Alex nodded. "Exactly. That's what makes this mission even more delicate. We'll have to tread carefully."
Things were starting to feel as chaotic as the United States. "I have the same suspicion," Alex said, his voice steady but serious. "I'm pretty sure the club is pulling strings behind the scenes, but I don't have all the details yet. For now, we need to investigate and gather more information."
As he spoke, Alex pulled out a scroll of parchment and carefully unrolled it across the table. Once fully opened, it revealed a detailed map of Berlin. On the map, four bright red dots stood out, each marking a different location in the city.
"This map was created using my enhanced mask tracker," he explained to the others. "From what we can see here, there are currently four Silver Wands active in Berlin."
He pointed to one of the red dots. "This one marks a target called the 'Golden Snidget.' Based on its position, he's located within the German Ministry of Magic, the same place I just visited. That means this person is probably working inside the Ministry, hiding in plain sight."
Shalltear raised a concern. "Could it be that this person is a high-ranking official?"
Alex shook his head. "Unlikely. If he's taken the Elixir of Life, he wouldn't appear very old, which would make it hard to hold a high-ranking government post without drawing attention."
Then Alex turned to Fang, locking eyes with him. "This one's your responsibility. Track him down and confirm his identity. Once you do, make sure to record everything, video evidence is key. But whatever you do, don't go too deep into the Ministry. We can't risk blowing your cover."
"Understood, master," Fang replied with a nod. After years of intense training, his stealth and tracking skills had become highly refined, even Alex acknowledged his level of expertise. Alex gave a slight nod, clearly trusting Fang's abilities. He then pointed to another red dot on the map.
"This one is the 'Ashwinder,' a executive ranked member of the Silver Wand group. Based on his current location, he's likely at their headquarters, which matches the intel we've gathered.
He's probably responsible for guarding the base. His status is high, and his strength isn't to be underestimated. For now, we'll leave him alone. In two days, during the Thunderbird's safe period, I'll go to the headquarters disguised as Thunderbird to gather more information."
He then pointed to a third dot. "This is another executive, codenamed 'Moke.' His role involves handling merit exchanges and evaluating new recruits.
Right now, he's located somewhere in West Germany. We don't have much detailed information on him yet, so Shalltear, I want you and Fang to track him down. Finding out his identity is our top priority."
"Yes, sir! Finally, I get to step outside!" Shalltear tossed her hair, visibly excited. She'd been cooped up in Alex's shop for the past two years, barely getting any action. This was her long-awaited chance to get involved again.
Alex gave her a serious look. "Be careful not to blow your cover. According to Thunderbird, these three are top operatives at headquarters.
Not only are they powerful, but they're also fiercely loyal to 'Horned Basilisk.' They're diehard remnants of the old Saints' Society. I suspect that although 'Ashwinder' and 'Moke' are still classified as Adept Wand, there's a good chance both have already taken the elixir."
"I understand. I'll be extra cautious," Shalltear answered firmly. Her excitement faded slightly as she took in the gravity of the mission. Then her eyes drifted toward the last red dot on the map. "Sir, didn't you say there were only three Silver Wand members in Germany? Who's this one?"
Alex's expression turned thoughtful as he looked at the final dot. "This one is the Warding codenamed 'Phoenix.' It doesn't make sense for Phoenix to be here, last we knew, Phoenix was in charge of the French branch. Phoenix presence in Germany is unexpected and... suspicious." He frowned slightly, murmuring to himself, clearly puzzled by this new development.
Phoenix is a real diehard and one of the core members of the Silver Wand. Aside from handling operations in France, Phoenix's also deeply involved in the group's plans across Europe.
At one point, Phoenix, another key figure, was working on setting up a transfer station in the UK, teaming up with the Golden Snidget and other Silver Wand agents. Meanwhile, Thunderbird and the Black Dragon were in charge of operations in the Americas.
Thunderbird, however, had been mostly active in the U.S. for the past few years. Right before he escaped using a Portkey, he returned to the Americas and stayed there to recover from his injuries and rebuild his strength. Because of that, he's not very familiar with what's been going on in Europe recently. In fact, he doesn't even know much about the German division.
Generally, the Silver Wand agents don't communicate much with each other. Each one handles their own territory and rarely gets involved in someone else's business. Thunderbird, in particular, is more of a frontline fighter than a strategist. He's known as the strongest combatant in the group and usually leaves the planning to others, focusing instead on direct action.
The only reason Thunderbird got involved in the UK operation was because the British transfer station was supposed to connect transportation routes between America and Europe. Since he had the experience, he was tasked with overseeing it.
A year ago, an agent codenamed Occamy, Phoenix's trusted subordinate, was sent to help Thunderbird with the setup. Unfortunately, just two days after arriving in the UK, Occamy was killed in Ireland by Alastor Moody. Since then, Phoenix has been in occasional contact with Thunderbird, trying to figure out what really happened in the UK and urging him to keep pushing forward with the transfer station project.
But Thunderbird, being his usual stubborn self, wasn't very cooperative. He only sent back a brief message, saying that the project had hit a wall and that Occamy was killed during an ambush by the British Ministry of Magic. When it came to making progress, all he said was that he was still trying to find a way, and communication between them remained difficult.
Honestly, this kind of chaos is pretty normal for the Silver Wand. The members don't trust each other much, and they're all known for being wild, independent, and incredibly powerful. So when it comes to their missions, they usually just agree on the end goal and leave the rest, how to get there, how long it takes, to each individual. Planning and coordination have never been their strong suit.
Because of the limited communication between the different regions, Phoenix and the others didn't know much about what was happening in America, and they were just as clueless about the situation in Britain.
Similarly, Thunderbird and Black Dragon weren't familiar with what the Golden Snidget and Phoenix had been doing across Europe. This lack of information actually worked in Alex's favor, letting him keep his identity hidden.
No one in the club suspected anything, especially since he seemed just as uninformed about Europe as everyone else. But this also meant Alex was flying blind when it came to what was happening in Germany, he had to start from scratch.