Chapter 133

When Alvin and Hannah finally reached the office, Gordon was already in there, having arrived much earlier due to the transportation mystical item.

"There you are. Both of you did a good job in the way you handled things today" said Gordon smiling when they walked into his office.

"Captain, is that jerk Freeman getting punished?" asked Hannah.

"He is not going to be the liaison for any matters with the Nighthawks, that much I can tell you. But he has accumulated some connections and influence over the years, so he is most likely to be only given an internal reprimand and punishment, and removed from his position as a liaison and be transferred elsewhere" said Gordon.

"That jerk is getting off too easy" grumbled Hannah unwillingly, but Alvin himself did not care. He knew he couldn't force Freeman to have any severe consequences even if he was unwilling anyway, and was content with him having to go elsewhere and not bother him anymore. If he came across Freeman at a much later date, he was confident that he could casually swat him down by then.

"Also, with us finding out that one of the two people having a large supply of gunpowder is the Black Rose, this matter has escalated severely. The three churches and MI9 will be all over this. We haven't assigned units yet, but it is understood that this takes precedence. Our unit is the only unit of Red Gloves currently stationed in Backlund, so if the need arises, we have to deploy" said Gordon seriously.

"What is the Black Rose?" asked Alvin confusedly.

"Well, it's a relatively unknown status in the Rose School of Thought. There are 5 Roses in total, the Black Rose, White Rose, Gold Rose, Red Rose, and Pink Rose. Not much is known of them, since one was never captured or killed by official Beyonders, at least in Loen" replied Hannah.

"Never captured or killed? Are these people? Or some kind of status the people assume? They must be pretty strong and elite forces either way" wondered Alvin.

"Actually no. The status of a Rose is not a measure of strength or achievements, but 'talent'. The 5 Roses are usually filled up by the children sired by the higher-ups of the organisation. They are naturally born at a higher Sequence by birth, without losing control. Hence, they are paraded around by the organisation, as geniuses or future demigods. But more often than not, they hardly advance, and lose their status younger candidates soon after" clarified Hannah.

"So the reason they were never killed or captured is because they never left their parent's side? The hideouts of the Rose School of Thought? guessed Alvin.

"That's right! Even if they do wander out for training, it's done to remote places where official organisations have lesser influence. So the Black Rose himself is not a matter of concern. What we are worried about is the implications of him entering Backlund, the place filled with official Beyonders. The organisation may be planning something big, and he may be some kind of representative. Or there might be a demigod guarding him for his protection. This is what we are concerned about" said Gordon solemnly.

"What did you find from the two Werewolves?" asked Alvin.

"Nothing much. They only knew that the Black Rose showed up at their headquarters 2 weeks ago. He did not try to talk to anyone or have them do anything. He came and went as he pleased. He consulted the Werewolves on places to get a large amount of gunpowder and money. They had no idea, and he never spoke to them after that. Yesterday, he sold the knowledge of the tunnel, and by extension all the gunpowder inside to the two Werewolves. Today, they planned to empty out the gunpowder and use it for their nefarious purposes" replied Gordon.

At that time, they heard a knock on the door, and a young woman poked her head in.

"Sorry to disturb you Captain, but the wanted orders from the MI9 have come in. They asked you to sign off on it" she said.

"Ah yes. Give them to me Rosie" said Gordon.

He looked at it, and then showed it to Alvin, saying, "We are pretty sure this is accurate, but why don't you just confirm this was the guy who was trying to steal the safe?"

Alvin took a look at the poster. In it was the sketch of a familiar face he had fought earlier today. And below his sketch, in bold letters, we're the word, 'Blondie'

Dumbfolded, Alvin asked, "Why is he called Blondie?"

Gordon looked at Alvin in confusion and said, "That boy Luca from the Machinery Hivemind said you referred to this person as Blondie. We assumed he was a known thug who goes by the name Blondie"

"Nope. Never seen him before today. I just yelled out the name in rage. I was affected by the negative effects of this ring, and was yelling whatever came to my head. I guess I referred to him as Blondie in my head" said Alvin sheepishly, pushing down the red ring mystical item over. Ever since he overhead that the mystical items from the 6 Beyonders would be going to offset the losses suffered today, he was planning to hand this ring over. The ring was not super important to him, and he always opted to maintain a good impression among the Nighthawks over some small profit. It would be super awkward if he was asked for it later.

Gordon accepted the ring, and said dismissively, "Well then. It sucks for him. The wanted posters are already being printed. Me signing off was just a formality. Even if he wasn't previously, he now goes by the name Blondie"

Alvin imagined Blondie looking at his new nickname in a wanted poster somewhere and snickered.

"Captain, is there something I need to do about the Black Rose or Blondie?" he then asked.

"Not for the moment. But keep an ear out for anything regarding the gunpowder. Blondie can also be regarded as a side task. Also, don't accept any commission or rewards from the Machinery Hivemind if they give it to you. They may try to low-ball you and be done with it. Tell them they can pass it to you through me" said Gordon.