Chapter 195 The Outside World and Silver City

464

Agaritu looked at the confiscated chart, which marked a safe route with a red line. There were many marks in the corners of the map, such as "avoid islands when you see them" and "go to bed immediately when it gets dark." ", "Keep awake at all times"... This is a very complete blueprint, and it is a good thing to solve the urgent need.

He turned to another one, which was a treasure map. The paper was very old, as if it would crack at any time. The road sign pointed to the southeast, with a dotted line delineating a small area and the word "treasure" marked in ancient giant language. It seemed that it was on the same road as him.

The captured adventurers have handed over everything, and are nervously looking at the "Immortal King" in the distance surrounded by the blades of the demon sailors. If the other party is not satisfied yet, the next one should be sacrificed. It's your own life and soul.

After thinking for a while, the "Immortal King" made a decision.

He wants to take these extraordinary people away together, and the "Sui Sui" needs building materials and mice.

…

"Meet a treasure hunter on the sea? Yes, yes, I know. It's no problem to catch them to use as building materials or as guinea pigs. They have a safe route at hand, and they also know many ways to avoid it? Okay, I think the treasure map is very interesting. It’s okay to take a look...Okay, okay, I get it, I get it. I’ll send you your location later, and I’ll give you very high authority. You can do whatever you want. I’m busy, so hang up.”

Edward finished the intercom call in a hurry and turned to Mirela with a flawless smile:

"What did you come to ask?"

Mirela dared to be angry but did not dare to speak. She lowered her head again and said respectfully: "Her Majesty the Queen wants to know how the last commission went."

"What about the Governor?"

Edward then quickly flipped through the memory information. The "faceless doll" has excellent learning ability. Through his own efforts, he has learned to act. From the very beginning, he has progressed from word to word to the point where he can fluently write a review in the tone of Loen's upper nobles. He no longer needs to Any polish. So Edward said easily:

"The progress is good. They have just passed Zhongcheng Island, and there are still about three days left to sail to the port of Balam. The demigod general accompanying the army has officially boarded the ship, and the expectations within the armed forces of your Spiritual Religion Group have been disappointed."

Mirela nodded thoughtfully: "So, Your Highness, how are their injuries?"

Edward reached out and poured himself a cup of tea, but after seeing the thick layer of spices and seasonings under the tea, he put it back on the table with a polite smile. Mirela did not pay attention to this small detail, and Edward continued:

"This time the team had a total of 530 people. My subordinates digested 30 people in the first few days, and then the demigods cleared them all because they showed their flaws. Then it digested 50 people before the demigods officially boarded the ship. The demigod is very confident in himself and is not familiar with servants and sailors. He has not noticed that the number of people being digested is steadily expanding. If everything goes well, it is expected that when they land in three days, except for a few commanders and the demigod General, the rest will be digested by my men.”

"With all due respect, your subordinates?"

"That's right."

"But you just used 'it'."

"No problem. If it can successfully complete this task and come to me, it will be 'him'." Edward smiled nonchalantly, "Just right, I want to know if there is any 'divination' in the Spiritual Religion. Home'pathways for low-sequence properties or materials?"

Mirela thought quickly and responded cautiously: "I am not responsible for the management of sealed items, but if you want to know, I will ask the person in charge internally."

"Okay, I'll excuse you. There's no rush in this matter."

Thinking of the Queen's message, Mirela gritted her teeth and spoke cautiously: "Please forgive me for being abrupt again. If... the digestion is a little lacking, how many people do you plan to release to the land of Balam?"

"In this regard, I still believe in my own vision."

Mirela was horrified: "Sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to..."

"Haha... don't be nervous. Trust me in the spirit of the contract. I am always willing to spend 10% of my efforts to complete the customer's request." Edward didn't take it seriously. He stretched out his hand and made a downward movement, and wanted to stand up and salute to apologize. Mirela pressed back into her seat.

He smiled gently: "I understand your uneasiness, but my remedial measures will change according to the guest's ideas. So, has the Spiritual Religion Group internally decided how to handle a diplomatic incident such as the accidental death of the governor?"

"Thank you for your magnanimity..." Mirela wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and spoke more carefully, "I have no right to know about this matter. Maybe you need to talk to Her Majesty the Queen."

The devil was still smiling: "So what do you think about the city riots, the governor being shot, and his body completely gone?"

"Let's put it this way, the months-long battle has caused a lot of shady evil in the city of Aldera. Many arms dealers and weapons dealers are making a fortune from the war. They don't want the war to end like this, so one day in public, they I ask the Governor to disappear... This way you can largely avoid Loen's impeachment and shift the blame to the Governor's guards' poor protection, or even bite back."

"..." This sounds perfect.

"The Spiritual Religion is secretly cooperating with the Rose School of Thought, right? Tell me where Si'a is, and I will help you let the Governor die naturally."

Facing the thoughtful and free suggestions from his partner, Mirela began to sweat on his forehead again. He lowered his head and said in a calm voice: "Please forgive me, I have no right to make a decision on this matter, Her Majesty the Queen." We also look forward to further discussions with you.”

Edward also saw that he could not make the decision, and the purpose was just to let him give a message to the Pale Queen.

For the Pale Queen, except for the potential consensus of "Don't make a deal with the devil", which is only feared by low-sequence people (to be honest, Edward feels that this consensus is a bit too serious about herself, and the devil is not interested in everything) , as long as you are willing to let the Rose School of thought continue to stir up trouble in the Southern Continent and take the blame, it doesn't matter whether the collaborator is yourself or Si'a.

"No matter what you think, I am better, right? Of course, if Shia Eggers is a coward, then Shia is better..."

After seeing off the sweating Mirela, Edward sat in the room for a while and chose to go out for a walk.

After going downstairs, he saw the young daughter of the hotel proprietress sitting in the waiting area of ​​the lobby, with a brand new newspaper on the coffee table in front of her. Seeing the familiar gentleman coming, the little girl immediately ran over happily with the newspaper and handed it to Edward like a treasure.

Edward knelt down, touched her head gently, and said with a smile, "Have you learned the words I taught you yesterday?"

The little girl nodded vigorously and said in standard Loenese with a bit of a baby voice: "I got it, sir!"

As she spoke, she handed over the vocabulary book she had bound with several pieces of white manuscript paper. Edward flipped through it and saw that it was neatly filled with Loen words, each stroke with great effort. Leave a deep mark on the next page.

"You are a very smart boy." Edward noticed the proprietress secretly looking over behind the counter, and said in a somewhat regretful tone, "If you were in Loen, you would definitely become an outstanding student and a decent woman in the future. Teacher or clerk.”

"It's a pity that you were born here."

The landlady is a woman from the southern continent with soft and beautiful features, while the hotel owner is a businessman from the northern continent. Therefore, their hotel is located in an urban area with better security and is relatively wealthy and respectable.

God has always been willing to favor smart children who are eager to learn and know what they should give in exchange for knowledge. He pinched the little girl's face, took the newspaper, and stood up: "But I have to go out now. I will teach you when I come back. You can think about what you want to learn today."

Saying goodbye to the studious little girl, Edward walked out of the hotel and came to the bustling streets of West Balam.

The streets were full of people coming and going, including people from the northern and southern continents. This was once the main area that suffered from the cultural impact of the Northern Continent, but it still retained a considerable part of its own cultural traditions. Many people were walking in coffins on the streets, and the meaning of death could be seen everywhere.

"Well, South American civilization, the Aztecs and the Mayans, poetic death..." Edward did not sit on the coffin. He had experienced all these things hundreds of years ago and was tired of seeing them. He walked and stopped on the street, then took out the newspaper and took a casual look:

"The beloved new governor is coming to the war-torn city"

The city where he temporarily lives is very close to the war-torn Aldera, and it only takes three hours by steam train. It is a relatively prosperous medium-sized colonial city that is worthy of capture.

Edward thought for two seconds and had a plan to pass the time.

He walked into a department store owned by a northern mainlander and bought a lot of cooking oil and rice and noodles. He asked the northern mainlander clerk, who was secretly pleased with the big deal, "Are there any other foods that are easy to preserve?"

The Northern Continent clerk was happy to do more business and immediately said: "Yes, sir, there are also many pickled dried meats and vegetables."

"Okay." Edward nodded, "Give me a box of dried meat."

When the clerk turned to go to the counter, he turned to ask another clerk who was putting items on the shelf: "I want to buy as many medicines as possible. Such as alcohol, bandages, painkillers, hemostatics and anti-inflammatories. Please give me some, please."

The female clerk was stunned for a moment, quickly stopped what she was doing, and walked to the other side as she agreed.

At this time, the original male clerk with a Northern Continent appearance also came back. Listening to Edward's detailed request, he suddenly felt a chill in his back. He cautiously approached and asked, "Sir, are you planning a long trip?"

Edward glanced at him warily, looked around a few times, and asked in a low voice: "Are you from the Northern Continent?"

The clerk nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, I am from Intis."

Edward sighed and said in a low voice: "For the sake of fellow countrymen, I can't say much...I can only tell you that the Southern Continent will soon be unstable. If you have some money, go prepare some food and Gold, it’s best to have a boat ticket in your hand at all times.”

The appearance and demeanor of a gentleman from the Northern Continent were too believable. The clerk's face suddenly turned half white, and he stammered: "Ah! But, it doesn't mean that the new governor of Loen will Coming? I heard that the National Assembly has already withdrawn its troops outside the city..."

"Where did you hear that? That's not the case at all! In fact, Luen -" Edward's voice became slightly louder, and he immediately stopped speaking. He waited until all the curious glances from around him disappeared before continuing to speak, his tone already a little bit... No, "that's all I have to say. Some big shots don't want it to end like this. It will be unsafe here soon... I only kindly remind you this because you are a fellow countryman. Do you listen?" It doesn’t matter. Is my box of dried meat ready?”

The clerk apologized quickly, but Edward had no intention of saying another word. After paying the bill, he used a carriage to transport all the things away, and soon disappeared from the sight of many inquiring eyes.

The clerk began to panic and wonder what to do. His uneasy look attracted other colleagues to ask why, and rumors began to spread in a small area. Then, Edward visited other stores, spreading rumors in various appearances, using different information and hints.

When it was getting dark, Edward, who had been busy all afternoon, returned to the hotel where he lived. The landlady was sitting in the waiting area playing with her daughter. When she saw Mr. Friendly, who had been living in the store to take care of business, came, the landlady hurriedly grabbed him. The daughter stood up and paid her respects.

"Good evening, Mr. Vaughn." The landlady showed a warm smile, "Have you had dinner? The kitchen has some fresh mushrooms and meat. If you need it, please be sure to tell me."

"Thank you, you are a considerate lady." Edward responded gently, "I haven't had dinner yet, which is a lucky thing. Your grilled fish with orange juice is very delicious, and a mushroom soup will be good. Better.”

"Okay, okay." Thinking that this generous guest was willing to tip, the landlady walked to the kitchen very happily.

When passing the door of the hotel, she heard dense footsteps and anxious shouts outside, as if many people were running and talking on the street. She curiously and nervously opened the door a small crack and took a look. I saw people coming and going in a hurry outside, far more than usual. Under the gloomy sky, people were carrying some food and supplies, and they were talking quietly.

The landlady smelled a hint of uneasiness in this strange and panic atmosphere. She closed the door tightly and prepared to wait for her husband to come back before asking what happened outside.

The little girl who was writing words on the coffee table in the hall raised her head, listened to the direction of the door, then giggled and made a gesture:

"boom!"

Edward smiled and ignored the sporadic gunshots outside. He touched the little girl's head and said gently: "Write with peace of mind. Write these words correctly, and I will treat you to beef jerky."

Under the temptation of this delicious snack, the little girl's eyes were bright and she continued to write from memory with great enthusiasm.

After a few sudden gunshots, a fire broke out somewhere. There was a roar of people and chaos was unfolding in an orderly manner.

465

"…Then, this is the final decision."

Under the sky of electric light and in the dark world, the six-person meeting ended.

After the chief made his final choice, a full cycle had passed since the arrival of the guests.

All the elders were silent, and the future of Silver City turned into an invisible burden that weighed heavily on their hearts.

In the lightless future, they don't know whether this decision is correct, but they all seem to see the times rolling forward.

The chief looked around and read out the final discussion results:

"I will go alone to the five hundred meters outside Silver City to meet the guests from outside."

"I will be solely responsible for all negotiations."

"I will not carry any extraordinary items to prevent accidents. They will become sharp blades against Silver City."

This was his own choice. Even though several other elders kept making suggestions and suggested that the chief carry at least one extraordinary item to save his life, Colin Iliad still rejected their care and kindness and refused to let anything other than his own characteristics. Items left outside.

"If something unexpected happens to me, Silver City will immediately enter the highest level of defense."

"The next chief will be elected by the five of you. I will leave the secrets circulated among each chief, but you must wait for the new candidate to be confirmed before you can browse it."

"Everyone, do you have any objections?"

The elders spoke in unison: "No objection."

Afterwards, the chamber fell into dead silence.

After a few seconds of silence, it was Colin Iliad who broke the heavy and panic-inducing atmosphere. He looked at a burly elder and gave the order calmly:

"Waite Hilmon. Now, you and Barrett go to the bottom of the round tower and activate the sealed artifact 'Crown of Glory', and keep it activated after I leave the city to resist possible attacks."

The tall elder with a reflective head and another relatively thin elder who was over two meters tall stood up at the same time, saluted the chief, then stepped out of the meeting room and left the conference room.

Candles burned slowly and orders were given. Except for the three demigods, the six-person council is the best in Sequence 5, and it is enough to deal with all emergencies except the most critical city defense. They took the order and left one after another, carrying the candles in front of them to their predetermined posts, walking into the darkness and turning into more and more distant firelight.

Finally, Colin Iliad looked at Lovia with silver curly hair. The two looked at each other. After a long silence, the old chief said:

"Lovia."

"Yes." The elder whose name was called stood up quietly.

Colin's weather-beaten face was as indestructible as a stone statue: "Protect Silver City."

Lovia was slightly shaken and whispered: "I am willing to sacrifice my life for Silver City."

"Sacrifice is never necessary. Only by living can you have a future." The chief said, "Derrick Berg is a good boy."

Lovia understood the chief's hint. She hugged the skull tightly in her arms and accepted the order with a sigh: "I understand."

In the darkness, the two of them stood silently for a long time, and finally left in different directions.

…

A dry wooden stick was stuck on the ground, and a lantern that constantly emitted warm light was hung on the top of the wooden stick.

The Angel of the Word knelt down under the lantern, using that light source as a symbol of the sun, clasping the cross with both hands, closing his eyes and praying.

He was kneeling on a small piece of clean land that had been cleared out. He exuded a peaceful and peaceful atmosphere, and the deep spirituality turned into illusory feathers surrounding him, making him look like a majestic angel from mythology.

Except for the flashing thunder and lightning in the sky and the terrifying monsters lingering in the distance that dare not approach, this scene can be regarded as sacred and beautiful.

After praying for a long time, Steve opened his eyes. His body of more than two meters three hunched and turned towards the direction of Silver City, with a joyful smile on his old and withered face.

"May the light of the Lord bless you." The Angel of the Holy Word said kindly, "Come here, guardian of the Silver City."

In the darkness, Colin Iliad, who was holding a torch, approached slowly. His eyes first fell on the lantern hanging high, and then his pupils shrank, feeling a powerful spirituality from that light. This was A quite powerful sealed artifact!

He didn't know whether this was a deterrent from outsiders, but when Colin saw this visitor with his own eyes, he realized the meaning of bottomless power. He took a few steps forward and came to the edge of the light. He felt the warmth, but did not get closer.

Colin's vigilance was unexpected by Steve. Like a real elder, he took the initiative to speak and started a routine with Colin.

"I know you have many doubts, and I will answer them slowly."

Steve showed a nostalgic look in his eyes: "I am the messenger of the Lord, but I cannot take you away without the Lord's order."

"The outside world is dangerous, terrifying, and a land dominated by false gods. It is full of temptations and fights that will corrupt human beings. The answers to all the things you want to know are buried in this land. As long as you discover them all, you will be able to Can understand the Lord’s intention.”

False gods...that is to say, there are still humans in the outside world. What kind of world would they live in? Is it also eternally dark like Silver City? How many people would there be there, and how many monsters would there be? Human beings outside still have the power to fight within, which proves that the threat to their survival is not too great... Colin was distracted by these words, but he remembered his purpose and asked calmly:

"Where is the Emerald City?"

"Hehehe..." Steve smiled hoarsely, with endless memories in his voice, "The people of the Emerald City are blessed, favored by the Lord, prosperous and beautiful. I ascended to the Kingdom of Heaven from there, and Witness its destruction in sin. Blessed is it. The Lord's care is still there when it is destroyed. One thousand nine hundred and fifty-four years have passed. I am not a competent guardian. You can do better in this regard. ."

He hinted at his identity with these words, and not surprisingly saw an expression of surprise and contemplation on Colin's face.

Then, He said:

"I am here to take the divine child who is about to be born and send him back to heaven to be with the Lord."

"...Is he really the 'Angel of Destiny'?"

Steve glanced at Colin in surprise and praised: "The classics of your city-state are well preserved. In some cities, they have forgotten their history and where they came from, and have become existences similar to monsters."

"The women of the city you protect gave birth to the 'Angel of Destiny' in this life, so the city and the people can receive the Lord's blessing. I will wait for his birth here, and then take him away."

"Are mother and son separated..."

"No need to lament, what an honor it is to be the mother of His Highness! They can all live a happy life in this life without fear of illness and hunger." Steve chuckled, sincerely praising the great Creator, "' His Highness, Angel of Destiny, will grow up beside the Lord in every life. This is His privilege. He is the angel closest to the Lord and possesses a divinity that is holier than us."

After that, Steve closed his eyes and prayed in the direction of Silver City with a smile on his face and murmured to himself:

"Your Highness the Angel of Destiny!"

"Please give me inspiration and guidance on my destiny. When should I take you away and return to the Kingdom of God?"

Colin narrowed his eyes and stood vigilantly, waiting for possible visions and revelations. Based on his understanding of the "Angel of Destiny" obtained from ancient books and murals, it should be presented in the form of a dream.

The wasteland outside the city fell silent, with only the crackling of torches burning.

After several hundred heartbeats of silence, Steve raised his head in confusion.

--No revelation.

TBC

——————

Ouroboros: Abba Abba.