Ashwinder shrugged when he heard Thunderbird's request, it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. After all, the Elixir of Immortality wasn't something you handed out like snacks in a kindergarten lunchroom, and there was no strict rule about when it had to be collected.
As long as someone had earned enough merit, they were allowed to receive up to a year's supply at once. Thunderbird, with his ridiculously high merit score, easily qualified for another dose.
What puzzled Ashwinder, though, was how quickly Thunderbird was going through portkeys lately. The man had used one to travel to America just over a year ago, then another to the UK only four months back, and now he was asking for another one?
What was he doing, going on a world tour? It wasn't like portkeys, especially ones that could reach places as far as America, were cheap to create. The cost reflected the distance, after all.
Then Thunderbird dropped a bombshell, his tone calm and matter-of-fact. "The plan to establish a base in the UK has completely fallen through. I'm preparing to withdraw. I'll be returning the rights to 'Unicorn' to headquarters and heading back to the US soon."
Ashwinder, who had been lounging lazily on the sofa, instantly snapped to attention. His body stiffened, and he sat upright in a flash, eyes wide behind his mask as he stared at Thunderbird in shock.
"You're not joking, are you?" Ashwinder's tone shifted instantly from casual to serious, his expression hardening as the weight of the news hit him. He understood all too well what this could mean.
If the British transit station could actually be established, it would open up a stable route for transporting magical animals from the Americas. That alone would be a game-changer. Not only would it allow them to bring in rare magical beasts, but it would also give them a foothold in the UK to hunt and cultivate even more.
More magical creatures meant more elixirs, an essential resource tied directly to the survival and power of their organization, the Silver Wands. In recent years, magical beast populations in Europe had been steadily declining, and most of the available habitats had already been tapped or depleted. With fewer wild magical animals left to harvest, the pressure was mounting to look outward, to find new sources beyond their current territories.
The problem was, most of the surrounding regions were already off-limits or too dangerous to touch. Central Europe, where they were mainly based, still had some magical wildlife, but the areas where it could be captured in large numbers were already claimed, whether by official magical animal reserves, government-run sanctuaries, or powerful conservation groups. Any attempt to encroach on these protected zones would almost certainly trigger fierce retaliation.
Looking beyond their borders didn't offer much relief either. Up north, in the Nordic countries, Estonia, Latvia, and similar regions, the Pure Land Society held sway.
That group was not only ruthless, but also deeply entrenched in the local magical communities. Despite repeated attempts, the Silver Wands had failed to gain any solid ground there.
To the south, the situation was no better. Italy, Spain, and Portugal were all under the watchful eye of the Holy See. Though not as openly aggressive as they once were, the Holy See still had a long history of conflict with the magical world.
They had once tried to dominate it entirely, leading to the bloody Crusades and infamous witch hunts. Wizards had eventually united to push them back, but the scars, and the tensions, remained. Even now, their presence in southern Europe was strong, and any provocation could spark a swift and dangerous response.
Although the modern Holy See had become more tolerant on the surface, they remained unpredictable. Their influence was laced with the power of faith, and the kind of "magic" they practiced was different from that of ordinary wizards. They called themselves servants of God, and while they no longer tried to conquer the magical world outright, they still watched from the shadows, ready to strike if they sensed a threat.
In light of all this, establishing a smuggling route through the UK wasn't just a strategic move, it was a lifeline. If they could pull it off, it would breathe new life into their dwindling resources and give them a critical edge in the ever-tightening magical world.
Eastern Europe, particularly countries like Ukraine and Russia, had always been notoriously difficult to deal with. The wizards there were tough and didn't bother waiting for official orders, if you crossed them, they'd take matters into their own hands, and often with deadly consequences.
Because of this, building alliances in that region was nearly impossible. And trying to hunt and transport magical creatures alone every time, armed only with a Silver Wand, was clearly not sustainable.
So instead of focusing on the East, their attention naturally shifted westward. The American continent, in particular, had proven to be much more promising.
Thanks to the efforts of members like Thunderbird and Black Dragon, the club successfully set up a branch there. The U.S. was also rich in magical creatures, making it an ideal location for producing the undead medicine, provided they could establish a reliable transport route. With such potential, the United Kingdom played a key role in the club's overall strategy.
During the chaos of the Death Eater war in the UK, the Silver Wands chose to stay out of it and wait. But in recent years, as things gradually settled down, they started to make their move.
The club even went so far as to train a spy specifically for their efforts in Britain. But then, out of nowhere, Thunderbird, the person in charge of the UK operation, declared the mission a failure and pulled out. No one could believe it.
"Do you think I'm joking with you?" Alex, who had taken on the Thunderbird role, responded flatly when confronted by Ashwinder.
"You know how much effort we've poured into building a presence in the UK," Ashwinder shot back, his tone serious and tinged with frustration. "When you say 'failure,' it's like all of that was for nothing. Did you really try everything?"
Alex's voice turned cold, even sharp. "I know better than anyone what the club has invested there. And let me remind you, five Silver Wands are still stuck in the UK. Do you really think I'm the kind of person who backs out easily?"
Even Ashwinder could hear the irritation in Alex's voice. He hadn't expected this level of pushback.
"But… things were going so well at first," Ashwinder muttered, suddenly piecing things together. "Then the updates started saying you just needed more time. Wait… don't tell me, did Dumbledore get involved?"
It wasn't an unreasonable guess. Ashwinder knew just how powerful the club's veteran member Thunderbird was, and with the careful planning and internal support the headquarters had put in place for the UK mission, failure seemed unimaginable, unless someone like Albus Dumbledore had stepped in.
Given their strength and access to reliable intelligence, there was no reason why a smaller force like the UK should have been able to push the mighty Thunderbird into a corner, unless it was due to some kind of force majeure.