The so-called stealing overcomes stability, stability overcomes recklessness, and recklessness overcomes stealing.
While being cautious all the time, Annan is able to launch a strong F2A at any time, and can initiate a change of home in a timely and decisive manner.
Then that means invincible—
"... What exactly are you trying to do?"
The old Viscount looked gloomy, sitting on his seat and looking at Annan, his expression was still very sluggish.
He had just been awakened by Annan.
He saw this bastard standing in front of him with a smile on his face, looking confident, so he wisely didn't call Justin.
Because Alvin is also a smart guy.
He could easily think that since Annan Lindong dared to knock him out alone and wake him up while Justin was still in this room...
This meant that he didn't want to kill himself, but had something to help himself—otherwise, he could have killed himself without the slightest ability to resist after he passed out.
—but it also meant that he wasn't afraid to call for help himself.
Old Alvin knew that Annan Lindong was only fourteen years old this year, and he was weak and sick since he was a child, and almost died several times.
For this reason, Grand Duke Ivan named him "Annan"-it is a neutral and feminine name. Pronounced with a Winter accent, it should actually be pronounced "Anna".
Its original meaning is "mercy" - so in the Duchy of Winter, such a "weak name" is usually only given to girls.
But Ivan did not hope that Annan would become a kind person in the future.
He just hoped that the old grandmother could show more kindness to this child, so that his fate would not be too bad, and Annan could grow up safely and alive.
Old Alvin still believed that with Annan's physical fitness, it was impossible for him to dare to fight such a strong hunter in the enemy's territory. He couldn't even run.
After all, he is not a nobleman of his own country, or even a direct descendant of the supreme ruler of the enemy country.
Once captured alive, it means a huge sum of money, and one step up to the sky.
No matter how you think about it, it is impossible for Annan to kill himself. But he would not dare to let himself call for help.
so…
What is his reliance
The old Viscount waited vigilantly for Annan's answer, without saying a single unnecessary word.
"...you're pretty smart."
Annan chuckled lightly: "But you'd better not try to ask for help, and don't reveal my identity to others. It doesn't matter whether it is spoken or written, because before you ask for help, you will directly forget what you want to say...
"At the same time, you will die of heart paralysis. At your age, old man, sudden death by chance is really normal."
"...heart paralysis and forgotten secrets?"
The old Viscount sullenly guessed.
Annan was a little surprised.
He was stunned for a moment, and showed an amiable and gentle smile: "It seems that you don't understand the extraordinary world as rumored."
"Oh, of course."
The old Viscount didn't say much, but just let out a cold snort.
Annan's words are indeed true.
But there is only one difference—
He didn't score [can't say much] for the old Viscount, but scored [I'm not here] for him.
In this way, after the players enter the house, they will not realize the existence of the Viscount—they are all genuine ordinary people and have no resistance to curses.
This also means that Annan directly blocked the channel for identity leakage.
But he didn't kill the old Viscount directly.
Because he wanted to try to see if he could extract some secret information from the player before he entered the arena.
As Viscount Barbour, he should know a lot.
"But I still can't figure out why you attacked me."
The old Viscount asked in a deep voice, and tentatively opened his mouth to Annan: "We have something to talk about..."
Realizing that he would not die for a while, he regained his composure.
The two of them maintained the distance from before, and they were still sitting in the seats before, with the same expressions as before.
But the atmosphere between them is completely different.
Annan just sighed, with a look of compassion:
"Whether you believe it or not. I just came to remind you."
"Hehe. I've never seen such a reminder."
The old Viscount smirked twice, and said in a strange way: "Perhaps your father taught you similar special skills?"
"It doesn't matter if you believe it or not. I'm just here to persuade you... to be more patient."
Annan remained unmoved, but smiled peacefully.
He stood up from his seat and approached the old man slowly. Such a move made Alvin a little nervous, and his mentality became subconsciously vigilant.
Annan just said gently: "Although I am very young, I know a lot.
"Didn't you fail with that hasty decision back then? If you had been a little more patient then...wouldn't it be so bad now?"
Hearing this, the Viscount was stunned for a moment, and was in a daze for a while.
Patience... yes, patience.
He remembered.
There is indeed such a thing...
"I also know that you have always been a very emotional person," Annan said gently and softly, stopping on the spot and slowly nodding, "You are just... not good at expressing. In other words, you are too lazy to express with them. Because it makes no sense.
"So people misunderstand you and think that you are a cold person. But I know that you are not one of those people."
"... Oh, you understand again."
The old Viscount whispered sarcastically, curled up in the chair tiredly, muttering something he couldn't understand.
After a while, he raised his head and looked at Annan again.
"What exactly do you want to know?"
The old man asked in a deep voice, "Say it straight, don't get too close."
Although that's what it says.
But the terrifying expression on his face became much more relaxed.
—All of this was expected by Annan.
It's just a simple cliché technique... aka cold reading.
What Annan said is equally valid even for other people. It’s all about the Barnum effect — when people use vague adjectives to describe a person, the person being described tends to readily accept the description and think it’s him or her.
And Annan knocked the Viscount unconscious with the lazy eye first, and then boldly let him wake up in a safe place. In this way, the Viscount will have doubts about his current security situation, and no longer believe that "he is still in the safe zone".
On this basis, Annan restrained the viscount's behavior with a curse, putting him under pressure of death. In this case, he and Annan formed a de facto coercive relationship.
Annan holds the key to his life and death, and he cannot resist Annan.
But Annan did not bully him, nor did he rudely persecute him.
Instead, he used cold reading to get closer to him in a friendly manner... With such a push and pull, the Viscount's vigilance against Annan would be disintegrated.
On the one hand, he thinks that "I have no power to resist in front of him", and at the same time thinks that "maybe this child can understand me", and still thinks that Annan is a "young man", and he has a psychological superiority over Annan in terms of age .
At the same time, judging from the viscount's detailed reaction, Annan can also tentatively deduce that the old Alvin should be a person who is unwilling to trust others, prefers to trust his own experience and conclusions, and has an overly cautious and suspicious way of thinking.
Based on his basic character, Annan looked into the eyes of the old Viscount, and continued to ask in a gentle voice.
"I'm just asking casually, don't take it too seriously..."
—My sentence is very important, you must think carefully before answering.
"Of course, even if I don't get an answer that satisfies me, I won't persecute you. There are other areas where we can cooperate."
—You are indeed useful to me. But your answer best satisfies me.
Annan paused, convinced that the old Viscount had digested his hint, and then asked softly:
"If you had to choose between the third prince and Duke Winter... who would you choose
"—and, why this choice? Please answer quickly, we may not have much time to talk."
Annan asked slowly, and at the same time patted the blood-stained kitchen knife on the table, showing a bright and gentle smile: "You understand."
Undoubtedly, this is a coercion.
But it was different from what old Alvin understood.
Annan didn't care about the answer to the first answer at all. It's just a cover for distraction and vigilance.
What he really wants to ask is this [why]!
Let the old Viscount answer subconsciously without vigilance... a correct answer from the heart.
In a trance, Alvin felt that Annan's ice-blue pupils were as gentle as water, without any malice...
But it feels like a god.
— High above, without any emotion.