Golden Snidget hesitated before explaining, "I've been thinking about Thunderbird's earlier suggestion. Maybe using some extreme measures could speed up the split, but it risks serious backlash.
Honestly, it's made me hesitate."
Ashwinder leaned in, curious.
"By extreme measures, you mean using force against the Ministry? The ones openly opposing us now are the Magic Law Enforcement Department, the Magic Sports Department, and part of the Wizengamot. You want to go after them directly?"
Ashwinder wasn't naive; he immediately grasped Golden Snidget's meaning.
"Exactly," Golden Snidget replied. "To be honest, we've already planted enough people within the German Ministry of Magic. After years of shaping public opinion and gradual policy changes, most people are starting to expect this shift. The real resistance comes from top officials and certain commentators."
Ashwinder raised an eyebrow.
"What about Andre? He's one of the suspects in the park incident and the fiercest opponent. If he disappears, the Ministry's dissent would drop significantly."
Ashwinder clearly understood the Ministry's inner workings.
Golden Snidget sighed and said, "Andre's not easy to take down. Even if Thunderbird, Phoenix, and I worked together, we couldn't be sure of doing it without raising alarms.
Plus, his position is sensitive, anything happening to him could spark unexpected chaos. So, despite him being our biggest hurdle, I'm still reluctant to use force against him."
Ashwinder shrugged.
"If you're unsure about doing it alone, why not team up? You used to be teammates, after all."
Golden Snidget paused, considering the idea.
"Teaming up?"
Golden Snidget couldn't help but laugh at the situation.
"Those two guys, believe it or not, whenever you suggest they team up, their first thought is always that it's some trap I've set to take them down. So, the idea of joining forces is basically a joke to them."
Ashwinder clicked his tongue, clearly speechless. Deep down, he understood, but the complicated relationship between these veterans...
They were always professional and committed when handling official matters or club tasks, yet they remained suspicious of each other, as if the other was ready to strike at any moment.
The club's founder was caught in this constant push and pull, sometimes colleagues, sometimes rivals.
The whole situation gave the snake a headache, so he decided not to dwell on it and blurted out, "Anyway, since you're in charge of the Ministry of Magic, you can do whatever you want. Let's just focus on getting rid of that wicked woman first and handle things on the bird's side."
Golden Snidget nodded in agreement.
"You're right. We need to solve the immediate problem first. Everything else can wait."
With a sigh, she quickly left the headquarters.
Back at the safe house, Alex and Fang had overheard their conversation clearly.
"Master, it looks like Andre has to be careful. If the future Minister of Magic disappears before we even get started, we're in trouble," Fang said, though a smirk played on his lips, showing he didn't take Golden Snidget's warning too seriously.
"Andre has the coordinates I set on him. If he's in danger, I'll back him up right away. If they go after Andre, it'll be a perfect chance to catch the culprits," Fang added confidently.
Alex wasn't too worried about Andre, but he had other concerns.
"What if they target someone else? That could really complicate things."
"So what should we do? Should we ramp up surveillance? We need to protect those high-ranking officials who oppose Pete, they're crucial to our plans," Fang suggested quietly, scratching his neck with his hind paws.
"That's too passive," Alex replied firmly.
"We need to stay ahead of them, beat them to the punch. As long as we keep causing trouble for them without giving their club enough time to react, they won't have the chance to take the initiative," Alex explained.
Fang raised an eyebrow, seeming to catch on to Alex's train of thought.
"Oh? So, are you planning to head back to Northern Europe now?"
"I'm leaving soon," Alex replied, "but you need to be ready this time. After we take over, those magical creatures will need you to help communicate with them."
Fang looked at Alex in surprise.
"Me too? Then who'll keep an eye on the surveillance?"
He glanced at the monitor beside him, their main source of intel.
"I'm not telling you to leave immediately. Just wait for my signal. You won't be gone long. The Golden Snidget mentioned that a unicorn will be sent this time, so Azalea can assist as well."
After giving a few brief instructions, Alex stepped into the disappearing cabinet behind him.
Watching his retreating figure, Fang sighed and spread his paws helplessly.
---
A day later, in the stronghold where Augurey and other transport teams were stationed, a group of wizards worked tirelessly through the darkness of the polar night.
After a day and a half of rest, the injured team members were showing signs of improvement.
Those with serious wounds were stabilizing, while the lightly hurt were gradually recovering thanks to the diricawl potion.
Still, more than a dozen wizards hadn't regained full mobility.
The rest of the team spent most of their time caring for both the wounded and the magical creatures.
As for the camp leader, Augurey, she divided her time between nursing her own injuries and staying alert.
After all, she was the first to spot the enemy during the last attack.
Suddenly, while focusing on mental perception, Augurey jerked and drew her wand, eyes fixed on a spot showing unusual spatial fluctuations.
After a closer look, she relaxed and quickly headed in that direction.
"You're here. Has Thunderbird filled you in on the situation?"
Looking at the two silver wands and ten wizards before her, Augurey finally allowed herself to ease the tension gripping her.
"We haven't seen him before," one of the two men holding silver wands said aloud.
He was Voltebat, originally from the French branch and a direct subordinate of Phoenix.
"Besides the two of us, there are ten collaborators working in the German black market. Their loyalty is solid, and some have experience caring for magical creatures. We also have all the supplies and medicines you'll need right here."
Azalea, the unicorn standing nearby, handed over a space bag while casting a complicated glance at Augurey in front of her.
It was because of this person that she had ended up involved with the silver wand organization.
"I didn't expect you to show up here this time, unicorn," Augurey said with a smile.
To her, Azalea was one of the silver wand she had personally trained, and their bond should be as close as hers with Thunderbird.
"Let's not waste time. We need to get into the camp as soon as possible," Voltebat urged, his tone indifferent.
"Golden Snidget said the transportation team can only rest for two days before they have to leave. It's not safe keeping these goods out in the open."
Voltebat didn't know either Azalea or Augurey very well.
He was only here because Phoenix had ordered him to help.