The several alchemy tools introduced by Alan immediately attracted everyone's attention, especially the Hit Wizards and the field agents from the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. Eventually, these people, finding the items quite novel, gathered around like a bustling market.
"Can these Magic-Suppressing Handcuffs shackle two people at once?" This was a Hit Wizard considering its practicality.
"Are these handcuffs really that useful? Let me try them on. Hiss—quickly unlock them for me! How can wearing them for just ten seconds consume more magic than an entire battle?" This was a Hit Wizard who didn't believe in the hype and wanted to test his luck.
"Huh, I tried your Self-Checking Pocket Watch. Why did it immediately alarm? What? You said that means I have a fracture? How is that possible? Wouldn't I know if I'm injured?" This was a rather oblivious Auror. After a more careful inspection, it was immediately discovered that he indeed had a hairline fracture in one of his ribs—an old injury from some past battle—and he was promptly sent away by the others.
At the same time, many employees personally put on protective gloves for practical drills. After activating them, they wielded them like transparent shields for quite a while, and because they loved them so much, they were unwilling to return them.
Seeing everyone so enthusiastic, Alan slowed down his demonstration. Fortunately, he had brought a good number of samples today, so he gave them more time to experience them.
"Alright, there will be plenty of time to try them out later. Let Alan continue." Minister Bagnold personally spoke up, asking the excited employees to calm down. She then looked at Alan. "Moody said you have a tracking device. Can you show it to us?"
Hearing the Minister's reprimand, the Ministry staff put away their curiosity and returned to their original positions, looking at Alan with anticipation.
"Yes, Minister, let us continue." Alan also knew that these officials' time was precious, and this was not a real market. He took out a pair of glasses from the display table and faced the crowd. "These are the Tracking Glasses I developed. They incorporate a Tracing Charm that I developed independently, which can identify multiple elements and then lock onto relevant signatures for tracking."
"The elements that can be captured include blood, scent, footprints, heat, and so on. I've also added a Transfiguration and disguise function to them; they can transform into ordinary glasses during normal use. Whether for investigating crime scenes, tracking suspects, or even in battles with poor visibility such as at night or in heavy fog, they can be applied."
After speaking, Alan personally put on the Tracking Glasses, then pulled out his wand and tapped them lightly. The glasses transformed into a pair of ordinary gold-rimmed spectacles, making him look like a typical office worker.
"You can try them yourselves, Minister." From a third-person perspective, this equipment showed nothing special, so he thoughtfully took out four more pairs and handed them to Minister Bagnold and the three department heads.
After Minister Bagnold put on the glasses, she activated them according to Alan's demonstration, which made her feel as if she had discovered a new world. She wore the glasses and carefully distinguished the mottled fluorescent lights around her. Alan then explained what the various light spots seen under the Tracing Charm's vision symbolized.
Minister Bagnold was quite engrossed in the glasses for a while, then seemed to realize there was still official business to attend to. She turned her head to look at the official from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.
"Bianca, try this equipment and see if it works," Minister Bagnold said without preamble.
"Yes, Minister." Bianca nodded, then took out a neatly folded cloth bag from her arms. After opening it, several dazzling feathers were laid flat inside. At this moment, in the eyes of Alan, Minister Bagnold, and the three department heads—all wearing Tracking Glasses—several faint lines slowly appeared on those feathers.
Alan recognized that it was the scent belonging to the feathers themselves, but from a distance, he didn't recognize the bird at all. He could only roughly estimate that they were the wing feathers of some kind of bird, shimmering with a faint golden luster and looking quite magnificent.
"It's effective, I can distinguish it, Minister." Bianca looked at Bagnold with considerable excitement.
Minister Bagnold also nodded with satisfaction, then turned her head back to Alan. "Are you saying you enchanted these glasses with a 'Tracing Charm'? Is that what it's called?"
"Yes, Minister. This is a new charm I developed. It was published in Century Charms last year, and I'm currently writing a paper on this new type of alchemy tool."
"Is there a spell?" Bagnold nodded to Alan with appreciation. Such a young and promising wizard was rare, and then she asked impatiently.
*Asking for a spell?* Alan thought. *This Minister Bagnold wouldn't be trying to get it for free, would she? Not to mention I don't have one; even if I did, I couldn't tell you. If you learned the spell, how would I sell this equipment?*
"Sorry, Minister, this is a new charm, after all. It took so much time, and I've only completed its initial optimization. A simple incantation is out of the question; even if I were to forcibly translate it now, it would probably be no less than an entire sonnet," Alan replied with a slightly apologetic expression.
"Hmm." Bagnold nodded helplessly. She also knew she was being a bit fanciful. How could a new charm that had just been published have a simple incantation? She was just too impatient. "How much do these Tracking Glasses sell for?" Bagnold might have found the previous name too awkward and directly adopted the equipment's name.
"The Tracking Glasses, Magic-Suppressing Handcuffs, Self-Checking Pocket Watch, and protective gloves are all part of the same product series, priced at 50 Galleons. After all, their quality and functions are much more powerful than amulets, and their shelf life is at least two years or more. For example, the Self-Checking Pocket Watch is even considered a semi-permanent product." Alan also went along with Bagnold's naming convention for the Tracking Glasses.
As soon as he saw it was time for bargaining again, he immediately became energetic. He also knew that Amelia would definitely try to lower his price, so he simply quoted his highest psychological expectation. When pricing alchemy items, in addition to considering the tool's function, another important factor is the duration of the magic. For example, flying brooms that can last for decades typically sell for hundreds, or even several hundred Galleons. Alan's products, being mass-produced by magical lathes and not using particularly high-quality materials, meant that the enchantments on them couldn't last for an exceptionally long time.