When Ashwinder heard that, the first name that came to his mind was Dumbledore. After all, Dumbledore had once defeated Grindelwald in a head-on battle, and in Ashwinder's eyes, he was the only wizard strong enough to stand up to the Thunderbird.
"The situation in Britain's wizarding world is more complicated than you think," Thunderbird said with a weary sigh, clearly irritated and a little discouraged.
"The newly appointed Minister, Bagnold, has introduced a strict, hardline policy. Our transport routes were blocked not long after we set them up. You already know all of this."
Ashwinder frowned, unconvinced. "But could Aurors from the Ministry alone really stop you? That doesn't add up.
The Sphinx's stealth team is no joke, yet when they were sent to England, they didn't even make a ripple. And then there's that guy, Bird and Snake. He's always been close with Phoenix. Something's not right here."
He mentally went over the Silver Wands deployed to Britain, trying to make sense of the situation. His suspicion only grew as he looked at Thunderbird, clearly doubting the official explanation. "Something must've gone wrong over there."
Alex, standing nearby and listening in, couldn't help but sneer to himself. Yeah, the problem is, they ran into me. Then, unable to hold back his irritation, he snapped at Ashwinder, "Are you questioning me? I'll report to 'Horned Basilisk' personally about everything that happened in the UK. It's not your place to interfere."
Stung by the outburst, Ashwinder realized he might have pushed too far. Everyone in the Silver Wands was fiercely secretive about the details of their missions, and it wasn't uncommon for them to keep things close to the chest.
Still, he couldn't completely let it go. After all, he had taken the elixir too, and the shortage of magical creatures would affect him just as much.
"You know this failed operation in Britain will impact the club's future. Don't act like it's just your problem.
You're leading this project, and now something's gone wrong. You know the higher-ups won't be happy unless they get a proper explanation."
"That's still not your concern," Alex shot back coldly. "I suggest we call for a 'Long Front Conference.' Let all the senior member attend and decide our next move together. I'll bring up the situation in the UK at the meeting," Thunderbird said firmly. "We need to give everyone a clear and unified update."
He paused, then added, "But what I can say for sure right now is that the UK no longer has the conditions to support the growth of splinter groups, at least, not in the past few years.
The club has already tightened its control over there. If anyone tries to dig deeper into it, it'll only lead to more losses."
Thunderbird's expression was serious as he spoke to Ashwinder. The meeting he was referring to, the so-called "Long Front Meeting", was a high-level management gathering.
These meetings were held at the start of each month during periods of heightened security, and only when there were important decisions or updates to be made. Just traveling to and from the meeting cost a significant number of Portkey, not to mention the time and effort it took to organize.
Seeing how confident Thunderbird was, Ashwinder couldn't help but feel uneasy. Even with seven Silver Wands assembled, they had failed to handle Britain, and five of them were lost.
What kind of terrifying place was that country, anyway? Even Thunderbird, who had successfully taken over the Americas, didn't dare to press further into the UK.
Still, calling a Long Front Meeting wasn't a problem. Thunderbird had the authority to initiate it, and considering the situation with the British transfer station, it was definitely something that needed everyone's attention.
"Alright," Ashwinder said after a moment, "I'll inform Golden Snidget right away. He'll handle the coordination and send out the notifications. But with the beginning of the month so close, I'm not sure how many will actually be able to make it."
He let out a heavy sigh. "Now that the UK channel is cut off, the supply of magical creatures is getting tighter. And Horned Basilisk is really pushing it, he's trying to promote a few new member just to expand his influence.
But with only the club's breeding grounds to rely on, we're running low. We need to figure out a new route for transport, and fast."
Among the Silver Wands, Horned Basilisk wasn't exactly popular. In fact, most of them openly disliked him and didn't hesitate to complain behind his back.
So it wasn't surprising to hear Ashwinder criticize him. But as Alex listened quietly to the conversation, something about what was said suddenly caught his attention.
How many new member have been promoted lately? And what about the feedlots? It looks like the Silver Wand's use of magical beasts has increased a lot compared to before.
At this rate, they might not be able to keep a stable supply. If that's the case, Alex thought, maybe there's an opportunity here, to mess with their operations and stir things up within the organization. Even while plotting in his mind, Alex kept the conversation going, showing no signs of what he was really thinking.
"You think I'm not anxious?" he said, his tone sharp. "You think I don't care about all the goods we lost in England?"
Thunderbird scoffed, clearly unimpressed. "So, how many member is the leader planning to promote soon? Are they expanding again? Or did someone die?"
Alex paused, thinking back. "The last promotion I remember was Wicked Bird, a few years ago. She was training that British spy for headquarters. But the Nordic member got taken out by the Pure Land Society before she could step in."
"Yeah, don't even bring that up," Ashwinder added with a sigh, clearly frustrated. "Someone did die recently. It was Kneazle, the one in charge of Bulgaria and Romania. His guards were completely wiped out, and the dragon flames even burned their bodies to ash."
"Kneazle? Jarvey died pretty horribly too," Thunderbird said with a teasing grin.
"Yeah, you're not wrong," Ashwinder replied, slipping back into his usual lazy tone.
"No idea how long that Chimaera guy will last though. Oh, and by the way, he's scheduled for the Level 3 authority exam in a couple of days. He's also one of the candidates being considered for promotion."
Thunderbird raised an eyebrow. "Wait, he's up for promotion even before reaching Level 3 authority? And you said the Kneazle died two years ago, right?
So this guy hasn't even been around for two years? Is the organization really that short-staffed now?
Or is this part of a new branch being set up? I haven't heard anything about that."