For example, in the alchemy room Alex had repaired at the British Ministry of Magic, any magical interference was only temporary and could be cleared up with some effort. But the core hub of breeding zone was different, it supported the magic shield outside, so even a small mistake could expose the whole setup. Anyone with a normal mind wouldn't take such a risk.
Sure enough, Alex's entry through the disappearing cabinet into the park was smooth and uneventful. He didn't rush to explore the steeple, knowing it was probably the cleanest, most secure area in the entire park, and that Claremont wouldn't be there anytime soon. Instead, he pulled out a communication amulet and activated it, while also slipping a small wireless headset-shaped communicator onto his ear, ready to stay connected as he continued his investigation.
Inside the park, Shalltear was playing with the little Thunderbird in the shed when she suddenly trembled. She quickly pulled out a similar earpiece from her tactical vest and put it on.
"Master! Are you starting the operation already? I'm not ready!" she asked, a hint of panic in her voice. She knew the protective magic circle here blocked all communication, so receiving a message from Alex meant one of two things: either he had broken through the magic circle or he was already inside the park.
Alex replied calmly, "The operation hasn't started yet, but I've successfully sneaked into the park. How's everything on your end?"
"Only a few days since you got in? That's way too fast," Shalltear said, still shaken.
"Things are fine here. I've been staying with Little Thunderbird during the day and going for walks at night when I have free time. But it's been several days without a bath, and it's really uncomfortable. Master, you'd better get me out of here soon!"
"It's not in yet," Alex said firmly. "I'm in a special position, You'll have to hold on for a few more days." Then he added, "and, I'll need you to complete a task."
"Wait, so I'm stuck in this lousy zoo for now? I feel like if I stay here any longer, I might actually turn into an animal," Shalltear complained, gently stroking the little Thunderbird nestled beneath her.
After spending some time here, she had grown quite fond of the creature, so much that she half-joked she might even learn to understand bird language. But after her grumbling, she asked simply, "Alright, what task do you need me to do?"
"Don't worry," Alex reassured her. "If this mission goes perfectly, I'll have Wimzy prepare Blood Sausage for you every day for ten days straight. You'll be able to eat your fill." He knew the task wouldn't be easy for Shalltear, so he offered some comfort before explaining further.
"The next few days are really important. I need you to watch over the residential area closely and take a detailed inventory of the living conditions of all the wizards."
"You need to count exactly how many dormitories there are, how many people live in each one, and get precise numbers. The surveillance cameras Fang has don't give the full picture, so the data might not be completely accurate.
Also, try to learn the internal layout of those standard houses, how many floors, how many rooms, and so on. From what I've seen, the standard dormitories all look pretty much the same, so checking one thoroughly should be enough."
"Figuring out what's going on inside the dormitories? That's no problem," Shalltear said confidently. "I can remotely control a monitoring spider to sneak inside, and then Fang can record everything from his side."
She had gotten used to this routine by now and promised to handle it easily. But then she hesitated, sensing something was off.
"Master, are you planning to wipe out all these wizards? There are more than two hundred people here.
Is that really okay? I don't want to become a criminal myself as soon as I step outside."
Alex could understand why Shalltear was worried about the international criminal, but he hadn't expected her to think so deeply about the situation.
"Don't worry, I've already planned everything that comes next," he said with a cold smile. "This operation won't get you into any trouble. In fact, if you want, I can even make you a hero."
"A hero? Are you serious?" Shalltear asked, a bit confused. They were talking about kidnapping hundreds of people at once, how could that sound honorable?
Alex reassured her softly, "I'm the one who's taking the risk first. I wouldn't joke about something like this." He didn't share any more details, just enough to ease her mind.
"Alright, I get it," Shalltear said after thinking it through. With Alex's clever mind, she trusted he wouldn't lead her into a trap. Sometimes it was better to let the adults handle the tricky stuff.
"Okay, the call's over," Alex said carefully. "Finish the task as soon as you can. The faster you're done, the sooner I can make my move. I've just talked with 'Sol', I'll have him let you know when we're ready."
"Sol? You mean that little thunderbird?" Shalltear asked, confused. "When did you guys contact me? And you even gave it a name? Did you mess up?"
But Alex didn't have time to explain. He ended the call right away.
"Hello? Hello?" Shalltear called out loudly, but there was no answer. Frustrated, she stood up, flapped her small wings, and tapped the little thunderbird, Sol, on the head.
"You guys are so disrespectful, secretly contacting the adults without telling me, letting them pick names, and you haven't even met yet. How can you trust him so easily? I met him first! He's just a troublemaker who starts chaos and then abandons everyone."
Still annoyed, Shalltear flapped her wings harder and gave Sol's head another sharp knock. Meanwhile, Sol, completely unaware, had no idea why she was upset.
Alex thought the little bat looked full and ready to play, so he happily took Shalltear with him. As they rolled on the ground, a sudden jolt nearly made Shalltear spit out her lunch.
Meanwhile, Alex began openly inspecting the steeple after explaining the situation to Shalltear. Of course, his methods to avoid detection didn't compare to Azalea's sophisticated parallel imports.
Still, he carefully eliminated any signs of his presence, footprints, scents, everything. The first floor of the spire looked much like what he had seen through Claremont's perspective: mostly remnants left behind by magical creatures. Though valuable, Alex wasn't in a hurry to search it thoroughly just yet.
What caught Alex's attention more was the gate. Since no magical security could be set inside the tower, the gate relied on physical locks. It had six locks, each a magical anti-theft lock.
Additionally, simple but effective anti-theft devices were installed, metal cables to prevent forced entry, special warning bells, and so on. What amused Alex was that these measures were designed to keep outsiders out, but for those inside, the gate was essentially unprotected.