"Is that guy really that exaggerated? If so, why did you let him handle British affairs?" Michel was a bit flabbergasted when he heard Minister Peter's description.
"Haven't you already experienced his style once? If you fall for him after being defeated by him, I can let you work with him." Minister Peter gave Michel a mocking look. Michel shivered immediately upon hearing this suggestion, then shook his head frantically. He didn't want to work with that kind of guy.
"As for letting him go out and handle British affairs, that's a natural result. Although his personality is rather special, he is, after all, exceptionally powerful and has rich experience in handling matters. He has always been the pioneering vanguard in the club. More than half of the territory in Europe and America was taken down with the help of Thunderbird. When it comes to establishing new branches, he is undoubtedly the first choice. I don't believe the failure of the British branch was caused by his dereliction of duty." Minister Peter still showed sufficient trust in his former good brother, Thunderbird. Minister Peter chatted with Michel for a few more moments, then resumed handling official business.
Meanwhile, Alan followed the path to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and finally met its head in the director's office. Facing this wizard who had always been at odds with Minister Peter, he decided to probe a bit to see if there was a chance to make him an ally.
"You are Alan Wilson, the head of Silver Lightning Trading Company? You look quite young. Come, have a seat." Andre had the appearance of a middle-aged strong man, with a loose formal suit on him. The mottled grey hair at his temples indicated his considerable age, and a fleshy face made him look exceptionally fierce. At this moment, he was scrutinizing Alan with a probing gaze.
Alan showed no discomfort facing this wizard who seemed difficult to get along with. After all, in terms of fierce looks, Andre looked rather refined compared to his old acquaintance, Moody.
"Hello, Director Andre, it's a great honor to receive your invitation." Alan took off his top hat, speaking politely as he slowly sat down at the desk.
"Heh, really? Then why did you go to see our Minister first after arriving at the Ministry of Magic?" Andre grinned somewhat rudely.
"There was no other way. After all, I received Minister Peter's invitation first. If you had sent the invitation first, I would naturally have come to see you first." Alan knew the other party was looking for trouble, so he simply made up an excuse to brush him off.
"I didn't expect you, at such a young age, to already be so glib-tongued." Andre gave a cold smile, then said with a serious expression, "With me, you don't need to say so much official jargon and nonsense. I know what you came to Germany for; I mean your true purpose."
"Oh? I don't know what you mean, sir. My purpose in coming to Germany is just to expand my business. Isn't that common knowledge?" Alan heard the hidden meaning in the other party's words, but cautiously avoided a direct response.
"You, Alan, despite your young age, you're as fond of beating around the bush as that old hag Amelia." Andre rolled his eyes at the other party, speechless. "I'll be direct with you…" Andre pointed at Alan, then at himself. "You, Alan, coming to Germany to investigate Silver Spear Club—that was something I entrusted to the Merlin Order. I just didn't expect them to send such a young fellow like you. This makes me unsure of your capabilities and whether I can fully trust you, which is why I haven't officially met with you until now. This time, I'm merely taking advantage of Minister Peter's invitation to casually meet you."
Alan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. This outcome was indeed somewhat unexpected. This Andre was actually allied with the Merlin Order, meaning this guy was on his side all along. It was worth noting that before he came, Scamander had indeed mentioned that someone would help him here, but had never revealed the specific details. It turned out Newt was talking about Andre.
Although this situation was unexpected, it was also reasonable. After all, if the Merlin Order knew there was something fishy about the Silver Spears, they must have had corresponding sources of information in Germany. At the time, Alan had wondered why Scamander and the others were unwilling to reveal more information. It turned out that their collaborator was the Director of Magical Law Enforcement of a country, and such a sensitive identity indeed couldn't be known by too many people. And it was not surprising for Andre, as the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement who had been operating in Germany for decades, to have secretly investigated some things, especially since this was his home base to begin with. However, to make this guy have to seek outside help, it seems Andre's situation here isn't very good.
Compared to this, Alan didn't show any dissatisfaction with Andre's blunt expression of distrust. After all, in Andre's eyes, he was just a young man who had just graduated not long ago, so some suspicion was normal. However, Alan still teased him slightly, "So that's how it is. Then why are you willing to meet me and tell me all this now?"
Andre saw that the other party could remain so calm even after his identity was revealed, and he felt a bit of admiration. He was certain that the Merlin Order had not disclosed his information to Alan, and Alan's momentary daze just now also proved this point. *It seems Amelia was right after all; this kid has some tricks up his sleeve,* Andre nodded secretly to himself. Then he grinned, "The reason I'm willing to meet you today isn't because I've changed my opinion of you, but because I received a letter from Newt."
"A letter from Mister Scamander?" Alan immediately understood upon hearing this. "It seems he's shared some information with you."
"Indeed, I didn't expect you, kid, to be so capable. You've only been here a few days and you've already caught the club's tail. Newt has made it clear to me to help you as much as possible. At the same time, if you have any dissatisfaction with my previous slight, I can apologize to you, but I'm even more sorry that my personality won't change." Andre said directly.
"Mister Andre, you're quite open-minded. I'm not such a petty person." Alan found it amusing looking at the strong man in front of him. This guy's personality was really quite similar to Moody's.
"Since that's the case, tell me everything you've found since you arrived in Germany and what your plans are next. I don't like playing those roundabout games." After seeing Alan's attitude, Andre's good impression and trust in him increased somewhat.
"Alright, but before that, please excuse my brief impoliteness." Alan responded with a smile, then slowly closed his eyes. Andre, sitting opposite, noticed that the moment Alan closed his eyes, a powerful and solid mental force was instantly released, sweeping rapidly through his office. About ten seconds later, Alan slowly opened his eyes. "Hmm, your office is safe. No traces of monitoring magic were found. However, you've hidden so many sneakoscopes in the room. It seems you still have reservations about trusting me."
At this moment, Andre was looking at Alan with eyes like he was looking at a monster. The intensity of the perception magic this kid just used was incredibly high. It seems that besides the maturity, steadiness, and meticulousness Amelia mentioned, this guy's strength is also not to be underestimated. As for Alan mentioning the sneakoscopes, Andre admitted it nonchalantly, "What's the big deal? When facing a stranger of unknown background, you can never be too careful. Otherwise, did you think I would trust you without reservation just because Newt said a few good words about you?"
Alan couldn't help but think that this Andre was a rough diamond with a fine core. He curled his lips into a slight smile. "I have no complaints about that, but you won't blame my previous cautious actions, will you?"
"Less nonsense!" Andre waved his hand grandly. "That's enough probing. Let's talk about business."
"No problem." Alan nodded in agreement. Communicating with someone like Andre indeed saved a lot of trouble. Then, he briefly organized his thoughts and then blurted out a bombshell, "Your Minister Peter has a problem!"
However, Andre showed no surprise at this, but instead added, "Not just a problem, he has many more problems! It's precisely because I suspected that old bastard was connected to the Silver Spears headquarters that I contacted the Merlin Order. If I weren't struggling without evidence, I would have taken those scoundrels down long ago. You're not just going to tell me this nonsense, are you?"
"It seems you have quite a lot of information, no wonder the Order attaches so much importance to the Silver Spears headquarters." Alan didn't mind Andre's rudeness. "What if I told you that this Minister Peter is very likely the leader of Silver Spear Dueling Club?"
"What? That's impossible!" Andre's eyes widened upon hearing this. He did indeed have some clues linking Minister Peter to the club. But he only thought that Minister Peter was using the power of the Silver Spears, such as funds or manpower, to achieve some ulterior motives, like dividing Germany, consolidating power, and so on. Andre had even considered whether Minister Peter was being used or controlled by the Silver Spears, thereby becoming a protective umbrella for the club's smuggling crimes. It was precisely because of this that he regarded the Silver Spears as his biggest enemy and sought outside assistance to eliminate its leader and German headquarters. But he had never thought that Minister Peter himself would be a member of the Silver Spears, let alone the leader of the club.
"Do you know what you're saying? This is a malicious accusation against a country's Minister of Magic, an absolutely intolerable grave crime." Andre glared fiercely at Alan. "Moreover, Minister Peter was a well-known wizard in Germany over a decade ago. I've known him since then, and I can confirm that his performance over these past ten-plus years has been the same as it is now. He absolutely has not been impersonated!"