"Exactly," Mr. Isa chimed in, then turned his gaze toward Alex with a warm smile.
"What do you think of Alex's Wilson's Arcane Alchemica Alchemy Company? Any interest in investing? Our idea is to have several trading houses join forces, each handling one or two products under Alex's name."
"You flatter me, Mr. Isa," Alex replied with a modest smile. "I've just taken advantage of being young and having a bit more flexibility in my thinking. When it comes to technical skill, I can't compare to the masters present here."
Truthfully, the idea of finding local distributors had already come up in earlier conversations. The two master alchemists, along with several senior researchers who later joined in, had shown a great deal of interest in Alex's products. Their curiosity only deepened after he presented his full product catalogue.
Some of the masters were so eager, they started making offers on the spot, each one promising various benefits and incentives. The atmosphere was so heated it almost turned into a public argument.
To settle the tension, Mr. Isa suggested a more orderly approach. Since Wilson's Arcane Alchemica had such a broad product line, trying to claim exclusive rights to all of them would only lead to more conflict. Instead, he proposed dividing the products into categories and holding a fair bidding process for distribution rights by type.
The moment the idea was floated, most of the alchemists, including Alex, agreed immediately. A few wizards even suggested they start the bidding then and there. Clearly, many of them were already familiar with the strength and reputation of Wilson's Arcane Alchemica.
In practice, this arrangement was more or less an insider deal. But Alex didn't object. Everyone present was either a famous name or a powerful figure in the region's alchemy world. Missing this chance to build strong connections would be a waste.
"Mr. Sebastian," Alex said with a friendly smile, turning to face him, "Would you be interested in working with me?"
"Oh, no…" Sebastian declined with a polite shake of the head. "I'm not much of a businessman, really. I'll leave that to the rest of you."
Still, his mind was elsewhere. As he politely bowed out of the conversation, Sebastian smirked inwardly. 'Let's see if this kid even survives tomorrow.' He had no intention of getting involved in the trade deal, not because of disinterest, but because he already had plans for Alex.
Once Thunderbird was handled, Sebastian intended to kill the Sphinx as well, and he silently scoffed at Nefira, who still thought things were going her way.
"In that case, let's head inside and continue the discussion," Mr. Isa suggested brightly. He seemed quite pleased that Sebastian had removed himself from the competition. One less rival to worry about. Wasting no time, he took the lead in gathering everyone to a more private setting.
There weren't many people involved, eight or nine in total. Mr. Isa guided the group into an ornately furnished reception room nearby. Now that the big players were all in one place, they were ready to finalize the distribution contracts as soon as possible.
Since Sebastian had declined to participate in the distribution discussions, he wasn't brought along this time. Barnabas, on the other hand, saw this as a perfect opportunity to gauge how local wizards would react to Alex's products, something that would directly influence the upcoming trade agreement. As for Bones, he had already agreed to act as Alex's exclusive agent in Egypt following their previous conversation.
The six remaining attendees were all influential local alchemy masters, each running their own well-established alchemical businesses. Some of them even held monopolies over specific products. Take Ms. Nefira, for example, every single magical camera used in the wizarding world was manufactured by a company under her name.
"Alright, now that it's just us," Mr. Isa said, gesturing for everyone to take a seat in the living room, "we all know each other well enough, so let's skip the formalities. I'll start."
He turned to Alex and spoke directly. "After trying out the products myself, I have to say the one I like most is your humanoid target. I'd like to secure the sales rights for it here in Egypt. I'm willing to place an immediate order worth 5,000 Galleons, and I can pay a 20% deposit as soon as the trade agreement is finalized."
Mr. Isa wasted no time and got straight to the point, clearly targeting the most technically advanced item in Alex's catalog.
The other alchemists in the room fell silent after hearing his offer. None of them seemed inclined to compete for the humanoid target, likely because its value far surpassed the other items up for distribution.
After all, the cheapest version of that product already cost over 100 Galleons, an order worth 5,000 Galleons could buy dozens of units. It was a considerable investment.
Seeing that no one else was stepping forward, Alex gave a small nod and made it official. "Since no one else is interested, then the humanoid target business in Egypt will go to you, Mr. Isa."
Truthfully, Alex was quite impressed by Isa's decisiveness. None of the participants knew yet that once tariffs were applied, the final prices might rise significantly. And yet Isa didn't hesitate. He put forward a large order without blinking, which showed both confidence and boldness.
Barnabas, seated nearby, was even more excited than Alex. He quickly started doing mental math. If a 30-Galleon product faced a 5000% tariff, that meant a single sale could bring the Ministry of Magic over 1,000 Galleons in revenue. The numbers were looking very promising.
But before he could finish calculating, a voice chimed in beside him, and it made his heart skip a beat.
"I'd like to represent the sales of your magic lamps," said Ms. Nefira.
"That includes both household and decorative models. I'm ready to place a 6,000-Galleon order, with the same 20% deposit up front. In addition, I'm willing to grant Wilson's Arcane Alchemica exclusive distribution rights for magical cameras in the UK, as long as you can fulfill the supply within a month."
That offer alone was already staggering, but before Barnabas could even process her words, another alchemist raised the stakes again.
"I'll offer 8,000 Galleons," the man said calmly. "I don't hold any exclusive agency rights at the moment, but I'm willing to pay 1,000 Galleons upfront just to secure the distribution rights."
The numbers were climbing fast. The offers were becoming more intense with each passing second, and it was clear to everyone in the room that Wilson's Arcane Alchemica's products had become the hottest commodity in the region.
After all, Alex's magic lamp had caused quite a stir at Kara just yesterday. It was, without a doubt, one of his most popular creations, charming, practical, and with massive commercial potential. So it was no surprise that the local alchemists weren't about to give up on winning its distribution rights without a fight.
"An order worth 10,000 Galleons, plus a 1,000 Galleon agency fee," Mr. Isa suddenly offered. Although he had just secured the humanoid target business, it was clear he wasn't satisfied with walking away with just one deal.