Once she climbed higher, a flicker of unease passed through her. She spotted a few ordinary birds flitting above the base.
At first, it made her tense, but then she remembered what Alex had said, there were small gaps in the magical shield, especially in the sky. Birds could sometimes wander in and out through those holes by accident.
That small detail reassured her. If birds could get through, then so could she. At least at night, it seemed, the sky was hers to move in freely.
From above, she finally got a full view of the breeding base, and it was far more expansive than she'd imagined. It stretched across several hundred acres, resembling a small self-sustaining village, all centered around the care and management of magical creatures.
The outermost sections made up the largest zones, massive grid-like enclosures filled with free-roaming magical beasts. She could see Mooncalf, Tebo warthogs, Abraxan, and even a few Graphorn lumbering through the tall grass.
As she looked inward, the enclosures became more compact and specialized. Some were sheltered under weatherproof coverings, probably for creatures that required specific conditions. Not all areas were populated either, roughly a third of the compartments were completely empty.
That told Shalltear something important: this place wasn't just functional. It was preparing for expansion. The Silver Wand clearly had plans to turn this into a permanent, large-scale magical breeding facility.
Her eyes drifted left, where a modest-sized lake caught her attention. It wasn't just a pond, it took up nearly 20% of the entire base. That had to be for aquatic magical creatures, and its placement made sense, balancing the rest of the land-based habitats.
Closer to the heart of the grounds, Shalltear noticed a cluster of buildings covering another significant portion of land, maybe another 20%. These weren't barns or cages, they were homes, neatly arranged in a circular pattern. Judging by their uniform style, this was clearly housing for the caretakers and guards who lived on-site.
Just beyond the circle of dormitory-style homes stood a handful of large buildings that looked like magical veterinary clinics, bigger than any she'd seen in regular wizarding towns. They were likely used for medical care, breeding support, and maybe even research.
Near these structures were wide, open-air pens with well-groomed lawns. In one pen, a few Crup dogs slept in a pile, tails twitching. In another, several Abraxan stood tied to a fence, their wings folded neatly. It was obvious that this area was meant for training and gentle care, not confinement.
What surprised Shalltear the most was how comfortable everything looked. This wasn't just a functional facility, it was practically a community.
Scattered between the dorms and utility buildings were entertainment spots: a bar glowing with warm yellow light, a cafe with cushioned chairs on a veranda, and even a small square lined with shops. She spotted stalls selling sweets, candies, toys, and even a grocery shop tucked beneath a sloped roof.
To her amazement, there was a public library too, its tall windows faintly glowing from enchanted lanterns within. This wasn't just a base, it was a town built for people to live in, work in, and stay for the long haul.
The more she saw, the clearer it became. This wasn't some temporary research outpost, it was a permanent operation, deep-rooted and well-funded. Whatever Silver Wand was planning here, it was big. And Shalltear was right in the middle of it.
What caught Shalltear's eye the most was the towering stone spire at the very center of the base. It rose at least six or seven stories high if you included the spire at the top.
While the building's footprint wasn't especially large, maybe just a few dozen square meters, it clearly played a central role in the base's magic. Shalltear could actually see the magical energy flowing into its walls, climbing upward in shimmering waves before bursting out in tiny sparks that shot into the sky, merging with the protective barrier hanging overhead like a translucent dome.
'If I'm right,' she thought, narrowing her eyes, 'that spire's the heart of the whole protective spellwork.' The more she looked, the more impressive it all seemed.
Hovering in the night sky, taking it all in, Shalltear couldn't help feeling a little overwhelmed. Then a new thought struck her: 'if the place was this well-built, how many wizards had to be stationed here?'
Even though it was late and most people would be asleep, she spotted five different patrol teams walking the grounds. Each group had two wizards, moving in regular patterns. And those were just the ones inside the base.
Including the ones patrolling the surrounding hills, she counted over a dozen on night duty alone. There would definitely be just as many active during the day. Add in nurses and magizoologists caring for magical creatures, and the handlers, clerks, and researchers managing the place, it wouldn't be a stretch to say the total number of people here was close to a hundred.
"Good thing Master insisted on checking the place out first," Shalltear muttered, wiping the sweat off her brow. "We thought this was just a small outpost, but if we'd stormed in with a handful of people, we wouldn't have just botched the mission, we might not have made it out alive."
She now understood why Germany had such a reputation. It wasn't just a safe haven for the Silver Wand, this was clearly their main stronghold. The number of wizards they had hidden away across the country was staggering.
If what those two wizards said about the six-month rotation was true, then Shalltear guessed there were probably hundreds more working behind the scenes all over Germany. Some of them might not even realize they were part of the Silver Wand, they probably thought they'd landed a prestigious position in magical research or creature management. The way the organization operated, its influence ran deeper than they'd assumed.
With the base's layout fresh in her mind, Shalltear started planning the surveillance setup. The best view would've been from directly above, but they didn't have a stable aerial platform.
Mounting the cameras on the barrier dome might seem ideal, but that would risk triggering defensive spells. And unlike Alex, she didn't have any alchemy skills, so she couldn't wire the cameras into the magic circuits safely. That meant she had no choice but to mount them on the ground.
'The tower's definitely the best place for surveillance,' she thought, eyeing the spire again. 'It's higher than all the other buildings, so putting four surveillance spiders up there would cover most of the base.'
She marked the idea mentally, then added, 'We'll also need one camera facing the main entrance to the tower. If anyone's researching the magic core inside, they might eventually figure out how to bring down the barrier from within. Installing a camera right on the spire would be best, but the gate's completely sealed, so that's going to be tricky.'
She continued mentally ticking things off. "The entertainment area always has people coming and going. We'll need two cameras there, one pointed straight at the bar.
The guards' quarters are important too. To keep eyes on all the movement, we'll need cameras set up along the diagonal roads cutting across the camp, at least six in total for that area.
As for the zoo sector, we need to track the route patrols take around the outer ring road. That'll take five more cameras."
She paused, reviewing her count. "So that's eighteen cameras altogether. I'll bring two extras just in case anything breaks. And over the next few nights, I'll wear a mobile camera to get some aerial footage."