Chapter 823 Anthony The Pretender


    A person who had been hurt by betrayal would not believe such statements.


    That was exactly the kind of person Magus was.


    He shed Thalia a sneer as he said, “If you know me, then you should know that I would never join


    any organization for the rest of my life.”


    “Please, believe me, Magus! In the name of my integrity, I promise that I won''t lie to you!” Thalia


    pleaded earnestly.


    “Integrity?” Magus let out a sarcastic chuckle as he continued, “To be honest, the people from


    before were much more sincere. What good is your integrity, huh?”


    “Magus...”


    He cut her off, “That''s enough! I will not join you guys no matter what you say, so either kill me or


    release me!”


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    Thalia frowned and simply stared at him in silence.


    “You can go,” Anthony said all of a sudden.


    Thalia turned to look at him, a hint of shock manifesting in her eyes. “Anthony?”


    Anthony kept his gaze fixated on Magus as he continued, “As I said, I''m here to invite you, not force


    you. You have the right to make your own choice.”


    Hearing this, Magus simply turned around and left without saying another word.


    Right as he brushed past Anthony at the door, Anthony called out to him, “Wait!”


    Magus paused in his tracks and spun on his heel to look at the young boy. “What''s the matter? Are


    you regretting your decision now?”


    Anthony whipped out a pen and paper from his bag and wrote down a phone number. “This is my


    number. Feel free to call me if you ever change your mind.”


    Magus shot the string of numbers the boy had written a cold re. “That won''t be necessary!” he


    dered, then walked right out of there without looking back.


    Miguel was about to run after the man, but Anthony stopped him and shook his head.


    “Are we really just going to let him leave, Master?” Miguel asked.


    “It''s normal if he can''t ept it just yet. Forcing him will only worsen the situation,” Anthony replied.


    “But—”


    “I know what I''m doing!” Anthony cut him off.


    Miguel pursed his lips and kept quiet after that.


    Realizing that no one was trying to stop him, Magus turned around, red at the person who locked


    him in there, and sneered, “You remember this!”


    Of course, that guy did not take Magus'' threat seriously. “It''s not every day someone wants you, you


    know? You should leave. Get as far away as you can!”


    “That''s none of your business!” Magus retorted and stormed off.


    “Are we really going to let him go like that, Anthony?” Denise asked, a hint of anxietycing her


    words. “It will be a lot harder to find himter on!”


    Anthony waited until Magus was gone before replying, “He won''t hide from us if we don''t force him.”


    “But he won''t agree to our request either!” Denise eximed.


    The person who helped Anthony find Magus was still there by the time Anthony stepped out the


    door.


    Seeing the young boy, the person asked with a smile, “Well? Do you need my help with anything


    else?”


    “That depends. What else are you able to do for me?” Anthony replied, tossing a nonchnt gaze


    at him.


    “You name it, and I''ll get it done!”


    Anthony deliberately put on a clueless expression as he said, “But I don''t know what I need help


    with!”


    “You just want him, right?” the person asked after giving it some thought.


    Anthony nodded. “That''s right.”


    “He''s known for being a weirdo. Countless people have tried approaching him, but their efforts all


    ended up in vain,” the person mumbled.


    “So?”


    “The people who came before you were big spenders with a ton of cash to offer. You''re the first one


    I''ve seen who only wants to befriend him.”


    Unsure if that man was insulting him or praising him, Anthony replied, “It looks like you''ve made


    quite a fortune off him!”


    “Oh, no. You''re the first person I''ve encountered!” the person replied.


    “So, what exactly are you trying to say? What can you provide me with?” Anthony asked.


    “Give me two days, and I shall give you a satisfactory reply. How about that?” the person said after


    giving it some thought.


    “You only get half a day.”


    “That''s too little time! What could I possibly find within half a day?” the person asked with a


    conflicted look on his face.


    Anthony let out a chuckle. “You were able to lure him here despite how cautious he is, so that


    means you have developed a great understanding of him. I think half a day is plenty of time for


    you!”


    Upon hearing that, the person fell silent and stared at Anthony with a mysterious look in his eyes.


    How is a child like him able to develop a train of thought thatplex? Even adults aren''t this


    cautious and detail-oriented! I''ve been treating him as a mere child all this while, but... right now, I


    feel as though he was just putting up an act all along!


    With that in mind, he asked, “Could you extend it to one day?”


    “I don''t have that much time. You either get it done in half a day, or I will look for someone else!”


    Anthony replied.


    “Fine! Half a day it is, then,” the person agreed.


    “If you are able to help me out, I will pay you five times the reward for today!” Anthony added.


    The person froze for a brief moment when he heard that. He was not expecting Anthony to offer him


    such a huge sum.


    Even so, he did not doubt Anthony''s ability to honor his promise at all. “You have a deal!”


    Anthony shed him a faint smile. “I''ll be waiting for your update, then.”


    The person nodded in response.


    “Come on; let''s go,” Anthony said with a wave, prompting Thalia and Miguel to go with him.


    Denise and Benjamin, too, quickly followed suit after casting a quick nce at the person.


    It wasn''t until they reached the car that Thalia asked, “You really trust that guy?”


    Anthony responded to her question with another one. “Do we have a choice?”


    “I say we just kidnap that guy and force him to submit to us!” Miguel suggested.


    “Yes, that is indeed an option. However, given what he''s capable of, he could easily set us up


    without us realizing!” Anthony exined.


    Thalia nodded in agreement. “You''re right. He could easily sabotage us and do us all in.”


    Miguel frowned after hearing that. “What should we do, then?”


    “We''ll figure that out after we head back!” Anthony said and got into the car.


    Miguel was about to do the same when Denise whispered in his ear, “Miguel, you''re bleeding!”


    Anthony turned around and saw a trail of blood behind Miguel. His neck and shoulders were stained


    with blood, and his hair was all sticky as well.


    “What happened to you?” Anthony asked while running toward him.


    Miguel reached out and touched the spot where he got hit. “Oh, it''s nothing! It''s just a scrape!”