Looking at the red dot on the map that marked Phoenix's position, Alex narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
"This Phoenix…" he murmured, deep in thought. "I'll track them myself. You two focus on your own targets. Remember, your safety is the top priority. Don't expose yourselves. Keep me updated and meet back here at midnight sharp."
"Yes, Master."
"Got it!"
With that, Fang and Shalltear vanished instantly. Alex didn't waste time either, he quickly gathered his gear and disappeared as well.
He used Apparition, maintaining a phantom-like state as he moved swiftly through the air. Ever since he'd trained under lightning, he'd become increasingly skilled at this technique.
Now, he was even experimenting with using it during combat. His version of Apparition was a bit different from that of a typical wizard, though. When he entered his phantom form, his entire body transformed into pure lightning, giving him the appearance of a humanoid made of electricity.
While he could still vanish entirely for long-distance teleportation, his short-range movements left behind a streak of lightning, like a glowing afterimage.
By midnight, inside a room Alex and Shalltear reappeared one after another. But Fang was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's that dumb mutt Fang?" Shalltear asked with a smirk, clearly amused. "Did he forget the time again, or maybe he finally got himself caught?" She chuckled to herself, though she wasn't truly worried, if something had gone wrong, Alex's face would've shown it.
"Fang made some new discoveries about his target. He's still tracking them," Alex replied casually. Then he turned to her, "What about you? Did you find anything?"
In response, Shalltear pulled out a few photographs and handed them to him. Alex flipped through them quickly, noting that most of the images captured an old, somewhat run-down building.
When the photo was flipped over, it revealed a young man who looked to be in his thirties. However, Shalltear explained that this man, a wizard, had only been spotted inside an old, rundown building. All the photos she managed to take were from a distance, through a window.
"This 'shape-shifting lizard' doesn't leave the room at all," she explained. "I could only snap pictures when he happened to pass by the window. I didn't dare get too close, I didn't want to risk being seen."
She continued, summarizing the key points she'd gathered.
"There are two things I've figured out so far. First, that old building is likely his hideout. Second, judging by how young he looks despite his actual age, it's very likely he's taken the Rebirth Draught. There's no way he'd still look that young naturally."
Alex nodded thoughtfully as he listened. Aside from the age that didn't match his appearance, the way this man behaved also matched the pattern of someone who had used the Elixir. He lived in hiding, avoiding the outside world, just like the so-called "Snake-shedding Wizards" Alex had read about. These types of wizards tended to be powerful and dangerous, yet lived in constant fear of being found out, desperate to conceal their secret and the vulnerable stage they were in.
"Good work," Alex said, giving Shalltear a rare bit of praise, even though she'd only been watching the target for a day. "Were you able to find out his real identity?"
Shalltear shook her head, clearly frustrated. "No. The houses nearby are either abandoned or occupied by old folks who can barely speak clearly, let alone remember names. Even if we asked around, any name he gave would probably be fake."
With a sigh, she flopped onto the bed, visibly bored. "Honestly, today was such a drag. Just staring at some broken-down building all day, I'd have been better off playing with Fang."
"Alright, in that case, set up a few magical surveillance cameras around the area," Alex instructed. "If he doesn't leave his home, there's no point in tailing him any further."
"Got it. I doubt he'll go anywhere anyway, unless he's on a mission or something," Shalltear replied, pouting. "He's like a ghost, creepier than us vampires, if you ask me."
Then she turned her attention back to Alex, tilting her head curiously. "By the way, how about your side? Did you find anything?"
Alex shook his head after hearing the report.
"My situation's actually worse than yours," he said. "I haven't even seen the target. They've been hiding inside the house the whole time, and I can tell there's some kind of protective spell cast over the place. I didn't dare send in the monitoring spiders to avoid alerting them."
"But even though I haven't figured out who they are yet, at least I've located where they live," he continued. "I've set up magical surveillance around the house. The moment they step outside, I'll be able to identify them."
Shalltear, clearly irritated, didn't hesitate to speak her mind. "So once we know who they are, are we going to arrest them, or just kill them?"
Alex shook his head again. "Our main target is the 'Horned Basilisk.' These people aren't going anywhere, so there's no need to make a mess by eliminating them right away. Besides, the phoenix is just a side concern. What really matters is Fang and what's going on with him."
He paused, then added with a serious tone, "We also can't be sure if the Silver Wand's forces are only the ones we've seen.
The ones we've identified were tracked through Thunderbird, but Thunderbird hasn't been involved with headquarters for years. It's totally possible that they have hidden members we're not aware of."
Just as Alex finished speaking, a sudden ripple of energy broke through the air in the room. In the blink of an eye, Fang appeared, returning from his mission.
"Master, it's bad, really bad!" Fang shouted urgently the moment he landed.
After shouting, Fang stood there panting heavily, clearly exhausted from the long tracking mission. His face was a mix of frustration and urgency. Alex noticed his state and calmly tried to soothe him, "Take a breath, Fang. Just explain things slowly. Did someone spot you?"
Fang shook his head, still catching his breath. "No, I wasn't discovered," he said quickly, "but I found out something... and it's serious. Really serious."
Shalltear, unable to hold back her curiosity, jumped in. "Is there something special about that Golden Snidget?"
Fang hesitated for a second, then dropped the bombshell. "That Golden Snidget... he's actually the German Minister of Magic!"
"What? That's impossible!" Alex's eyes widened in shock.
"Are you sure? How could the Golden Snidget be the Minister of Magic? Maybe you got the wrong person?"
"I thought so too at first," Fang replied firmly. "But after watching closely and identifying him carefully, I'm certain. The man behind the Golden Snidget mask is definitely Minister Eisenberg, the one master mentioned."