Golden Snidget looked a bit awkward at the accusation. "Yeah... I know it's technically against the rules," he admitted, scratching the back of his head. "But sometimes, if we want these guys to fully commit to our cause, we have to bend the rules a little.
Chimaera already has second-level clearance, and I only taught him that technique a bit earlier than planned. But I made it clear, he wasn't supposed to use it, except in a critical situation. Who would've thought…"
"Who knew he'd lose it just because Thunderbird teased him, right?" Ashwinder scoffed, his voice laced with disapproval.
"And I still stand by what I said before, these guys aren't completely reliable. I don't think they see the club as anything more than a training ground to learn advanced jutsu."
"I get that," Golden Snidget replied with a nod. "That's exactly why I was in such a rush to turn them into real weapons. Once they take the draught, they won't even think about leaving the club."
Ashwinder gave him a long look, then sighed. "I understand where you're coming from, but we can't just ignore the rules we put in place.
You were the one who set those standards back then. Honestly, you don't seem as firm about them as you used to be."
"Maybe I was a bit too eager," Golden Snidget admitted.
"But it's because I know how important those rules are that I'm trying to find ways to strengthen them. Still, no matter what shortcuts we consider, they've got to go through the proper evaluations. There's no getting around that."
"It's good that you know where you stand," Ashwinder said seriously, though the mood didn't last long before his usual casual tone returned.
"Still, it's not such a bad thing that Thunderbird joined the assessment. It's a shame you weren't around to see it, he scared Chimaera so badly, the guy's probably having nightmares right now."
Golden Snidget shook his head with a sigh.
"That guy just doesn't know how to fight back properly. But I guess scaring him like that might've helped.
At least it'll stop him from hesitating when it comes to making decisions in the future. But you still haven't told me, why did Thunderbird show up out of the blue?
Wasn't he in the UK four months ago? Did something change over there?"
"Change? Yeah, a lot," Ashwinder replied with a cold laugh. "Thunderbird came in today and made it clear: the British branch is done. The whole transfer station plan? Total failure.
He's pulling out of the UK soon. He even asked me for a set of portkeys to and from America. Looks like he's giving up completely."
"What?" Golden Snidget almost jumped from his seat, stunned. "That doesn't make any sense, so suddenly? What happened in the UK?"
"I asked him," Ashwinder said with a shrug, "but come on, you know what he's like. He's not the type to open up, especially when things go wrong."
Golden Snidget fell silent for a moment, realizing the truth behind Ashwinder's words. Thunderbird was always the strong, proud type, he'd never admit defeat easily, and definitely wouldn't talk about his failures.
"No wonder there hasn't been a single shipment from the UK for so long," Golden Snidget said, now piecing it together.
"Thunderbird must've run into some serious resistance. The situation over there must be more complicated than we thought. I figured that war had just ended, and the Ministry of Magic wouldn't have the resources left to deal with smuggling..."
Even though the news was disappointing, Golden Snidget didn't blame Thunderbird. Everyone in the club knew how much effort Thunderbird had put in.
He wasn't just any member, he was the strongest Warding among all the Silver Wands. If even he had to back down, then whatever he faced in England must have been far more dangerous than anyone expected.
If even he can't handle the situation, letting someone else take over might only make things worse. "Still, no matter how embarrassing the incident in the UK is, Thunderbird has to file a full report," Golden Snidget said seriously.
"From what we know now, the club has already lost five Silver Wand over there. That's not a small issue, we can't just ignore it."
Whenever business came up, Golden Snidget would immediately switch into a professional tone.
"That's exactly what I told him," Ashwinder added with a nod.
"He understands how serious this is, which is why he's hoping to hold a Meeting, to publicly explain what happened and also request a meeting with the Horned Basilisk."
"There's no issue with hosting the meeting," Golden Snidget replied after a brief pause. "I mean, the British branch clearly has an impact on the club's long-term plans. But meeting with the leader... that's a bit tricky."
He hesitated. "I'll pass along the message for him, but considering how badly things went in the UK, I doubt Horned Basilisk would be open to seeing him right now."
Ashwinder shrugged. "Well, I've already passed along what needed to be said. What happens next is your responsibility."
Golden Snidget nodded, then stood up and started pacing thoughtfully. After a moment, he turned back to Ashwinder.
"Alright, I'll go ahead and approve the Meeting. Let's schedule it for early next month and make the announcement soon. But right now, the real issue is figuring out what the club's next move should be, now that the UK operation has failed."
Ashwinder raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What? You thinking about opening a new front? Or are you planning to push things forward faster here?"
Golden Snidget shook his head, looking uncertain. "Honestly, we've already been moving at a fast pace here. We even rushed the promotion of a few more Warding just to keep things on track.
If we try to speed up even more, the risks will be too high. We can't afford that unless it's absolutely necessary."
"So what's your plan then?" Ashwinder asked.
Golden Snidget let out a breath. "At this point, we'll probably have to look for other options and see if there's another angle we can work from."
The supply of goods from several European branches had become increasingly unstable, prompting the need to find new sources. Golden Snidget understood what Ashwinder was implying and nodded slightly, showing a hint of agreement. "So, do you think we should focus on the north or shift our attention to the east?" Ashwinder asked thoughtfully.
"This isn't something we should rush into," Golden Snidget replied after a moment of consideration.
"Let's wait and discuss it together during the Meeting. Thankfully, we're not in a crisis yet, our breeding base still has plenty in reserve, so we've got some breathing room."
"I see," Ashwinder said with a nod. "By the way, for this upcoming Meeting, are we letting the newcomers join? It could be a good opportunity to show them what the club is truly capable of."