The ninja placed his right hand over his chest and bowed to Qingshui.
"Master Watt, you may call me Rattlesnake."
Qingshui glanced at the tattoo on the ninja's arm. It depicted a venomous snake coiling around a blade, its tongue flicking, along with intricate patterns representing the League of Assassins.
Members of the League of Assassins have different codenames depending on their rank. Ordinary members are generally divided into two levels. The first level has sword tattoos. Elite assassins of the second level combine animals like dragons, snakes, or scorpions with swords, and their patterns feature the demon head symbol, representing the Demon's Head. Their codenames also include dragons and snakes.
Above that, the designations are more informal. At this level, one is already a high-ranking member of the League of Assassins, with no strict limitations. For example, Black Arrow's title within the League of Assassins is Magician, and Sandra Wu-San's title is Shiva, which refers to Shiva, the god of destruction in Hindu mythology.
Some still use animal names in their titles, such as Lady Shiva's senior martial brother, Bronze Tiger. He is a martial arts master on the same level as Lady Shiva, Batman, and Deathstroke. His use of "Tiger" is related to his early experiences.
Even sisters like Talia and Nyssa don't have these codenames; they use their names to identify themselves.
"Tell me, what's here, and how can you assist my operations?" Qingshui asked casually.
"Yes! Where would you like to begin?" Rattlesnake inquired.
Qingshui replied, "Power, wealth, connections."
Rattlesnake said, "The great Demon's Head has a total of twenty people stationed in Gotham, with six being apprentices still in training. Among the official members, besides Poison Scorpion, Chameleon, and myself, the others are ordinary members."
"And what about Poison Scorpion and Chameleon?"
"They are not present. Poison Scorpion is the leader of the Poison Scorpion Gang, and Chameleon is an official in Gotham City Hall. They each gather all information about Gotham's underworld and legitimate society for the great Ninja Master."
Qingshui quickly recalled that there was indeed a second-tier gang in Gotham called the Poison Scorpion Gang. It was quite far from his territory and usually kept a low profile, but its strength was decent, so no other gangs had intense conflicts with them.
So, it seemed the so-called Poison Scorpion Gang was actually an peripheral force of the League of Assassins.
Rattlesnake paused, and seeing that Qingshui didn't speak, he continued:
"The great Demon's Head has accumulated boundless wealth. He left a ton of gold in Gotham, along with other assets valued at approximately 200 million US dollars, to serve as our operational funds. There are also some valuable weapons and equipment."
Qingshui nodded slightly. "Weapons and equipment... So, there should also be channels here to acquire some controlled, valuable materials, right? Do you have Promethium?"
"About that… there is a dagger once used by the Demon's Head, made of Promethium. If you wish for more Promethium, I will apply to headquarters for you, but this metal is extremely rare, I'm afraid…"
"It's fine. It's best if you have it, but it's okay if you don't. Just let me see that dagger for now."
"Yes!"
Rattlesnake bowed his head and led Qingshui to the League of Assassins base's warehouse. He retrieved a box, held the Promethium dagger with both hands, and presented it to Qingshui.
It was a small dagger, about fifteen centimeters long including the handle. It looked chillingly sharp, gleaming brightly under the white light.
Qingshui picked up the dagger, weighed it a couple of times, and then twirled it expertly.
The dagger's weight was slightly heavier than iron of the same volume. This Promethium dagger weighed a little over one kilogram.
"Can I melt it down?" Qingshui wanted to know if he could melt Promethium into his puppets.
With such a small amount, he could either integrate it into the blade of the White Knight's High-Voltage Electric Sword to increase its durability and sharpness, or draw it into wires to serve as an energy conduction device within the puppet.
However, for the latter, he would need to test the Chakra conductivity of this metal.
"I apologize, Master Watt, I don't mean to stop you, but… I don't think it's possible to melt Promethium. This metal is a new synthetic metallic element invented by Dr. Dayton over forty years ago. It's so incredibly durable that it's almost indestructible, and it can absorb and store all forms of energy. Therefore, whether through physical processing or high-temperature smelting, it's impossible to reprocess the metal once it has solidified. It can only be shaped using molds during its initial creation." Rattlesnake explained.
"Then do you know where Promethium can be produced? Does the League of Assassins have a channel?" Qingshui asked again.
However, Rattlesnake merely shook his head.
"I apologize, Master Watt, at my rank, I am not privy to such information."
"Alright then."
Qingshui tried to channel Chakra into the Promethium dagger.
To his disappointment, the Chakra vanished as if into a bottomless pit; the Promethium dagger showed no reaction whatsoever.
Its greatest characteristic, besides its hardness, was its ability to absorb and store energy.
This made energy-based attacks like magic, electricity, and heat rays almost ineffective against Promethium Alloy, giving it extremely high magic resistance. However, it also meant that Qingshui currently couldn't use it as a conductor for Chakra.
But nothing is absolute. Batman and Cyborg's father both possessed technology capable of utilizing Promethium's energy properties. They could inject large amounts of energy into Promethium for storage, activating it with specific methods when needed, using it as super batteries or high-tech weapons.
The former had the ability to inject enough energy into Promethium to power a large power plant for an extended period, while Cyborg utilized the power of the Mother Box.
Qingshui naturally didn't have that kind of technology. For him, this Promethium dagger truly could only be used as an extremely sharp, extremely durable dagger.
After putting away the dagger, Qingshui listened for a while longer to Rattlesnake's introductions.
For instance, he learned about the various resources and industries related to the League of Assassins within Gotham City, and how they had once used these resources to help Dr. Hugo propel Sharp into the mayor's seat.
Now that Qingshui had taken control of these resources, he could also leverage them to influence the Gotham Police Department and Gotham City Hall, thereby strengthening his own power.
However, all of this would need to be carefully planned according to the actual circumstances.
Qingshui, by contrast, had a more important task at hand.
After leaving the League of Assassins' base and picking up a few bags of snacks for cover, Qingshui returned to Hogg's Auto Shop.
"You're finally back…"
In a room piled high with ice, Mr. Freeze took off his glasses and looked at Qingshui with an urgent expression.
"Enough cryogenic fluid has been prepared to sustain my vital signs. We should take Nora and head to Central City now."
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