Super Righteous Player
Chapter 63 - 62: Mr. Planner’s Psychological Analysis Techniques_1

Chapter 63: Chapter 62: Mr. Planner’s Psychological Analysis Techniques_1

It started to rain.

The raindrops were large and heavy but sparse.

From the way passersby were seeking shelter, it seemed the rain had been falling for a while now...

Yet Annan and his companions were utterly unaware of it.

It was as if they had just entered into another world...

"Is it an illusion?"

Salvatore asked in a whisper, hand on Annan’s shoulder, "Is it... that person?"

He had already developed a certain level of trust in Annan’s wisdom.

"...Doesn’t seem like it."

Annan said slowly.

Because it made no sense.

If Gerald could easily create a barrier that isolated onlookers and the elements, and it went undetected by everyone—even the top graduate of the Black Tower hadn’t realized—it would be meaningless.

Then he could have easily separated and killed the two of them already. If the disparity in strength was that great, then scheming and vigilance would have become pointless.

"How much do you know about this person?"

Annan asked suddenly.

"Are you talking about Bishop Daryl?"

Salvatore shook his head, "I’ve only heard the name. Besides, that name isn’t common in the kingdom; it even lacks a surname. I haven’t seen this name in the newspapers before either.

"But the messages from the Black Tower confirmed that he indeed is the bishop in charge of Roth Fort... So, I suspect it might be a pseudonym."

"A bishop can use a fake name?"

"It’s rare, but it happens."

Salvatore affirmed, "Because some ’names’ have already died...

"I think you understand what I mean."

"I see."

Annan nodded slowly.

A "name" that has died suggests that to most people, this individual’s true identity had long been deceased.

So, he needed to use a false name?

"Excuse me... honored sir!"

It was then that Annan suddenly heard a weak, youthful voice, "Is this Master Tan Juan Geraint?"

Annan turned and saw a frail, freckle-faced youth. He seemed no more than sixteen or seventeen. As their eyes met, profound astonishment flashed in the boy’s eyes—quickly drowned out by fear and timidity.

"I am."

Annan replied calmly, "What is it?"

His voice was young, calm, and melodious, like the clear waters of a lake, reaching the other party’s ears clearly despite the distance between them formed by many players.

"It’s your invitation!"

The boy, face flushed and with increasing difficulty, said, "It’s from The Lord Viscount Barber! He invites you to come immediately, he has prepared a welcome dinner for you..."

As he spoke, he handed over the invitation.

The first player took the invitation, snapped a picture, and passed it to the next person.

The next one posed with the invitation before handing it to another player.

Salvatore watched in bewilderment as each member of the group shook the invitation beside their ear and then solemnly handed it to the next person.

Is this some sort of etiquette for the people of the Royal Capital...

He took the invitation and involuntarily mimicked the players, shaking it by his ear before passing it on to Annan.

"...Pfft."

Salvatore faintly heard very soft laughter.

He immediately felt annoyed.

Was his mimicry not precise enough? Ah yes, he was too constrained, hesitating to raise his hand...

"...Actually, you don’t need to do that."

Annan couldn’t help but advise Salvatore in a low voice, noticing his embarrassment, and took the invitation to open it.

Salvatore just nodded without saying anything else.

Still, inside, he couldn’t help but berate himself for his reflexive timidity.

No, it was actually quite simple. He just wasn’t letting go. Was it because he came from a rural area and felt intimidated...

This was an issue he must overcome.

If he was already somewhat nervous and intimidated by guards of a lower status, how could he converse normally with wizards from the Royal Capital in the future?

Luckily, Salvatore made full use of his excellent memory to deeply engrain this custom in his brain—indeed, he had been silently noting down all the peculiar actions of Annan and his followers these past few days.

At the same time, he deeply felt the cultural difference between small places like Frostwater Harbor and the Marshland and the bustling Royal Capital—

"Only three people?"

Annan flicked the invitation in his hand and asked softly, "Do you know what is written on this?"

His ice-blue pupils watched the messenger boy calmly, but this made the youth lower his head out of fear.

"Yes... The Lord Viscount specifically instructed—"

"I would think, in such a large estate of the viscounty, there surely wouldn’t be a shortage of space to accommodate my guards, right?"

Annan interrupted the other party, "We will all be there. Just respond with that—you may leave now."

"... Yes."

The young man dared not say anything more, merely bowed awkwardly to Annan before hurrying away.

Annan watched his retreating back intently and then signaled for Salvatore and Jiu’er to get back into the carriage.

Salvatore couldn’t help but ask, "Are we really going? Didn’t Bishop Daryl say before..."

"The rain is about to pour," Annan replied, evading the question, "We need to find a place to take shelter. I suppose the viscount’s estate won’t be leaking."

"No, I mean—"

"Three people."

Annan once again interrupted Salvatore, offering a reminder.

Upon hearing this, Salvatore was slightly taken aback.

He realized something.

He frowned, speaking uncertainly, "But there are only two of us..."

"That would be too intentional."

Annan replied, "Because we have two Transcendents. If he had directly stated that only the two of us were allowed in, it would mean he was showing his hand to us—allowing only Transcendents to enter. That stipulation would be too easy to deduce."

The youth with black hair and blue eyes looked at Salvatore seriously and asked, "The question now, senior, is... how did he know there are two Transcendents among us?"

"That’s very easy to detect."

Salvatore quickly answered, "Any profession within the Hunter lineage can do that."

"Hunter?"

"Yes, Curse Hunters. A rather rare profession... They can designate their own ’hunting ground’, monitor the existence of curses, and pinpoint their locations. Both Transcendents and nightmares are clusters of curses... Unless there is a cursed object or ability to hide the curse, all Transcendents are exposed within the range of a Hunter’s hunting ground."

Salvatore frowned slightly, warning, "At the entry points of the underground passages of various countries, there will be Gold-rank Hunters on guard. Many grand ceremonies also have Hunters for protection, and Transcendents living in big cities are occasionally approached to verify their identities...

"Viscount Barber is a very established aristocrat, so it’s not surprising he could recruit a Hunter. However, what we need to be cautious of is that Transcendents hunted down by Hunters can become their new Curse Bindings through a ritual. They can also gain some abilities from it.

"It’s not the traditional method of destroying the other party’s vessel or obtaining part of their abilities through inheriting their Curse Binding... Instead, it’s about setting up a new Curse Binding. Turning the other party’s curse vessel into a temporary cursed object, bypassing their Curse Binding to use their abilities.

"Generally speaking, the new Curse Bindings established by the Hunter lineage mean you cannot kill other people with the method used to kill that Transcendent. Thus, the higher-ranked the Hunter, the more limited their combat methods... but usually they are unimaginably strong."

"So, we are being targeted by the Hunter?"

However, Annan couldn’t help but smile.

The conjecture in his heart had become even more certain.

First and foremost, this was definitely a trap set at a banquet.

Since the facade between them had already been torn apart. If the Viscount and Gerald were in league, there was simply no need for such an elaborate ploy.

In the common sense of most Transcendents, a combination of a Hunter and a Wizard would certainly far outstrip the cooperation of two young Wizards. Moreover, one of them was a transformation Wizard, without any survival capabilities. This was all under the condition that the Viscount hadn’t recruited any other Transcendents, and he had already seized an overwhelming advantage.

After all, as Salvatore had said... a Wizard’s abilities are largely related to his age. The older the Wizard, the greater the power of his spells.

The other party could not possibly know that Annan had four times the magic capacity of a normal Wizard. That meant when they estimated Annan’s actual combat effectiveness, they would surely underestimate him.

And now that they had specifically come over, asking Annan to enter with only one or two people, this would make an already cautious Annan decisively reject the banquet invitation.

After all, it amounted to an exposure of the possibility that there was indeed a "Hunter" assisting them. This would bring the Hunter out from the shadows into the open.

You should know, those guys wouldn’t even dare ambush Annan with a large force on the road—that would be the real way to ensure Annan’s death, something even Annan himself didn’t know how to deal with. He could only prepare to flee at any moment.

However, as soon as Annan entered the city, the Viscount started planning something. But he still didn’t dare send troops, instead attempting to assassinate or poison Annan at the banquet...

This meant that the Viscount actually didn’t hold Annan in high regard at all... he didn’t consider him an equal opponent to contend with, but an enemy whom he could easily kill through conspiracy.

Annan sneered at this thought.

But it also made sense. His age was the best disguise... especially for old men like the Lord Viscount, who would undoubtedly scorn Annan’s youth even more than ordinary people would.

For him, his only advantage was "experience." It was this virtue he relied on to maintain his dignity and to prove his wisdom, and he would not discard it.

Therefore, he would certainly design conspiracies out of his "advantage of experience." And he would definitely not overestimate Annan’s wisdom... he might even think that Salvatore was the real leader of the group.

"... That’s how it is. So, senior."

Annan put forth calmly, "The question is, what would you do if you were in charge? I mean, if you hadn’t encountered Bishop Daryl."

"I would still attend the banquet."

After pondering for a moment, Salvatore replied softly, "Because in front of Gerald, numbers are actually our disadvantage.

"He can control many people. The more guards we have, the greater our danger becomes. Therefore, if the three of us go in, it would actually be more convenient to act if a fight really breaks out."

"—And that’s the problem."

Annan interjected, "Undoubtedly, the Viscount must also be aware of this fact. He knows that our numbers are a great disadvantage before Gerald.

"Therefore, they’ve exposed something."

"...They’re not really together?"

Salvatore’s pupils shrank, and he blurted out.

"So, I had the messenger report back to the Viscount that I must bring people with me," Annan added coolly, "Judging from the Viscount’s style of plotting, I’m certain he would back down. A dozen elite warriors under Gerald’s command would undoubtedly pose a threat to him. So no matter whether he had decided to leave before or not, upon hearing the reply he would surely leave... Once we enter, we likely won’t see that Hunter or the Viscount.

"There will only be one person waiting for us — Gerald. But that is our opportunity."

Annan’s fingers intertwined, resting on his knees, and he answered calmly, "A very simple psychological analysis. You may find it laughable."

This is common sense for strategizing.

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