Chapter 547 Masterminding Strategies
"Larry, you see, I respect you. Even though I've hit you, there's not a single mark on you," Jonathan said nonchalantly.
Larry turned to Jonathan, his voice bitter as he said, "I understand what you're implying. You want me to betray His Majesty!"
Walrion said angrily, "Anakin is nothing but a traitorous villain, he's not a King at all."
However, Lawson chose to ignore Walrion. Jonathan also raised his hand to signal Walrion not to continue on this topic.
Johnathan said to Larry, "Let's put it this way, you're a sensible man. I'm giving you two options. The first one is that I torture you
to death. I presume you wouldn't want that, would you?"
Larry said, "But I can't betray Anakin!"
At this moment, he dared not utter "His Majesty" again.
Johnathan said, "There's nothing that cannot be betrayed; it depends on whether it's worth it. I have a poison here that takes
three days to take effect. As long as you help me kill Anakin within these three days, I'll give you the antidote when the time
comes, and also a substantial sum of money to let you disappear and start anew!"
Johnathan continued, "When the time comes, we will cooperate with you."
"This plan of yours is insane!" Shock flashed in Larry's eyes as he said, "It's impossible for me to kill Anakin. I can't even if I
wanted to!"
Larry kept shaking his head.
Johnathan replied, "Everyone has to make some effort for their own life. We have to take risks, and so do you. You are the
closest person to Anakin, even if you can't kill him, it's enough if you can seriously injure him."
Larry still shook his head. "I can't!"
For Larry, this was indeed a very tormenting and indecisive matter.
So his reaction was quite normal for Johnathan and his team. If Larry had rashly agreed, then they would have been the ones to
harbor doubts!
Johnathan said, "I understand this is hard for you. But you're not a child, nor are you an impulsive teenager. So, you should think
about whether it's worth dying for Anakin. If you die, how long will Anakin grieve for you? A person only has one life. Once you're
gone, you're gone. This isn't a game, you can't just die and respawn!"
Subsequently, Johnathan took out the poison and threw it in front of Larry.
"It's up to you if you want to eat it or not. Will you choose to take the poison, take a gamble, or would you prefer I kill you right
now?" Jonathan asked.
Larry remained silent.
Everyone was looking at Larry.
After waiting for a while, Johnathan said, "It seems you are indeed loyal to Anakin. Well, considering your loyalty, I'll grant you a
swift end." With that, he struck a blow toward Larry's head!
"Hold on!" In that instant, Larry broke out in a cold sweat, truly as if his soul was about to flee his body!
At that moment, Larry truly felt as if he had walked the line between life and death.
"What's the matter?" Johnathan's face was impassive.
Larry picked up the poison pill and declared, saying, "I'm willing to cooperate with you!" With that, he swallowed the pill.
This so-called poison was actually not poison at all, but merely baking soda pellets.
Johnathan knew very well that with Larry's constitution, he could suppress and neutralize any real poison given to him. So, the
only option was to give him this harmless substance. Once consumed, Larry wouldn't notice anything, but it would make him
paranoid!
Johnathan chose not to disclose the origin of the poison. He believed that no one would dare to gamble with their life and
question the authenticity of the pill.
One could say, Johnathan was indeed a gambler. He was a gambler with audacious courage!
Moreover, he always managed to win every bet.
After taking the poison, Larry turned to Johnathan and asked, "Can I stand up now?"
Johnathan gave a slight smile and said, "For these three days, we are comrades. Of course, you can stand up." He personally
helped Larry to his feet.
Seeing this, Walrion and the others also breathed a sigh of relief.
Such a challenging task was actually accomplished under Johnathan's planning. Everyone couldn't help but admire Johnathan's
wisdom and courage.
However, at this moment, Larry said, "But you've made a big commotion capturing me today. I'm afraid the Four Marquises are
already aware. If they go back and report this to Anakin, I'm worried he might start suspecting me!"
Johnathan said casually, "Aren't you the one Anakin trusts the most?"
Larry couldn't help but feel a touch of bitterness. He said, "Anakin never truly trusts anyone completely!"
Johnathan said, "I've anticipated your concerns. Here, I have a spell for you. Take it back to show Anakin, and just tell him you
found it posted on your door when you woke up in the middle of the night. This spell was crafted by The Destino of Chanaea.
Anakin should be able to discern its origin. When the time comes, you shouldn't say much. Anakin, upon receiving this spell, will
naturally start suspecting that the Four Marquises have been turned by me. He will grow suspicious of them but won't be overly
cautious around you."
"Does this spell really have such an effect?" Larry couldn't help but ask.
Johnathan casually remarked, "This spell does have some effect, but it's not as miraculous as it seems! However, Anakin is not
very familiar with the spell, so deceiving him won't be an issue!"
Mable was aware of this spell. Indeed, it was Johnathan who had asked Jeff to make it.
Larry said, "But the marquises already know that you've sought me out, they..."
"You don't need to worry about them," Johnathan said. "They'll turn a blind eye. If we fail, they become our enemies. But if you
succeed in killing Anakin, or even severely injuring him, they will become our allies!"
Mabel couldn't help but admire how Johnathan had really thought through every step and every detail. His considerations were
very meticulous.
Subsequently, Johnathan added, "We will follow you to Eastsummer after you return. When you're ready to take action, we'll be
waiting outside Dietrich Castle. As soon as you make your move, we'll coordinate and work together."
Larry nodded, saying, "All right. I will do my best."
Johnathan nodded and said, "This is for your own good, I hope you value your life!" After he finished speaking, he added, "We
have prepared a set of clothes identical to yours. You should take a bath now to get rid of the smell of gasoline on you so that
Anakin doesn't smell anything suspicious later."
Larry nodded in response.
Afterward, Prince Ocantine took Larry and left the secret underground room.
At this very moment, Larry resembled a defeated rooster, no longer carrying his previous air of arrogance.
Prince Ocantine looked at his defeated look, feeling absolutely delighted inside!
After Larry and Prince Ocantine left, Mabel and Beatrix were quite worried.
Beatrix asked, "Isn't this going too smoothly for us? Can this guy really handle Anakin?"
Walrion was also very worried, saying, "Indeed, what if he intends to make a move but is seen through by Anakin?"
Mabel said, "Things are going so smoothly that it feels abnormal. Do you think Larry might be up to something?"
With a smile, Johnathan said, "We've already come this far, so let's not overthink things. Apart from doing our best, let's just
leave the rest to fate!"
He was quite an optimist!
Mabel said, "Don't you think that Larry is completely untrustworthy?"
Johnathan said, "What's so unbelievable about that? There's no one who isn't afraid of death."
He was taking things lightly.
Subsequently, Johnathan halted everyone from continuing the conversation. He said, "There's no point in discussing this matter
any further. At this stage, we have no choice but to plow ahead; there's no turning back. I believe that my luck will see me
through this!"
Mabel said in a deep voice, "Johnathan, I know that all along the way, you've always relied heavily on your luck. But there's an
old saying in Chanaea, 'the same person can cause the success or failure of a matter', meaning you can't rely too much on your
luck! I'm afraid that one day you might stumble over your own luck!"
Johnathan rolled his eyes instantly, saying, "I don't really appreciate that remark. It's as if you're implying that my survival up to
this point is due solely to luck, and I have no other merits."
"That's not what I meant. I just feel that we should be more careful with this matter!"
"We have no other way to go. Things have come to this point and the odds are low. We can only charge forward. Only the
bravest person will emerge victorious in a fierce battle!"
Seeing Johnathan's unwavering conviction, Mabel sighed and chose to remain silent.
Beatrix sighed and said, "Forget it, Johnathan, we've put our lives in your hands. We can die, but you need to be a bit more
cautious. Make sure our deaths have meaning!"
Johnathan spoke seriously, "No one will die here!"
It was getting late at this time.
Everyone primarily felt that things had gone too smoothly, but they couldn't find any flaws. In the end, they all thought they might
be overthinking it and should place more trust in Johnathan.
It must be said, Johnathan's calmness and steadiness greatly boosted everyone's confidence.
That night, everyone rested, and naturally, there was no conversation.
The next morning, Prince Ocantine graciously offered his private jet for Larry and his group to return to Eastsummer.
Larry and the Four Marquises all each had their own axe to grind, yet they understand each other without explicit
communication.
After Larry and the others left, Prince Ocantine also came to see Johnathan.
"Isn't everything going a bit too smoothly?" Prince Ocantine asked.
Johnathan was somewhat irritated. He addressed Prince Ocantine and the others and said, "You may think everything is going
smoothly, but do you know how much work and preparation I've put into this? There's no such thing as effortless success. This is
a matter of life and death, and my life is on the line too. I wouldn't gamble with my own life, let alone yours!"
Prince Ocantine was suddenly at a loss for words. He actually felt a bit ashamed, thinking that he had indeed overthought things.
Mabel and the others remained completely silent.
"When are we setting off for Eastsummer?" Prince Ocantine asked Johnathan.
Johnathan said, "Set up a covert channel and make our way to Eastsummer as soon as possible. When Larry is ready to take
action, we will proceed accordingly by coordinating our efforts both internally and externally."
At this moment, Johnathan was absolutely confident!