After hearing Golden Knight's suggestion, Thunderbird seemed somewhat moved. He stood in place, pondering for a moment, but quickly raised a question, "Are you so confident you can deal with her? You know the Rune Serpent's strength; can the two of us win?"
"If we act directly, the difficulty would naturally be great, but what if I ambush her from the shadows?" Golden Knight mused in a low voice, "Once we meet the Rune Serpent, you can negotiate with her first to distract her, while I seize the opportunity. The chances of success are quite high."
"That doesn't mean one hundred percent success, does it? If we fail, not only will we completely fall out with the Rune Serpent, but if she escapes, wouldn't we be cutting off our own retreat?" Thunderbird had become very calm at this point.
"If we don't take a gamble, we will never have a chance to rise." Seeing Thunderbird, who was usually impulsive, show a timid side, Golden Knight couldn't help but find it amusing. "Now the club is at its wit's end. If we don't completely control the Elixir of Life's formula, are we going to continue being her dogs?" Speaking of this, Golden Knight couldn't help but mock, "You're not scared, are you? Compared to you, Phoenix, who is usually low-key, was the first among us to choose to betray her, and you, this lawless God of War, are now acting uncharacteristically weak."
"Boring provocation," Thunderbird sneered coldly. "Alright, if you can really succeed, I can cooperate with you, but if you fail, I'm afraid I'll have no choice but to eliminate you along with the Rune Serpent to show my loyalty."
"Heh, I didn't expect you to be so afraid of death at a critical moment." Golden Knight shook his head disdainfully. "Alright, as long as you can ensure you can keep up after I succeed."
"As long as you truly succeed, I will not hesitate for a moment!" Thunderbird's tone at this moment was firm and full of killing intent. "But regarding the Rune Serpent, don't you have any special information? For example, what type of magic she specializes in?"
"You know how cautious she is." Golden Knight shook his head helplessly. "Although for so many years I have always appeared loyal to her, she has never shown complete trust in me. If it weren't for a fortunate coincidence that I learned where she kept the formula, I wouldn't be taking such a risky move now."
"I hope you're not lying to me. If I get nothing in the end, I promise I will turn you and the entire headquarters into ashes; anyway, I've lived long enough, and I feel it's worth it!" Thunderbird snorted coldly.
Seeing the harsh words Thunderbird left, Golden Knight sneered in his heart, *Is that so? Then why did you act so cowardly before? Anyone can say harsh words.*
Without continuing to talk to Thunderbird, Golden Knight turned and fiddled with the stone basin. The operation process was very similar to Clement's, and after a period of waiting, thick red bubbles boiled in the stone basin, which meant they had received a response from the Rune Serpent.
"She agreed to see us, let's go," Golden Knight said, then lifted the velvet cloth covering the black full-length mirror, and walked in first, as if entering a deep tunnel.
Thunderbird naturally followed closely, entering the black mirror with Golden Knight, but at this moment, Alan's eyes flickered with a hint of doubt and amusement.
The journey in the black mirror was not short, but not long either. After the two walked for nearly five minutes, they appeared outside another identical full-length mirror. The other side of the black mirror looked like a sealed room, and the surrounding environment, including the ground and walls, was made entirely of rock. The room was large, but only this one black mirror stood alone; the surroundings were empty and dim, with only a few ancient torches providing illumination.
The cramped and damp air made Alan conclude that this place was probably underground, and Golden Knight did not stop after exiting the black mirror, leading the way on his own. Thunderbird followed to one side of the stone chamber, where Golden Knight cast a spell to open another large door on the stone wall, revealing another bottomless tunnel. After proceeding up this tunnel for a distance and passing through another hidden magic door, Golden Knight led Thunderbird to a beautiful open-air valley.
The tunnel leading to the black mirror was inside the stone mountain behind Thunderbird, and at this moment, the entrance on the stone wall had hidden itself again, as if this place was uninhabited.
"Wait here," Golden Knight shrugged at him. "You won't be able to see the Rune Serpent's dwelling without her permission."
*After all this trouble, was it just to reach the outer perimeter of the Rune Serpent's residence? This person is truly afraid of death,* Alan looked back at the stone wall behind him, secretly complaining. Through this journey, Alan also roughly figured out the Rune Serpent's personality, and at the same time began to quickly observe the surroundings, his hands covered by his robe also fiddling with a locator, measuring his position.
After a moment, Alan seemed to discover something unexpected, his eyes narrowing slightly as he glanced at Golden Knight, who had his back to him.
However, at this moment, a small paper crane suddenly appeared in the sky of the valley, flapping its wings and flying toward the two of them. Thunderbird opened his palm, and the paper crane accurately landed in his hand. When Thunderbird completely unfolded the paper crane, he found a set of words written inside: "Snake Dwelling." Then, the note instantly ignited and disappeared before his eyes.
After he saw these words, the world before Thunderbird's eyes suddenly changed; a lavishly decorated manor suddenly appeared in the originally empty valley, and there were even many free-spirited magical creatures living on the lawn in front of the house, looking like a paradise.
*Is this the Rune Serpent's dwelling? Not only is the path to enter here very winding, but the house is also protected by the Fidelius Charm, and the interior environment is actually exquisitely beautiful. This Rune Serpent seems to value her life more than anyone else!*
"Let's go, since the Rune Serpent is willing to reveal her address to you, it proves she is willing to let you in," Golden Knight muttered lightly, then took the lead and entered the manor.
Alan, under the Thunderbird mask, smiled coldly, then quickly followed.
Upon entering the manor, the surrounding magical creatures curiously glanced at the two of them, then continued to play together as if nothing had happened, and the manor house's main door immediately opened as the two approached. The interior of this house was ornately decorated, with historical artworks visible everywhere—exquisite oil paintings, cabinets full of silver, and delicate carpets covering the floor, making one wonder if they were in a secluded residence or a palace.
Under Golden Knight's guidance, the two arrived at a brightly lit grand reception room, where a well-proportioned person sat on the central sofa. Upon closer inspection, the figure on the seat wore a pure silver mask and a silk robe embroidered with elaborate patterns; clearly, this was the Rune Serpent herself.
However, Alan still noticed the abnormality of the other party's body. Although the Rune Serpent was completely covered, from the neck slightly exposed at the edge of the mask, he could still see some patterns similar to snake scales.
*Is this what Phoenix meant by the side effects of the Elixir of Life? Does long-term use cause snake skin to grow on one's skin? Is this a visible characteristic or does it mean the other party has now completely transformed into another creature?*
However, just as Alan was secretly calculating, the Rune Serpent spoke first.
"Gerald, this is your first visit to my dwelling. How is it? It's not quite what you imagined, is it?" The Rune Serpent's tone was quite amiable when facing Thunderbird's visit, as if she were entertaining a long-lost friend.
"Heh, I didn't expect you, this old immortal, to be so good at enjoying yourself. I thought after all these years, you would have grown tired of these money-grubbing things." Thunderbird showed no respect to the other party, sitting casually opposite the Rune Serpent and picking up a silver object from a nearby shelf to play with.
"Do you still hate me so much?" The Rune Serpent sighed at the sight, nagging like an elder, "It wasn't just me who stopped you from saving Grindelwald back then; it was everyone's unanimous decision, wasn't it? Since you've taken the Elixir of Life, you should prioritize your own life and not always get involved in dangerous matters."
"So, I don't just hate you." After saying that, Thunderbird even specifically glanced at Golden Knight next to him. "Don't play this act of filial piety in front of me. Although you are my adoptive mother in name, I don't owe you anything after all these years."
"So that's what you think?" The Rune Serpent chuckled and shook her head. "Alright, in that case, let's not waste words. Why are you so unusually here to see me today? I remember I always entrusted Golden Knight with the club's affairs."
"The club is finished!" Thunderbird at this moment seemed to be venting all his long-accumulated anger. "Because you foolishly chose to blindly trust Golden Knight, under his brilliant leadership, our Germany split strategy completely failed, the transport route to North America was completely blocked, and the breeding grounds were thoroughly cleaned out. Now, apart from that pile of young darlings outside the door, the club has no other raw materials!"
"What?" The Rune Serpent stiffened at the news, then looked in surprise at Golden Knight, who had stood beside her after entering, "Is everything Thunderbird said true?"
"This…" Golden Knight seemed to lower his head in shame, "I'm sorry, Mother, it was Dennis's incompetence."