Chapter 103

"Good afternoon Mr Isengard. My name is Alvin Jonas" said Alvin as he walked into the office of Isengard Stanton.

"Of course. Kevin told me you were coming. Call me Isengard please. Always a pleasure to meet more Beyonders. Please sit" said the detective warmly after Alvin introduced himself.

"So what can I do for you Alvin?" asked Isengard Stanton after a few minutes of polite chit chat.

"Do you know of a set of books called 'The Sea Creature Chronicles'?" asked Alvin.

"Ah, I have heard about them. It's priced at 200 pounds. Not something worth that much I am afraid" Isengard Stanton.

"How would you like to read them?" asked Alvin.

"You bought a set?" asked Isengard.

"Indeed. I would like you to help me read them and find me some information" said Alvin.

"Ah, I can do that. But it will have to wait next week. I am busy with a case now. And I will have to ask an advance of 50" said Isengard.

"Alright. I will have the books left in your office. Here are the specifics of the details I want" said Alvin.

He had asked for not only the sea creatures in the area when Frederick and the rest passed through the sea, but also a few other locations and times. He did this as a precaution. While no one knew that the knife of Judgement had fallen into the sea in a particular spot, it was possible that Clyde and Victor could guess that it had probably happened when they were fighting off the Admiral of Hell, and by extension, Medici and Amon would probably know. He didn't want to leave any direct clues to that specific time and spot that might lead him to being suspected.

After that, he paid Isengard's assistant the 50 pound advance and left.

Alvin won't back to the bar, and instead of Frank, a person called Riccardo was manning the counter.

"Good morning boss" he greeted when Alvin walked in, and handed him some pieces of paper.

"The projects you started a couple of months ago started smoothly. Universities and technical colleges were searced for decent students who were on the verge of dropping out due to one reason to the other. We provided them funds and connections to tide through the difficulties. They have now graduated recently or are in the process of doing so. We have already started arranging for non stressful jobs for them to work at while they polish their grammar, history, and current affairs, to prepare for the upcoming exams" reported Riccardo.

Alvin nodded as he looks through the reports prepared by his subordinate. He remembered that the Fool would suggest to Miss Justice about the examinations to select civil servants, which she would implement by using some noble ladies. The pioneering batch would inevitably have great advantages in this system. Not only would they have early access to the bureaucracy ladder, but they would also have a lot of power and connections, as the attention of the higher-ups was on them.

Alvin knew that the first round of the Civil Servant Unified Examination would take place in December of this year. Hence, he had been pouring enormous amounts of money and manpower to ensure that he would have the loyalty of 100 or so of the top archivers in the first batch.

The people he was recruiting not only came from Backlund, but also from some other major cities in Loen, mostly from Awwa county, where he had a strong presence due to the connections he inherited from the Hans family and those he built up before that.

He wanted to almost completly be able to control a county when in the future he reclaimed the fief of the Hans family, both in terms of official administrators and underground forces, hence he was planning to develop both; Beyonders who swore an oath to him in front of the Red Castle, which he had only 3 of for the moment, and civil servants he was working to cultivate. The Awwa county where the Hans family was based was the preferred location, since he was planning to inherit the noble title and his fief in the future, and he could add whatever powers of nobility he had to completely control the Awwa county.

"Very good. Start scouting some from the newest batch of students graduating next year. There is no hurry to start winning them over now. The next batch of students is not as important as this. But if there is an excellent prospect that ends up in a bad situation, you can go ahead to try and recruit him, but you should inform me beforehand. Also, keep an eye out for those with special talents, be it for physics, chemistry, observation, or in any other field. There is no need to show it to me, just keep a list that I can browse when I want to read" said Alvin.

Riccardo nodded, and went back inside.

It was early in the morning, and there was no one in the bar. Bars generally opened much later, in the evening, when there would be plenty of customers. But since the bar was at the edge of the Cherwood Borough, usually, there would be well off customers looking to purchase wine bottles. These kinds of people would come just in the waning hours of the afternoon when they were free after whatever work they were in, but before heavy drinkers and the rough and tough people arrived. To cater to such customers, the Half Inch Bar opened much earlier than most bars. But there would be no customers in the morning.

That is why, Alvin was surprised when the door of the bar was swung open, and someone walked in.

"Can I help you?" asked Alvin.

"I am looking for the bar owner" said the man that came in.

"That would be me. Alvin Jonas" said Alvin.

"Marvin Hoffman. Pleased to meet you" said the man sticking out his hand.

Alvin shook his extended hand.

"I own the bar that opened down the road, the Glass of Heaven" said the man. "And I want to speak to you about the situation of both our bars that happen to be in the same street"