OBS Chapter 528 Learning to Lie
Chapter 528 Learning to Lie
Christina was silent for a few seconds before she guessed Howard's plan: "Your blood!"
"Yes, my blood," Howard said. "My blood should be able to cure this human poison. No matter which glass of wine he ultimately chooses, you must drink the other one first to dispel his vigilance."
Howard then added, "The poison will take effect in half an hour, but he might also talk to you for half an hour after drinking the poisoned wine, so we need to make further preparations."
After saying that, Howard began to look for a container that could hold blood in the dressing room, just like the blood bag he prepared for Constance. Soon Howard found it in the drawer of the dressing room... found the blue balloon?
Huh? No? Is this still popular in 40k?
Although this thing perfectly met the requirements, Howard decided not to use it until the last minute because he was too sentimental. He continued to search, and then he found a box of unopened quills, each quill was wrapped in a packaging bag.
That's it.
Soon, Howard collected half a bag of blood. He tied a knot in the bag and placed it next to Christina.
"Finally, make a backup plan," Howard said. "If anything unexpected happens, including him giving the poisoned wine to someone else or developing suspicion and wanting to test the ingredients, if the situation starts to get out of control, just give me a signal and I'll control the ballroom's circuits, temporarily shutting down the power. Then, you'll take advantage of the chaos to destroy all evidence and use the ring to inject the poison directly."
Christina nodded in agreement, and then the two of them decided on a gesture that represented a situation out of control: open the palm, put the index finger and ring finger together, and then bend them towards the palm. This gesture was basically impossible to do casually.
Howard: "Anything else you think of?"
Christina shook her head.
Howard: "That's all I can think of."
In fact, if Howard was really given time to plan, he would definitely be able to come up with a more seamless and unpredictable plan, but time and resources that can be mobilized are ultimately limited.
Moreover, Howard came up with this trick on the spur of the moment. He anticipated the other party's possible mentality, laid two traps, and even made alternative plans in case the situation got out of control. Even if it failed, he would not suffer backlash.
An ingenious, chain-like, and closely connected strategy, when actually implemented, will often be more likely to go wrong the more links there are, and once it collapses, it will be out of control.
Howard: "Now that I've finished what I need to do, and you're not dressed yet...do you need me to stay away?"
Christina: "No! Please stay here... I need someone to keep me company before we take action."
So for the next few minutes, Howard watched Christina put on makeup while chatting with her.
Howard: "What kind of person do you think Alex is?"
"Uncle Alex is a very good person. He's gentle and kind to everyone. No matter who it is, as long as they are in trouble, he will do his best to help." Christina's eyes dimmed a little in the mirror. "Honestly, I'm really sad that my brother and uncle have become so antagonistic. I regret it very much. If I had made up my mind earlier, perhaps the situation would not have turned out like this."
Howard didn't quite agree with the idea of being gentle and kind to everyone. Although he didn't know Alex at all, judging by his eligibility to become acting head of the Helvene family, he was a distinguished noble. Anyone who came to him for help was no ordinary person. If Howard were in his position, he would also be dedicated to anyone who came to him for help, because it was all about connections. Those truly humble folk probably wouldn't even know the names of such powerful individuals, so how could they ask him for help?
If even those peasants could ask Alex for help, then Alex should not appear at this dinner party, because the empire has too much suffering, and even the suffering of the people on a planet is enough to occupy a person's entire time.
Howard: "But have you ever thought that your uncle might be better than you think?"
Christina: "I'm sorry, Mr. Howard, I don't understand."
"There's actually no strong correlation between an individual's goodness and the goodness of their faction," Howard said. "Perhaps Alex is truly a good man? Perhaps he believes that being an agent of the aliens is the only way to save his family and humanity? And from the perspective of winning people over, if he sees that the wine is problematic, he won't drink it himself, but he might try to stop you. At that point, would you still be able to do it?"
Howard was preparing Christina mentally. It was better to give her a few words in advance than to have problems at the last minute.
Whether it was out of a desire to win over Christina or out of genuine kindness, if Alex saw through Christina's tricks, he would most likely do so. And if he really did so, the defenseless Christina might be shocked again.
But Howard mentioned this possibility in advance, so Christina was mentally prepared. If Alex really did such a thing, with Howard's reminder, Christina would probably regard the other party's sincerity as a pretense.
A surprise that is revealed in advance will appear false and contrived, and the same goes for a shock.
The dressing room fell into silence. Howard waited for Christina to explode. She could cry, break down and curse, or even fight back, but in the end, her paused hands continued to paint on her face.
Christina: “I will.”
Howard: "Great, then the next step is how to approach the target. It would be a bit strange if you just went over with two glasses of wine. I suggest you talk to him first and then change the topic to this. But do you have a plan for how to enter their conversation?"
Christina had already done her eyebrows and was now doing her hair. She frowned and thought for half a minute before answering, "Osarino and I were friends... We used to be. He had a sister, but she's gone now... But I can use this as a way to get in."
Howard raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Can you continue?"
Christina nodded and said, "I can get close to Uncle Alex by looking for Osarino. I'll tell Osarino that Agatha left something special with me. Osarino will definitely ask about it, but I'll give a vague answer. Osarino will definitely ask about it after the party. When Uncle Alex sees me, he'll definitely take the initiative to talk to me. Then, in the following conversation, I can turn the topic to the liqueur he once gave me."
Under normal circumstances, Howard would definitely praise Christina for her talent, but he knew that Christina definitely didn't want to hear such praise at this moment, so he just nodded in approval, and then he said:
"Then proceed according to the plan, and you must cover up the lie you told Osarino. Leave that to Cecil and me."