This was a dangerous situation; if they fell asleep too deeply, they could die in their dreams. Seeing this, Augurey and Sound Bird grew worried and quickly called the remaining alert wizards to provide first aid.
After hours of effort, everyone's condition stabilized. Still, the situation was worse than Augurey had expected.
More than half of the wizards had lost mobility, either falling I'll or worsening their injuries on the spot. Meanwhile, the rest had to care for both the ailing wizards and the magical creatures.
It was clear they wouldn't be able to continue anytime soon.
"It's not too late," Sound Bird said. "I'm heading back to headquarters now. If I'm quick, supplies and support could arrive in half a day; if not, it might take up to two days. Stay safe here!"
Sound Bird took out the door key and disappeared without a trace.
Augurey, left standing there in shock, could only helplessly stare at the chaos unfolding before him. But little did they know, the troubles they were about to face had only just begun.
Meanwhile, Alex, having returned to Germany, didn't head straight to the Silver Wand headquarters. Since it was still late at night, he went back to the safe house and found Fang casually watching the surveillance footage.
"Master, Shalltear and your suitcase are still in Northern Europe. Are you sure it's wise to come back alone?" Fang asked.
Alex shrugged off his Silver Wand outfit and replied, "I came back to Germany just to provide the club with an alibi. After I report in, I'll return to Northern Europe through the disappearing cabinet."
Honestly, he was exhausted. The nonstop journey with Augurey and the others had worn him out, and the battle with the wizards from the Pure Land Society was far tougher than anyone realized.
His mana reserves were dangerously low, especially after killing Seth outside the camp, and controlling the blue Fiendfyre was becoming a real challenge. Fortunately, his next task was just to deal with Karkaroff, acting, really.
But if those shamans from the Pure Land Society summoned reinforcements for a fight, he might have no choice but to run.
"How's everything with the Silver Wand while I was away?" Alex asked, munching on some dragon sausages and slicing a few pieces of ham.
He stuffed the food into his mouth as he looked over to Fang.
"Same as always," Fang replied with a grim expression. "After all this time, they still haven't found any leads on the missing magical creature. The Ashwinder has basically given up, he's been drinking nonstop at headquarters lately."
Despite the serious news, Fang's lips twitched into a small smile as he glanced at the Silver Wand members, who always seemed to brighten his day. After a brief chuckle, he grew serious again.
"But aside from whatever's going on inside the Silver Wand, there's been some big news in the German wizarding community. Remember the 'Berlin United Front'?"
Alex nodded.
"That recent non-governmental group? Golden Snidget was planning to sabotage them, right? Did something happen?"
"Exactly," Fang said. "They clashed with the 'West German Endeavor Society' at a recent rally. What happened after pretty much confirms what you suspected about them."
A spark lit in Fang's eyes as he leaned in.
"Oh? Someone from the West German Endeavor Society actually beat up members of the Berlin United Front?" Alex let out a sneer.
He knew this group wasn't simple, and Golden Snidget's troubles probably went deeper than just them. More players were getting involved now.
"It's not that bad," Fang denied with a shake of his head. "Several members of the Berlin United Front were seriously injured. The incident stirred up a lot of public outcry in both East and West Germany. Their actions have been condemned by civilians, the media, prominent wizards, and influential wizarding families alike."
Alex frowned.
"Just a few injuries? Sounds like the Berlin United Front's backers aren't as ruthless as I thought. At most, this will cause some headaches for Pete's group, but it won't break their foundation."
He sighed, wishing that if he had been handling the situation, he could have pushed for more advantages.
"But even so, that's enough trouble for Pete," Fang said quietly.
Fang suddenly brightened up as he spoke.
"He's been held up by all this nonsense lately, and the earlier plan to split the International Magic Trade Standards Association has been put on pause."
He added thoughtfully, "Without Claremont around, Pete's grip on those groups has definitely weakened. Otherwise, there wouldn't be such a big fuss just because someone's watching."
Alex, chewing on a tasty dragon meat sausage, shook his head and muttered to himself before suddenly asking, "Has the club looked into who's really behind the United Front Berlin? Do we know who's opposing them?"
Fang looked surprised and replied, "Not really. Lately, the club's been focusing its energy on rescuing magical creatures."
"Why's that?" Alex asked, curious. "I have some ideas," he admitted. "I think the United Front Berlin might be connected to Keller, the head of the International Magic Cooperation Department."
Fang raised an eyebrow.
"Keller? That old guy at the German Ministry of Magic? I thought he stayed out of the Ministry's power struggles."
Alex explained, "It's simple if you think about who benefits. If this issue blows up, Keller's department would be directly affected.
If the split doesn't happen, his department's authority stays intact."
Fang frowned.
"But why would Keller get involved just to stop a division bill? His department's too small for that to be the whole story. If they're using civil groups to fight Pete, there must be a bigger goal, right?" Still puzzled, Fang added, "Keller claims to be neutral, but that sounds more like sitting on the fence."
Alex scoffed.
"The United Front Berlin has been handled carefully. If their goal was to completely stop Pete from dividing Germany, they'd use stronger tactics." He paused, then said, "Since only a few people got hurt, it seems like the forces behind the United Front are either soft-hearted or have some other agenda."
"Another agenda?" Fang tilted his head, confused. "You think they're doing more than just opposing Pete?"
Alex suspected that the other side intended to
Use the so-called "Berlin United Front" as a bargaining chip. If Germany's division truly became irreversible, they would leverage this to negotiate with Peter and carry out internal deals.
Should anything unexpected happen on Peter's end, the other party wouldn't hesitate to cause trouble; after all, they stood to lose nothing.
It seemed Alex had read Kuller's mind. He asked if cooperating with them held any value.
Adding the Department of International Magic Cooperation to their side would significantly improve their chances of winning. Fang agreed this made sense and wondered if they could sway Kuller to their cause.
But Alex shook his head firmly. If his guess was right, this old man was dangerous, and revealing their existence would only increase their risk.