Chapter 093

July 1st, 1349.

It had been 2 days since they raided the Aurora Order branch. All the Nighthawks were busy, chasing the enormous amounts of leads they had gotten from Mr B. Even some Mandated Punishers and Machinery Hiveminds were recruited to help them share the burden.

But none of this was of concern to the team led by Gordon, as they had received a week-long vacation. This was especially so for Alvin, who only asked Frank to keep an eye out for a few things.

Alvin had spent the previous two nights and the whole day previous day spending money by gathering formulas and ingredients. He had almost recouped his investment purely in terms of value, as he found plenty of stuff from these Beyonders who came to hunt him only to fall into his traps and brutally be killed, not to mention the Beyonder characteristics they left behind.

All of this was now lying in the Red Castle's storage area. Alvin was planning to use a portion to cultivate loyal subordinates. For another portion, he planned to sell them at a premium when he got the chance, only to buy more and sell them at a premium again when he gets the chance.

While this model of business was not overly profitable, with storage space like the Red Castle, it was very sustainable.

Alvin now had the formulas for several Sequences he was searching for, like Doctor for Naomi, Pugilist for future subordinates of the Warrior pathway which he definitely was going to cultivate, plus the formula for the Spectator which he remembered, and confirmed was correct. The Hanged Man would be sharing the formula with Miss Justice the next day, which happens to be a Monday.

Alvin was keeping an eye out, hoping to encounter any items related to the Sefirah Castle. Once he got such an item, just like the Sun, any things he said or did in front of it could vaguely be seen by the Fool. He had the perfect bait to lure the Fool, The Sword of Culling, which he was pretty sure was made by Roselle. If the Fool saw the Mandarin characters, he who has not read many diary entries and is desperate for information, may pull him above the fog out of curiosity.

His best timing to get the mirror was before August 19, after which he would pull the future Sun above the grey fog. Then, he would temporarily stop recruiting more candidates, becoming busy with one matter or the other, and intrigued by the City of Silver, until he pulled Miss Magician later.

"Ah, Alvin, you are here. You are actually early. The market does not open till 9" said Hannah as he walked into the office.

"Market?" asked Alvin.

"It's not small in size or scale. It is the monthly gathering of all official and semi-official Beyonders in Backlund after all. You can call it whatever you want, but it essentially is a market" said Hannah.

"Oh alright then. I will wait until you are ready" said Alvin sitting down. He was wearing the regular clothes of Mr Hunt, complete with a mask. Or else, if his face was well known as a Nighthawk informant, many channels and missions for Mr Hunt would close, which was contrary to his purpose as an informant.

"Rico and Donald are coming with us. Too bad Raleigh is busy. His vacation is apparently postponed to next week" said Hannah.

"Where is it held?" asked Alvin.

"It's in a large underground hall in West Borough. It was apparently an underground shelter built by the nobles residing there back when Roselle was in power, with a penchant to blast areas with bombs while invading. It was never put to use, but after it was discovered, it was jointly revamped by the three churches and the military to make it the location of the monthly Beyonder gathering. At other times, the place is still open to us Beyonders, but you would hardly find anyone buying or selling anything barring any significant happening"

As Hannah and Alvin were chatting, an irritating voice popped up from the side.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Hannah! Heard you have been flourishing in your new team after leaving us in the lurch. An unfamiliar face! Who do we have here? Is this the great X factor I have been hearing so much about?" asked the voice.

Alvin looked over to see a clean-shaven man in his mid-thirties with dark black hair and brown eyes, with obviously tired facial features and with a stupid smile on his face.

"Vinnie! Is your interrogation for vouching for a traitor finally over? Did they let out the traitor you supported with the church's resources too? Or just you?" asked Hannah sarcastically.

"I acted only in the interest of the Nighthawks. Informants are only external tools for our efficient functioning. I am not responsible for the tools other than when I use them" said Vinnie looking at Alvin meaningfully. "Thankfully, the higher-ups too shared my view, and decided I shouldn't be punished for what wasn't my fault"

"So why are you here Vinnie? To show off how pathetic you are? Well, mission accomplished?" said Hannah.

"I hear you were taking an informant to the extraordinary gathering. You see, I never took Lyod to the extraordinary gathering. So except for someone like you, who was once a part of our unit, no one knew that Lyod was an informant for the Nighthawks. But I hear you are talking him there, which would tell the other churches and the military that he is an official informant. So I just wanted to check up on him. And a person wearing a mask in here is not shady at all" said Vinnie.

"Is he from the Sleepless pathway?" asked Alvin suddenly.

"Yes" replied Hannah.

"Then why does he look like just woke up from his sleep? I expected him to be like Rico and Raleigh, not tired after they fought two major battles within a 24-hour timeframe" said Alvin.

Vinnie's smile faded. "Ah, a Provoker I see. Good for you. And I see your reinforcement arriving. As I dislike being outnumbered too much, this conversation shall end here" he said as he walked away.

Donald and Rico who just came by greeted them, they all looked at the leaving Vinnie.