Shalltear let out a quiet breath of relief. "So you were prepared for this from the start." A small smile returned to her face. "Then let's just ignore that guy and sneak around."
"No," Alex said firmly, shaking his head. "We're here to gather intel. Now that we've spotted a patrol, we need to watch them closely, study their route, timing, and equipment. It'll be crucial for the next phase. We're not the only ones planning a raid."
Shalltear hesitated for a moment, then asked, "So… should we sneak closer?"
"We'll use illusion spells to get near and quietly monitor them. With the tactical map, we'll mark their patrol routes and movement speeds. That kind of detail is key for any follow-up action."
"Yes, master," Shalltear replied obediently.
She cast a Disillusionment Curse on herself and followed Alex as they approached the patrolling officer. After walking a short distance, they spotted a faint flickering light ahead and heard a dog barking occasionally. Seeing this, Alex and Shalltear quickly found a hiding spot and waited silently.
As the light grew closer, a patrol wizard appeared, leading a Crup dog in one hand and holding an oil lamp in the other. He passed right by their hiding place as if nothing was unusual. Neither the dog nor the wizard showed any signs of suspicion, indicating that the potion Alex had used was highly effective.
From the patrol wizard's face, Alex confirmed this wasn't a silver wand but one of the club's trusted allies. What worried Alex more was whether there were silver wand stationed throughout the breeding base or if they only held those reliable ally accountable.
The patrol wizard didn't wear any Tracking Glasses, but he did have the standard Tactical Vest sold by Wilson's Arcane Alchemica.
Once the wizard moved out of sight, Shalltear whispered urgently to Alex, "master, did you see? That guy is wearing our tactical vest!"
Alex nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm… that's quite surprising. I didn't expect Golden Snidget to be so well-funded. After buying so many anti-theft monitors, they still have enough resources to equip their ally."
Shalltear looked at Alex with concern. "If we want to raid this breeding base, what do we do about these patrolling guards on the perimeter?
It'll be tough to sneak past them while they're wearing tactical vests. If something goes wrong, we might alert the whole place."
"That's definitely a problem," Alex admitted. "I think the reason they have those vests is so they can send an alarm back to the base if they're attacked."
"So, what's our plan?" Shalltear asked quietly. "Is it really okay? Do we just move on without doing anything?"
Alex chuckled softly, replying calmly, "Yeah, there's no need to worry." Seeing her slightly dissatisfied pout, he added with a smirk, "Honestly, I stopped worrying once I found out those patrolling wizards were using my gear."
Shalltear raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Wait, what? You never mentioned this before. Do all the tactical vests we sell have some kind of backdoor? Why would you do that?"
Alex grinned, "Exactly. Every piece of tactical equipment on the market actually has a hidden backdoor I installed.
It's subtle enough that it doesn't interfere with normal use, but if I cast a specific spell on them, the spell won't trigger. I did it for safety, imagine if one day I faced an enemy wearing my own gear.
If my own equipment ended up working against me, that'd be pretty embarrassing, wouldn't it?"
He laughed lightly, but there was a sharp edge beneath the humor. It was the kind of thinking born from experience, not paranoia.
Shalltear raised an eyebrow, smirking. "I don't know if your gear is really that sneaky… but you definitely are." Her tone was playful, but there was clear respect in her voice.
She had to admit, Alex's level of foresight was impressive. Most people barely planned for the present, he was already preparing for the worst-case scenario, including the chance of his own creations being turned against him.
After briefly monitoring the patrolling wizards, they moved on. Along the way, they spotted another patrol equipped with the same gear. Finally, after crossing both patrol lines, they reached their target location.
Climbing a gentle slope, Alex and Shalltear saw the terrain before them quickly shrink into a large basin. But aside from some trees, there was no sign of human activity , obviously, the area was shielded by powerful magic.
Alex glanced over his shoulder at Shalltear and asked, "Can you see what's ahead on the tactical map?"
She shook her head and handed it to him. "No. The area in front is blocked by some kind of semicircular cover. It's like the map just... stops."
Sure enough, as he inspected it, the depression ahead was completely obscured on the tactical map. From ten meters out, the entire space was represented as a broad, bowl-shaped shield, casting a hazy blank spot over the terrain.
Alex frowned. "If it's enough to block out magical detection and sound waves, then this thing definitely has a physical structure. That means we can't just walk up and tap on it without risking exposure."
Shalltear shifted uneasily. "So... what now?"
"Don't worry," Alex said quietly. "I'll go check it out. If it looks dangerous, we back out right away. Staying hidden is still our top priority."
Without another word, he vanished under the shimmer of a Disillusionment Charm and crept forward.
Stopping in front of the invisible barrier, Alex pulled out a monitoring magnifying glass and studied the surface with careful precision. Through the enchanted lens, faint magical pulses could be seen swirling across the dome-like field.
He extended his hand slowly, stopping just shy of making contact. Then, closing his eyes, he shifted focus, sensing the layers of enchantment through raw intuition and mental analysis.
Back at the map, Shalltear stayed alert, scanning the surroundings for movement. She glanced between the tactical readout and the edge of the clearing, chewing her lower lip as she waited. Finally, just as her nerves started to fray, Alex returned from the shimmering edge.
"Well?" she asked at once. "Can we break through?"
Alex shook his head, eyes serious. "No. This thing's layered with multiple enchantments, a Shielding Charm, Anti-Apparition Curse, and even an Anti-Invisibility field.
Worse, it's got a feedback system. Try to brute-force your way in, and it'll react instantly. Alarms, maybe even other countermeasures."
Shalltear frowned, clearly frustrated. "So we're just going to sit here and watch?"
She was already thinking, though. After a moment, her eyes lit up with an idea.
"Wait, what if we go under it? Didn't you learn Subterreo Curse from Thunderbird? You could burrow beneath it and bypass the surface entirely."
Alex shook his head immediately. "No good. This barrier isn't just on the surface, it goes deep underground, like a dome.
And Subterreo we're using is a modified one, developed by Silver Wand themselves. If anyone would know how to counter it, it's them. They'll be ready."
Shalltear's excitement faded, but before she could sulk, Alex continued.
"But…" he said, a slight grin tugging at his lips, "I can create a small opening. Just enough to slip someone, through without tripping the shield."
Her eyes widened. "Seriously?"