"Whatever you may think of me, Fiona—and I must say I am 
pleasantly surprised that you think of me so favourably—to those who 
despatched me on this errand, I am an engineer. Without being arrogant, I might 
add that I have advanced rapidly in that field and attained a position of not 
inconsiderable responsibility. As
this is the only characteristic that distinguishes me from other men, it can be 
the only reason I was chosen to find the Alchemist. From this I infer that the 
Alchemist is himself a nanotechnological researcher of some sophistication, and 
that he is thought to be developing a product that is of interest to more than 
one of the Powers."