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The relationship with New Velariya was tense, but mostly neutral due to the fact that the residents of the country saw themselves as too superior to concern themselves with the rest of the world. It did not help that they were, in fact, at the forefront of Eldrim card research and manufacturing in the whole world.

They also didn\'t share a border with Kolar, so conflicts were usually kept to a minimum.

Nova was considered Kolar\'s oldest ally, and they had a long history of cooperation, mostly because the two countries were the furthest away from each other.

The relationship with Creta was once again neutral, mostly because it was treated with such disdain. It was the most barren of all countries, had the largest curse zone in the world, often suffered from invasion of cursed beasts through the fog clearing, and overall had the most deplorable conditions of any country.

All of that might not necessarily be true, but considering that Nero\'s only source of information were books and the internet in Kolar, it more or less covered the impression Kolar had of the country.

The fact that, for the ruins, Kolar had been willing to declare a world war, fighting multiple countries alone, dictated the enormous military might of the country. They did not take everyone too seriously, though they didn\'t ignore them outright either.

But it had not always been like this, so the fact that Kolar had reached such heights meant that it had been governed competently, with a clear vision and due vigilance against domestic and foreign threats. At least, that\'s what Nero learned from the little research he had done on his own.

That was precisely why Flintlock\'s claims about Unity sounded completely preposterous. If nothing else, the sheer arrogance of Kolar should have kept it from cooperating with any foreign powers operating within its own borders. That was his first thought.

But then he was immediately reminded of all that he had experienced in Lumina. The fact that different factions were competing with each other for artefacts, and that someone had been willing to bring in spies from Nova, and the countless other examples he saw of subterfuge and undercurrent gave him pause. It made him realise that maybe Kolar was not as united as he had always thought.

By now he knew it. In fact, he had even used that very fact to his own advantage when he used Unity to hide the secrets of Virtuous Moonlight, not to mention all that Whisper Guard had done for him. But it was just difficult to move past some of his conceptions from his childhood.

"Unity is divided into two distinct strata: an inner and an outer stratum. The inner level is composed of the core of the organisation.

They are the only ones who can issue missions, and they maintain the organisation, ensure it stays true to its mission, and basically ensure that none of its outer members use the facilities and services provided by the organisation to do anything counterproductive to the goal of the organisation itself.

"The outer layer consists of affiliates, such as myself. We carry out missions assigned to us in exchange for internal organisational credits, which can be used to avail the services of the organisation. Affiliates do not have the authority to issue missions, but we can still make use of Unity\'s vast network.

Most importantly, as an intelligence agency, Unity has access to many secrets from across Neire, and using credits we can even purchase access to some of each country\'s core secrets. From what I understand, you yourself have quite a few enemies, not to mention an interesting history with your brother - who does not even exist according to public records.

"If you can\'t access information using official channels, that does not mean you can\'t find out using Unity\'s far reaching influence. Of course, besides just information, you can avail a number of other benefits as well, such as hiring artisans, gaining access to prohibited or contraband goods, or even smuggling yourself or goods across borders.

"As long as your actions don\'t risk inciting international conflict, there\'s a lot of things Unity can offer you. Moreover, Unity\'s influence even within Kolar is greater than you think. I\'ve heard you\'re an ambitious person. Which corp and division you\'re assigned to will, to a large degree, determine the end path of your career. What if I tell you that I can influence that?"

Nero maintained a neutral expression, but internally he had to admit that, as unbelievable as it all was, it did sound enticing. But the more enticing it was, the more careful it had to be. Often the most venomous creatures were the most colourful and beautiful.

"It all sounds well and good, but I still refuse to join unless I know what you want me to do. What if to protect international peace you want me to betray the country\'s secrets? Or worse, assassinate someone? I know how the game works, so even if I know your ends, that does not mean I would approve of your means."

Flintlock shook his head, and got up from his seat though oddly enough, that made the man appear even more ethereal. It was as if he would disappear into the darkness itself.

"That\'s not how it works, but I can understand your hesitation. You have one week to decide whether you want to work as an affiliate or not. Let me remind you, your usefulness to Unity is contingent on the fact that there is no known affiliation between you and Unity as of yet.

If you so much as use the word unity in a sentence over the next week, even in your sleep, we will know, and your invitation will be rescinded. If you accept, just use this card, and I\'ll arrange the rest. I\'ll be seeing you soon."

Flintlock softly placed a card on the very stone seat where he sat, and turned to look at Nero as if giving him a warm smile.

"That\'s it? If I decide not to join Unity, you won\'t come after me or anything? You\'re just going to let me go? Just like that?"

Flintlock chuckled, as if he was waiting for that very question.

"You see, Nero, information is a very valuable thing. It lets you… how should I put this delicately? With the right information, you can anticipate anyone\'s actions. It\'s quite an addictive feeling, knowing the future. For you, let me see. I anticipate that you will use this card to join Unity in the next two to three days, depending on when they release you from this prison.

Just remember, Unity\'s information network spreads across all of Neire, across any border."

With that cryptic prediction conveyed, Flintlock stepped back into the darkness of the corner, and disappeared. Even the flickering blue flames could no longer find his outline in the cell. A thin streak of pale moonlight suddenly slipped through his window, as if the moon was revealed from behind parting clouds, illuminating the cell.

Besides Nero there was no one else there, almost as if he had imagined the whole thing.

Yet the card, placed upside down on the stone seat was no illusion though Nero didn\'t move to pick it up just yet.

He reflected on his conversation with Flintlock, and came to the conclusion that the masked man more or less knew that Nero would not so easily agree to join. But he did not seem concerned at all. From start to end, it was as if he was acting out a formality.

His confidence that Nero would join, regardless of how Nero tried to distance himself from the shady organisation, was slightly worrying. What did he know, or what did he anticipate would drive Nero to them? His final hint was about their cross border intelligence.

Did this have something to do with Vanessa? Was she a part of Unity, or had she encountered some kind of problem?

Unable to come to a conclusion, Nero stepped forward and picked up the unassuming card.

Name: Flickering lantern

Image: A white candle, nearly used up entirely, inside a glass lantern

Type: Illusion

Star rank: 0

Ability: [Disperse the darkness of ignorance with the light of knowledge]

Flavour text: "As I sate my greed for knowledge, my power grows," - Iskunder Macedon

Nero put the card in his cardcase and sat down, beginning his meditation. Since he could not train his body, then he would continuously train his aether, reaching ever closer to the Initiate realm.