golden Knight realized that he seemed to always be no match for Thunderbird in verbal sparring, and immediately waved him off. "Now that things have come to this point, no amount of dwelling on it will help. Anyway, the situation can't get any worse!"
"Then what should the club do next?" Thunderbird clearly didn't want to give up easily. "We can't keep dragging this out. Now we've lost our source of raw materials. Are we just going to sit here and wait to die?"
"Why are you always so anxious?" Golden Knight looked at him irritably. "Can't you wait a little longer, let me see the situation clearly before making plans? Although most of the club's external forces have been eliminated, our foundation is still there!"
"What?" Thunderbird seemed amused by Golden Knight. "Are you still planning to make a comeback in Germany? Haven't you seen that all wizards in Germany now see us as a plague? Who do you think will still cooperate with us now? And if I'm not mistaken, Andre will be in power in Germany in the future. With him there, will we still have a place?"
"Then…" Golden Knight was startled after hearing Thunderbird's words. "You mean?"
"Go!" Thunderbird said decisively. "We can go to the United States. Black Dragon and I have established a huge territory there, and the magical animal resources are also very rich. Instead of indecisively guarding this small plot of land in Germany, it's better to start anew in the United States."
Golden Knight was stunned after hearing Thunderbird's suggestion, seemingly moved, but also somewhat reluctant to abandon the headquarters he had managed for many years. "Let me think about it before I give you an answer!"
"Are you still going to be so wishy-washy? It was the same before, and it's the same now. With your indecisive attitude, it's no wonder you always fail!" Thunderbird retorted mercilessly, then said loudly, "And this matter isn't entirely up to you. I want to see the Rune Serpent and talk to her face to face!"
"She doesn't want to see you right now!" Golden Knight, who had previously made a promise to him, now seemed very averse to Thunderbird's idea of seeing the Rune Serpent, refusing without even turning his head.
"Is that so? Doesn't the headquarters have a Portkey to her residence? Can't I ask her myself if she really doesn't want to see me?" Thunderbird at this moment was like an angry dog, staring coldly at the other party.
"This… How did you know?" Golden Knight was startled, and immediately looked at Ashwinder next to him. The latter immediately lowered his head awkwardly after meeting his gaze. After seeing Ashwinder's reaction, Golden Knight immediately understood what was going on, but he still shook his head and refused, "No, the Rune Serpent cannot see you now!"
"Why not?" Thunderbird roared angrily at this moment. "I'm going to see her today; otherwise, what if you abandon me and run away someday? And what right do you have to speak directly for the Rune Serpent? Why should I listen to you? Do you have the formula for the Elixir of Life?"
"You…" Golden Knight saw Thunderbird speak so absolutely, and immediately knew that Thunderbird was having another fit. It seemed that the club's continuous failures had brought him immense pressure as well. Thunderbird probably no longer trusted him now, but Golden Knight had a change of heart and thought that Thunderbird's reaction was normal. After all, his decisions had repeatedly erred, missing several opportunities. If he were Thunderbird, he would probably be suspicious of him too.
After pondering for a moment, Golden Knight could only nod helplessly. "Alright, I'll take you to see her. Follow me."
With that, Golden Knight led Thunderbird into a side door of the reception hall. The room on the other side of the door was arranged with a large magic circle. This was the alchemy room where the club produced Portkeys. On a shelf nearby, there were even seven or eight Portkeys of various shapes. After entering the alchemy room, Golden Knight did not linger but went directly to a wall in the room. After he cast a simple spell, a stone door opened in the wall.
On the other side of the stone door was a room that looked quite familiar to Alan. The stone basin and black standing mirror arranged inside were exactly the same as what he had seen in Clement's secret room. The only difference was that this room was larger and had no fireplace. Upon arriving here, Golden Knight went to the stone basin, but he did not pour materials into it as Alan had imagined. Instead, he suddenly froze as if lost in thought.
Then Golden Knight suddenly turned around and looked at Thunderbird, saying with seriousness and hesitation in his voice, "Thunderbird, can I trust you?"
"No!" Thunderbird replied without thinking. "How many years have we known each other? Don't we understand each other's nature well enough? If I said yes, would you believe me?"
"Heh…" Golden Knight chuckled self-deprecatingly. "It really is you, always so honest. Indeed, it's very difficult to fully trust you, but it's precisely this kind of Thunderbird that is more reliable."
"Say whatever you want to say, don't play riddles with me here." Thunderbird crossed his arms over his chest, staring coldly at the other party.
Golden Knight sighed deeply. "Thunderbird, regarding the Rune Serpent, your feelings are as complicated as mine, right? Although she granted us eternal life, she constantly used the Elixir of Life to control us, making us fall into mutual suspicion."
"So?" Thunderbird seemed to realize what the other party wanted to say, but still looked at him coldly.
"Now the situation that the club painstakingly built up over many years has been completely destroyed. I cannot predict what the Rune Serpent will think after learning about this. Perhaps she really will, as you said, abandon the other members of the club and run away herself." Golden Knight said with a tone full of despair.
"You mean… you want to team up with me to subdue her?" Thunderbird asked tentatively.
"Not subdue, but kill her directly!" Golden Knight's voice was filled with coldness as he said this.
"Kill her? Can you guarantee you'll get the formula for the Elixir of Life? If there's no formula, what's the point of killing her? Isn't that equivalent to suicide?" Thunderbird snorted disdainfully.
"That's the main point I want to tell you." Golden Knight looked at Thunderbird mysteriously. "I know where the Rune Serpent hid her formula. As long as we can take her down, we can each have a copy of the formula, and then we won't need to act at her whim anymore!"