"The smuggling group operating across Europe?"
Franz was visibly surprised when Alex suddenly brought up the Silver Wand. He had assumed Alex came to Germany for business, so this shift in topic caught him off guard. Still, as a seasoned information broker, Franz knew better than to pry into a client's motives. Professional discretion was part of the job, so he kept his curiosity in check.
"That group may have a widespread network, but they keep a low profile. Not much solid intel leaks out," Franz said calmly, regaining his composure.
"That said, I do have some inside information. Depends on what you're looking for. Do you want just the basics, a detailed report, or the full deep-dive? I charge based on how thorough the intel is."
He lifted his glass in a confident gesture, took a relaxed sip, and gave Alex a look that encouraged him to ask whatever he wanted.
"Oh? I didn't expect you to actually know anything about them," Alex replied, his tone casual but probing. He wasn't sure if Franz was bluffing or genuinely well-informed.
Testing the waters, he asked, "Do you know who the boss of the Silver Wand is? Their codename? Current location?"
"Pfft!" Franz choked on his drink, nearly spraying the brandy out, but thankfully, not on Alex. He hadn't expected such a blunt and outrageous question right off the bat.
"That's a bit much, don't you think?" Franz said, wiping his mouth.
"The Silver Wand is a tight-knit group. Their leader's identity? That's top-level info. And a codename? What do you mean by that, does everyone in that organization even use codenames?"
He leaned back, clearly flustered but trying to maintain his professional air.
"I do know the locations of a few black market hubs they run, and who's in charge of them, but I've never heard anything about codenames."
"You don't even know the codename?" Alex shot Franz a skeptical look, clearly unimpressed.
Franz quickly caught the meaning behind Alex's expression and rushed to defend himself. "Hey, I said I didn't know yet! But I can find out if you give me some time. Don't go doubting my skills just like that!"
Alex waved him off with a half-smile. "Alright, alright. I get what level you're working at."
In truth, he hadn't expected much from Franz, this was more of a test than anything. He already had his own sources on the Silver Wand and knew more than he was letting on.
Franz, however, looked flustered and slightly embarrassed, his face turning red as he realized he'd been lightly played.
How could he not be frustrated? His expertise had just been brushed off like it meant nothing. Franz opened his mouth to argue, but Alex raised a hand to stop him.
"Enough. Let's drop the topic of the Silver Wand," he said firmly.
Alex had quickly realized there was no point in pressing Franz for information he clearly didn't have. It was already too late to dig deeper into that lead, so he decided to shift gears.
"I need intel on the German business scene," Alex continued, changing the subject entirely.
"I want a list of the top ten chambers of commerce in Germany, detailed profiles. That includes their current leadership, history, business operations, international trade experience, store locations, average daily customer flow, political leanings, everything you can find."
He rattled off the requirements with practiced ease, then pulled out a leather pouch and placed it on the table with a light thud. Inside were 50 Galleons in cash.
"This is a down payment," he said confidently. "You'll get another 50 once the job is done. That should be enough, right?"
Franz, caught off guard by the sudden change of topic, stared at the bag of gleaming gold coins. He hadn't expected the conversation to shift from the Silver Wand to chambers of commerce so abruptly, but the Galleons immediately grabbed his attention. "Yeah... that's more than enough," he replied, quickly accepting the pouch.
"Alright then," Alex said, standing up. "I'll be staying at this tavern. Once you've compiled the list, come find me. I'm sure someone with your skills can figure out which room I'm in. I'll evaluate your work and decide if we can keep working together based on how thorough your intel is."
Without waiting for a response, Alex turned and walked straight to the counter to book a room, not even glancing back. In his mind, Franz didn't even know that the Silver Wand was a code name, which made him seem like nothing more than a low-level informant. Asking him to gather some business data was probably the most he could expect.
Franz, on the other hand, caught the dismissive tone in Alex's actions and felt a surge of indignation. He could tell that Alex didn't trust his abilities, that he was being underestimated.
To someone proud of their craft, this was a serious insult. Silver Wand or not, he wasn't going to take it lying down.
'Fine', he thought to himself, 'I'll show you what a real intelligence agent can do.'
Although Franz's earlier outburst had come and gone, it didn't seem to affect Alex at all. After the tavern owner led him to a room, Alex immediately shut the door and windows, then started casting protective and warning spells around the place. Once everything was secure, he calmly opened his suitcase.
"Fang, Shalltear, come out," he called.
No sooner had he spoken than a strange scene unfolded, Fang, in his Erhu form, was chasing Shalltear, who had taken bat form, as the two flew out of the suitcase and immediately started bickering in their usual "friendly" way.
"Report, Master!" Fang shouted angrily. "This stinky bat stole food from me again! She ate the dragon meat sausage you had stored!"
Shalltear, now perched on top of the wardrobe, snapped back, "You liar! I saved that sausage from going bad, and you know it! You were the one sneaking around trying to steal it, and you just slipped up and confessed!"
Watching the two argue like children, Alex rubbed his forehead, clearly regretting ever bringing them along. If he had known this was how things would go, he might have left these two troublemakers behind.
"Enough!" he barked. "Stop acting like kids. We've got work to do!"
At his shout, Fang immediately stood upright, looking serious, while Shalltear floated back to the ground and returned to her original form.
"Master, is this Germany?" Shalltear asked as she looked around the room, her tone tinged with disappointment. "It doesn't feel any different. This place looks just like England."
Alex sighed and shot her a glare. "What were you expecting? Fireworks? You're still in Europe. Of course things are going to look similar."
Trying to steer the conversation back to business, Fang asked, "So, Master, what's the plan? Do we move forward as discussed?"
Alex nodded, his expression serious. "Yes, but time's tight. We need to act fast. That said, the situation in Germany is more complicated than I thought. We'll have to adjust our strategy depending on what we uncover during the investigation."
He then proceeded to explain everything he had learned that day, going over the details carefully.
"So, Germany is about to split?" Shalltear asked, clearly surprised. "And the Silver Wands are based here? Isn't that going to cause problems, given how unstable things already are?"