"That's not necessarily true," Alex said, his voice calm behind the Thunderbird mask.
"If the Ministry knew what was happening here, they wouldn't resort to such sneaky methods. If anyone hates us enough to do this, it's probably the people in Austria."
Phoenix nodded in agreement.
"Thunderbird's right. Those saints from our generation are stubborn, and many of them see us as traitors."
Golden Snidget's mind was a bit overwhelmed, caught between the rhythms of the Thunderbird and the Phoenix.
Shaking his head firmly to clear the confusion, he said,
"No matter what, the most important thing right now is to find those missing magical creatures. Once we locate them and the people involved, we'll figure out who's really behind all this."
The Thunderbird nodded approvingly, impressed that Golden Snidget was still thinking clearly.
"That's right. Based on this lead, we need to thoroughly search every place in Germany that could shelter so many people and magical creatures. A movement this big is bound to have witnesses, so we should keep an eye out for that too."
The Thunderbird added,
"We should also watch for anyone or any group buying up large amounts of food, water, or medicine. There's no way so many living beings could survive without those supplies, especially magical animals."
Hearing the practical advice, both the Golden Snidget and the Phoenix nodded in agreement, ready to follow through with the plan.
Phoenix chimed in just in time, saying,
"Also, I'll start looking into the Silver Wand group and those collaborators in the club. The problem has to lie with them!"
Thunderbird nodded, clearly frustrated.
"Yeah, especially the managers at those parks. Where did you find these people? They couldn't even send a message when it really mattered. They can't all have defected, right?" He glanced over at Golden Snidget with suspicion.
Golden Snidget replied,
"Not all of them are my people. The managers at the East German Park we're chosen by Phoenix, but I'll take responsibility for checking the two managers at the West German Park."
Despite what he said, Golden Snidget didn't really want to believe any of the collaborators he had nurtured over the years would turn against him.
"Of course, I'll investigate my own people thoroughly," Phoenix said quickly, rolling his eyes as Golden Snidget seemed about to blame him.
"But besides those in charge, we need to carefully check the park employees too, especially the patrol teams."
Golden Snidget sighed, shaking his head.
"That's a lot to cover, and our headquarters is already stretched thin."
Then he looked at the others and said,
"Alright, I'll send people from the French branch to help out."
Phoenix understood immediately-he wanted reinforcements from his side.
Thunderbird added,
"The unicorn isn't much use in the UK right now. If needed, I can ask her to come back and support."
Golden Snidget nodded, satisfied. Given how things stood, the recalled Silver Wand agents seemed more trustworthy.
Suddenly, Thunderbird looked thoughtful and turned to Golden Snidget.
"Now that the club's taken such a big hit, will this change your plans for Germany?"
Golden Snidget knew what he was asking about-the strategy to divide Germany-and also knew Thunderbird wasn't fully in the loop.
"It will have some impact. For one, many park managers and personnel are part of German civil forces. Without their support, it's much harder to stir up unrest in civil society."
Phoenix frowned, feeling the weight of the news.
"So, will this delay the progress of the split bill?" he asked, clearly troubled.
"Unfortunately, yes. That's not good news," Golden Snidget admitted.
"You should understand how crucial it is for us to keep Germany divided. Their strategy and the park's plans work hand in hand. Right now, with so many resources already stretched thin, if the process of dividing Germany gets delayed, then everything we've worked for, the elixir, could be lost."
Golden Snidget fully grasped how delicate this situation was. It wasn't just about politics; it was tied to their very survival and had been the club's focus for the past decade.
Yet, despite the gravity of the moment, when no solutions we're offered, Golden Snidget couldn't help but feel a surge of frustration.
Golden Snidget barely managed to hold back his feelings, but the Thunderbird beside him wasn't so lucky.
"This situation threatens the foundation of our existence," Thunderbird said, clenching his fists in anger.
"We can't just sit back and watch this happen!"
He shouted fiercely,
"Can't we find a way to speed up that blasted bill you mentioned? Where's the resistance? If peaceful methods fail, we should consider special measures."
By special measures, he meant using force.
Alex knew that right now, the key was to keep fighting within the club, using the park's resources to fuel the struggle.
If they could stir up internal conflicts or push the other side into reckless use of force, it would expose their weaknesses.
When he faced Golden Snidget before, Alex had considered provoking internal strife, hoping to take him down as Thunderbird. But Golden Snidget's strength surprised him; he sensed a calmness in Golden Snidget's magic that showed no fear.
That's why Alex decided to hold back for now. A direct confrontation would risk revealing his identity and jeopardizing the plan.
Instead, Alex began to ignite conflict from a different angle. If Golden Snidget got tempted into using violence to speed up the division, Alex could set a trap and crush the club before it gained any momentum.
But even amid such pressure and danger, Golden Snidget remained clear-headed.
"No! We're not at that point yet," he insisted.
"Rushing in won't speed things up; it'll only cause setbacks and create more problems. We've fought for this for years, and now, finally, there's hope. We must not mess this up; now is definitely not the time to go to extremes!" Golden Snidget warned firmly.
But Thunderbird wasn't ready to give up.
"We don't have any raw materials left!" he insisted.
"The number of magical creatures being smuggled hasn't gone up, and it's impossible to bring in supplies from outside. Do you even care about what happens to us? Or are you already so confident you don't need to worry?"
By confidence, Thunderbird was hinting that Golden Snidget had somehow mastered the elixir formula.
To those who had never met the Horned Basilisk, this was a perfectly reasonable guess.
Phoenix glanced at Golden Snidget with a complicated look. Besides Thunderbird, others had the same suspicion but kept it to themselves, while Thunderbird, being straightforward, spoke out loud.
Seeing them doubt him again, an unfamiliar anger welled up inside Golden Snidget.
"How many times do I have to say it? I can't control the Horned Basilisk's thoughts. If he doesn't want to show up, there's nothing I can do about it! The place he stays is protected by the Fidelius Charm. I can't even take you to meet him!"