Since this was abroad, the products were sold at a higher price than domestically; a premium was quite normal. Alan believed that the goods at other stalls were definitely more expensive than they would be in their home countries.
The uncle selling smoked meat, upon hearing Alan's suggestion, understood the strategy and chuckled. "No problem. I don't think I have any reason to refuse."
With that, he smiled and handed over six Galleons, then took two ambient lamps, which resembled desk lamps, from Alan. He mimicked Alan's setup and turned them on in his stall. As expected, having a gimmick made things convenient, and it wasn't long before many wizards stopped to look.
"Young man, your magic lamp is quite effective. As a token of my gratitude, please try our Re'em sausage, a specialty of Romania. If you're interested, I can also give you a discount." The uncle smiled and handed him two grilled sausages.
The wizarding world truly had everything, even Re'em sausage. Alan took a bite out of curiosity and found the taste quite good. He then took a more serious look at the man's stall. He discovered that besides Re'em sausage, he also sold smoked meat and cured sausage made from the same creature, along with other ingredients he had never seen before. Alan couldn't help but swallow; clearly, his appetite had returned. He rolled his eyes as a clever idea took root.
"Uncle!" Alan called out, and after getting his attention, continued, "Would you like to do a bit more business with me?"
"Business? Are you buying my goods?" The uncle's spirits immediately lifted.
"Yes and no," Alan chuckled. "Are you willing to help me sell ambient lamps to other stall owners? The price and conditions are the same as before. For every magic lamp you help me sell, I'll buy one Galleon worth of meat products from you. How about that?"
Alan just wanted to eat, but he didn't want to spend money for nothing. He used the excuse of buying food to turn this uncle into his salesman. After all, Alan was alone, while the uncle had two other people watching the shop; sending one person to help wouldn't be a problem.
"Are you serious?" The middle-aged man confirmed. After receiving an affirmative answer, he immediately agreed. He would just be running errands and talking to neighbors, which seemed like a good deal no matter how he looked at it. He greeted another Romanian wizard next to him, then ran off with a few magic lamps.
Soon, under the sausage uncle's vigorous promotion, bright orbs of light rose above many surrounding stalls, and the trend even spread to the central Karahei Bazaar. Through the initial visual attraction combined with the word-of-mouth from other vendors, Alan's storefront quickly attracted many wizards inquiring about prices. Before long, he had sold eight magic lamps, six phonographs, and three ornaments. Of course, there were no discounts for ordinary customers.
As dusk fell, almost all the stalls in the entire Bazaar featured Alan's ambient lamps. After all, it seemed unreasonable for others to have an advantage you didn't, and stalls with magic lamps attracted far more attention. His stall became bustling, with an endless stream of wizards purchasing alchemy items.
This was the scene Mavis, Vanessa, and Bianca encountered when they came to visit the night market.
"Oh my goodness, what happened to the Bazaar? Aren't these magic lamps a specialty of Alan's shop? Why are they at almost every stall?" Vanessa asked, munching on a grilled flatbread.
"Don't you see the Silver Lightning Trading Company sign on the lamps? It seems this is some kind of marketing tactic by Alan. I didn't expect him to come so early and already start a business," Mavis said, smiling at the special emblem hanging from a nearby lamp.
"It seems Alan's things are very popular here," Bianca noted. She thought the semi-open-air night market, combined with the magic lamps, looked quite suitable. Brilliant orbs of light floated above the entire district and the adjacent alleys, making Karahei look exceptionally festive—more lively than Christmas in London.
However, when they reached Alan's stall, they realized what true popularity looked like. Three or four layers of people surrounded him. Wizards wanting to browse, buy, or just watch were all squeezed together. Vanessa and Mavis had to stand on their tiptoes to see Alan, who was working frantically inside the stall.
Alan noticed them and, looking as if he had been granted a pardon, motioned for them to come in. The two women squeezed through the crowd, curious about his summons.
"Vanessa, Mavis, hurry and help out! I'm almost overwhelmed here," Alan shouted over the noise of the crowd.
"Huh?" Vanessa and Mavis were both stunned. They had come to visit the night market, not to become shop assistants.
"I have no choice. There are simply too many customers. It's my fault for bringing so much stock; I can't handle the volume alone. Please, help me. The prices are marked, and you know how the items work. If someone asks, explain the effects." He leaned in and whispered, "I won't let you work for nothing—ten Galleons for the night."
"Deal!" Vanessa and Mavis exclaimed in unison. They skillfully began to greet customers. Mavis had helped at the shop before, so she was already familiar with the flow.
With the two of them handling the crowd, Alan finally breathed a sigh of relief. From the afternoon until now, the inquiries had been non-stop. He hadn't expected his promotion to be so effective. Many wizards shopping at other stalls had found their way to him after seeing the signs on the lamps.
In just half a day, Alan had sold nearly a hundred lamps and phonographs, and dozens of pendants. The humanoid targets only sold one, however, because he couldn't demonstrate them in the crowded street. In addition to individual customers, Alan also received several merchants from other countries—some running alchemy companies and others in different trades. Their demands were identical: they hoped to cooperate with him.