Sebastian was very frank in his explanation to Gerald, directly offering his conclusion. This was not beyond Gerald's original expectations.
"It seems Golden Knight is the key. We can consider starting with him."
"Among you old-timers, he's the most loyal to the leader, and he's also your former brother. Can you really bring yourself to do it?" Sebastian still couldn't be one hundred percent sure of Gerald's stance. He wasn't sure if his current anger was temporary, or if the man, in a fit of passion, would truly go through with a rebellion.
"You don't need to worry about that!" Gerald cast a cold glance at him. "Keep an eye out for me now. As soon as headquarters contacts you—whether it's Golden Knight or Rune Serpent—remember to copy the information for me!"
"Understood." Sebastian was not surprised by Gerald's assertiveness. His former mentor had always spoken to others in this tone, and who could blame him? If you can't beat him, you simply admit defeat.
After Gerald efficiently obtained everything he wanted from Sebastian, he stood up and vanished from the room without another word. Sebastian and Martin finally breathed a sigh of relief. The pressure from Thunderbird was simply too immense. Their cooperation felt less like a mutual agreement and more like direct coercion.
Meanwhile, Alan, having stepped away from the tavern, felt completely relaxed.
*I didn't expect Thunderbird's identity to be so useful. There's no need to beat around the bush; I can just go straight for what I want. It seems that in the future, when I don't want to reason with someone, I'll just use Gerald's face to handle things.*
Alan sneered slightly, then pulled out the technical documents he had collected. Moving forward, he had two primary tasks. First, study these blueprints to identify vulnerabilities at the organization's headquarters and research how to safely modify the original faceless masks. It would be ideal if he could use this data to strengthen his tracking network. Second, complete the Bloodline Transmutation. Only then could he fully inherit Thunderbird's mask and view the historical data and communication threads stored within it. Once all this was done, he could use the identity of Thunderbird to contact the Silver Spears network scattered across various global locations.
However, these adjustments could not be completed overnight. He first needed to wrap up his trip to Egypt. Fortunately, he had already established terms with Sphinx, so Alan's eventual reappearance wouldn't cause any unusual reactions from this particular wizard. As for whether his meeting with Sebastian would leak, Alan was not overly concerned. From his understanding of the Silver Spears, the members suffered from a total lack of basic trust. Even if Sphinx didn't trust him, he wouldn't risk revealing the incident. And even if it did leak, it didn't matter; it was Thunderbird who was plotting a rebellion, which had nothing to do with Alan Wilson. At worst, he could find a way to capture another leader and take their place later.
After locking down his plans, Alan reverted to his original appearance and returned to the hotel. The moment he walked through the lobby, Bianca sought him out. The three-day Alchemy Conference had officially concluded, and the trade agreements had been finalized.
"Alan, what have you been busy with these past two days? You haven't signed an additional contract with another Alchemy Master, have you?" Bianca looked at him with a warm smile. Alan was now the British Ministry's primary asset, and she wished his business would spread across the globe.
Alan felt a bit amused by her impatience, shaking his head. "Distribution contracts aren't that easy to secure. Being able to establish trade relations with local masters in Egypt is mainly due to you and Professor Bones taking the lead and providing guarantees. For merchants from other countries, I have to scrutinize them carefully; otherwise, what if I get scammed?"
"These past two days, I've been researching and inspecting local artifacts. The products here are rich in variety, which can provide me with inspiration for developing new inventory. Perhaps in a while, I'll have new equipment coming out, specifically related to communications. You can look forward to it."
Alan wasn't entirely deceiving her. Beyond tracking Sphinx, he had spent a significant amount of time inspecting the market sectors, collecting a large volume of alchemy materials and texts he had never encountered before. Furthermore, he wasn't lying about the new products. After studying the Silver Spears' mask mechanics, he had developed a long-distance communication protocol from it, which he had relied on for his previous coordination with Hog.
However, the specialized device was expensive to produce, so Alan had been seeking methods to reduce manufacturing costs. Within the technical data Sebastian had handed him, he discovered a material with a lower overhead and excellent conductivity—an artificial compound designated as magic-conducting adhesive.
The manufacturing process was fascinating. The material required a base of common magical alloys mixed with specific animal fats and plant secretions to synthesize. The method seemed entirely unscientific to Alan's Muggle sensibilities, but it was highly effective in practice. He had already observed the physical application of the material; it formed the base layer of the Silver Spears' masks. While the production cost wasn't cheap, it wasn't nearly as restrictive as a Goblin-monopolized alloy like Aether Mithril. If manufactured into a wireless earbud style, the profit margin for a communication device would be immense.
"Really?" Bianca became excited again. "I can't wait to see it."
Alan smiled at her enthusiasm. It was clear the projected tariff revenue was making the Ministry officials lose their usual composure. "By the way, how did the trade negotiations conclude? What did the final trade quota look like?" This directly impacted his factory's upcoming foreign production lines.
Trade agreements between Ministries were typically treated with high confidentiality to prevent individuals from using the information for personal gain. But the British wizarding world's export market was weak, and the sudden popularity of the Silver Lightning Trading Company meant the agreement was essentially tailor-made for Alan's output.
Bianca was eager to share the details. "Initially, we only planned to request an increase to the annual trade quota by thirty to fifty thousand Galleons, but the distribution agreements you reached with those alchemy masters gave us massive leverage. The transactions confirmed on-site alone were close to eighty thousand Galleons. If we include the tactical equipment operated directly by the Ministry, we estimate the total volume could approach one hundred thousand Galleons—and that's just from Egypt. This sent a massive signal to the other delegations!"
"So, what was the final number?" Alan pushed. He needed hard data to arrange his factory schedules and calibrate his lathes.
"We calculated that even if we treat your Egyptian orders as a standard baseline and then factor in other developed European nations like France, Italy, and Germany, the total volume will easily triple. To be safe, we officially signed a quota of 500,000 Galleons! This means we have successfully doubled Britain's annual trade volume!" Bianca exclaimed, looking thrilled.
"500,000?" Alan frowned slightly. In his estimation, the British Ministry was still being far too conservative. For a disruptive line of products entering a fresh market, the first year would always generate the highest demand due to the novelty factor. Once the market reached saturation, sales would naturally stabilize. Alchemy tools weren't disposable consumables; once a household bought a high-quality lamp or phonograph, they wouldn't replace it immediately. Although Alan had built automated degradation features into the components, it would still take a few years before customers required replacements.
Furthermore, once his items became global commodities, counterfeits would inevitably surface. Alan had already anticipated this. The current retail prices for his inventory were heavily inflated with a serious premium. The moment pirated versions entered the market, he would implement a rapid price cut of ten to twenty percent. No independent workshop would be able to withstand the drop, because his automated factory lines eliminated general labor costs entirely. With uniform quality standards and a massive margin to burn, he could easily reclaim the market.
Therefore, the first two years represented the optimal window for maximum volume, making a half-million Galleon quota a bit restrictive. He had explicitly told Bianca to be aggressive during the talks, but he had clearly overestimated the basic courage of the Ministry representatives.