The Stage Is Set
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"I know, Mr. Anderson, but trust me, I didn't actually say it," Jack exclaimed with a mischievous tone. "You see, I'm an expert at dropping subtle hints that make people think without explicitly stating anything. It's like a little game we play."
Anderson was clearly frustrated, his voice dripping with accusation. "You cheated us hard," he grumbled.
Jack couldn't help but chuckle at the dramatic reaction.
"Oh, come on now, Anderson. Cheating is such a strong word. Let's just say I played the game to my advantage. Besides, if I were to be completely serious, there wouldn't have been any wrongdoing. It's all in good fun, my friend."
Jack knew that as long as he didn't explicitly state anything incriminating, even if both parties were fully aware of his implications, they couldn't hold him accountable. Given Jack's current status, his responsibilities, and the cooperative relationship between the two, pursuing such a trivial matter was simply out of the question.
But just as the conversation took a different turn, Anderson's true intentions began to surface.
"That's right, I watched the live broadcast too. So... about the whole 'hiring' thing you mentioned, is it actually true?" he inquired with a hint of curiosity.
Jack's response was immediate and confident. "Of course it's true," he replied. He knew exactly what Anderson was getting at—hiring the Templars for a specific job.
Anderson seized the opportunity and pressed further, "Well then... what if it's about the rest of the Continental Hotels?"
Jack leaned back, a sly grin appearing on his face.
"Ah, my dear Anderson, as long as it involves an order breaker and passes our difficulty assessment, if you're willing to pay the corresponding price, the Templars will gladly oblige. No refusals," he declared.
Relieved, Anderson let out a sigh.
"That's good to hear," he said, his voice brimming with excitement. "As an enthusiastic 'ordinary citizen,' I have a burning desire to hire the Templars and wipe out every last Continental Hotel!"
Jack couldn't help but chuckle at Anderson's emphasis on being an 'ordinary citizen.' Clearly, Anderson didn't want to reveal his true identity or represent any official forces. After all, that would mean severing his ties with the High Table completely.
Knowing this, Jack couldn't ignore the fact that Anderson's request probably came from higher authorities rather than his personal will. The U.S. government had realized that the Continental Hotel posed a significant threat, but they couldn't confront it directly. Now, they sought to employ the Templars as their silent weapon.
"We'll evaluate the vitality of each Continental Hotel and send you the necessary manpower. But let me give you a rough estimate—you're looking at several billion dollars, my friend," Jack explained, his voice tinged with amusement.
Amidst laughter, Anderson responded, "Well, as an enthusiastic 'ordinary citizen,' I just happen to have a few spare billions lying around. You know, accidentally picked them up off the road just this morning. And I have nowhere else to spend them."
Jack couldn't contain his amusement. "Oh, Anderson, you couldn't have said anything better. It seems our interests align perfectly," he quipped.
After concluding the call, Jack wasted no time and headed straight for the Continental Hotel. He sought out Winston, eager to discuss the exciting prospect of clearing and destroying the other Continental hotels.
....
"What? Are you crazy?" Winston exclaimed, his eyes widening in disbelief as he stared at Jack.
Jack, undeterred by Winston's reaction, swayed the red wine in his glass, deep in thought. After a moment, he casually got up, replacing the glass with a chilled white wine from 1982. With a mischievous grin, he took a sip and savored the flavor.
"I mean..." Winston stammered, struggling to articulate his concerns. "While we may have stabilized our position for now, isn't it a bit too rash to lead our team on such a long-distance attack against other mainland hotels?"
He continued, his voice growing more urgent. "And what about the high table? Their actions won't stop at the previous wave. There will surely be more sabotage in the future! It's like suicide!"
Winston's anxiety was palpable as he tried to reason with Jack, fearing that his partner had completely lost touch with reality.
Jack, however, merely smiled, seemingly unfazed by Winston's concerns. But just as he was about to explain his reasoning, he was suddenly struck by a revelation.
A notification popped up in his mind: his experience points as a [templar knight] had increased by 1.
"Do you have a computer?" Jack asked abruptly, his eyes now sparkling with excitement.
Winston, taken aback by the sudden shift in conversation, hesitated for a moment before responding. "What? I mean, yes, of course!" He quickly fetched a computer and placed it in front of Jack. "What do you need it for?"
"I want to confirm something," Jack replied, his voice brimming with anticipation. He swiftly logged onto the website of the Knights Templar, the ancient order he had meticulously reconstructed in this world.
The URL previously announced on TV had become inaccessible due to overwhelming traffic. Undeterred, Jack logged onto a secretive website exclusively available to Templar insiders. With determination in his eyes, he navigated to the order section and discovered an astonishing sight—the status of an order was marked as [Completed].
"Gilbreth's employment, one million dollars..." Jack muttered, a satisfied smile spreading across his face as he observed the order record.
His intricate plan, his calculated inference, had been confirmed!
Previously, all the bank card numbers announced had been in Jack's name. However, when the contracts were fulfilled, it was the Templars of the Knights Templar who reaped the benefits. And in this world, Jack was the founder of the Knights Templar!
The Templar profession was a broad one. While regular Templars were part of the order, Jack, as the founder and leader, also fell under this profession. In essence, his current responsibilities and benefits were akin to those of a Templar.
Therefore, if these employments were successfully completed and the Knights Templar obtained benefits, Jack, as the founder and elder, had the right to claim his own share of the rewards. These rewards, in turn, would be considered benefits obtained through the Templar profession, contributing to his experience points.
Jack's plan had always revolved around this concept. It was the reason he had spent so much time meticulously orchestrating events, establishing connections with various forces, and painstakingly rebuilding the Knights Templar. All for the purpose of ascending to higher levels and successfully leaving this world.
"But I haven't left yet. I stayed to prove the validity of my original plan and to set even greater things in motion," Jack mused to himself.
Now that his plan had succeeded, it meant that as long as the Knights Templar remained intact, he would continue to receive a constant stream of experience point-boosting tasks.
"One millionth of the tasks completed by the other Templar knights will be counted as my experience value. While it may seem insignificant at first, every bit adds up!" Jack pondered, his mind racing with ambition. "We must make the Knights Templar grow, become formidable!"
"Sir?" Winston interrupted, peering at Jack with a mixture of confusion and concern. "Sir, what's wrong with you?"
Jack, momentarily lost in his thoughts, quickly snapped back to reality as Winston called out to him.
"Oh, it's nothing," Jack reassured, his mind still buzzing with the possibilities that lay ahead. "You all continue to stabilize the foundation and manage the business in New York. I'll take care of destroying the other hotels myself!"
He waved his hand dismissively, as if brushing off the task as a minor distraction.
"And anyone who dares to stand in my way will feel the full force of my wrath!" Jack declared, a fierce determination gleaming in his eyes.
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