Chapter 100

It was almost 9 in the evening. While the gathering was still ongoing, most of the Beyonders had already left a few hours ago.

Alvin only stayed behind so he could switch disguises using the Lifesaver and buy lots of Beyonder ingredients without earning any suspicion. By staggering his time, he had managed to get all the Hunter pathway ingredients, and an extra set of Spectator pathway ingredients, because more Spectators as subordinates would only be more beneficial. He also managed to get an extra true root of the Mist Treant, which he planned to sell to the Fool after he came to Backlund.

Alvin was also planning to leave. As he had to stay here till now to get the many ingredients, Alvin Jones had been sitting in the cafe drinking coffee for an excessively long period of time. He had been getting a few weird glances from the person running the coffee shop, whom Alvin suspected was an external member of the military, who was being trained to do undercover work somewhere, so that he could get familiar with spotting and dealing with Beyonders.

As Alvin was leaving, he saw Kevin who also seemed to be leaving. Seeing Alvin, he warmly trotted over and greeted, "Alvin! Forgive me for not being able to entertain you till now. I was otherwise occupied with some stuff. I trust the gathering was very productive for you?"

"Yes. I have gotten lots of things I needed. It's too bad that I didn't bring the things I wanted to sell this time. I didn't know this gathering would be this big, hence for a month, I missed the chance" said Alvin.

"Haha, it's not a big deal. This gathering is only a formality. You can look for anyone and trade with them whenever you want. Only, it's tricky, with everyone having their own responsibilities and duties. If you do have something you need to sell urgently, you can always consign it to me. Believe me, while I do charge a fee, the price you get will by no means be unreasonable" said Kevin.

"I will keep that in mind. How would I contact you? Is it through the post?" asked Alvin.

"For non-trivial matters, the post would be excellent. But when it comes to matters with Beyonders and those involving large sums of money, I even start to lose trust in the telegraph I have installed in my house" said Kevin. He then took out a piece of paper, scribbled a few words, and gave it to Alvin saying, "Here is the incantation to summon my messenger. Do you know how to summon a messenger?"

"I have bought a book from the Church of Evernight which I believe covers the matter" said Alvin.

"Then I have nothing to worry about. You can summon a messenger and have it send me a letter if you need to tell me something. But I would recommend that we talk face to face with regards to transactions. I would prefer if you used the messenger to fix a time for us to meet rather than talk about offers" said Kevin.

"And by the way, I have a large book of information and only need some specific information from it. Your student Colin, seemed to imply you knew someone who could make the job easier?" asked Alvin.

"Ah, I understand who he is talking about. But unfortunately, he is in a tricky situation in Backlund. But he has a rather close relationship with the Nighthawks, so I don't think he will mind working with you. I will inform him that there is a commission. But I can't tell you his details now" said Kevin.

"It's alright. Thank you, Kevin. I will write to you soon. And here is my address" said Alvin, giving him the address of his bar.

Kevin took the note and kept it in his pocket.

He then said smiling, "Well Alvin, it seems like we must part ways now. My previous invitation still stands, and the unopened bottle of wine from the Rorsted Archipelago is waiting for you, should you have the chance to come by my place" said Kevin. "The address is 12, Williams Street"

After arranging for the box of books to be delivered to his house later from the office of the Nighthawks, Alvin went to the bar. There, he saw Frank, who he recently had sworn an oath with his blood in front of the stele he manifested from the Red Castle.

"Is everything prepared?" asked Alvin.

"Yes boss. There is a bar that has been already purchased with a fictitious name in the heart of the Eastern Borough. I have made a complex set of identities for the supposed owner of the bar, and I will pretend to have quit and taken a job there because of higher incentives. I have prepared to move and reside there for the foreseeable future according to plan. Riccardo will take up the job as the bartender of this bar, and report to you any information you seek. And I will remotely run your information network from there" said Frank respectfully. He seemed calm, but Alvin could see that he was highly restless and impatient.

"Very good. I will prepare the potion now. Remember the formula and ingredients. Whenever possible, collect these ingredients. Also, I will have Tyson and Wilson take the Warrior potion afterwards, and they will accompany you to the bar there as bouncers according to the plan" said Alvin.

After a while, Frank drank the Spectator potion and tightly shut his eyes. Alvin waited for him to gain his bearings. He was confident that Frank could take the potion without any problem, as he basically acted like a Spectator ever since Alvin bought the Half Inch Bar.

After a while, Frank opened his eyes. His eyes seemed a little glassy, but the colour was rapidly returning.

"Very good. You should hide the fact that you are a Beyonder for as long as possible. The same goes for Tyson and Wilson. Other than managing the new bar, your duties remain unchanged. As long as you do a good job, you will not have to worry about follow up potions and formulas" said Alvin.

After receiving acknowledgement, then proceeded to tell Frank about some things related to the Beyonder world he should know about, as well as some updates on his plans.