In Thunderbird's eyes, Martin's actions had been akin to betrayal, and he had once thought of eliminating him. Sphinx, however, had secretly protected the tavern owner, as a remnant of their old friendship still remained.
Sphinx's Egyptian branch was one of the few Silver Spears operations that didn't need to provide smuggled magical creatures to the headquarters. He only needed to periodically send a portion of his profits, since Egypt was a renowned trading nation within the wizarding world. Therefore, Sphinx's contact with the headquarters was very tenuous; it was quite normal for them not to communicate for a year or even longer.
Other branches operated under a similar framework, usually letting local black market collaborators handle the heavy lifting of smuggling goods. The leaders only appeared at headquarters once in a while to exchange their efforts for the Undying Elixir; otherwise, they were nowhere to be seen.
This loose organizational structure within the Silver Spears was highly advantageous to Alan's plans. He had already neutralized the Thunderbird, but Sphinx knew the duelist had gone to meet him. To avoid alerting the alchemist, Alan needed to vanish from sight, meaning he could no longer attend the Alchemy Conference.
After returning to the inn, Alan found Aseria and asked her to make excuses to Bianca on his behalf. He told her to say he had urgent matters to attend to and could no longer participate in the meetings—the vaguer the excuse, the better. This would keep Sphinx deceived for a few days while he figured out how to handle Mr. Sebastian.
The method, however, would have to be slightly different from his confrontation with the Thunderbird. Sphinx was not a hothead and would be difficult to lure into the wild, which meant Alan would have to make his move within the city grid. Based on Thunderbird's previous testimony and the coordinates he had gathered, Alan set his sights on the black market managed by Sphinx, located in the remote outskirts of Cairo.
*Perhaps it would be safer to make a move on him at the market or on his way to and from it. After all, he hasn't taken the Undying Elixir yet, so he occasionally goes to the site in person. Given that Cairo is experiencing peak pedestrian traffic right now, the possibility of him being there to oversee operations is quite high.*
Alan quickly calculated his strategy, confirming the baseline. He would remain hidden for the next few days and monitor Sphinx's movements. The moment the man left the city for the market, he would strike.
The tactics he prepared for Sphinx were not as complex as those used against the Thunderbird, as Sphinx's combat strength was not particularly high by comparison. Still, the man should easily be able to handle three or five Aurors of Aseria's caliber without a problem. The key requirements were to prevent him from escaping, ensure he couldn't leak information, and capture him alive if possible. Alan was highly interested in the unique alchemy techniques the researcher possessed.
With his mind made up, Alan slipped away from the tavern, completely moving into the shadows. Bianca and the others didn't think much of it after receiving Aseria's notification. The most critical award ceremony of the conference had already concluded, and as the owner of a trading company, it was reasonable for Alan to have urgent business to arrange.
In Sebastian's eyes, however, the absence meant something entirely different. When he noticed Alan did not attend the subsequent sessions and confirmed that no one had seen the young man since the night before, he assumed the Thunderbird had successfully dealt with him. The relaxed behavior of the British Ministry officials was likely because they hadn't realized their star alchemist was missing yet.
As a leader of the club, Sphinx was sensible enough not to contact the Thunderbird directly. Unilaterally reaching out to those who drank the Undying Elixir could easily be misconstrued as plotting against them, and even if he did send a message, they rarely replied promptly. Therefore, as long as Alan did not reappear, Sphinx would remain entirely unaware that the Thunderbird's operation had run into a wall. He simply relaxed and continued to participate in the academic exchange at his leisure.
After the second day of the conference ended, Sphinx showed no unusual activity, returning to his regular routine without visiting his illegal enterprise. Alan remained patient. He decided that even if the target didn't act during the conference, he would continue to stake out the location until a weakness appeared. He wasn't even planning to return to Britain with Bianca. As far as the Thunderbird's disappearance was concerned, Sphinx was the only remaining insider who could connect the dots.
Fortunately, Sphinx's subsequent actions relieved Alan's timeline. On the evening of the third day after the conference wrapped up, the researcher vanished from the Cairo city limits. According to the tracker's telemetry, he was heading straight toward the coordinates of the black market. Alan immediately prepared himself, following the magic signal directly.
The immediate problem, however, was that Sphinx had Apparated directly to the site, and he would surely Apparate back once his business was finished.
*Intercepting him midway is unrealistic. If that's the case, I can only make my move within the black market itself. I'll need to be exceptionally cautious to avoid alerting the patrons or leaking data. However, Sphinx's true identity is unknown to the public—even his collaborators and his subordinate Short Spears have no idea who he really is.*
*If he appears there under his public guise as Sebastian, I'll take him down with lightning speed and mask the incident as a standard black market brawl.*
After a careful mental rehearsal, Alan looked up at the entrance of the market.
Although it was designated as a black market, the exterior resembled a dilapidated ancient Egyptian temple. The plaster on the walls was crumbling, exposing the ancient mud bricks underneath. Because it was located far from the city grid and surrounded by open desert without a single road leading to it, there were no Muggles in sight. From a distance, it looked entirely abandoned.
Alan had already altered his appearance, wearing the face of Gerald Stevens. His tactical equipment was covered by a local Arabian robe, and he wore a traditional headscarf. He pulled out the invitation and walked toward the temple structure.
The moment he approached the threshold with the invitation in hand, the illusion broke, and the desolate ruins transformed. The temple before him was brightly lit, its main entrance wide open. Two goblin guards in local attire stood watch at the gates, and through the high windows, the sounds of shouting vendors echoed from within.
*The invitation itself is a temporary alchemy tool; only those holding it can pierce the illusion. The density of the Shield Charms and Confusion Spells here is remarkably high. As expected of a great alchemy nation, even their black market has intricate layers.* Alan observed the architecture with genuine interest.
"Hello, please show your invitation," one of the goblin guards said in a flat tone, blocking his path. Although those without a pass wouldn't discover the market, this was Cairo; there was always a chance a stray alchemy master might stumble onto the ward. For unfamiliar faces, the guards still maintained strict protocol.
"Here." Alan spread out the parchment invitation.
After the guard confirmed the magic signature, his demeanor shifted into a sharp smile. "Hello, esteemed wizard, please forgive the delay. You look unfamiliar to our regular crowd. Is this your first time visiting the Ismailia Market? Do you require a guide to show you around?"
Looking at the goblin's strained expression, Alan shook his head indifferently. "I'll just wander around myself. Don't bother me."
He flicked a silver Sickle toward the guard. The goblin caught it, his smile widening instantly. "No problem, sir. If you require any assistance within the market, simply call upon the wizards wearing green armbands; they are the staff here and will serve you with utmost dedication."
Alan shook off the guard and walked inside, wondering briefly why the goblins in Egypt were just as money-minded as those in London.
Once inside the market, he realized the scale of the operation was immense. Although contained within the footprint of the temple, the interior area had been significantly expanded by an Extension Charm. The market layout formed a grid of intersecting corridors, with stalls lined up on both sides in a style similar to the Karahei Bazaar. However, the stalls here were much smaller, with each merchant occupying only about four or five square meters, resembling a crowded flea market.
The inventory on display was far more volatile than anything allowed in the legal districts. Fresh magical creature meat was hacked into portions and laid out on tarpaulins like ordinary pork. There were dozens of prohibited creatures displayed in iron cages. Alan even noticed several sirens, bruised and listless, trapped in large water tanks. These were intelligent beings, classified as individuals with human status by the International Confederation of Wizards. He hadn't expected the local syndicates to dare to engage in human trafficking; this was a capital offense under any Ministry's jurisdiction.
The most prevalent items throughout the corridors were various dark artifacts and relics extracted from ancient ruins. Because Egypt preserved a massive number of historic structures, there was a constant influx of independent explorers, tomb raiders, and rogue curse-breakers seeking to liquidate their finds. While official Ministries claimed to regulate these sites to neutralize ancient curses, the underlying driver was always the immense profit tied to the artifacts buried within the sands.
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