The next day.
After breakfast early that morning, Wilt came to the Lanevus Steel Company.
He had spent all night thinking it over and had ultimately decided to continue with the scam. For one thing, he was desperately short of money. Wilt's total assets now amounted to less than ten pounds, though that excluded his Beyonder items. For another, Wilt also thought that clone 037 had a point.
I have two Mentors of Deceit backing me, so there shouldn't be any major problems. If something really does go wrong, I can always call on Amon's true body or Adam for help. I refuse to believe they'd just stand by and do nothing.
With that thought, Wilt took out a monocle and put it over his right eye. At the same time, he turned the Manipulator Beyonder item into a ring and put it on his left hand.
He then checked his revolver, bullets, and dagger.
Good, everything's in order.
Even if Lanevus really does refuse or tries to kill me to silence me, this equipment is more than enough for me to take him down easily.
Wilt walked up to the door and knocked.
"Knock, knock, knock!!!"
"Knock, knock, knock!!!"
After three knocks, the door opened from the inside.
"Creak!"
Wilt saw a beautiful blonde woman. She asked hesitantly, "May I ask who you are...?"
Wilt froze for a moment, but quickly recovered:
"Hello, my name is Wilt Mirage."
"I'm here to visit Mr. Lanevus and discuss some matters concerning an investment. Is Mr. Lanevus in?"
As soon as Wilt finished speaking, he heard a gentle voice from inside the room. "Megose, please invite our guest in!"
Megose hurriedly stepped aside. "Please come in, Mr. Wilt. Lanevus is inside."
"Thank you!" Wilt walked into the room.
Inside, he saw a scholarly-looking man wearing glasses. The man came over to Wilt warmly. "Hello, Mr. Wilt. I'm Lanevus."
"May I ask what you meant by the investment you just mentioned...?"
"I heard from a friend that the Lanevus Steelworks has good prospects," Wilt replied.
"So I'm interested in buying some shares in your company. I wonder if there's still an opportunity?"
"Of course there is!" Lanevus grew even more enthusiastic.
"Mr. Wilt, let's go to my office and discuss it in detail."
Lanevus opened the office door, then turned back to Megose. "Miss Megose, thank you for bringing me breakfast."
"But as you can see, I have to start work now and won't have time to keep you company. I'm truly sorry."
"Not at all." Megose smiled and shook her head understandingly.
"In that case, I'll leave you to it. I won't disturb you. I'll come back at noon."
Megose then left, while Wilt entered Lanevus's office.
To make sure Lanevus followed the script, he poured Spirituality into the ring and silently activated the Spectator Pathway ability: Psychological Invisibility!
Only then did Wilt sit down on a sofa. He pulled out the documents he had prepared in advance and tossed them onto the table. "Mr. Lanevus, you can take a look at this first."
Lanevus was thoroughly puzzled by Wilt's actions.
Weren't we supposed to discuss an investment? Why are you giving me this instead of money?
But Lanevus patiently opened the documents and began to read.
"This is...!" His pupils abruptly contracted when he saw the first page, and his expression turned completely gloomy.
Lanevus slipped his right hand into his coat and gripped the dagger inside, ready to attack at any moment. His gaze also turned cold:
"Mr. Wilt, what do you mean by this?"
"Heh." Wilt chuckled, continuing to hypnotize Lanevus to keep him from making a move as he went on.
"There's no need to rush. Let's discuss what comes next after you've read everything."
Lanevus stared at him for several seconds. In the end, he held back and decided to see what Wilt was planning first.
But the more Lanevus read, the more alarmed he became. Only after he had finished everything did Wilt speak:
"Well? Doesn't this script look familiar?"
"This scam was adapted from your script."
"What are you talking about? I don't understand what you mean." Lanevus immediately played dumb.
"There's no need to rush to deny it." Wilt adjusted the monocle over his right eye and slowly revealed what he knew about Lanevus.
"Lanevus, a Sequence 8 Swindler of the Marauder Pathway."
"To digest the Swindler Potion, you fabricated a mine, set up a company, and induced wealthy members of the middle class to invest their money of their own accord. In the end, you would finish digesting the Swindler Potion and run off with the money."
"Am I right, Mr. Swindler?"
"Bang!" Lanevus sprang up from the sofa, a dagger gripped in his right hand as he prepared to kill Wilt and silence him.
"Hmph, you don't know what's good for you." Wilt instantly activated the Manipulator Beyonder Ability.
"Mind Breath!"
"Argh!!!" Lanevus's body shuddered as if struck by lightning. He let out a scream and fell to his knees, his face pale.
"Tap, tap, tap!" Wilt walked up to Lanevus. Looking at the badly injured man, he smiled in satisfaction.
"Well? Now you know the gap between us, don't you?"
Lanevus raised his head weakly. "Who exactly are you? What do you want?"
"Haven't I already told you? I'm Wilt Mirage, and you just read what I want to do."
"You're courting death!" Lanevus said bitterly.
"Do you know what happens to people who make a move against those nobles?"
Wilt said helplessly, "Of course I do, but I don't have a choice. Just like you, I was pushed into this."
"The ones who really want to make a move against the nobles are two Sequence 3 Saints. I can only obey their orders."
"Otherwise, do you think I could have forged these documents on my own?"
"I advise you not to resist either. Following their script will leave you with a slim chance of survival, but if you don't follow it, you'll die for certain."
"Saints!" Terror appeared on Lanevus's face. He felt that he had unwittingly become caught up in a high-level struggle.
"Kill me!" A look of resolve appeared on his face.
"I'd rather die now than suffer a fate worse than death later."
Wilt looked at Lanevus with interest. "Hmm... Let me guess."
"You're playing hard to get, trying to draw more information out of me."
Lanevus's expression suddenly stiffened.
But Wilt paid him no mind and continued speaking:
"After reading those documents, you know how important you are. You understand that the plan can't proceed normally without you, so you're using your life as a threat."
"That way, to ensure the plan proceeds normally, I'll have to find a way to make you stay, and you'll gain the initiative. After that, whether you seek benefits for yourself or try to obtain more information, you'll be in an unbeatable position."
"Am I right, Mr. Swindler?"
"You... how could you...?" Lanevus looked at Wilt in disbelief, because he was completely right.
"Because I'm also a Beyonder of the Marauder Pathway," Wilt replied.
"And a Sequence 7 Cryptologist at that."
"So put away your little tricks. None of those methods will work on me."
Hearing this, Lanevus's expression turned completely gloomy, but just then, Wilt suddenly said something else:
"Still, your talent is indeed quite good. No wonder you were chosen as a Divine Descent Vessel."
Lanevus froze and raised his head in astonishment.
Wilt froze too. He had just spoken his thoughts aloud without thinking.
Wait, it's the Sealed Artifact's negative effect!
Wilt suddenly remembered what Adam had said when he handed him the Sealed Artifact: "As long as you use it for more than five minutes, you'll unconsciously speak your thoughts aloud. Your inner thoughts may even appear in the minds of those around you."
At that thought, Wilt hurriedly removed the ring from his hand and concealed his expression again before Lanevus raised his head.
But Lanevus had already heard what he had just said. Trembling, he asked, "Divine Descent Vessel... what did you mean by that?"
An idea suddenly flashed through Wilt's mind. Perhaps I can make him cooperate with the scam more actively.
A faint smile returned to Wilt's face, and he said gently, "In the Beyonder world, there are things more terrifying than death!"
"So I've decided to give you a chance to see your fate for what it is."
"Run. As long as you can escape Tingen City, we'll pretend I never came today."
"If you don't succeed, you can come find me again."
"When that time comes... we can discuss our cooperation in detail."
Lanevus eventually left, leaving behind only the sight of his panicked retreat. The words "Divine Descent Vessel" had hit him too hard.
As for Wilt, he stood in Lanevus's office and muttered to himself, "Ince Zangwill..."
"0-08, the Quill of Alzuhod..."
"Don't let me down!"