Chapter 156: Genius
"And during one of their operations for House Hauket, that person betrayed their plans to the player Ander Poole, who was working for the hostile Volantis party at the time."
"Subsequently, Gini Taimei's little gang suffered a fatal blow during an operation that very night. He and one of his allies were killed on the spot." Ian paused, thoughtfully reaching out to wipe the cold sweat from Celia's forehead before continuing.
"This incident was both a good thing and a bad thing for the last member of their little crew, our little schemer, who was not present that night and had already established a new identity elsewhere."
"The advantage was that she inherited the fruits of her allies' labor without having to do anything in return. She no longer had to worry about future internal strife with two partners who knew her true identity completely."
"The disadvantage was that her identity did not allow her to build a career on her own in the patriarchal society of this world. She had to find a new sword to wield."
"And soon, she found a very suitable candidate. The problem was, she had no basis of trust with this person and did not dare to rashly propose an alliance. So, she needed to find another way to achieve her goals."
"This little schemer of ours is truly smart. She quickly found a way… can you guess what it was?"
Celia couldn't even muster a fake smile now. There was only raw fear in her eyes.
"Then…" Ian began again, seeing that she remained silent.
"Enough!" Celia screamed, lunging forward with her hands outstretched to push Ian away, but he easily forced her back down against the table.
"What, do you understand this time?" Ian smiled.
Only then did Celia seem to realize her outburst. She could only stiffen her neck and attempt a defense. "I'm just fed up with your inexplicable stories! I am Prince Hazan's sister! You can't do this to me."
"Are you not convinced? Or are you still taking a chance, thinking that I'm not certain about all this? Or perhaps," Ian leaned down again, their faces so close their noses almost touched, "you think I don't dare to kill you."
"I just…" Celia wanted to argue, but the sudden ferocity that flared in Ian's eyes made her tremble. She snapped her mouth shut.
It took her a long moment to speak again, a sad, broken smile on her lips. "I just… I just don't understand how someone could say such vicious words at a time like this."
"You drugged the incense burner. You can't blame me for that," Ian said without missing a beat. "That was never part of my plan."
"I just want to marry you." Celia's expression turned pitiful. She reached out to touch Ian's face, but he gently slapped her hand away.
*That's why!* Ian cursed inwardly. *That's why the system's mission determined you wouldn't pose a danger to me!*
"Yes, you want to marry me. And Prince Hazan was eager to establish a more solid alliance with me. So you two hit it off immediately and had him pretend you are his sister, allowing both of you to achieve your goals."
"At the same time, it almost completely eliminates any suspicion that you are a player."
"In this way, you can marry me as a native of this world. As long as my alliance with Hazan continues, you can always keep a place by my side, share my title, understand my plans, and use my power."
"And the point of it all… is to sleep in my bed and choose to backstab me whenever you see fit. What man in the world can escape the assassination of his own wife?" By the end of his tirade, Ian was practically roaring.
"And because there is no covenant between us, you would not be bound by the alliance mechanism. Not only would you not be penalized a single point for killing me, you would directly inherit all of my points and system resources. As my wife, you would inherit all the power I have established." Ian pinched Celia's chin, his grip so tight he nearly crushed the bone. He spat out the last words. "You are a fucking genius."
*What kind of maniac comes up with a plan like that?*
To be fair, in a social structure like this world's, a male and female player forming an alliance was a textbook strategy. The female player would use her advantages in appearance and knowledge of the original story to attach herself to a powerful native, allowing for rapid advancement. If his two promised allies hadn't dropped out, Ian would have walked a similar path himself.
But to change one's identity to marry another *player*, just to wait for the opportune moment to harvest him? When Ian first deduced Celia's purpose, it was as if the door to a new world had been opened.
"I never thought about that last part," Celia said, knowing she could never admit to such a thing. "I just wanted to get along with you for a while, to build trust before I formed an alliance with you."
"You can say whatever you want about a future that can no longer be verified." Though Ian didn't believe her, he released his grip and stepped back.
Celia finally had a chance to breathe. She coughed violently, then gasped for air.
"What are you going to do with me? No," she asked, then immediately shook her head, her mind racing. "You won't do anything to me. If you were here to kill me, you wouldn't have wasted so much time talking. You certainly wouldn't have come here today just to tell me you discovered the truth."
"After I married you, you would have had countless ways to kill me. As you said, we would have no alliance, so the system would protect neither of us. By then, my identity would have been revealed. In your eyes, I would be nothing but a clown. You would be the knife, and I the fish on the block."
"So, you're telling me this now because I am still of value to you. Right? You need me to do something that only I can do for you, right now."
Ian smacked his lips. "You scare me, honey. Maybe being too smart isn't always a good thing."
"The time for me to scare you has long passed. Now, I am the one who should be afraid. And as a player who can reach the top thirty, you expect me to play the part of an innocent little flower for you? Yes, I know most men like that sort of thing," Celia said, her smile uglier than a grimace of tears.
"But you are different. I believe that if I were to act just a little bit stupider, and make you feel that I could bring you no value, you would break my neck the very next moment."
"Tell me, what do you need me to do?" she continued. "And I'm curious, what means do you plan to use to ensure my loyalty?"
"An alliance, of course," Ian said. "In the form of your surrender to me."
Celia was startled.
Ian had thought about this for a long time. He had made his decision based on four main reasons.
First, Celia would play an indispensable role in his next plan, and he needed her to move freely and provide help willingly.
Second, she was smart enough. Even looking at her with the most critical eye, she had the qualifications to be his ally. To be honest, Ian had been troubled for too long by his lack of allies since arriving in Pentos. At this stage of the game, the enemies he faced were almost all player teams, and the opponents to come would be more powerful still. If he didn't find allies, his subsequent plans would have to be completed by NPCs who couldn't fully grasp his intentions, which would be far too restrictive.
Third, neither he nor Celia had any other allies at the moment. He could accept the full benefits of their alliance without having to share.
Fourth, and most importantly, the covenant he offered Celia was conditional on surrender. Unlike at the start of the game, at this stage, what player didn't have dozens of points in their possession? The cost of having all points deducted for a backstab was unacceptable to anyone. As time went on, this price would only become heavier, and the alliances between players would grow stronger. It was only when victory conditions were finally met that internal conflicts might arise, as alliances were automatically broken at that point for free.
"If I can't give you a guarantee that I won't kill you after I've used you," Ian continued, "I'm afraid someone like you wouldn't be able to work for me with any peace of mind, right? So I am allowing you to kneel and surrender to me."
"You should know very well that if you betray me, all of your points will be deducted according to the alliance mechanism. The number of players hasn't even dropped below thirty yet. Having your points cleared means you'll be assassinated by a Faceless Man at the end of the month. You will die, without question."
"And I will be bound by the same mechanism. You know I have a lot of points. I cannot afford to backstab you."
"Deal," Celia agreed without hesitation. She knew exactly how restrictive the alliance mechanism was for players like Ian, who were eligible to compete for ranking rewards.
This was, indeed, enough of a reassurance.
Immediately, the two of them opened the alliance function in their systems and formed the covenant face to face.
An email was sent to each of their mailboxes.
[The alliance between Player 6 and Player 37 is reached.]
[Status No. 6: Ally]
[Status No. 37: Surrendered]
At the same time, the alliance toolbar on Ian's system interface changed, and two sub-menus appeared: [Alliance Tasks] and [Resource Sharing].
"Why are you looking at me like that? We've already formed the alliance. You can't force me to share resources with you, otherwise it will be counted as a backstab." After saying this, Celia's aggressive momentum weakened a bit. "Of course, if you need it, I can give it to you as a sign of my sincerity."
"No," Ian said, having no intention of being so greedy at the outset. "What I want to say is that we can begin discussing the next plan. Now, tell me everything you know about Hazan's plans."
"Perhaps," she said, a hint of a jesting tone in her voice, now that the alliance mechanism gave her a sense of security, "you can first tell me how you found out the truth? Let this little schemer know just where she slipped up."
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