Chapter 998: Great Minds Think Alike

“So, the plan is to go the diplomacy route and negotiate with the fucker before putting an arrow through his skull,” Jake finished his explanation to the room of people he trusted the most. They all stared back at him for a few moments before Miranda spoke.

“This is all… a lot. So far, all our plans have been to find a way to use Ell’Hakan to weaken Yip of Yore, but the Viper wants us to do the opposite? I’ve heard nothing of this from the Verdant Witches,” Miranda said with much concern.

“Are you confident you can carry out the tasks your Patron gave you?” the Sword Saint asked, having also thought over everything. “You will need something to convince Ell’Hakan you are being genuine and not trying to trick him. A good story is but the bare minimum, and you need to have swift replies to all imaginable questions, as you will no doubt end up talking to him directly.”

While Jake had shared the Viper’s plan with those in the room but left out some parts, specifically those related to his own secrets. He didn’t mention anything about him being a Heretic-Chosen, nor did he bring up the fact he’d absorbed a drop of blood from the Viper. All of those things weren’t something he should be sharing, but they were also vital aspects of the plan. All of this is to say that Jake understood the old man’s concern, but he nodded confidently in affirmation to assure the man a little things would be fine.

“I believe I got this handled, and you are right. I will need a very good story and to have thought everything through. Trust me, the Viper already grilled me on this.”

“If you say so,” the Sword Saint said, not showing a lot of trust in Jake’s social skills.

The others in the room, namely Sylphie, Vesperia, Arnold, and Carmen, weren’t saying much but just listened in. Carmen hadn’t been someone Jake had initially planned on including in this meeting due to her relations with Valhal, but he’d met her on the way back to the Vessel after she’d also spoken to Gudrun. She already knew a lot of the plot going on, and since Jake would have to leave with her later anyway, he saw no reason not to include her.

William had been a potential participant, but Jake still didn’t trust him enough. He also didn’t know enough about Eversmile to know if the god could use his former connection with William to spy on them, so he decided to just play it safe and not include the guy. As for other notable absentees, nearly all of them were excluded on purpose due to the factions they belonged to or because they had been busy doing other stuff. Sandy had left to eat some stuff, Lillian was busy, and he hadn’t even tried to talk to Kindroth as the elf had left to handle other matters a while ago.

“To make it clear, you want us to function as your propaganda machine here on Earth, advertising that you are tricking Ell’Hakan into an alliance while actually just taking advantage of him, yet at the same time purposefully make undercurrents of doubt within the upper echelon of Earth’s leadership if you truly are just performing a scheme. This undercurrent will naturally be leaked to Ell’Hakan, creating plenty of ambiguity about where your loyalties truly lie, and with some evidence you and the Viper planned for, hopefully, convince him to bite and actually believe you are intending to leave the Malefic Viper and permanently join hands with Valhal?” Miranda tried to sum up everything Jake had asked of them, hitting the nail on the head as expected and making Jake nod enthusiastically.

“Yep, pretty much,” Jake said with a smile.

“That’s not gonna be easy,” the Sword Saint frowned. “A lot of local actors will try to take advantage of the confusion to cause discord. I’m also not sure our allies will be on board. Even if we tell them it’s all part of the Viper’s plan, they are in contact with the rest of the multiverse and are aware of what’s happening. They know the Order of the Malefic Viper is being crushed and has been for months now. Trying to convince them all of this is the Viper’s plan is a ridiculous ask.”

“You don’t need to convince them for a long time… just long enough for a truce to be established and both sides back down,” Jake tried to argue. “Also, you don’t have a relationship with the Order of the Malefic Viper, so what if you act like you know I’m actually planning on switching sides and also deceiving Miranda to-“

“Won’t work,” the old man shut him down instantly. “We need to keep presenting a strong united front. If we begin to display any fractures in our core power base, many will jump ship and join the Holy Church and Ell’Hakan. The only reason many remain loyal is because of the power we wield. While the Church and Ell’Hakan have made moves on many planets, they have clearly acted with restraint, and restraint often comes from caution. It’s believed that they are wary of Earth and our elites, and the fact many believe we would win a direct confrontation in an all-out war is the sole reason our alliance can even remain.”

Jake frowned a bit as he thought of something else, but before he had a chance to, the Sword Saint continued.

“You are also incorrect when you say the Noboru Clan has no relations with the Order of the Malefic Viper. While it’s true that there’s nothing official, my clan has embraced the Path of vampirism. That will automatically make us be viewed as enemies by the Holy Church and many other factions, meaning should we stand alone, we are nothing but a target to be exterminated. However, if we are allies with the Order of the Malefic Viper, which is the only large multiversal organization publicly allowing vampires in it, we are under heavy protection simply by association. Oh yes, it’s also no secret several members of the clan have gone to the Order either, meaning most assume we are pretty much already a minor branch of the Order.”

“Suddenly showing internal strife will also raise a lot of suspicion as we all seemed so united before,” Miranda said. “We also don’t know the kind of information Ell’Hakan has, so complicating things further by adding more misdirection or schemes will only make us look like we’re acting out of character. No, better to just fully lean into us actually believing in what you are saying. To frame ourselves as not even able to consider the possibility that you are willing to betray the Malefic Viper, or, perhaps we are just hoping so dearly it isn’t the case that we are willing to look past many suspicious actions as the alternative would be something we simply couldn’t handle.”

Jake slowly nodded as Carmen asked:

“How about Vesperia, Sylphie, and Arnold?” she questioned. “What will they do?”

“Nothing,” Miranda said, looking at Arnold who seemed interested enough in the conversation to take part, as he shrugged.

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“This entire matter has little consequence to me. Should the ruler of Earth be part of the Order of the Malefic Viper or Valhal will not impact me in any meaningful way,” he explained. ṟ

“I echo the sentiment,” Vesperia said. “The Endless Empire would be neutral in either case, thus, I would see no cause to even comment on it, outside of saying that I follow my Sire’s decisions.”

“Ree,” Sylphie said, making it absolutely clear she had little understanding and interest in everything that was going on and was only participating in this meeting because everyone else was there, and she would have felt left out if she hadn’t also taken part.

It was good she was there as Jake had been thinking: “How about we bring Sylphie with us to Valhal? Won’t that communicate my trust in Valhal by bringing her along?”

“I can’t see it negatively impact anything,” Miranda had no complaints. “May even be good as she can’t leak anything accidentally here on Earth. Ah, but it would be best if Vesperia stays on Earth. As a True Royal, her presence will-

“- help defend the planet and make others hesitate to take any actions here directly lest they piss off the Endless Empire. Yeah, I know,” Jake cut her off and smiled.

“I do find that acceptable,” Vesperia agreed to stay. “I will not involve myself in anything, though. I do not wish to take part in this conflict in any way if it can be avoided, and will only defend myself and what is mine if forced to.”

“We expect nothing more,” Miranda nodded, as she looked to have a lot of thoughts swimming around in her head. “I think the biggest challenge will be to convince those you already know… people like Kindroth won’t be easily fooled and may even end up seeing through the scheme with his close proximity to everything.”

“But we aren’t really fooling him, now are we?” the Sword Saint smiled. “We are simply following the Malefic Viper’s plan. If he believes he sees through the disguised truth and arrives at a lie, that isn’t our fault but only shows a lack of trust in our and Jake’s word. In fact, this entire thing can serve as a nice method to weed out those who are only opportunistic and have no real loyalty to Earth.”

“True, but can we really afford to lose more allies?” Miranda asked, unsure.

“My question would be if they can afford having lost us as allies after Ell’Hakan falls. It doesn’t matter how big the Church or Ell’Hakan gets. As long as the other Chosen falls, they lose their ability to defend the galaxy. I refuse to believe the Church will oppose us without his involvement. No, they would rather just evacuate or negotiate to avoid fighting as losing believers is only detrimental to them,” the Sword Saint said.

Jake could see the gears spin in the old man’s head as he looked ready to take advantage of the situation. There was something assuring about that, and Jake felt that the Viper had been right… he should trust the people around him to handle this situation and focus on his own role.

He had noticed how none of them had questioned if they should do the plan at all. They had all instantly just agreed and pointed out potential issues with the goal of looking for solutions. Never once had it even been seen as an option to not go along with what Jake and the Viper had proposed. He had nothing but gratefulness for their support and knew that the best way to pay them back was to ensure that this entire mess had a satisfactory solution.

From this point onwards in the meeting, Jake just had to sit back and let the smart people talk, and surprisingly, they agreed on nearly everything. Great minds think alike and all that. He only occasionally had to answer some clarifying questions before the two of them dove straight back into their discussion. As Miranda and the Sword Saint had quickly taken charge and began discussing everything they would do, Jake threw Carmen a knowing glance, getting one in return. It was a tough life being the kind of person who solved everything with a punch or arrow to the face, but Jake definitely didn’t envy the two.

Soon enough, there really wasn’t more to say, and it wasn’t as if Miranda couldn’t get in touch with Jake after he left that day. The Sword Saint seemed almost excited by everything that was about to happen, especially when it was made clear he would be allowed to exert some pressure using his power should the negotiations prove in any way problematic. Jake being able to control the old man wouldn’t be realistic, after all, should anyone cross the line or not honor a truce.

Miranda only had some encouraging words to Jake as Carmen and Jake prepared to head to Jake’s lodge just the two of them. As the Viper had said, they should be seen together going there and leaving again in a day or so. Considering the number of spies keeping an eye on the lodge at all times, especially now with everything going on in the Milky Way and the multiverse, this was bound to raise some questions, especially when it was later discussed among the top brass that Jake had left Earth with Carmen.

“Jake, remember, keep everything as simple as you can. Don’t try to overcomplicate and overthink things. Don’t act as you wouldn’t normally act, and channel some of what you’re feeling right now. You hate stupid schemes, and you hate shit that’s made complex just for the sake of it,” Miranda said. “You’re not trying to trick anyone, and you are just selfishly looking out for yourself. Nothing more, nothing less. Remember to always put your personal interests first and foremost, and try not to include any of us in your considerations, alright?”

“Pretty sure that’s shitty advice to give someone you want to be a decent person… but sure,” Jake smiled at her. Miranda gave him a smile and a nod in return and looked at Carmen.

“I would ask you to make sure he doesn’t mess stuff up or get into more trouble when with you… but I have the feeling you wouldn’t even try to stop him but instead go along with his antics if it seemed fun.”

“Guilty as charged,” Carmen shrugged with a grin.

“Ree!”

“I know we can always count on you,” the Sword Saint shook his head with a smile at Sylphie’s confident screech that she would make sure Jake and Carmen were on their best behavior.

They spoke a bit longer before Carmen and Jake left, leaving the rest behind in the Prima Vessel. The two of them teleported back to Haven, where he instantly felt some gazes upon him and Carmen. This was why he usually preferred to use stealth when out and about, but this time around, he wanted to be seen, and he had the excuse he was with Carmen for why he wasn’t sneaking about.

It didn’t take them long to arrive back at the lodge, and once there, all the observers were gone, courtesy of the barriers placed over the valley to keep prying eyes out. Sure, some people could – and had tried in the past – to still sneak in and have a gander, but let’s just say things tended not to end well for them once caught. Because they always got caught.

Once inside the lodge, Jake sighed loudly as he practically threw himself down on a chair. “This is going to be fucking exhausting… already is.”

“You’re the one who agreed to it,” Carmen shrugged. “Can’t say I complain that much. It’s not like my job is hard, and I’m making my Patron and Valhal very happy just hanging out with you for a bit. Honestly easy as fuck, and I don’t need to consider how I’m acting. It’s not a secret I don’t like Ell’Hakan, and this entire thing doesn’t give me a reason to suddenly act like I do.”

“True,” Jake nodded slowly. “Not that I have to suddenly be all buddy-buddy.”

“But you will have to talk to the guy which is more than I would be willing to do without

a lot

of convincing,” Carmen said. “Well, at least you won’t talk to him in person.”

“No one should talk to him in person, ever. He’s a walking public mental health hazard,” Jake said as a matter of fact.

“He does feel like he’s contagious with some mindfuck virus, doesn’t he?” Carmen joked around as she sighed. “Anyway, let’s stop talking about that fucker… we’re meant to stay here, just the two of us, for an entire day without going out or doing anything suspicious.”

“We sure are,” Jake nodded.

Carmen looked at him with a wry smile. “Well… seeing as that’s the case, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“You know, I just might be,” Jake returned her smile.