Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet

After Barney and his team turned and left the tailor shop, William instructed Sunday, "Inform Carlos of the Cross in Colombia that it would be ideal if Amir Bakawi could vanish without a trace. If that's not possible, eliminate Bakawi and everyone around him, then take his body. I want him to create the illusion that Amir Bakawi is still alive."

"Understood, Sir. The orders have been issued."

The purpose of this plan was to preemptively counter the Americans. With Bakawi's status as William's greatest enemy unknown, the Americans' attention would naturally be drawn toward him post-operation. This would make it unlikely for the Americans to renege on their agreement with William; but if they did, William might use Bakawi's name as leverage for retaliation.

Having arranged this, William opened the door to the fitting room, nodded at Harry Hart, and said, "Let's go, Harry."

Harry nodded. Under Benjamin's puzzled gaze, he placed his hand on the full-length mirror in the fitting room. A red glow traced the outline of his hand before a "click" sounded, and the entire fitting room began to descend, much to Benjamin's amazement.

As they watched the weathered walls of the elevator, Benjamin looked curiously at Harry, who, despite his elegant suit, looked more like a college professor than a spy. "How long has this place existed?"

"Since 1849, when the Kingsman began serving the world's most powerful individuals," Harry explained with a smile.

"One hundred fifty years. That means it's nearly a century older than our C1A and FB1," Benjamin marveled, but before he could ponder further, the elevator came to a halt, revealing a subway-like compartment.

Harry gestured for everyone to follow, took the lead into the compartment, and settled into a seat. He pressed a switch on his seat, and the train began moving forward.

Then, in a low voice, he said to William, who sat beside him, "His Majesty, King Philip, asked me a few days ago how I felt about you taking over as the new head of the Kingsman."

"What?" William looked at Harry, surprised. "Why would Philip ask you that? Doesn't he directly appoint the head of Kingsman? When did he start consulting you knights of the realm?"

Harry hesitated briefly, then replied indirectly, "Do you know you've inherited the title of Earl of Oxford?"

"Oh, I hadn't thought of it. Catherine, the Secretary of State for Security, and Richard, the Minister of Defense, did address me as Earl of Devonshire earlier," William said, locking eyes with Harry. "So…"

"That's right," Harry said calmly with a nod. "It's exactly as you think."

"Philip's going all out to pull me into their camp," William remarked, shaking his head in resignation. He felt no sorrow at all about inheriting the Earl of Oxford title, only relief.

Having the Kingsman handle the issue of the Earl of Oxford was far better than having his mother handle it.

"Why would he come to you? Isn't the role of Kingsman to protect England's nobles and elite?" William asked.

"Not every noble qualifies for our protection. Most of those who inherited titles after the war sixty years ago don't even know we exist. And don't forget, your grandfather Henry's W List has a copy in Philip's hands. Him coming to me, a former W List member, to fulfill Henry's final wishes isn't exactly out of the ordinary."

After a moment of silence, Harry lowered his voice and reminded William, "You haven't handed over the list of people in your possession, have you?"

"Do I seem like someone who's loyal to the royal family?" William scoffed.

"That's why His Majesty Philip is so eager to win you over, William." Harry patted William on the shoulder. "And all he's done for you has yielded far greater returns than he could have expected, haha."

"True enough," William laughed.

Saving Philip's life was indeed an invaluable return. The old fox knew that appealing to William's emotions was the most reliable and effective way to influence someone as capable yet suspicious as him. And the returns for Philip had indeed been far beyond his expectations.

Had Philip not treated William well, William wouldn't have shielded him directly, even with a bulletproof suit on; he would've just pulled the old man aside.

"So, will you inherit the title of Earl of Oxford?" This time, it was Harry's turn to look intently at William.

William understood Harry's point. A staunch supporter of the nobility, Harry wouldn't want all his efforts to be in vain.

Had it been before, William might have hesitated briefly before agreeing. But now, he said, "Of course, why not? This title belonged to my line all along. Now, it's merely returning to its rightful place."

"That's good," Harry said happily with a nod. "It's just a pity that Henry can't witness this day. Well, let's not dwell on it. Once this is all over, let's have a drink, and maybe you could check on a young talent I've been training."

"Sure thing. Once this mission's done, I'll have time for a drink," William agreed with a smile.

As they chatted, the train finally arrived at its destination—the Kingsman's special operations academy, located more than twenty kilometers outside of London.

When the train stopped, Harry stood and said to Benjamin and Banning, "Gentlemen, follow me, please. The plane is ready."

Harry didn't take them through the academy's vast underground facility but instead used the elevator to go straight to the castle above ground.

A short drive from the castle brought them to the academy's private airport. After getting out of the car, Harry pointed to a man dressed as a pilot and said, "Mr. Merlin will take you and Mr. Banning wherever you want to go. Congratulations, Mr. Secretary. You're safe now."

"Thank you, thank you." Finally out of London, Benjamin felt the tension drain from him completely. He shook hands with Harry gratefully, then walked over to William and embraced him.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Devonshire. From now on, the Devonshire family has the Arthur family's undying loyalty."

"The feeling is mutual, Mr. Secretary. It's been my honor to assist you." William patted Benjamin's back, though he wondered if Benjamin would still feel this grateful once he returned to the USA and understood the full scope of the situation.

Benjamin laughed, patted William's shoulder, and released him. "Please extend my thanks to King Philip. I'll personally call him once I'm back in the USA to express my gratitude and formally invite him to the White Palace's New Year's Eve gala."

"Certainly, Mr. Secretary. I'll make sure His Majesty receives your invitation," William replied.

Banning, standing nearby, chuckled and said to William, "My acting wasn't too bad, was it?"

"Haha, it was excellent," William replied, laughing. "The only downside was that Deputy Secretary Bloom-Bull didn't openly oppose me in the command center."

"But never mind. The situation was so urgent that even if there's a traitor in the command center, they probably wouldn't realize that we were putting on a show. And if they do suspect, even better. If they dare to leak information, we can use the opportunity to track down other moles."

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