Without the looming threat of Death Eaters and with the backing of the Jacobsen family, he felt bolder than ever.
Alex had originally planned to expand Wilson's Arcane Alchemica into Northern Europe, but the region's strong prejudice against non-pure-blood wizards made it tough for him, a Muggle-born, to ensure smooth operations.
Alex urgently needed to find a strong local agent to support his plans.
He had previously targeted Karkaroff, hoping to use his position as Durmstrang's vice-principal as a form of protection.
Now, with Karkaroff expected to be promoted to full principal, things looked even more promising.
Alex had also reached out to the Jacob family, local snake sympathizers, which helped secure his expansion efforts.
In fact, he had factored this connection into his Nordic strategy from the start.
By pushing the Pure Land Club to merge with another group, he intensified the conflict between local Nordic forces and the silver wand, weakening the club's power.
This strategy not only cleared obstacles but also allowed Wilson's Arcane Alchemica to enter the market quickly, a plan that effectively achieved three goals at once.
"Excellent!" Alex said with satisfaction when he saw Karkaroff's confidence.
He didn't forget to offer a tempting deal.
"If my business establishes itself smoothly in the Nordic market, you'll become the agent in charge of the entire Nordic branch of Silver Flash Commercial Bank.
You'll also receive a share of the profits from Northern Europe, starting at 5%. If you do well, your benefits will only grow in the future."
Karkaroff's excitement was obvious.
"Thank you, sir, for trusting me," he said eagerly.
He knew how popular Wilson's Arcane Alchemica's products were. Up until now, Northern Europe had only been able to get them through smugglers, which made prices skyrocket.
If he could control this channel, his status within both the Durmstrang and Jacob families would be secure and stable.
"That's all for today. Let's head back," Alex said, leading Karkaroff toward the forest near the suitcase.
Outside, Azalea and Alex had been waiting for some time.
When he looked at Alex again, her eyes no longer showed confusion but deep gratitude.
"Mr. Wilson, I've heard from my sister about her connection to you. Thank you for taking care of us. I promise I will repay your kindness in the future," Alex said, bowing respectfully.
Alex wasn't exactly sure how Azalea had explained their relationship to Alex, but he smiled faintly and said, "I'm just keeping my promise. You don't have to be so formal, but there's one thing you need to remember.
Once you go back, don't tell anyone about your sister and me, okay?"
Alex nodded obediently.
"My sister already made that clear to me. Don't worry, I won't cause you any trouble. I'll act like I've never even met you."
"Good," Alex replied, then turned to Karkaroff. "It's getting late. Hurry up and take Alex to school so no one gets suspicious."
"Yes, master," Karkaroff said respectfully, stepping forward to lift Alex onto his shoulder before disappearing quickly.
After they left, Azalea approached Alex and spoke softly.
"I didn't tell Alex much about you. I just said you saved my life when I was in trouble and now I work under you."
Alex smiled, glancing at her.
"You don't need to explain so much, I trust you know how to handle things. Now that Alex is cured, I think your worries can ease. I've also told Karkaroff to look after her at school, so don't stress too much."
Azalea nodded gratefully.
The thing she'd been most worried about was her younger sister, and she hadn't expected him to be so reliable, to actually help lift her sister's curse.
Once everything was settled with the new spirit, Azalea lowered her voice.
"Now that we've dealt with the situation in Northern Europe, what's next? Should we head back to Germany?"
Alex nodded casually.
"Yes, we'll leave right away. The club probably hasn't heard about Augurey's destruction yet, but once they do, your identity will become very sensitive. After all, to Golden Snidget and the others, you're still missing. So you need to stay out of the public eye for now, or it could bring trouble for you and your sister."
Before the club's situation was fully settled, Alex told Azalea, "You'll live in my suitcase for now and help me take care of the magical creatures."
Azalea immediately agreed, knowing Alex was serious.
After all, she originally worked for the Department of Management and Control of Fantastic Beasts, so looking after magical animals was part of her job.
Plus, this was in line with the official mission the Ministry of Magic had assigned her.
After giving her some instructions and safety tips, Alex sent Azalea back into the suitcase's hidden space, then picked it up and flew south.
This time, he didn't prepare any extra portkeys or notify the local Ministry of Magic, so he had to make the entire journey by flying, which would take at least a full day and night.
But this was a calculated move, since the club would never suspect 'Thunderbird.' The 'Thunderbird' had already used the door key to travel back and forth to Northern Europe, and there was no other way to move such a long distance.
So, it was effectively erased from the trail.
The 'Thunderbird' that had appeared wouldn't be linked to the recent attacks on Augurey and others.
Two days later, at a German Auror safe house, Alex returned from Northern Europe.
Andre and Moody had been waiting in the reception room for a while.
After completing the joint "Operation Concentric Circle" with the Ministry of Magic of both countries, and finishing his own private looting mission in Northern Europe, it was time to plan the next steps against the silver wand.
As soon as Alex entered, Andre couldn't wait to share the news.
"Alex, did you hear? The Nordic Pure Land Society and the silver wand clashed hard in Norway, and the Pure Land Society took heavy losses. Now, all the official groups across Northern Europe have issued a joint statement. They're cracking down on every Silver Wand activity and have even put a bounty on the club, published across Europe."
"Any wizard or organization in Europe who brings in a Silver Wand leader's head can claim the reward," Andre added with a mocking tone. "The total bounty is as much as one Galleon. This is a big deal."
For Andre, anything that could bring trouble to the silver wand was definitely good news.
Although he wasn't sure of all the details, the Nordic authorities had clearly decided to boycott the silver wand Club.
"I heard about that," Alex said calmly. "There's more gossip going around, apparently, the silver wand killed the headmaster of Durmstrang School of Magic. That's what really set the Nordic authorities off."
"What?" Andre and Moody exchanged surprised looks before their expressions shifted to understanding.