"At tomorrow night's banquet, I'll introduce you to a few local alchemy masters. They're very interested in your work. Getting involved with them might help your alchemy go further. After all, I'm not a professional alchemist," Mr. Bones said casually after taking a small sip of whiskey.
"Thank you for your kindness," Alan said, showing great respect for his mentor who had always supported him. "I've also been corresponding with several alchemists in Cairo and have long wanted to meet them in person."
Mr. Bones nodded with satisfaction. "Oh, also, if you have time over these next two days, browse around the Karahei Bazaar. The bookstores there sell many alchemy-related books. This is, after all, the forefront of the field and has much of the latest information."
"I'm very interested in Karahei," Alan agreed, then asked curiously, "Mr. Bones, besides attending the conference, I also wanted to expand my alchemy business here. What are the requirements for selling products?"
"Oh? Your ambition is quite large," Mr. Bones chuckled. "You probably saw today that most of the market here consists of stalls. If you're really interested in doing business, you could actually rent a stall and try it out."
"Can the stalls be rented freely?" Alan's eyes lit up. He wasn't familiar with the local laws, but doing alchemy business in Britain had significant restrictions, requiring rigorous safety ratings from the Ministry of Magic.
"The external stalls of the entire Karahei Bazaar are controlled by the Egyptian Alchemy Research Center. They manage them jointly with the Egyptian Ministry of Magic. Those merchants don't have actual property rights; all stalls are rented. Of course, some well-located core stalls are rented long-term by masters to sell their own products, but there are still quite a few short-term rental stalls available."
"If you're interested, you can apply at the Alchemy Research Center inside the Bazaar. The location might not be particularly prime, but obtaining one isn't difficult. At the same time, the management of item categories is quite lenient. As long as it's not a cursed item, even dark arts tools can be sold normally. And if your products are popular enough, there should be many local merchants willing to cooperate with you as agents."
"I see. So the Egyptian Alchemy Research Center must be very wealthy?" Alan had only asked casually, but he hadn't expected it to actually be feasible.
"Naturally. You should know that researching alchemy itself is very resource-intensive, and all masters are, so to speak, built upon a foundation of Galleons," Mr. Bones chuckled.
"Then do you have trustworthy friends locally who would be willing to act as agents for my products?" If his goods could open up a market in Egypt, Alan would have the opportunity to expand throughout Europe.
"Yes, I do," Mr. Bones nodded. "However, while they have a good impression of you, they are also very realistic people. If your products can't impress them, those old fellows won't be willing to bother with you."
"I understand," Alan nodded. He already had a preliminary understanding of the environment. Compared to the strict rules in Britain, this place seemed to value strength, both in terms of wealth and technology. As someone who favored pragmatism, Alan didn't dislike such an ecosystem.
The teacher and student chatted for a while longer, and Mr. Bones provided a thorough introduction to the local customs and traditions before leaving the room.
Once alone, Alan didn't rush out to wander. Instead, he waited silently until there was another knock on his door. When he opened it, Aseria was standing there.
"How was it? Did you get in touch with the Thunderbird?" Alan immediately asked after letting her inside.
"I've already contacted him. He wants me to meet him tonight. What should I do, my Lord?" Aseria knew Alan wanted to deal with the Thunderbird, and her task was to assist him.
"I've already locked onto his location using the Aethonan mask, but he's currently in the Cairo city area, which makes it inconvenient for me to act. When you meet him tonight, find out the purpose of his trip to Egypt. That guy is so arrogant that he might not tell you, but gather as much information as you can. Secondly, find a way to lure him out of the city, preferably to an uninhabited area. If you can't do it right away, that's fine. You can use me as bait—fabricate whatever you need."
Alan had located the Thunderbird through the mask just now, but the man was currently not far from Karahei. Furthermore, another contact person had appeared on the mask's tracking map. Recalling Aseria's previous introduction to the Silver Spears, Alan suspected that person was Aethonan's former superior, 'Sphinx.' However, that person's location was unusual—they were inside the Karahei Bazaar. It seemed their public identity was quite special.
"Lure him out of the city?" Aseria looked at Alan with some hesitation. "Are you really planning to deal with him alone? Wouldn't that be too risky? Director Bianca and Mr. Bones are both here, and Mavis and I are also a fighting force. If we contact the local Ministry, we could have even more people. Why not just go directly and arrest him?"
Aseria couldn't understand why Alan had to make things so complicated when it could be a group effort. She knew the opponent was strong; if anything went wrong, it would be disastrous. Was Alan also an old-fashioned duelist who only thought about one-on-one combat?
"I have my own plans for this. You don't need to worry about me. I need to secretly deal with the Thunderbird, specifically without letting others know about his existence or movements. Just do as I say, understand?" Alan sneered, not bothering to explain further.
"Yes, my Lord," Aseria replied obediently, though she remained confused.
After seeing Aseria off, Alan packed his bags and set off for the Karahei Bazaar. Dealing with the Thunderbird was important, but his own business was even more so.
Upon returning to the Bazaar, Alan didn't immediately browse the stalls or go to the Research Center. Instead, he followed the tracker on the Aethonan mask, searching for the second contact in Egypt. It was highly possible that this person was the head of the Silver Spears' Egyptian branch.