Exploring Technology in a Wizard World

Bobbobovic also had his doubts, turning his head to look at Richard, no words escaped his lips, but in his heart, he asked the same question, "Is this true?"

His friend Mike had suddenly disappeared, and he was certain it was related to the Truth Society. As for Richard's companion being rendered unconscious by the Truth Society, he really couldn't guarantee that. After all, he had never seen Richard's unconscious companion; it was possible that it was all made up.

However, speaking of which, Richard was indeed ruthless when dealing with the people from the Truth Society. Even if the Truth Society hadn't rendered Richard's companion unconscious, there should be other resentments. After all, Richard couldn't be attempting to infiltrate the Truth Society just out of mere curiosity or for research purposes, could he?

Richard didn't respond to the old man's words, nor did he clarify anything for Bobbobovic, merely seriously feeling the temperature change of the small ornament under his clothes.

As he spoke those words earlier, the part of the ornament facing the old man suddenly heated up. According to previous tests, it could be nearly confirmed that this was because his words made the old man feel goodwill.

This affirmation and negation almost certainly confirmed that the old man was not disguising his identity.

Taking a deep breath, Richard looked at the old man and said, "Actually... it doesn't matter whether what I said was true or false, but I can assure you that now our cooperation can really proceed."

"Hm?" The old man's brow slightly furrowed, then he caught on and looked at Richard, "So, you mean to say, you were still testing me just now?"

"In this cooperation, I am on the disadvantaged side, so I had to employ some not-so-conventional tactics to ensure I wouldn't fall into a trap. I think you, as a great figure from the north, would understand," Richard told the old man.

The old man chuckled lightly, "I'm hardly a great figure, but I understand. Perhaps I underestimated you. Initially, I only saw you as a potential pawn, but now, it seems I am in for some surprises."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Richard inquired.

"It indeed is," acknowledged the old man. "But that aside, I have some doubts, such as how you could confirm that I wasn't deceiving you through a few sentences? I hardly revealed much information in my words. My facial expression can't be fully relied on as a basis for judgment since, with some training, it can be disguised."

"About that," Richard said, lightly pressing the "Judgement Feather" under his shirt, spoke slowly, "I naturally have my ways, but from my perspective, it really is just another unorthodox method not worth mentioning."

"That's up to you," the old man remarked, "You don't want to talk about it, and I won't force you since our main focus is cooperation. Let's now discuss the content of our cooperation in detail."

"Okay," Richard said, looking at the old man, asked aloud, "Earlier you mentioned wanting me to be your insider to gather information about the Truth Society for you, that sounds like a unilateral effort on my part. Regarding this, I want to understand, what benefits can I expect?"

"What benefits do you want?" the old man counter-questioned.

Richard raised his eyebrow, "Can I ask for anything?"

"Of course," the old man said generously waving his hand, then paused slightly, "But I believe you're a smart man and know what kind of terms would be appropriate to propose."

"Alright," Richard pondered for a moment, then spoke up.

"First, I want an identity disguise for both myself and the person beside me. Although to infiltrate the Truth Society without raising suspicions, both of us have already made some preparations and disguised ourselves somewhat, whereby even if the Truth Society were to investigate, they won't find anything iffy in the short term. However, if over time, the Truth Society's investigation goes too deep, some flaws will still show up requiring repair.

I think, since you've planned for us both to act as insiders, you must have done similar things before and be familiar with the process, having ready-made identity disguises. Well, instead of me trying to fix potential flaws, your help would save a lot of hassle."

"Besides that, during our continued cooperation, I might encounter some troubles, and then I will ask you for some support. This support includes but is not limited to magic scrolls, magic materials, classified information, and precious materials, which I hope you can provide as much as possible."

"Also, I am not very sure how long I can stay undercover within the Truth Society, but I feel there's a good chance that eventuallyull I may either voluntarily or forcibly have to confront them. By then, I must be well-prepared to face their retaliation. However, your assistance would be better. After all, since you planned to have us enter the Truth Society, I assume you are hostile towards them; helping me would be beneficial to you and cause no harm."

After finishing his speech, Richard paused and then looked at the old man, asking, "Well, these are my conditions for now; what do you think of them?"

"Very reasonable," the old man assessed.

"And how many of my conditions are you prepared to agree to?" Richard queried.

"All of them," the old man answered.

"All of them?" Richard raised an eyebrow, staring into the old man's eyes to confirm, "Are you serious? Are there absolutely no alterations you wish to make?"

"Why should I make any changes? Your conditions are indeed quite reasonable," the old man assured, slowly stating, "The first condition, providing you with disguised identities to ensure your long-term safe infiltration, benefits me; there's no reason not to do it. And you guessed right, I indeed have preparations for identities used for disguising; instead of wasting them, it's better to now use them on the two of you, to take effect promptly.

Regarding the second and third conditions, agreeing to them poses no problem, as they concern events in the future. I believe by then you will have obtained some information in your undercover process, and based on the information you provide, I'll give you help equal to what you offer, which is also a fair trade."

"It seems you are more wise than I imagined," Richard responded, having gained a new understanding of the old man. The other party was obviously confident and not planning to control everything, instead giving enough freedom for him to act, believing this would yield better outcomes.

He was pleased to see this as it meant he and the old man were truly in a cooperative relationship, rather than merely a nominal cooperation, fundamentally governed by orders.

This approach made him genuinely consider collaborating with the old man long-term on matters concerning the Truth Society. Otherwise, he would only temporarily cooperate with the old man, gathering enough information about him and receiving sufficient help before either kicking him aside or making a more straightforward move—instigating the Truth Society to confront the old man while he profited in the middle.

Thinking this, Richard looked at the old man, seriously saying, "It seems our upcoming cooperation will be most agreeable."

"Actually, that's the outcome I desired," the old man smiled in response.