Alan wanted to meet the two high-ranking Ministry officials to test their true intentions. He couldn't determine their stance solely based on Feng's information, which might not reflect their actual positions as perceived by the outside world. Who knew if Andre was a backstabbing wolf, intentionally acting against Minister Peter while actually being in league with him, playing the bad cop for the splinter faction to rudely push the neutral faction toward Peter.
As for Minister Peter, Alan was also unsure of his true condition. Based on what he learned from Feng, Peter had been trying to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic for at least ten years, which made it unlikely that he was merely a substitute using Polyjuice Potion.
Therefore, there were three possibilities: first, he was controlled by the Imperius Curse; second, he was a body double for Golden Knight, essentially just a Short Spear; and third, Peter was Golden Knight himself.
From a troubleshooting perspective, Alan actually hoped for the first or second scenario. If Peter was confirmed to be Golden Knight himself, it would be more problematic because it would mean he possessed unknown methods that allowed him to disregard the side effects of the Elixir of Life and move freely in the outside world. If that were the case, Alan would only be able to try to expose his identity openly, or act against him while hiding his own identity.
However, these former elders of the Silver Spears possessed extensive methods. If Alan secretly attacked them, he might not win without using his full power, and using his full power would easily expose his identity. His wild lightning was very distinctive, making it easy for anyone with a keen eye to connect it to him.
According to Thunderbird, his other three brothers were all very strong and each possessed unique spells. For example, Thunderbird's Blue Fiendfyre and Stevens' Insulation Shield were his signature techniques, while his own abilities were relatively simple and direct among the four, representing ultimate destructive and defensive power.
As for the other three, Thunderbird knew Black Dragon best, who had fought alongside him in America. Black Dragon was extremely skilled in battle Transfiguration, adept at transforming the environment for combat. He was also a figurine enthusiast, always carrying over a dozen steel golem subordinates and throwing them onto the battlefield during a fight, turning them into a dozen Iron Men, making him a master of group combat.
Regarding Phoenix, Thunderbird didn't know much, but he did know that she specialized in the dark arts and enjoyed studying necromantic magic. For instance, the Inferi summoning bag used by Bird Snake on the Irish island battlefield was her masterpiece, and the Corrosion Curse in the club's database was also contributed by her, with her spells generally being of the insidious kind.
Only about Golden Knight did Thunderbird know very little. Although they grew up together as brothers, when he was in the Acolytes, he primarily handled logistics and was rarely seen in action, only known for his rather bizarre methods. It was precisely for this reason that Alan initially targeted Golden Knight. If he had directly used Phoenix as a breakthrough, and Golden Knight, seeing the situation turn bad, had used some strange method to hide, Alan would have regretted it deeply.
*If only these guys' methods matched their codenames,* Alan thought, shaking his head with a sense of boredom. Just like Gerald, whose codename was Thunderbird, but he played with fire, while Phoenix, instead of playing with fire, studied necromancy.
After sending out the invitations, Alan released Hog and Shalltear, instructing them to continue monitoring the Silver Spears. Hog continued to keep an eye on Minister Peter, who was suspected to be Golden Knight. As for Deformation Lizard, he was a homebody, so Alan gave up on real-time monitoring, instead having Shalltear stake out Phoenix. He didn't believe that this Spear would abandon her post and return to headquarters just for tourism; she could make a move at any time.
As for Alan, he planned to go out and inspect the several shops that were currently selling his products on consignment to see how business was doing. If possible, he could also visit some wizards on his merchant list, both to learn about the local situation from them and to scout for distributors for future agencies. After all, for him, this was the real business. Anyway, the two Ministry officials couldn't possibly meet him so quickly; it would take a few days to get an appointment.
After a busy day, Alan and the others met in their tavern room. He had spent the day thoroughly exploring the Duden Building, and then he discovered something incredibly frustrating.
Previously in Egypt, he had signed distribution agreements with two German merchants: one specialized in civil products like magic lamps and phonographs, and the other distributed higher-grade alchemy items like amulets. Originally, he hadn't noticed any problems in Egypt, but after his on-site inspection today, he discovered that these two merchants belonged to different areas within the Duden Building; the merchant distributing civil products was in East Germany, while the other merchant was on the West Germany side.
It's important to know that in current Germany, due to official decrees promoted by Minister Peter and the constant agitation by various private organizations, the separation between wizards in East Germany and West Germany was already the norm, even bordering on political correctness. Therefore, an East German, even if he inwardly opposed the division, would not risk traveling to West Germany to buy things.
This resulted in Alan's products in Germany being unable to reach the entire market; East Germans couldn't buy magic pendants, and West Germans couldn't buy magic lamps. This was absolutely infuriating. Alan was speechless after discovering this situation; these splinter factions not only messed up Germany but also affected his business.
So, in the eyes of Alan, who had already become a qualified, unscrupulous merchant, he had another reason to deal with the Silver Spears. Anything else was fine, but hindering him from making money was not!
As for Hog and Shalltear, who were out on surveillance, their gains today were also minimal. Minister Peter was quite diligent in his work, staying in the Ministry of Magic all day, and Phoenix was the same—acting like a homebody, staying in her residence all day. Alan suspected that the Silver Spears must be planning something in Germany; otherwise, they wouldn't deploy two core Spears in one place.
The next day.
Hog and Shalltear continued their surveillance activities. Alan knew that at this time, he absolutely could not rush and had to gather enough intelligence; otherwise, it would be easy to alert the enemy. As for Alan himself, he didn't continue to wander around today; he had more important matters to attend to.
Somewhere in Treptow-Köpenick, East Berlin.
Alan, dressed in Silver Spear attire and covered by a Disillusionment Charm, appeared in an alley next to an old building. After confirming that no one was around, Alan drew his aspen wand and lightly tapped a marble wall several times according to a special pattern, then Apparated away again.
When he reappeared, he had traversed over ten kilometers, arriving in another deserted alley in Marzahn-Hellersdorf, East Berlin. As he entered the alley, he felt as if his entire body had passed through a thin membrane of magic. Realizing this, Alan dispelled the Disillusionment Charm and stood quietly in the alley, waiting.
His current location was the headquarters of the Silver Spears, and his previous actions were the necessary secret code for entering the premises. To enter the headquarters, one must first go to a distant location to cast the entry notification, and then come here to wait; after a while, someone would naturally come to escort him inside. If one directly arrived at the headquarters' location, not only would they be unable to enter, but they would also be considered an intruder, and the headquarters would then go silent and completely seal off the entrance, making it impossible to find even if one searched every inch of the place.
After Alan learned about the entry method here, he had his own judgment; the alley he was currently in was most likely not the actual location of the headquarters, and the door that would open next might be a spatial gate, capable of transferring anyone who stepped through it to another place.
Alan didn't have to wait long; a brick wall in the alley split open like Diagon Alley, revealing a dark opening. However, seeing this scene, Alan did not enter rashly because, according to Thunderbird, one must be escorted to enter after the door opens. Entering without permission would lead to danger, and Alan estimated that the opening at this moment could connect to who knows where, perhaps even throwing one into outer space or the deep sea.
"Don't waste my time, I'm not in the mood to play games with you," Alan activated the alchemy tool embedded in his teeth to alter his voice, mimicking Thunderbird's tone as he roared.
He knew that Ashwinder, who guarded the headquarters, was a nasty character. That scoundrel often left the headquarters door open, luring members who hadn't been warned beforehand to enter rashly, and then, out of mischief, sending them to inexplicable places.
"Who do we have here, if it isn't Lord Thunderbird? What brings you back to headquarters? Has the British transit station been completed? Surely you're not back for medicine; it's only been a little over four months since your last potion exchange, it's not even time yet."
With the voice, a figure slowly stepped out of the dark opening. A person similarly dressed in robes and wearing a faceless mask appeared before Alan, taunting him with a flippant tone. This was the Short Spear, Ashwinder. These core members held high positions within the Silver Spears, all aware of the Elixir of Life, and Alan had previously suspected that these individuals had also consumed it.
"Hmph, cut the nonsense, just let me in, or do you want me to stand here chatting with you?" Alan also gave him no pleasantries, his tone unfriendly.
"Alright, alright, I'm just a lowly doorman, how dare I provoke a lord like you? Please, come on in," Ashwinder said in the same flippant tone, speaking in a submissive manner, then turned and slipped back into the opening.
__________________________
"Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider donating Power Stones and joining our patreon
[patreon.com /daydreamer7]
for early access to future chapters.(+40 chapters)