The ninja placed his right hand over his chest and bowed to Hardy.
"Lord Wot, you may call me Rattlesnake."
Hardy glanced at the tattoo on the ninja's arm—a venomous snake coiled around a blade, its tongue flicking out, surrounded by intricate patterns representing the League of Assassins.
Different ranks in the League had different codenames. Ordinary members were broadly divided into two levels: the first had sword or blade tattoos, while elite assassins at the second level had animal motifs—dragons, snakes, scorpions—intertwined with blades, along with the demon's head symbol. Their codenames also included dragons or snakes.
Higher up, the system was more flexible. At this level, you were considered upper management in the League, and there were no strict rules. For example, Black Arrow's League title was "Magician," while Sandra Wu-San's was "Shiva," referring to the Hindu god of destruction.
Some still used animal codenames, such as Bronze Tiger, Shiva's senior brother. He was a martial arts master on par with Shiva, Batman, and Deathstroke, and his "tiger" moniker was linked to his early experiences.
Even Talia and Nyssa, the sisters, didn't use such codenames—their names alone signified their status.
"Give me an overview—what's here, and what support can you provide for my operations?"
Hardy said casually.
"Yes, sir! Where would you like me to start?"
Rattlesnake asked.
Hardy replied, "Power, wealth, connections."
Rattlesnake answered, "The great Demon's Head has stationed a total of twenty people in Gotham. Six are trainees still in training. Among the official members, apart from myself, Sasori, and Chameleon, the rest are ordinary members."
"What about Sasori and Chameleon?"
"They're not here. Sasori is the leader of the Sasori Gang, and Chameleon is an official at Gotham City Hall. They each collect all kinds of information about Gotham's underworld and official circles for the great Ninja Master."
Hardy quickly recalled that there was indeed a second-rate gang called the Sasori Gang in Gotham. Their turf was far from his, and they usually kept a low profile, but their strength was decent, so no other gang had ever clashed violently with them.
So, the so-called Sasori Gang was actually an external force of the League of Assassins.
Rattlesnake paused, and seeing that Hardy didn't speak, continued:
"The great Demon's Head has amassed endless wealth. He left a ton of gold in Gotham, and combined with other assets, we have roughly two hundred million dollars in funds for our operations, as well as some rare weapons and equipment."
Hardy nodded slightly. "Weapons and equipment... So you must also have channels to acquire some restricted rare materials, right? Do you have any promethium?"
"This... There is a dagger once used by the Demon's Head, made of promethium. If you need more, I can apply to headquarters for you, but this metal is extremely rare, so I'm afraid..."
"No problem. It's great if you have it, but it's fine if you don't. Let me see that dagger first."
"Yes, sir!"
Rattlesnake bowed his head and led Hardy to the League's base warehouse, where he retrieved a box and respectfully presented the promethium dagger with both hands.
Dedicated to Hardy.
This is a small, exquisite dagger, including the handle, about fifteen centimeters long. It gleams with a cold, intimidating light under the white lamp, shining brilliantly.
Hardy picked up the dagger, weighed it in his hand, and spun it in a flourish.
The dagger's weight was slightly heavier than iron of the same size. This promethium dagger must weigh a little over two jin (about one kilogram).
"Can I melt it down?"
Hardy wondered if he could incorporate the promethium metal into his puppets.
With such a small amount, he could either melt it into the blade of the White Samurai's high-voltage sword to increase its durability and sharpness, or draw it into wires to serve as an energy conduction device inside his puppets.
But if he chose the latter, he'd still need to test the chakra conductivity of this metal.
"Sorry, Lord Watt, I don't mean to stop you, but… I'm afraid melting down promethium is nearly impossible."
"This metal is an artificial element invented by Dr. Dayton more than forty years ago. Its structure is so solid that it's almost indestructible, and it can absorb and store all forms of energy. Because of this, whether by physical means or high-temperature smelting, once the metal is set, it cannot be reprocessed. It can only be shaped during its initial creation using a mold."
Rattlesnake replied.
"Then do you know where promethium is produced? Does the League of Assassins have access to it?"
Hardy asked again.
But Rattlesnake only shook his head.
"Sorry, Lord Watt, at my level, I'm not authorized to access that information."
"All right."
Hardy tried channeling chakra into the promethium dagger.
To his disappointment, the chakra vanished like a stone sinking into the sea—the promethium dagger showed no reaction whatsoever.
Aside from its hardness, the dagger's greatest feature was its ability to absorb and store energy.
This made energy-based attacks—magic, electricity, thermal rays, and the like—almost completely ineffective against promethium alloy, granting it extremely high resistance to magic. But it also meant Hardy couldn't use it as a chakra conductor for now.
Still, nothing is absolute. Batman and Cyborg's father both possess technology that leverages promethium's energy properties, injecting vast amounts of energy into promethium for storage, then activating it with specific methods when needed, using it as a super battery or high-tech weapon.
Batman has the means to inject the energy output of a large power plant over a long period into promethium; Cyborg relies on the power of the Mother Box.
Hardy, of course, didn't have access to that kind of technology. For him, this promethium dagger could only serve as an exceptionally sharp and sturdy blade.
He put the dagger away and listened as Rattlesnake continued his briefing.
For example, the various resources and industries in Gotham connected to the League of Assassins, and how they had used those assets to help Dr. Hugo Strange elevate Sharp to the mayor's office.
Now that Hardy had taken over these resources, he could use them to influence the Gotham Police Department and City Hall, strengthening his own power base.
But all of this would require careful planning according to the actual situation.
For now, Hardy had a more pressing task at hand.
After leaving the League of Assassins' base, he bought a few bags of snacks to throw off suspicion and returned to Hog's Auto Shop.
"You're finally back…"
In a room filled with ice, Mr. Freeze took off his goggles and looked at Hardy anxiously.
"I've prepared enough cryogenic fluid to sustain my vital signs. Now, we should take Nora and head to Central City."