"You're very well-informed. Are you also British? Or are you…" Alan looked pointedly at Feng.
"As you thought, I work in intelligence. As a recent celebrity in Britain, it wasn't difficult to gather information about you." Feng complimented him with a smile. He hadn't expected to run into this wealthy individual in Germany. According to his informants, Alan's alchemy business already spanned the entirety of Europe, having reached trade agreements with various merchant associations. He heard that the young man was highly favored and valued by the great alchemists in Egypt. This young wizard might very well become a new noble in the future wizarding world. Since he had stumbled upon such a lucrative opportunity, what was he waiting for if not to quickly seize it?
However, Feng wasn't sure why Alan had come to Germany, but he presumed that being unfamiliar with the place, Alan would need his services. So, Feng acted very solicitously.
"So you're an intelligence merchant." Alan wasn't surprised. After a slight nod, he continued to look at Feng. "What services can you offer me? I don't mind using your strength, but I don't know much about you yet, especially your capability. After all, there are different levels of intelligence merchants, aren't there?" Alan didn't waste words with him, openly admitting that he needed relevant assistance.
"As expected of someone who, at such a young age, manages a multinational trading company. You're straightforward." Feng knew from Alan's tone that he was a big shot with plenty of Galleons, and immediately began to flatter him. "As for capability, you don't need to worry. I'm quite confident in my intelligence work, and not just in Germany. I have my own intelligence sources throughout Europe. As long as you need it, I can provide it. Of course, regarding the price…" Feng couldn't help but rub his fingers together at this point.
"Since you know me, you should also understand my financial standing. As long as your intelligence is timely and comprehensive, Galleons are not an issue!" Alan found Feng to be quite confident, then probed, "Do you know about the Silver Spears?"
"The Silver Spears? That smuggling group that spans Europe?" Feng was startled when Alan mentioned the organization. He had thought this fellow came to Germany for business; why was he suddenly asking about this syndicate? However, as an intelligence peddler, it was standard practice not to pry into a client's background, so he didn't ask further. "While this organization has a large business scale, their operations are very secretive, so not much related intelligence has leaked. But I do know a lot of inside information. It just depends on whether you want basic intelligence, detailed intelligence, or especially detailed intelligence. I charge based on the level of detail."
Feng confidently raised his glass to Alan, then took a comfortable sip, as if signaling the other party to ask freely.
"Oh? I didn't realize you had some substance; you actually know information about this organization." Alan didn't know if the other party was genuinely knowledgeable or just bragging, so he immediately asked, "Do you know who the leader of the Silver Spears is? Their code name? Their current location?"
*Pfft!*
Feng hadn't expected Alan to ask such an outrageous question right off the bat, and couldn't help but spit out the brandy he had just drunk. Fortunately, he hadn't sprayed it directly at Alan.
"The information you're asking for is a bit difficult, isn't it? This organization's internal structure is extremely tight. How could I possibly know the leader's identity? And what do you mean by code name? Do people in this organization all have code names?" Feng did know the locations of several black markets under the Silver Spears and the people who managed them, but he had never heard of code names.
"You don't even know their code names?" Alan glanced at Feng with a hint of disdain, clearly questioning his level of expertise.
"This…" Seeing Alan's expression, Feng immediately understood the implication and quickly retorted, "My current understanding of this organization is indeed not deep, but I can immediately go and investigate for you. Please do not question my professional competence!"
"Alright, alright, I pretty much know your standard." Alan was just casually probing. He didn't expect to get too much information from Feng. He knew more about the Silver Spears himself.
When Feng heard Alan's words, his face flushed with anxiety. How could he not be anxious when his professionalism was being underestimated? He opened his mouth to retort but was immediately stopped by Alan's hand.
"No need to say more. Let's stop talking about the Silver Spears." Alan immediately cut him off. He knew that it was too late to have Feng gather intelligence now and it would be better to rely on himself, so he changed the subject. "I need some information about the German business world. Please list the top ten merchant associations in Germany for me, along with their detailed information, including their current owners, history, business scope, whether they have international trade experience, store locations, average daily foot traffic, political leanings, and so on."
Alan quickly rattled off a series of demands to Feng, then took out fifty Galleons in cash from his person, put them into a leather pouch, and slapped it directly in front of the man.
"Getting this information shouldn't be a problem with your methods, right? The more detailed the information, the better. These fifty Galleons are a deposit. I'll pay another fifty Galleons upon completion. Is that enough?" Alan asked quite imperiously.
"Enough… enough." Feng hadn't expected the other party to change the subject so quickly, moving directly from the Silver Spears to merchant associations, but he was quickly drawn by the Galleons in front of him and immediately took the pouch.
"Alright, that's all for now. I'll be staying directly in this tavern. Once you've organized the information list, come find me. With your skill, you should be able to find my room. At that time, I'll consider further cooperation based on the detail of the intelligence you've gathered." Alan stood up directly after speaking, walking toward the counter to check in without looking back.
In his eyes, Feng didn't even know that the Silver Spears used code names, so he was probably just an ordinary intelligence merchant. Therefore, he decided to have the other party help him organize some business intelligence and didn't expect much else.
Feng also sensed Alan's attitude, and he immediately felt a bit annoyed. So, the other party doubted his professional competence and didn't trust him? This was simply a great humiliation. *It's just the Silver Spears,* Feng secretly made up his mind. He was going to let this Alan see what a true intelligence agent was!
Although there was a small interlude with Feng, it didn't affect Alan. After entering the room he rented from the tavern owner, he immediately closed the doors and windows and began to cast protective and warning spells on the room. Only after all preparations were complete did he calmly open his suitcase.
"Hog, Shalltear, come out." Alan called out twice, and then saw a Siberian husky chasing a bat burst out of the suitcase, and they were harmoniously playing together.
"Reporting, Master, this smelly bat stole my food again! She stole the dragon meat sausages from your storeroom!" Hog looked at Shalltear, who was fluttering to the top of the wardrobe, and resentfully snitched.
"You were clearly the one stealing! I risked my life to save that sausage! You just spilled the beans!" Shalltear bared her fangs when she heard Hog making false accusations.
Seeing these two still so rambunctious even after being put in his suitcase, Alan couldn't help but rub his forehead. He should have known not to bring these two out.
"Alright, why are you still messing around like children? It's time to get to work!" Alan snapped angrily.
Upon hearing Alan's reprimand, Hog immediately squatted upright obediently, and Shalltear also flew back to the ground and reverted to her original form.
"Master, is this Germany? Why doesn't it feel special at all? This room isn't much different from Britain." Shalltear looked around after landing, then said somewhat dejectedly.
"Stop chattering. How much difference do you want? We haven't even left Europe. Isn't it normal for there to be some similarities?" Alan saw that Shalltear was still being unruly and couldn't help but scold her again.
"Master, what should we do next? Should we proceed as planned?" Hog knew it was time to get down to business and immediately asked seriously.
"Yes, time is pressing, we need to act quickly, but the situation in Germany is more complex than imagined. The overall plan still needs to be deployed based on the reconnaissance results." After saying that, Alan thoroughly explained the information he had gathered today to the two of them.
"So, Germany is on the verge of splitting now? This is the Silver Spears' base. Could their meddling be behind the current situation?" Shalltear was greatly surprised after hearing Alan's explanation. Why was it so chaotic here, just like the United States?
"I also have that suspicion. The club is definitely manipulating things in the dark, but I'm not entirely clear on the details yet. In any case, we need to conduct reconnaissance first." Alan affirmed, then took out a large roll of parchment. When he fully unrolled it, it was revealed to be a map of the entirety of Berlin. At the same time, four prominent red dots were displayed on the parchment, distributed in different areas of the city.
"This is a map processed from my enhanced mask tracker. From this map, you can see that there are four Silver Spears in Berlin alone." Alan explained to them after unfolding the map. Then he pointed to one red dot and said, "This target is Golden Knight! And his location is in the German Ministry of Magic, where I just went. His hidden identity is very likely to be a Ministry employee."
"He wouldn't happen to be a high-ranking official of the Ministry, would he?" Shalltear couldn't help but ask.
"It's unlikely. If he had taken the Elixir of Life, he wouldn't look particularly old now." After saying that, Alan looked at Hog. "This guy is key. You will track him personally. First, figure out the target's identity. Remember to record the visuals, but do not go deep into the Ministry of Magic to avoid exposure."
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