Deep in the mountains, few people go. It is late autumn, and the mountains and forests are dyed with colorful fallen leaves. But beneath this beautiful scenery, there is an unknown place.
A hundred meters deep under the rocks, in a stone path, there is a tall and thin young man in a gray robe, walking hurriedly. The young man is not good-looking, the only difference is that he has a pair of purple eyes. If you stare at them, you will be inexplicably attracted by them, as if there are countless mysteries hidden in them.
The young man walked to a stone door with the words "Library" carved on it. The guard beside him saw him coming and bowed slightly, saying, "Lord Lorenzo."
The young man named Lorenzo nodded slightly and asked, "Is Lady Sophia in there?"
"Yes."
Lorenzo pushed open the stone door of the temple's library and saw Priest Sophia sitting at a stone table with her back to him, flipping through a book. As a middle-aged woman, Priest Sophia was a little fat, but this also added a bit of her grace.
"Come here and sit down," she said.
Lorenzo walked past her and glanced at the pages on her desk.
It was a book about flowers. On the page in front of me, several rare flowers were outlined with line drawing. The brushwork was mature and the introduction was clear.
He walked around to sit opposite her on the other side of the stone table, sitting upright with his hands folded on the table.
"Are you ready? Do you need any support?" Priest Sophia's voice was gentle. As one of the four third-level priests second only to the high priest, Lorenzo rarely saw her show such an approachable side.
"Yes." Lorenzo's voice was clear and steady, giving people a sense of confidence. "I have obtained the 'beacon'. I have never seen such a sophisticated magic circle. It is really an eye-opener."
Priest Sophia smiled and said, "I just gave Priest Russell some pointers. When you complete this mission, we can discuss it together when we have time."
"It would be my honor." A hint of joy flashed in Lorenzo's purple eyes.
"I know that there is a lot of opposition to this action in the temple, and I hope you will not be influenced by them. After all, not everyone has really been favored by the God of Wisdom. Over the years, generation after generation of successors of wisdom have come and gone in mediocrity. The place where the world's wisdom once gathered has become a place for fools to live." Priest Sophia has always given people a sense of grace, but at this moment, there was sarcasm in her tone.
Lorenzo nodded slightly but didn't say much. He knew clearly that none of the so-called "them" were people he could afford to offend.
"Hmph." Priest Sophia smiled coldly, "Don't worry. If you think too much, you will lose your courage. Our temple is not short of such cowards. You have to understand that to us, those outsiders are nothing. The Temple of Wisdom does not need such 'potential allies'. Only the power in our own hands is trustworthy."
She gently stroked the petals on the pages of the book. "Only when we have enough strength can we truly return to the blue sky and appreciate such fragrance."
“There are many voices within the temple that support engagement and collaboration with them.”
"It's just a fool's imagination. Think about ourselves. Will the Temple of Wisdom give away its most important books in exchange for cooperation? Every time they are so timid and fearful, when will the light of wisdom reappear in the world?" Priest Sophia asked, "Go! See if their power can protect their wealth. If not, it is a gift from the God of Wisdom to us."
"Yes." Lorenzo stood up and left.
When he reached the door, he heard the slow voice of Priest Sophia: "Remember, this is a test for you, and also for me."
Lorenzo had his back to her at this time, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a smile with an ambiguous meaning.
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In the study of the Arias family's summer castle, Count Carlos and Viscount Ruiz were sitting opposite each other.
Count Carlos was now in good health, with no trace of his previous injuries. He took a sip from his wine glass and asked, "Tell me about it. What about those people?"
"They are a group of strange people... They have a magic weapon that spews out iron blocks. Cadiz was killed by an ordinary person using this thing called a "gun". There is also a magic device called a "cart", which is more powerful than cavalry. Even warriors with fighting skills can't stop it when it collides." Viscount Ruiz touched his mustache, recalling the trembling look on Sir Thor's face when he reported to him. "My people didn't have the opportunity to contact them too much, but it is obvious that they had gained an advantage with these things before we arrived there. I heard that in this battle, many horse thieves were killed and wounded, while they only lost dozens of people."
"Very impressive." The count listened attentively.
"However, a mage named Xiao Chen brought some reinforcements, and a group of horse thieves secretly betrayed Kadis and stabbed him in the back. Otherwise, I'm afraid those people wouldn't have won so easily."
"Being able to recruit mercenaries and instigate bandits to rebel is a sign of strength." The count asked again, "Ruiz, if the same group of bandits gather together to attack your territory, are you sure you can hold on?"
"It's difficult." Viscount Ruiz answered directly.
"So, they are very powerful. And you should be treated in the same way as you have power. We need to find a chance to talk to these people."
The Viscount nodded in agreement.
"What are they doing now?" the Count asked again.
"You would never guess that they were directing the tax protesters."
Viscount Ruiz took a look at the count's expression and found that he was still calm, so he continued, "Some farmers in Floro were organized by them and began to restore the fields and houses destroyed by the bandits. They spent money lavishly and were very popular. Many anti-tax rioters began to regard them as lords."
"Hmph, what a bunch of traitorous bitches." The count cursed in a low voice.
"At least those guys don't have time to hate you. They are all busy working." Viscount Ruiz teased, "Miss Serinda seems to have reached an understanding with them on your behalf and will no longer pursue the tax resistance. She also stayed there as your envoy."
"My daughter is such a worry." The Count sighed, "Ruiz, take good care of her for me. Although she always acts naughty and goes against my will, maybe she did something right this time."
"Please rest assured, I left Baron Fernando to protect her and will definitely bring her back safely. But..."
"But what?"
"Shouldn't we give her a little glimpse of our plan?"
"You don't understand." Count Arias was silent for a long time, "No father would want his children to be involved in those things... In my opinion, self-righteous innocence is a kind of happiness."
"But, one day..."
"Yes, there will be a day. Since there will be a day like that, let's wait until that day comes."