?


    Vilnius couldn''t help butugh heartily at Michael''s audacious n. "Robbing the Eden''s Garden? You must be truly mad if you think that''s possible," he chuckled, shaking his head.


    He leaned back in his chair, his expression turning more serious. "Even if, by some miracle, we managed to rob the ce, there''s no way we could sell the alchemical items we steal in the ck market without alerting the higher-ups at Eden''s Garden. That kind of heat would destroy our gang," Vilnius warned, his tone filled with a hint of concern for his crew''s well-being.


    Elmer, nodding in agreement, chimed in, "Vilnius is right. There''s a reason why nobody has ever tried to rob the Eden''s Garden. Those who attempted it simply disappeared."


    Michael leaned back in his chair, a smug expression on his face as he gazed at Vilnius and Elmer. He could see the skepticism in their eyes, but he was ready toy out his n.


    "You really think I don''t know that?" Michael replied with a chuckle, enjoying the suspense he was building. Elmer raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued.


    "Selling raw alchemical goods in the ck market would indeed alert the higher-ups and bring down the heat on us," Michael continued. "But what if I told you we wouldn''t be selling raw goods?"


    Elmer leaned in, intrigued. "What do you mean?" he asked.


    Michael grinned, his ning together in his mind. "We''ll refine those raw alchemical goods into pills and potions," he exined. "Selling those won''t raise any eyebrows in the ck market. People buy potions and pills all the time."


    Vilnius couldn''t help but snicker. "You think it''s that easy? To refine those goods, you''d need an alchemist who can handle such precious materials."


    Elmer added, "Even if we had an alchemist, it would take them ages to turn those goods into pills and potions. Meanwhile, the Eden Garden security would locate us."


    Vilnius couldn''t resist a heartyugh at the audacity of Michael''s proposal. "John, you really have a wild imagination if you think we can pull off something like that without getting ourselves killed."


    He then turned his mocking gaze towards Elmer. "And Elmer, you spoke so highly of John here, but I didn''t think he would be crazy as fuck,"


    Michael remained calm, fully expecting this response from someone as formidable as Vilnius. He knew that Elmer was the strategist in the operation, so he shifted his gaze to the elf.


    "Don''t look at me. This n is utterly insane. I have to say, John, I''m disappointed," Elmer sighed.


    "Is that so?" Michael chuckled softly, seemingly undisturbed by their skepticism.


    With a swift, practiced motion, he produced several alchemy ingredients, cing them on Vilnius''s table. As their eyes widened, Michael summoned his dark mes.


    "What the hell are you trying to pull?" Vilnius growled, reaching for his weapon, suspecting an attack.


    But Michael ignored Vilnius''s aggression. With one hand, he controlled the mes and, with the other, tossed the alchemy ingredients into the burning vortex. Elmer watched in awe as theponents transformed into essence, merging together to create dazzling pills.


    "You''re an alchemist?" Elmer and Vilnius eximed in surprise.


    With a flick of his wrist, Michael presented the green pills to Vilnius. Despite his rough exterior, Vilnius recognized the exceptional purity of the pills.


    "If you can''t sell pills and potions like these in the ck market, then you''re not the person I was hoping to do business with," Michael dered coolly as he rose from his seat.


    He was about to make his exit when Elmer hastily halted him.


    "John, wait," Elmer urged. Michael paused, and Elmer turned to Vilnius.


    "Boss, at least let him exin. He must have some sort of n," Elmer reasoned with hope in his eyes. After a moment of contemtion, Vilnius reluctantly agreed.


    "Very well. You can entertain me with your scheme to rob Eden''s Garden," Vilnius conceded, his curiosity piqued.


    Michael leaned in, his eyes locked onto Vilnius as he began to unveil the initial phase of his audacious n.


    "The first thing we need is the blueprint of Eden''s Garden," he stated firmly.


    Vilnius couldn''t help but snicker, mocking Michael''s request. "You don''t even have the blueprint, and you''re nning to rob the ce?"


    Michael smiled wryly. "That''s precisely why I need your help. I need your minions to do the legwork for me."


    Elmer, intrigued but cautious, chimed in. "Alright, so what''s the actual n?"


    Michael leaned back, folding his arms, and began to exin. "I''ve noticed the intricate runes scattered throughout Eden''s Garden. The key is that the garden closes every night at eleven. There are no guards because they rely on various protective runes."


    Elmer''s curiosity grew. "So, how do we break the runes? Are you a runemaster too?"


    Michael shook his head. "No, I''m not a runemaster, but I have a method."


    Michael continued with his exnation, his tone confident and calcted. "Once I disable the runes, I''ll signal your minions to enter the building next door. I''ll provide precise locations when I have the blueprint. They''ll create a hole through the wall into Eden''s Garden."


    Elmer couldn''t help but voice his skepticism. "John, I''ve seen you put all those gold coins and valuables into your space ring despite the runes on the valuables back in Rideon Funds. Why do we need the minions to go into Eden''s Garden?"


    Michael grinned at Elmer''s question. "Because once I disable the runes, we''ll have just five minutes to clean out the entire ce. That''s where my special space ringse into y."


    Vilnius, aware of the immense value of such rings, couldn''t contain his curiosity. "Where did you get these space rings?"


    Michael chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement. "That, my friend, is a secret I won''t be sharing."


    Elmer frowned but motioned for Michael to continue with the n.


    Michael nodded. "Each of your crew members will use the space rings to clean out the ce within five minutes. Then, they''ll escape through the same hole they entered."


    He turned his attention to Vilnius. "Your role will be arranging a safe ce for me to refine the pills and potions. Once that''s done, you''ll focus on selling them in the ck market."


    Vilnius, still not entirely convinced, continued to voice his concerns. "There are variables in this n. How can you be sure you can break the runes? And five minutes to clean out the entire ce is a tall order."


    Michael remainedposed. "I''ll handle the heavy lifting when ites to the runes. Your focus should be on selling the pills and potions."


    Vilnius stroked his beard, his mind calcting the risks and rewards. "Alright, but how much of a cut are you expecting from this heist?"


    Michael smiled, revealing a hint of his true intentions. "Consider this heist a test of how your gang operates under my leadership. I''ll take a modest thirty percent cut this time. But from the next heist onwards, it could be fifty percent or more."


    Vilnius was taken aback by the steep increase in Michael''s demand. He tried to y his own cards. "What if I were to tell the authorities about your n to rob Eden''s Garden?"


    Michael''s response was chillingly simple. "Then you will die."


    Suddenly, Vilnius felt a sharp sting in his neck. He gasped, feeling weak, and fell from his chair. Elmer, startled by the sudden turn of events, rushed forward. "What happened?"


    Vilnius, gasping for air, continued to cough up white foam from his mouth. Elmer, his eyes wide with shock, was frozen in ce, his hand reaching for the guards.


    "I wouldn''t do that if I were you," Michael said calmly, producing a colorless liquid from his robe.


    "I poisoned your boss because I don''t appreciate his excessive questioning and attempts at ckmail. I don''t react well to ckmail," Michael exined with an eerieposure as he walked over to Vilnius''s chair and settled into it.


    Elmer, still in a state of disbelief, could only stare in stunned silence.


    Vilnius continued to cough up white foam, his face turning pale as Michael spoke with an unsettling calmness.


    "If Vilnius doesn''t take the antidote," Michael began, "he will die."


    Elmer, his voice trembling, finally managed to speak. "What kind of poison is this?"


    Michael leaned forward, his eyes locked on Elmer''s. "A unique kind," he replied, pointing at the colorless liquid on the table. "This is the antidote, but it will only suppress the poison for a week. After that, the poison will act up again, and Vilnius will need to take the antidote once more."


    A wicked chuckle escaped Michael''s lips as he continued, "And only I can brew this antidote, which means I own Vilnius now."


    He leaned back in his chair, his tone casual but menacing. "Of course, Elmer, you can doubt me and refuse to give Vilnius the antidote, thinking I''m lying. You can let him die."


    Elmer realized the dangerous game they were now ying. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "You''re ying a dangerous game, John."


    Michael shrugged carelessly, a devilish grin tugging at his lips. "You can be my knights in this game or just mere pawns I''ll crush under my feet."


    Elmer hesitated, torn between the precarious choices before him. Vilnius mumbled something unintelligible as he began to close his eyes, the poison taking its toll on him.


    Michael chuckled coldly, his patience waning. "Time is running out," he reminded them.


    With a steely resolve, he continued, "From the moment I stepped into your territory, you became my gang."


    Elmer clenched his fists, torn by the weight of the decision he was about to make. Finally, he grabbed the antidote and poured it into Vilnius''s mouth. Slowly, Vilnius stopped coughing up white foam and began to breathe normally again.


    As Vilnius rose back to his feet, he cursed Michael vehemently, his hand instinctively reaching for his sword. Before he could draw it, Michael snapped his fingers, and Vilnius roared in agony as he fell to the ground.


    Michael ced his foot on Vilnius''s chest and leaned down, his voice dripping with cold determination. "I own you now, bitch."