Thinking it might be the secret the Devonshire family had guarded for over a thousand years, Grand Duke Devon stood up excitedly. Ignoring the presence of the king, he pushed aside Philip and Charles, angrily saying to William, "Are you crazy, William? How can you reveal your family's greatest secret? That is the foundation that has kept your family standing for over a thousand years."
King Philip, on the other hand, was visibly pleased and stood up as well. "Let's move to another place to talk," he said, then glanced at Charles before leaving the room without a word.
Charles knew that King Philip had almost wanted to kick him out earlier. Seeing Philip's silent approval, he quickly followed. Grand Duke Devon glared at William for a few seconds before snorting and following the others.
William smiled as he watched Philip rush out. It seemed they couldn't wait. Led by the guards, the four of them entered a closed secret room. After they sat down, Philip looked at William seriously and said, "I'll ask you one last time. Have you thought this through, William?"
William smiled and said, "Of course."
"Then let's start. Just tell me where she is. Your family may have guarded her for over a thousand years, but ever since the Templar Knights were massacred 600 years ago, that secret is no longer a secret to a select few. Those who need to know already know."
Hey, you're not even discussing terms or offering benefits. It won't be that easy to get it out of me. William smiled and leisurely drank his coffee, convinced that both Philip and Grand Duke Devon would be tempted.
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Charles glanced at Philip. After receiving a slight nod from Philip, Charles said, "Sorry, William. Can you tell me what you're talking about?"
William raised his eyebrows, looked at Philip and Grand Duke Devon, then said to the curious Charles, "It's a story about the Bright God and his wife."
"What do you mean?" Charles asked in confusion. Since when did the Bright God have a wife?
Seeing Philip and Grand Duke Devon sitting upright and silent, William explained the entire story to Charles. After listening, Charles asked in shock, "Oh my God, where is she? And William, are you really crazy? How can you reveal such a secret?"
Philip, unconcerned, said to Charles, "He's not crazy. Do you think a self-made billionaire could be a madman?"
Philip's words made Charles realize that in their limited interactions, he never thought William was crazy. He was as cunning as a little fox.
Seeing William calmly sitting after explaining, Philip said helplessly, "Alright, tell me your conditions. As long as they are not too excessive, I will agree."
William finally smiled and said, "First, I want to buy all the land around Oxford Castle. I will buy it at market price, but the main obstacle is getting approval from the Oxford City Council."
Philip asked in surprise, "If you have the money, just buy it. Why do you need me?"
"Of course I need you, because I want to buy all the land around the Devonshire family's old castle, about 30,000 acres."
Charles looked at William with annoyance. God, 30,000 acres! That would make William the largest landowner in England, surpassing even their family by 5,000 acres.
Philip shook his head and said, "Even if you come to me, it's useless. This depends on the Oxford City Council. No one is foolish enough to let you buy such a large piece of land. If you develop real estate or enclose it, it will affect the food and public resources of hundreds of thousands of people."
William didn't believe Philip was helpless. He had been on the throne for over 60 years; he must have a way to persuade the Oxford City Council, probably through some sort of benefit exchange. Time to offer some perks.
William smiled and said, "Did you know? Today, someone offered me $300 million for the Holy Grail, but I refused and sent them to meet the Bright God instead."
Philip and the other two immediately thought of the information they received earlier about a bus accident in Lyon, France, where six directors and a black bishop of the Bright Society were killed when the bus went off a 100-meter cliff. Eight people, including the driver, died.
They were wondering who could be so ruthless to wipe out the leaders of the Bright Society, and now they realized it was this young man in front of them.
Looking at William's calm face, the three of them became wary. They didn't pay much attention to the $300 million; they were more focused on William's ruthless methods.
William smiled and said, "A thousand years ago, the Templar Knights did something to the Bright Church. I believe you all know what it was."
Philip and the others nodded with a laugh. Of course, they knew the Templars had extorted the Bright Church.
"I don't want much, just $500 million. If not in cash, fixed assets in England will do. As for how much you get, I don't care."
Philip didn't respond to William's request, only saying, "William, haven't you thought about approaching the Bright Church yourself?"
William rolled his eyes at Philip. He had thought about it but wasn't stupid. If he approached them directly, he might get killed. Even if he survived, trouble would follow him for life.
This way was better. He didn't have to take the lead or show his face. If things went south, there was still a king, a prince, and a grand duke to take the fall. Besides, he had no intention of revealing the real secret of his family's angel statue.
What he intended to reveal was the fake Holy Grail in the Louvre. Whether it was real or not depended on their judgment. The Grail had been personally identified and stored by four elders of the Hidden Order over ten years ago. If it turned out to be fake, it would be on the elders.
If Philip and the Grand Duke really went to extort the Bright Church, the Church's wrath would not be directed at him. "I'm not stupid. A group is always stronger than an individual. I'm not greedy; $500 million will make me content."
Philip and Grand Duke Devon nodded in satisfaction, thinking William had good self-awareness. Underestimating the Bright Church would come with a heavy price.
They understood why William had approached them. The value of the Holy Grail was too great, making it impossible for them not to be used as pawns by William. Besides, William's demands were reasonable, even low.
This puzzled them. Why was William willing to hand over the Grail? "Alright, I agree to your conditions. Now tell us your third condition. I don't believe you only have these few demands."
William knew the most crucial part had arrived. If he couldn't dispel Philip and the Grand Duke's doubts, they might not take the bait.
William quickly showed an angry expression, breathing heavily. "I hope you and the Bright Church can work together to eliminate the Bright Society. They have seriously threatened the safety of me and my mother."
Philip was taken aback by William's strong desire for revenge and his ruthlessness. Just a threat to his safety made him want to root out the entire organization.
After thinking it over, Philip and Grand Duke Devon realized that William's motivation wasn't pure. But the bait was too tempting for the most elite families. If William were pushed to the brink by the Bright Society or the Bright Church, and he publicly revealed the Grail, things would spiral out of control.
"Alright, as long as the Grail is real, I agree to your conditions. Now tell me where it is. Surely you trust an English king's word?"
"Of course, but I need a $500 million down payment."
Philip and Grand Duke Devon exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. No one would work for free.
After almost two hours of discussing which assets to use for the $500 million, Philip, looking tired, said, "Now can you rest assured?"
William, satisfied with the documents in his hand, was delighted to find shares in Apple, Amazon, and Disney controlled by Philip and the Grand Duke's private foundation. He didn't hesitate to take these shares, as these companies were publicly traded and hard to dilute.
He also acquired an 11% stake in Chelsea, a perfect birthday gift for his mother, who was a big Chelsea fan.
Feeling cheerful, William said, "The Holy Grail is now in the Louvre Museum, under the glass pyramid."
Hearing this, Philip and Grand Duke Devon almost had heart attacks, glaring at William. They realized he had sold something that wasn't even his for $500 million.
However, this made them believe William even more. This explained why he was selling the Grail for such a low price. After kicking William and Charles out, the two old foxes toasted with their glasses, ready to discuss how to divide the spoils.
___________________
Read Ahead
P@treon.com/Mutter