Interesting.

[He says that in a way that is nothing short of genuine; his interest has certainly been piqued— of course there are no shortage of magic users of all kinds within the City of Splendors, but he's always curious when it comes to meeting another practitioner, regardless of their method.]

That explains it, then! Certainly between the two of us, we ought be able to solve this sticky problem of ours, don't you think?