Although he was somewhat flustered after discovering that the Minister of Magic might be Golden Knight, there was no point in worrying at this time. Alan and the others rested, preparing to observe the situation the next day before considering whether to take any action.
Early the next morning, however, a knock came at Alan's door. He quickly told Hog and Shalltear to hide back inside the magical leather suitcase.
The one knocking on the door was Feng, the intelligence merchant he had met the previous day.
"Mr. Wilson, I'm very sorry to disturb your morning, but I believe I have completed the task you entrusted to me." Feng appeared at the threshold, holding a stack of parchment and smiling.
"Is that so? I didn't expect you to be so efficient. Please come in." Seeing that it was Feng, Alan stepped aside and let him enter. He had just been thinking of finding a well-informed local to inquire about Minister Peter.
After reviewing the list of merchants Feng handed him, he formed a solid judgment of the intelligence merchant's capabilities. Feng's methods were quite impressive; he had gathered all the requested information in a single night, categorizing and organizing it clearly. It included not only a list of major merchants in Germany but also detailed information about the individuals in charge, covering their life experiences, preferences, and business scopes.
Although Alan had claimed he was going to open a branch in Germany, that was merely an excuse to secure a valid reason for a long-term stay, so he still needed these materials very much.
"Please don't underestimate the determination and energy of an intelligence merchant, especially when it comes to local data. For me, this is just a piece of cake," Feng waved his hand indifferently.
In fact, Feng had been busy all night compiling this intelligence, working almost without rest, but he seemed particularly eager to prove himself. Because of his previous interaction, he felt underestimated by Alan, so he attached great importance to this business.
"The owner of this Claremont Magic Supplies store is also secretly operating a black market?" Alan looked at a name on the parchment and turned to Feng with some surprise.
"That's right. Mr. Milan Claremont is a good candidate for cooperation. His magic supplies store handles alchemy tools from many countries, including brooms, a British specialty. However, the man's background is quite special; one of his ventures includes operating a small black market in West Germany."
From Alan's request for commercial chamber information, Feng inferred that he wanted to find a local partner, so he kindly offered the reminder. At the same time, Feng winked at Alan and hinted, "This Claremont seems to be related to the Silver Spears. If you want any related intelligence, I can provide that to you as well."
Alan looked at Feng with some surprise. This guy was remarkably meticulous.
"You said Claremont's background is special. Does that mean he's connected to the black market network?" Alan felt that this person might not be that simple.
"Uh, well..." Feng unconsciously twirled his fingers as he spoke. "You only asked for information about his business, and the data about the black market is already a bonus. Anything more than that would require..."
"It would require more money, right?" Alan didn't mind Feng's mercenary attitude. Individuals who could get things done cleanly for money were sometimes the most trustworthy.
Alan straightforwardly took out fifty Galleons and pushed them toward Feng, then took out another ten Galleons and stacked them on top. "This is your final payment. The extra ten Galleons are for the additional information on this man. Is that enough?"
"As expected of an internationally renowned figure, talking to you is a pleasure." Seeing Alan's generous spending, Feng smiled so wide he could barely close his mouth. He knew this was a premier client, and maintaining a relationship with him was definitely the right choice.
Feng paused for a moment, organizing the details in his mind, and then said, "As I mentioned, besides controlling a black market, Claremont appears to have ties to the Silver Spears. I heard that someone saw Mr. Claremont speaking with an unknown individual wearing a faceless mask."
"At the same time, Claremont is also a manager and financier for an organization called the West German Endeavor Society. The West German Endeavor Society is a radical civilian group that has been striving to split West Germany and East Germany. Its members are radical wizards from West Germany. They often publish secessionist rhetoric in newspapers and over the wireless, and they have had very unpleasant disputes with radical organizations in East Germany, even resorting to physical altercations."
After speaking, Feng specifically offered a reminder. "Do you remember William from yesterday? He fought with people from this very organization. The West German Endeavor Society once came to this tavern to promote secessionist rhetoric, which resulted in a very hostile conflict with the East Germans here and eventually led to a brawl."
"Are there many such radical organizations in Germany?" Alan knew that the Silver Spears had funded several local civilian groups, and this Endeavor Society was probably one of them.
Feng nodded and said, "Speaking of which, there are quite a few. Besides the West German Endeavor Society, there are also the East German Progressive Union, the Munich Association, the East Berlin Reform Society, the Hamburg Courage Society, and so on. They all claim to fight for the interests of local wizards."
"At first, they just united to help local wizards solve practical problems. You know that Muggle Germany once launched a massive war. Although our wizards didn't participate, the weapons used by Muggles in that conflict were incredibly powerful. Although it wasn't intentional, they destroyed many wizarding homes, and these small organizations initially formed to help the affected wizards rebuild."
Alan nodded in understanding. Although German wizards did not participate in World War II, Germany was heavily attacked and bombed by the Allied forces. It was not surprising that some unlucky civilian wizards were caught in the crossfire. It seemed that these organizations had existed for a long time; they were originally spontaneously established community committees focused mainly on mutual assistance.
The reason why German wizards were so disciplined during World War II was because during World War I, Grindelwald had tried to get wizards involved in the fighting, which caused many local wizards to suffer greatly. In this world, although wizards possess extraordinary power, most are ordinary civilians unfamiliar with active combat, making them entirely unaccustomed to facing Muggle firearms and artillery shells. Perhaps it was for this reason that Grindelwald had wanted to train a true wizarding army.
However, it was a pity that there were also distinct stances and factions among wizards. Even though each individual possessed great power beyond Muggles, they still couldn't stop wizards from opposing factions from stepping forward to halt them.
For this same reason, in the German and French wizarding worlds, which had personally experienced World War I, Muggle-born wizards were rarely discriminated against. They had witnessed the war firsthand and seen the reality of Muggle weaponry. Because they accepted the existence of Muggles, they didn't particularly care to obey the Statute of Secrecy strictly, which had led to a very large number of half-blood wizards in these regions.
Consequently, in these two countries, Muggle-born and half-blood wizards held great social influence. This openness made them easily influenced by shifts in Muggle society; the division of Muggle Germany, for instance, directly affected the local wizarding world through these very individuals. On the contrary, places like Britain and Northern Europe, which were not as severely affected by the war, maintained the Statute of Secrecy while holding deeper biases.
After a quiet sigh of emotion, Alan motioned for Feng to continue, taking out another ten Galleons and pushing them toward him.
Upon seeing the gold, Feng resumed with great interest. "The actions of these organizations were quite moderate at first, and later they even evolved into civilian interest clubs. For example, the Munich Association almost changed its name to the Munich Exploding Snap Enthusiast Society."
"But after a long period of division in the Muggle nation, conflicts and contradictions began to emerge between wizards in East Germany and West Germany, and these civilian organizations stood up to support local wizards and speak on their behalf."
"Slowly, their actions of supporting local wizards evolved into supporting outright secession, and they began to hate and antagonize wizards from the opposite side. Of course, they actually represent only a small portion of the population. In fact, most Muggle-born and half-blood wizards, though affected by the division, do not harbor strong secessionist sentiments. However, these civilian groups that once helped them still nominally express support on their behalf."
"As a result, under the propaganda of these civilian groups, Germany indeed experienced a certain degree of institutional division; the passing of the Floo Network division bill, for instance, had their meddling behind it."
"Moreover, the actions of these groups have recently become increasingly violent, escalating into open conflicts. A famous incident occurred two years ago, when the East Berlin Reform Society and the West German Endeavor Society I mentioned earlier fought fiercely inside the Duden Building, openly using spells and dark arts."
"At that time, both sides gathered more than a dozen wizards, and six individuals were severely injured in the clash. Although no one died, that violent incident had a massive impact, indirectly leading to the Duden Building being physically split in two. After that, there were many sporadic small conflicts, and now inside the building, East Germany and West Germany are clearly divided. If people from either side cross the isolation door, it is considered a provocation, which is why William got angry at you yesterday."
Feng shrugged helplessly. He was quite exhausted by the current state of affairs in Germany. He knew that if the country truly fractured into two nations, his business would undoubtedly suffer.
"I see. But if there are violent conflicts occurring, doesn't the Ministry of Magic take action?" Alan asked, having gained a basic understanding of these civilian groups, smoothly steering the conversation toward the Ministry.