Global Beast Mastery: Only I Can See the Hints

Charles, General Sost, and Connell were gathered in the secret inquiry room deep within Withered Tree Fortress, discussing their detailed plans of action.

“I’ll confirm one last time—are you truly willing to go to any lengths to seek revenge against the crown prince of the Stellar Empire? Listen carefully, I mean any lengths!” Charles sought to make sure Connell was absolutely certain about his decision.

Connell nodded solemnly, his gaze unwavering as he replied to Charles, “At any cost!”

“Very well! Then I will share my plan with you.”

After receiving Connell’s affirmation, Charles began to outline his specific plan.

The plan was, in fact, very risky. Charles intended for Connell to pretend to be at his wit’s end and return to Gold Fortress, where he would directly beg the crown prince of the Stellar Empire for help in launching an attack on Withered Tree Fortress. If the crown prince agreed, Connell could act as an insider during the assault. At the most crucial moment in the battle, Connell would betray them, ensuring the rapid collapse of the Stellar Empire’s forces.

The most perilous part of the plan was the initial action Connell would have to take. He would need to gain the trust of the crown prince at all costs. If he failed, the crown prince would have him executed on the spot. Thus, this plan was extremely risky for Connell and could very well be a path to his own death.

Sost, upon hearing the plan, let out a sigh. He would never consider such an approach. However, he refrained from voicing any objections, as Charles held the authority now.

Connell, after hearing the plan, readily agreed without hesitation. “I’ll follow your plan immediately!”

His response was so quick that Charles couldn’t help but feel a twinge of concern. “You don’t have to agree so quickly! Take some time to think it over—the risks are still substantial. If the crown prince sees through you, he will torture you in the most cruel way.”

Charles reminded Connell of the grave dangers that lay ahead.

But Connell remained resolute, replying firmly, “I understand the risks involved! This is a choice I’ve made, and I have no regrets.”

His unwavering determination stunned both Charles and Sost.

Charles turned his gaze to General Sost. He had already made up his mind to move forward with Connell’s plan, but he felt it prudent to consult with Sost one last time.

Sost nodded. “Alright, if you’ve made your choice, then you may proceed.”

Charles nodded in satisfaction.

Connell solemnly bowed to Charles and General Sost, then turned and walked out without looking back.

As Connell reached the door, Charles’s voice once again rang out.

“You can still back out before you reach Gold Fortress!”

Charles wanted to offer Connell a chance to reconsider, a chance for survival.

But Connell didn’t need such an opportunity. Without turning his head, he responded.

“Once a decision is made, I will not regret it. No matter what, I will follow your plan!”

Charles and General Sost silently watched Connell’s retreating figure.

A quarter of an hour passed before General Sost broke the silence.

“He must despise the crown prince of the Stellar Empire to such an extent.”

“If you were him, you’d hate the crown prince of the Stellar Empire too.”

Charles then detailed Connell’s circumstances, explaining his deep-seated hatred.

After hearing this, General Sost spoke with a slight sigh.

“I never imagined the crown prince of the Stellar Empire would be such a person! I thought I knew him well, but I must have overestimated his character.”

Although General Sost had been in conflict with the crown prince of the Stellar Empire for some time, there had been no direct communication between them. Given this, Sost had never really understood the crown prince’s true nature.

“You’re better off not knowing!” Charles spoke with a tone of disgust. “If you knew what he was truly like, you’d find it revolting.”

The crown prince of the Stellar Empire was the kind of person who looked down on everyone, arrogant, eccentric, and cruel—fond of bloodshed.

General Sost looked at Charles, sensing the deep disdain Charles held for the crown prince of the Stellar Empire. This clearly indicated that they had previous personal conflicts. This, to General Sost, was actually a good sign. It meant the likelihood of Charles betraying the Serpent Empire was greatly reduced.

“Well, let’s continue our inspection of the Withered Tree Fortress,” General Sost changed the subject. “Before the war arrives, we need to make sure that the fortress is in the best possible condition.”

He felt there was no need to dwell on the matter any longer. The most important thing was to defeat the Stellar Empire on the battlefield. Only then would they have the chance to counterattack.

Charles nodded in agreement.

The two of them then continued their inspection of the Withered Tree Fortress.

Meanwhile, Andrew finally arrived at Gold Fortress.

Looking at the majestic structure, Andrew couldn’t help but exclaim, “It seems our plan is bound to succeed this time! The Stellar Empire is far more powerful than the Serpent Empire!”

His purpose for coming here was to facilitate the cooperation between the Ancient Academy and the Stellar Empire.

In Andrew’s view, the alliance of the two great powers would surely lead to Charles’s complete destruction.

If this goal could truly be achieved, he was certain that he would gain the admiration of the Ancient Academy’s dean, Everett. Furthermore, he believed that he might even have a chance to claim a share of the spoils.

Once the Stellar Empire completely destroyed the Serpent Empire, he could obtain more than one treasure from the Serpent Empire’s vault.

As he daydreamed about the success of his plan and the rewards he would reap, two soldiers from the Stellar Empire suddenly surrounded him.

“Who are you? Why have you suddenly appeared here?”

The soldiers were very cautious. After all, the Stellar Empire’s army was about to leave Gold Fortress, and they had to ensure that no information was leaked.

Thus, anyone appearing around Gold Fortress was someone they had to be wary of.

“I represent the Ancient Academy and wish to discuss a cooperation with the Stellar Empire! Please relay this message to His Highness, the crown prince. He will know what to do.”

Andrew spoke confidently.

After a brief hesitation, the Stellar Empire soldiers escorted Andrew back to Gold Fortress and reported his message up the chain, level by level, until it reached the crown prince.

The Stellar Empire crown prince was slightly surprised when he received the news.

He had indeed had a period of cooperation with the Ancient Academy, but the collaboration had never been particularly deep, and there were some significant differences between the two sides on certain matters.

“Your Highness, you absolutely cannot cooperate with him!”

Just as the crown prince was hesitating, Aldany rushed over, breathing heavily, and hurriedly tried to dissuade him.

“Why not?”

The crown prince of the Stellar Empire asked coldly.

Aldany then recounted everything that had happened, with a particular focus on the events involving Andrew.

“Andrew has aligned himself with Charles; we absolutely cannot trust him!”

Aldany concluded with the most convincing argument.

Charles was their greatest enemy. By aligning himself with Charles, Andrew naturally became their enemy as well. They should not trust their enemy.

The crown prince of the Stellar Empire paced back and forth, his face serious.

Aldany’s words certainly gave him more doubts. However, if they could secure cooperation with the Ancient Academy, their attack this time would almost certainly succeed.

After thinking for a while, he turned to his guards and spoke firmly.

“Bring him in. I want to speak with him face to face.”

Upon hearing this, Aldany’s face showed extreme shock. He quickly spoke again.

“Your Highness, please don’t let yourself be deceived by him!”

“I will not be easily deceived by him! Do you think I am that foolish?”

The crown prince of the Stellar Empire gave Aldany a cold glance.

Aldany quickly realized he had misspoken.

He hurriedly explained, “Of course not! I believe Your Highness is an extremely intelligent and wise person! But Andrew is very cunning, and it’s highly likely that he could deceive you with his sweet words.”

The crown prince of the Stellar Empire continued to gaze coldly at Aldany.

“There’s no need to say more. I’ve already made my decision. Let us meet with Andrew.”

The guards immediately began to carry out the crown prince’s command.

Aldany, though slightly disappointed, did not panic.

He stayed behind, intending to be present when the crown prince met with Andrew. If Andrew said anything that could be exposed as a flaw, Aldany would have the opportunity to make the crown prince lose all trust in him.

Soon, Andrew was brought into the room.

The moment Andrew entered, he immediately spotted Aldany.

“I didn’t expect to see you here again,” Andrew said with a mocking smile on his face.

Aldany’s face contorted with rage, but he did not speak.

The crown prince of the Stellar Empire, growing impatient, spoke up, “So you’re the envoy from the Ancient Academy? You’ve come here seeking cooperation with me, yet you speak to Aldany first. Why not address me directly?”

He found it disrespectful that Andrew had chosen to speak with Aldany first rather than with him.

Andrew quickly apologized.

“Your Highness, I’m truly sorry. The reason I spoke with Aldany first and not you is because we’ve worked together before.”