If that were true, it would explain why Phoenix might have taken all the magical creatures the club had collected over the years and kept them for herself.
If she was alone, that stash would be enough to sustain her indefinitely.
And with Phoenix's skills, plus her knowledge of several parks, it was entirely possible she'd quietly raided all of them.
Maybe it wasn't a coincidence that those Aurors had found the imprisoned wizard in the park after all.
Golden Snidget followed this line of thought, and the more he considered it, the more it made sense, and the colder he felt inside.
If Phoenix really was behind this, recovering those magical creatures would be near impossible.
"Golden Snidget... Golden Snidget!" Thunderbird snapped, irritated, when he noticed Golden Snidget had gone silent, lost in thought.
"Huh?" Golden Snidget blinked, still trying to piece it all together.
"I'm afraid this really does have something to do with Phoenix. We need to find her, fast."
"Find her? How? If someone wants to disappear, can you just track them down?" Thunderbird waved his hand in frustration.
"What we should be worrying about is what happens next. How long can the club keep going with that batch of creatures gone?"
Golden Snidget shifted uncomfortably.
"We haven't been able to reach the Augurey team..."
"What?!" Thunderbird exploded.
"What have you been doing? Didn't you send support? I lost so many people! Do you realize how long it took to get them out of Northern Europe? You worked hard for that! Tell me honestly, does Phoenix know the transport route for that batch?"
"Well... I told her about it..." Golden Snidget suddenly grew nervous when Thunderbird asked.
Could it be that Phoenix hadn't even released the Augurey?
"This is a real problem," Thunderbird sighed, then snapped at Golden Snidget angrily, "Honestly, if the Diricawl and the others just vanished into thin air right now, I wouldn't be surprised, you idiot!"
"Don't get so worked up," Golden Snidget said, her mind swirling with confusion.
"Right now, the priority is to stabilize the situation and survive this crisis. Besides, those park wizards the Aurors rescued are also a headache. They could seriously affect the whole European plan."
"So, what do you think we should do?" Thunderbird paused, then said coldly, "Why don't we just kill them all, get rid of those hundreds of wizards once and for all?"
"Are you crazy? They're unprepared, yes, but doing that will spark outrage, not just in Germany, but across the wizarding world," Golden Snidget shot back, stunned by Thunderbird's reckless suggestion.
"If that's the case, then we have to hit other targets," Thunderbird said calmly, looking at Golden Snidget.
"Right now, the most important thing is to save ourselves."
"What do you mean?" Golden Snidget felt a chilling threat behind his words.
"Is this really necessary? It sounds like we're digging our own grave!"
"Then tell me," Thunderbird pressed, "where will we get the elixir after one season? Every time another person hands it out, our clock's ticking faster. Do you have a quick way to get the ingredients?"
Golden Snidget hesitated, knowing Thunderbird was right, but the decision still felt impossible.
"Also," Thunderbird added, "have you checked on the Horned Basilisk's side? Have you considered that he might be behind this whole mess? And if he knows what's going on in the club right now, how can we be sure he won't just abandon us and run?"
After hearing this, Golden Snidget felt a cold knot in his stomach.
It was a possibility they couldn't ignore.
Knowing Horned Basilisk's selfish nature and the fact that the club had lost most of its raw material sources, Golden Snidget doubted whether he could still rely on him for supplies.
Continuing to provide the elixir seemed impossible.
At that moment, Golden Snidget made up his mind.
"First, deal with those wardings," he said firmly, "then I'll find a way to meet Horned Basilisk. If he agrees, we'll go to him together."
Thunderbird, watching Golden Snidget finally let go of his hesitation, felt a surge of confidence.
"Remember, don't tell him about the club's current situation just yet, otherwise, people might storm the building!" he added.
"Don't worry, I'm not an idiot," Golden Snidget responded with a hint of loneliness in his voice.
Then he glanced at Ashwinder beside him.
"I saw you hesitated earlier. Did someone arrive at headquarters again?"
Ashwinder nodded.
"It's Acromantula. She just submitted an entry request. You need to hurry with whatever you're planning."
Their conversation didn't go unnoticed.
Ashwinder was listening carefully.
Though frightened by their decision, he stayed silent since it also concerned his own situation.
"Alright, I'll get to it," Thunderbird said coldly.
He drew his wand, tapped it against himself, and gradually vanished into thin air.
Ashwinder showed no reaction and walked out of the reception room, while Golden Snidget pretended to relax on the nearby sofa.
When Ashwinder returned, he was followed by another Acromantula carrying a Silver Wand.
"Golden Snidget, what's going on? I haven't seen an emergency signal like this in over ten years. Have the magical creatures disappeared?"
Acromantula had rushed all the way from Italy, eager to understand the situation from the previous night.
Golden Snidget, suppressing his anxiety, cut straight to the point.
"Don't bring up anything else. I just want to know one thing, where is Phoenix?"
The tone in his voice was cold and firm.
Acromantula frowned.
"Phoenix? How would I know where she is? Why did you call us here in such a hurry?"
Though she had a good relationship with Phoenix, as a spear, everyone maintained a professional distance.
Golden Snidget's eyes locked onto the giant eight-eyed spider with a sharp intensity, trying to read something from her expression.
"That's right, Phoenix has lost contact. It's very likely she was behind the attack in the park this time."
Acromantula looked surprised.
"Impossible. Why would Phoenix do something like this?" she asked.
"Could it be that her research on immortality has finally borne fruit?"
Golden Snidget shook his head.
"I don't know. The priority now is to find Phoenix. Can you reach her?" his voice was calm, almost hiding something beneath the surface.
Acromantula quickly shook her head.
"I'm not her nanny; I don't keep in touch that often. Even under normal circumstances, we don't..."
Before she could finish, a sharp pain exploded in her chest.
Looking down, she saw a scarlet magical blade piercing through her.
The attacker was none other than the Thunderbird who had been lurking nearby.
"You... what is this?" Acromantula gasped in disbelief, staring first at Golden Snidget and then at Thunderbird.