#557 - Suspected third party forces (asking for monthly votes and recommendation tickets)

"So, what happened with the Silver Spears during the days I was gone?" Anduin asked Hogg while fixing himself a few dragon sausages and slicing some ham, stuffing the food into his mouth.

"Hehe, the same old thing. After so many days, they still can't find any leads on the lost magical creatures. The Ashwinder has been a bit self-destructive lately, drinking heavily at headquarters all day long." Hogg revealed a sly expression, spying on the Silver Spears being his daily source of joy.

After chuckling mischievously, Hogg regained his composure and said, "However, besides the internal affairs of the Silver Spears, a big piece of news has broken out in the German wizarding world recently. Do you remember the 'Berlin United Front'?"

"You mean that newly emerged civil organization? I think Goldfinch was planning to disrupt their activities. Did something change in the situation?" Anduin remembered that when Claremont and Pitt met, they mentioned this group, and he thought that the organization's background might be unusual.

"That's right, it's that civil organization. During a recent gathering, they clashed with the 'West German Endeavor Society,' and what happened next basically confirmed your initial assumptions." Hogg became energetic when talking about gossip.

"Oh? Did someone from the 'West German Endeavor Society' beat a member of the 'Berlin United Front' to death?" Anduin sneered. He knew that this civil organization was not simple, and Goldfinch's enemies were probably more than just these people, and now they are emerging one by one.

"Things weren't that serious." Hogg shook his head in denial. "Several members of the 'Berlin United Front' were severely injured. This incident caused a great deal of public opinion in East and West Germany. The actions of the 'West German Endeavor Society' have aroused condemnation from many civilians, media outlets, well-known wizards, and wizarding families."

"Only injured a few people? It seems that the forces behind the 'Berlin United Front' are a little soft-hearted. This can only cause some minor trouble for Pitt's side at most and won't undermine their foundation." Anduin shook his head regretfully. If he were handling this matter, he would definitely strive for more benefits.

"But even so, it's given Pitt a hard time." Hogg's expression became animated as he said this. "He's been held back by this mess recently, and the decree to divide the 'International Magical Trade Standards Association' has been put on hold as a result."

"It seems that without Claremont, Pitt's control over those civil organizations has been weakened a lot. Otherwise, things wouldn't have gotten so out of hand with people watching." Anduin chewed on the delicious dragon sausage while muttering to himself, then suddenly asked, "Has the club investigated the forces behind the 'Berlin United Front'? Do they know who is opposing them?"

"Not really. The club's energy has been focused on recovering the magical creatures recently." Hogg looked at Anduin with some surprise. "Why? Do you have any guesses about this?"

"I have some guesses." Anduin nodded in acknowledgement when he heard this. "I think this 'Berlin United Front' is probably inseparable from Kuller, the Director of the International Magical Cooperation Department."

"Ah? Kuller? That nice old man in the German Ministry of Magic? Hasn't he always stayed out of the power struggles in the Ministry?" Hogg looked at Anduin in confusion. He didn't know why the other party would come to such a conclusion.

"It's simple. Just look at who is benefiting from this matter. The International Magical Cooperation Department is directly affected by this incident. If the division bill is not implemented in his department, then his power will not be weakened," Anduin simply speculated.

"But that doesn't make sense. What's the benefit for Kuller in doing this? Is it just to prevent the division bill from entering his department? That's too small-minded. Using a civil organization to oppose Pitt should have a bigger purpose, right?" Hogg still felt that something was not quite right.

"This Kuller is known as neutral in the Ministry of Magic, but neutral can be called a fence-sitter." Anduin sneered. "The 'Berlin United Front' handled this matter very carefully. If they wanted to completely prevent Pitt from dividing Germany, the methods should have been more drastic."

"In the end, only a few people were injured, so I feel that the forces behind the 'Berlin United Front' are either soft-hearted or have other purposes."

"Other purposes?" Hogg tilted his head in confusion. "Are you saying that they aren't entirely opposing Pitt?"

"I estimate that the other party wants to use this 'Berlin United Front' as their bargaining chip. If the division of Germany is truly irreversible, he will use this to negotiate terms with Pitt and conduct internal transactions. If something goes wrong on Pitt's side, he probably wouldn't mind kicking them when they're down. In short, the other party won't lose out no matter what." Anduin seemed to have figured out that Kuller's thoughts.

"Then does he have value in cooperating with us? If we add the International Magical Cooperation Department to our camp, our chances of winning should be much greater, right?" Hearing what Anduin said, Hogg also felt that it made a lot of sense, and then thought about whether he could win him over.

"I think we should just leave him alone." Anduin shook his head in denial. "If it's really as I expected, then that old guy is probably very cunning. Exposing our existence to him will only increase the risk. We already have enough cards in our hand. Just play them step by step. As long as that Kuller isn't stupid, he'll know which side to stand on."

"Hehe, that guy is probably still gloating over his plans." Hogg seemed to have thought of something interesting, covering his mouth with his paw and chuckling mischievously. "I wonder what kind of expression he'll have when he sees the big bomb we throw out."

Anduin shook his head helplessly when he heard this. He didn't have such a twisted sense of humor as Hogg.

The next morning.

After a night of rest, Anduin finally recovered a lot of his energy, then changed into the Silver Spear uniform and came to the Silver Spear headquarters.

Perhaps because the club's situation has been too turbulent recently, even the Ashwinder didn't feel like joking with him.

You should know that this guy was still in the mood to tease Thunderbird a few times when he learned that the British transit station plan had failed, which shows how big of an impact the three breeding farms being raided had on the club.

"Why are you here again? Did something else go wrong with the Nordic transport this time?" The Ashwinder grumbled at Thunderbird with some annoyance. "I've noticed that every time I meet you, something unlucky happens to the club. First, there was the failure in Britain, then the breeding farms, and now even the Nordic transfer...?"

"What are you thinking about?" Thunderbird rolled his eyes at the Ashwinder speechlessly. "There were some problems with the Nordic transfer, but I've already resolved the situation. I'm here this time because..."

Anduin used Thunderbird's tone to briefly recount the situation in the Nordic region to the Ashwinder.

"Phew..." The Ashwinder breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Thunderbird's words. "It's good that those goods are okay, so you're here to seek support from headquarters?"

"That's right. They suffered great losses in the previous battle. Although they have escaped the control of the Pure Land Society, the environment they are in is very poor, and they won't be able to operate again for a while. So, in addition to supplies, it's best to send some people to assist them, preferably one or two Short Spears."

"Besides the lack of manpower and supplies, there won't be too many twists and turns in their next journey, so I won't be returning to the Nordic region to escort them. When you pick people, it's best to find some stronger ones. Although there are no dangers on the subsequent journey, it's always more reassuring to have an extra layer of insurance."

While making his requests, Thunderbird handed the list of magical creature transports to the Ashwinder.

"Understood, I'll explain it to Goldfinch later." The Ashwinder knew that Thunderbird, as a Long Spear, had already done his best by wasting so many days in the Nordic region. The less time he openly exposed himself, the easier it would be for people to find his molting period.

So, this kind of escort mission is generally not done by Long Spears. It's only because the current situation is too tense that two Long Spears, Thunderbird and Hag, were dispatched.

After the Ashwinder took the list of goods and briefly reviewed it, especially when he saw that there was a phoenix among them, his eyes lit up. "I didn't expect that there would be so many magical creatures being transported this time. With these raw materials, we can at least replenish more than a year's worth of Elixir of Life. This will give us more time!"

More than a year?

After hearing the Ashwinder's unintentional words, Anduin nodded secretly in his heart. It seems that the Ashwinder also knows a lot about the Elixir of Life's mixing ratio.

There are nearly a hundred magical creatures being transported this time, so what determines the production of the Elixir of Life? It's definitely not the quantity or weight.

According to Anduin's own deduction, it should depend on the life intensity or magic reserve of different magical creatures.

If it only depends on vitality, then the larger the volume and the higher the rank of the magical creature, the more Elixir of Life it can produce. Creatures like the phoenix, which are not large in size but have extremely abundant life energy, may be an exception.

But if it also depends on the magic reserve, then it will be a bit troublesome...

Because compared to magical creatures, the magic reserves of many human wizards are actually not lower than those of magical creatures. Does that mean that wizards or other intelligent creatures can also become consumables for making the Elixir of Life?

To be honest, Anduin was a little worried. If they really pushed the Silver Spears to the end, would they do something extreme?

Such as directly abducting wizards to make medicine, a heinous act!

You should know that Chatiya was also a Silver Spear's cargo back then. Who knows if the club was planning to sell her or use her to do something strange.