After following the magic pipeline for two kilometers, they finally spotted the next magic node cleverly hidden nearby.
"Damn, isn't this the anti-theft monitor we sell?" Shalltear muttered, glancing at a metal pole concealed in the bushes with some annoyance.
"Just as I thought. I didn't expect this product to be used for guarding stolen things," Alex said, his expression revealing recognition.
The so-called anti-theft monitor was actually another product released last year by the Wilson's Arcane Alchemica, following their earlier items like the tactical map, shielding jammer, and anti-apparition jammer.
This anti-theft monitor was designed specifically for customers with security needs, places like Gringotts, merchants protecting valuable goods, and wizarding families with large businesses all favored it. Because it offered strong protection, its risk rating was only Restricted Use. Although this product wasn't sold openly in stores, it could be ordered from Wilson's Arcane Alchemica if approved by the Ministry of Magic.
The new product weren't as high-quality as the previous ones. The other three definitely weren't for sale, and even the British Ministry of Magic hadn't revealed that they had such items.
When it comes to overseas trade, this kind of top-tier alchemy equipment is strictly controlled by the Ministry of Magic. In other words, if someone abroad wanted to buy these kinds of props, they'd have to order directly from the British Ministry of Magic.
Going through Alex wouldn't help at all. The Ministry evaluates the buyers carefully before approving any trade. This system is in place to ensure that dangerous items don't fall into the wrong hands, if criminals got hold of this equipment, it could lead to serious trouble.
Take the Golden Snidget, for example; it probably purchased the gear directly from the UK with help from the German Ministry of Magic. If an official organization buys this level of equipment, the British Ministry wouldn't hesitate to approve it. But now, these items have somehow trickled down from the Ministry into the hands of Silver Wand.
"Master, why are people from the Ministry of Magic selling our stuff to smugglers?" Shalltear's face turned green with anger as she looked at the anti-theft monitor and couldn't help but curse
"Well, it's not weird," Alex replied. "They don't know all the details about Minister Eisenberg. If the Minister of Magic of germanry want to buy something before we found out the truth, would you have said no?"
It was ironic to see their own products being sold like this, Alex let out a chuckle .
"Master, you're still laughing," Shalltear asked.
"Since there's an anti-theft monitor here, there's probably more of these in Silver Wand's possession. I wouldn't be surprised if the defenders at the breeding base start wearing tactical vests soon."
"That… actually makes sense," Shalltear muttered.
Alex nodded. "But this equipment isn't cheap. Someone probably doubled the price before selling it."
"If the second-layer guards are all equipped with anti-theft monitors, that's already a huge investment," Shalltear said.
"And Silver Wand has two more breeding bases. Outfitting all of them at this level… the costs would be massive. How are they affording anything else?"
Since the Ministry of Magic took over the exclusive rights to supervise Restricted Use-level products from Wilson's Arcane Alchemica, they essentially gained a monopoly on the foreign trade of these goods. As a result, many high-ranking officials within the Ministry began acting like shrewd businessmen.
Whenever they had the chance to travel abroad, they made sure to sell these products as aggressively as possible. Minister Bagnold even introduced an internal commission system, the more you sell, the bigger your cut, which led the chief and deputy directors to fiercely compete for assignments that involved traveling overseas.
Alex was pleased to see this outcome. After all, his products had a high profit margin, and given the steep prices of the Restricted Use-level items, the sales volume wouldn't be enormous. With the Ministry of Magic essentially acting as his free distribution channel and promoting his products internationally, Alex saw this as a win no matter how you look at it.
Shalltear suddenly seemed to realize something and smiled brightly. "Master, we might have gotten lucky here," she said.
"After raiding this breeding base, we can actually recover these anti-theft monitors and refurbish them. They're still in good shape, so maybe we could even sell them through the Ministry of Magic."
Alex stared at her in disbelief. "Robbery? We're here to rescue innocent magical creatures, not make a quick buck. Since when did you start thinking like a profiteer?
These devices are practically brand new, magic is still powering them, and their internal energy stores haven't been drained much. All we need to do is clean them properly. No need to waste anything."
He shook his head. "Alright, enough chatter. Let's focus."
Suppressing his own urge to profit, Alex put on a serious face. "Since this breeding base is using our equipment for security, it's like shooting fish in a barrel.
I know these devices inside and out. If they can still detect us, then something's really wrong."
The anti-theft monitors have a detection radius of two kilometers each, meaning they cover a four-kilometer radius around the center. Within the next two kilometers, there shouldn't be any changes.
Leading Shalltear two kilometers away, Alex confirmed that the last four kilometers of the warning area showed no new detection methods. It looked like the inner eight kilometers were all protected by the same anti-theft monitors.
Having figured this out, Alex and Shalltear hurried toward their target. But after traveling a short distance, Shalltear spotted something new. "master, look! There's movement on the map."
Since she was holding the tactical map, she monitored it closely. About a kilometer ahead, a small dot was slowly moving. "Stop here. Zoom in on that area and see what it is."
Alex carefully pulled Shalltear down and instructed her to take control of the tactical map. Earlier, Shalltear had maximized the three-dimensional map in her hands to extend the detection range, but that made the image less clear.
Following Alex's orders, she quickly adjusted the map, expanding the area to focus on recent movement. Soon, they clearly saw a wizard holding what looked like a swallow-tailed dog.
"It seems that as we get closer to the core area, there are not just magical detection methods but actual patrols," Alex observed, not too worried since the patrol was still some distance away.
"Master, look at this guy's route. He's going to pass right through the path we plan to take.
We have the map, so we're not too concerned about the patrol, but what about the dog? We haven't eliminated the scent along the way."
Shalltear looked at Alex with concern but then seemed to remember something.
"By the way, do you think that patrolling wizard is wearing tracking glasses? Those are sold at the Ministry of Magic, according to the product list."
Alex nodded. "Good catch. I actually considered that before we came."
He pulled out a small potion bottle, its seal already broken. "I've been using this, it's a scent-removal potion. Wipes out any trace of our presence, so the dog won't be able to track us