Edmund could easily see that Alex's future held limitless potential, and right now, he might be able to form a friendship with him on more equal terms.
If he waited too long, the Schmidt family might not even get a chance to work with Alex.
Naturally, Edmund wasn't going to miss this opportunity.
It was definitely worth it to connect with someone as powerful as Alex for the family's benefit.
In fact, Edmund even lowered his own status and acted quite humbly to make this happen.
Seeing this, both Alex and Andre felt genuinely pleased.
After all, having the full support of the Schmidt family was like holding nearly half the influence of the German Wizengamot Council in their hands, something truly invaluable.
After finishing their conversation with Alex and Andre, the Schmidt brothers decided to leave early.
The atmosphere was almost unbearable, thick with the stench of decay and corruption.
Edmund was so unsettled that once he got home, he burned all the clothes he had worn, not wanting to risk having nightmares from keeping them.
Meanwhile, Andre called in the Aurors to handle the cleanup.
One team escorted the Muggles back to their homes and wiped their short-term memories, while another team entered the Phoenix residence to restore it using magic.
The Aurors had been anxious.
As for the situation on the front lines, the battle between Alex and the Phoenix had been intense.
Explosions and magical energy surged back and forth, shaking the ground violently.
Despite this, they did their job well, containing all the noise and tremors to this small area so the nearby Muggle community wouldn't be disturbed.
Once inside, they realized just how severe the damage was. The first through third floors were practically shattered, and the basement looked like a scene from hell.
This gave them a clear sense of just how powerful, and terrifying, the Phoenix truly was.
While the Aurors worked through the grime and stench in the basement, Alex made his way alone to the Phoenix's bedroom on the third floor.
After a quick search, he found a leather bag faintly glowing with magical energy.
The bag's vintage style stood out, reminiscent of a luxury lady's satchel, made from solid colored leather and decorated with silver metal fittings.
On closer inspection, Alex recognized the rare materials used: Black Dragon Skin from the Hebrides and Fairy Ulim Steel.
Just by the craftsmanship and materials, he could tell the bag's interior space was anything but ordinary.
The bag had a clever switch on the outside, allowing it to toggle between a regular lining and a magical pocket dimension, very handy for storing extra items.
Alex was familiar with this kind of design; he had learned about it from Newt Scamander and even used a similar feature in his school suitcase.
Peeking inside the normal lining, Alex found everyday Muggle items: German and French currency, some cosmetics, and other common things.
When Alex tried to open the interspatial bag, he noticed a magical lock had been added to it.
To unlock it smoothly, a specific magical frequency needed to be input; otherwise, the compartment would remain completely sealed.
Seeing this, Alex was thrilled.
The complex anti-theft measures showed that Phoenix valued the contents highly, which also indicated their worth.
However, the magic lock was no challenge for an alchemist like Alex.
After fiddling with it briefly, he managed to crack it open.
Once the bag was unlocked, Alex eagerly looked inside. What he saw made his eyes light up; he felt this journey had been more than worth it.
The bag's internal space was astonishingly large, nearly a thousand cubic meters, even bigger than his own space ring.
More than half of this vast space was already filled, meaning the materials stored inside were roughly equivalent to a small warehouse's worth.
Excited by this discovery, Alex decided to inventory and organize everything back in his bedroom.
The first thing that caught his attention was a pile of golden Galleons.
After a quick count, he realized there were at least several thousand coins.
With so much money on hand, Alex wondered if Phoenix had taken all her wealth with her.
Besides the coins, the bag contained plenty of supplies. There was clean water and enough food to last at least a month, which took up the largest portion of the internal space.
Alex gave these just a passing glance and set them aside.
Next, he found all kinds of magical materials: herbs, by-products from magical creatures like skins, teeth, and bones, and various types of magical metals.
The sheer quantity was immense, comparable to Alex's own stockpile.
From this, he guessed that Phoenix must be skilled in potions and alchemy; a typical wizard wouldn't need to store so many raw materials.
Just these materials alone made Alex feel satisfied, as they effectively doubled his own inventory.
Further discoveries inside the bag only confirmed his earlier assumptions.
When the raw materials alone couldn't reveal much, the large stash of finished and semi-finished products told a clearer story.
Alex pulled various potions from Phoenix's interspatial bag, carefully packed in boxes.
Among them were rare and difficult-to-make brews like Buffy's Brain Refreshing Potion and the Blessing Potion.
But even more striking was the abundance of poisons, cursed concoctions, and highly dangerous potions such as the 'Blood Blood Potion.'
In fact, these harmful brews outnumbered the regular potions, showing that Phoenix clearly favored experimenting with forbidden and risky medicines.
Besides potions, Alex also discovered numerous alchemical artifacts, both completed and in progress.
One stood out immediately: the 'Ghoulcaller's Bag,' a powerful item that Phoenix possessed in multiple copies.
Other devices were equally perilous and intriguing: various pieces of cursed jewelry with strange shapes and effects.
Some caused debilitating illnesses, others brought sudden death, and a few drove wearers into madness, lethargy, or obsessive fixation.
Going through each item carefully, Alex found several alchemical tools designed for active use.
For instance, there was a small object resembling a perfume bottle that, once activated and thrown, exploded to release a corrosive, colorless toxic gas, like a supercharged gas bomb with devastating power and range.
Another dangerous item was a handheld makeup mirror that looked ordinary until magic was channeled into it.
Once activated, anything reflected by the mirror would suffer severe corrosion as if eaten away by some invisible force.
Alex nearly got caught in its effect during inspection but was cautious enough not to hold it close to his face, narrowly avoiding a disfigurement.
After carefully cataloging all the alchemical gear Phoenix had stockpiled, Alex sighed deeply and muttered to himself about how dangerous it all was.
Thankfully, their surprise attack had left Phoenix little time to use these weapons.
Had she been able to deploy them fully, their fight would have been far more difficult.
This was precisely why Alex never underestimated Phoenix as an enemy, unlike how he viewed Thunderbird.
Although powerful and imposing creatures like the Thunderbird rely on sheer magical strength to overpower their opponents, their battle tactics are relatively straightforward.