"The alias you choose will be what you use to interact with other Unity members, as well as interact with their platform," said Flintlock. "The alias will be linked to your identity, so no one will know who you really are. Not even the core members of Unity, the ones that assign all the missions, can look into your real identity. To protect your identity, since I know you’re a cautious fellow, I took things one step further.
"I reported to my higher up that I will exchange the information you have with benefits that I will transfer to you directly. That means, no one besides me will know that you have even joined Unity. What’s more, if you never tell me your alias, I’ll have no way of knowing who you are within Unity either. Beyond that, it’ll be up to you to ensure that no one connects you to your alias."
Nero raised an eyebrow, appreciating Flintlock’s efforts. But, as a naturally suspicious person, he knew that this also meant that Flintlock held some leverage over him. Flintlock knew his real identity, and knew that he had joined Unity. If, in the future, he needed something from Nero, he could use that information to blackmail him.
Even if he didn’t know Nero’s alias, he was sure that Kolar had ways of checking whether he was a member or not. After all, if Unity was anywhere near as powerful and influential as he had been told, the army would surely keep tabs on it.
What Nero didn’t know was that not only was Unity every bit as influential as Flintlock told him, in truth its influence was even greater!
Regardless, he needed to think of a way to use the fact that he had joined Unity in his favour. It would be best if he received a task or mission that officially required him to join Unity or something like that. Anything at all that might be able to protect him from the possible repercussions of having his membership discovered would be useful.
"How will I join?" Nero asked.
Flintlock chuckled. If anyone else asked that question, Flintlock would have treated it as a normal question, yet when Nero asked it, he could tell that the boy was covering his basis before actually taking any action.
"I will deliver a card to you and you will activate it. That will link your alias, which will officially enter the Unity database, with your innate ability. That will link your identity to the alias. Don’t worry, even if others use Eldrim cards based on your innate ability, they won’t be able to access your alias. Such an obvious flaw would ruin the entire Unity intelligence network, so it naturally doesn’t exist."
"Obviously, you can’t join Unity in a dream," Flintlock said teasingly. "I’ll have it sent to your location soon. It will only take a couple of days, so you’ll have to wait. I can, in the meantime, show you how you can interact with the Unity intelligence network, and what it looks like. I’ll also share the inner workings of the organisation with you so you understand it better.
"The network cannot ordinarily be accessed from any and all locations. If you have an innate ability or card that allows your aether sense to travel far and wide, you can come close to that, otherwise you will need to be in special, designated areas to access the network.
"But worry not. Almost all small towns within Kolar, and in most countries in fact, can give you access to the network. You can definitely access the network from all large cities, regardless of the country. The network is not synchronised across countries, so sometimes, certain information takes a bit of time to reach, but it never takes too long. The time gap is not nearly enough for you to take advantage of by using your merit points multiple times across various countries, not unless you travel at the speed of a Sage, and at that point, do you even need to worry about points?"
Nero was... surprised. That was a genuinely massive, and unbelievably large network if it could be accessed so easily and so readily. His common sense told him that such a network should have been shut down by countries. By leaving it open, they were basically encouraging people to steal information from them and sell it to Unity. What could justify leaving them alone like this?
"That’s not all," Flintlock continued. "There are six, publicly known branches of Unity. Can you guess where they are? The answer is simple: they’re in the capital of each country."
Nero was dumbstruck.
"How is that possible?" he asked. "Unity clearly has no reservations going after sensitive information belonging to a country, so why would any country allow such an organisation to exist?"
Flintlock shrugged.
"The official answer to your question is that each country is in cooperation with Unity, and so they have made compromises. Furthermore, since all Unity is focused towards maintaining and preserving peace, each country tacitly allows for its presence since no one would benefit from a drawn out war between any country. I’m sure, however, that there are some secrets unknown to us in the background. Something like that would be a 6 Star piece of intel, so if you have the requisite merits, you can learn the truth for yourself.
"Speaking of which, we can now discuss how information and organisation resources are distinguished. All merits you receive are Stared. If, for example, you complete a 1 Star mission, or provide 1 Star information, you can receive 1 Star merits. Using those merits, you can redeem any 1 Star piece of news or resources you can pay for.
"Higher ranked merits can purchase goods from lower star rankings at a 1 for 10 conversion rate, but the reverse is not true. For example, a single 2 Star merit is equal to ten 1 Star merits, but ten 1 Star merits do not equate to one 2 Star merits.
"The information you gave me, the one about Vitracil, has been ranked as one 3 Star merit, so that’s pretty high. Other information you give me might be ranked similarly, in which case I will be taking a 50% cut of the value of the information."
Nero looked at Flintlock with a neutral expression.
"Isn’t 50% too high?" Nero questioned, though his tone was not simply inquisitory, it was borderline furious.
"It is," Flintlock admitted openly. "You’re right. It’s too much. But you can simply think of it as making up for my loss for not completing the Noman mission, and as my service charge for ensuring you can join Unity anonymously. If you wish, you can choose not to submit that information through me. The only drawback is you’ll need to find another Unity rep, expose your identity to more people, and risk having your alias leaked since I can try to look up who submitted the information."
Nero pursed his lips, looking furious, whereas internally he was entirely calm. Flintlock was already using his leverage over knowing Nero’s identity, but that was only natural. Everyone would always try to get more benefits for themselves. Even Nero himself was trying to do the same.
"Don’t take it personally. I’m giving you a pretty good deal, all things considered," Flintlock said casually. "And it’s only fair that I get compensated for my efforts. In the future, if you need my help, or vice versa, we can renegotiate the distribution based on the circumstances. Don’t worry, I’m not going to hold knowing your identity against you. To begin with, I’m the one doing his best to prevent you from having your identity leaked. See, this way I’ll never know your alias, thereby protecting your actions once you join Unity." .
Nero did not argue, it would be pointless. Whether Flintlock was sincere or not, he could not tell, nor did it matter.
"We’ll finalise the trade once I get the card and join Unity," Nero said. "Don’t worry, I won’t submit the information behind your back. What you said is correct - submitting information about Vanessa myself would expose my alias. I just want to verify everything you’ve said before I complete the deal."
Flintlock shook his head, almost as if he had anticipated exactly such a situation.
"By the way, the Unity intelligence network can be accessed in Abboton, but not in KMA, so make sure you conclude your business before going in," Flintlock said before dispersing the dream. There was no point in further conversations. Since Nero said he wouldn’t cooperate until he joined, then Flintlock didn’t doubt him.
Nero woke up the next day and continued on as if nothing had happened at all. He continued his research, making steady progress each day, until four days later he received mail.