The young witch leading Alex remained calm and continued walking forward without reacting to the noise coming from one of the nearby rooms, as if she was completely used to it. Alex, however, looked toward the source of the disturbance with some concern.
"It sounds like something's going on in there. Shouldn't someone from the Ministry of Magic check it out? It even sounds like fighting," he said, just as the sharp crash of shattering glass echoed from inside the room, clearly, someone had just smashed a cup.
The witch glanced back at him with a slightly apologetic smile and replied, "Don't worry. This is the Floo Network Administration office. Arguments break out here all the time. It's nothing unusual."
Alex raised an eyebrow, clearly puzzled. "The Floo Network Administration? Why would people in that department be arguing so often?"
She chuckled softly at his reaction. "Ah, this must be your first time in Germany. You probably aren't familiar with how things work here. Our Floo Network is a bit... complicated.
Because the country is divided, the Floo connections between East and West Germany aren't linked. So, people come here every day to complain and argue about it."
"Wait, what?" Alex stared at her in disbelief.
"East and West Germany's networks aren't connected? But that's ridiculous, it's like the country's still divided!
That's a Muggle issue, isn't it? Why would that have anything to do with the wizarding world? We're supposed to be separate from their politics.
Why should our magical systems be affected by how Muggles draw their borders?"
To Alex, this whole situation sounded absurd. He was aware of the political split that had occurred after World War II, leading to the formation of East Germany and West Germany, and the construction of the Berlin Wall. But as far as he knew, those were purely Muggle problems.
In the magical world, things were usually handled differently. For instance, even though the UK included both England and Ireland, two separate nations in the Muggle world, wizards from both regions still fell under the jurisdiction of the British Ministry of Magic. By that logic, East and West Germany should also be managed by a single German Ministry of Magic.
The witch gave a small nod, then sighed and shook her head.
"You're right, in theory. Wizards do operate separately from Muggle governments, and their conflicts shouldn't affect us. But we also have to consider Muggle-born wizards. Their backgrounds, their families, and their experiences are still shaped by the Muggle world, and sometimes that influence leaks into ours."
The conflict had escalated so much that it had even reached the German Ministry of Magic.
"What do you mean? Are you saying the German Ministry is divided too?" Alex asked, surprised. He had heard rumors about the wizarding world in Germany being a bit unstable, but he hadn't expected things to be this bad.
"Divided isn't even the half of it," the young witch replied, clearly stirred by Alex's question and her own curiosity. She leaned in close, lowering her voice as if sharing a secret. "Honestly, I think it's already fallen apart."
"Oh? That serious? Mind telling me more?" Alex raised an eyebrow with interest.
Then, as if it were second nature, he pulled out a small, ornate music box and offered it to her. "By the way, what's your name? I run a small business over in England. This is one of our latest products, consider it a little gift for our first meeting."
The witch's eyes lit up the moment she saw the music box. "Wait… is this from the Wilson's Arcane Alchemica?" she asked, clearly impressed.
She hesitated for a moment, but then accepted the gift with a delighted smile. Her attitude shifted instantly, and her tone became much friendlier.
"I had no idea you were with the Wilson's Arcane Alchemica! My apologies for the earlier tone. I'm Anneliese Steinbach, but just call me Anne. Ask me anything you want, I'll tell you everything I know!"
Seeing her reaction, Alex gave a satisfied nod. Then, with a curious smile, he asked, "So, is Wilson's Arcane Alchemica really that well-known in Germany? Even you've heard of it?"
"Yeah," Anne nodded enthusiastically. "We have two local shops here that sell products from the Wilson's Arcane Alchemica. Those magic lamps and record players are amazing, but they're really expensive, and always sold out.
I've never even been able to buy one. I saw some in the Ministry of Magic though, in the Chief's office. That's how I recognized the company logo."
She was clearly excited, speaking with a mix of admiration and envy. But then, as if a lightbulb went off in her head, she suddenly stopped and looked at the young man in front of her. Her eyes widened. "Wait a second… Are you saying that you're the owner of the Wilson's Arcane Alchemica?"
Alex nodded calmly. "Yes, the Wilson's Arcane Alchemica is mine. I'm here in Germany to talk business with some local merchants."
He wasn't lying. The deal he'd signed with a German businessman back in Egypt had been quite conservative, just a fixed order, really. They hadn't agreed on any long-term partnership. Once the current shipment was completed, the contract would be fulfilled, and future cooperation wasn't guaranteed. That was the reality. In fact, only a few countries, like Egypt, where alchemists were both knowledgeable and wealthy, were willing to commit to bold, long-term contracts.
After all, those kinds of agreements were risky. Whether or not there was demand, the buyer had to place a set number of orders each year. For smaller companies or local shops, that kind of commitment wasn't easy to make. On top of that, Alex didn't know enough about how some of these businesses operated, so he preferred to stick with short-term deals for now. So far, he'd only signed long-term contracts with a few trusted partners, some reputable Egyptian firms and that meat vendor from Romania, who surprisingly turned out to be reliable.
This trip to Europe wasn't just about making sales. Alex also wanted to check out the local industries himself, assess their capabilities, and quietly cut ties with those who lacked either strength or a good reputation. Only after that would he look to build more stable, long-term partnerships.
"My gosh!" Anne exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with admiration. "I heard that the owner of Wilson's Arcane Alchemica was a young wizard, and that he even won the gold medal for innovation at the International Alchemy Conference. So that was you?"
Alex gave a modest shrug. "It's nothing to brag about," he said, brushing it off. Then he quickly steered the conversation back to the matter at hand. "Anyway, you still haven't explained the situation here in Germany."
"Ah! Right, sorry," she said, snapping out of her excitement.