Recently, the number of guards in the city of New Rome has increased significantly. On all the main streets in the city, groups of soldiers can always be seen passing by in a hurry. There was a tense atmosphere in the air, and the curfew announced a few days ago made this atmosphere even more violent. Even the most insensitive person can smell something different from this atmosphere.
That is, the head of the Holy Seal Knights, the real master of New Rome, is in a bad mood right now.
Definitely.
Representing the majesty of the Pope's Hall and the powerful force of Rome, the combined army of the three legions of the Holy Seal Knights was defeated in Roaring Bay!
Whoever sat in Sauron's position probably couldn't take it lightly.
This is news that shocked the whole city of New Rome. You must know that since the end of the bloody battle with alien races and higher mutant beasts, in the next few decades. There were rebels before, and then there were pirates, and there were hundreds of battles between them and the Knights. There have been wins and losses between each other, but there has never been such a complete and tragic loss.
After all, behind this disastrous defeat, it means that nearly three thousand years of life will remain on that bay forever, and there are as many as two legion commanders who died in battle! This is definitely the first time in the history of the Pope's Hall. Only these two army chiefs are more significant than the soldiers who died in battle. After all, soldiers can be regenerated through recruiting and training, but the ability users of the eighth level die one less.
The Western Continent is different from the Central Continent. The number of capable people is small, and the level is generally not high. So Carlomon and Habes are definitely a valuable asset for the Knights. Two of them died at one time, and the other legion leader, Mamelo, was nowhere to be found. It's strange that Sauron didn't feel sad.
But when it comes to heartache, no matter how painful Sauron is, it will not be as painful as the family behind these two legion commanders.
Carlomon's family, Odson, and Habes' family, Calchi, are among the wealthy families in Rome. The former was originally a family of generals in the old days, and they still had royal blood, no matter what era they were, they were important officials in the court; the latter was a veteran nobleman, and there were many cardinals in the history of the family. Habes' grandfather was the only cardinal who survived the catastrophe, and he was attacked by alien races and mutant beasts. His father was one of the few behind-the-scenes supporters of Sauron back then. He was the teacher of Habes and the former leader of the 7th branch, Lambonis.
It can be said that these two legion chiefs, whether they themselves or their families, are inextricably linked with the Pope's Hall.
After receiving the bad news, both the Odson and Karki families reacted violently, and petitioned the Pope's Hall many times to send troops, which caused Sauron quite a headache.
It's just that when the two big families were furious, some people were secretly happy. After all, both the Odson family and the Karki family are Sauron's supporters, relying on their support for Sauron, in exchange for a political height today. At the same time, how many pairs of eyes watched them silently from behind. Where there is light, there is shadow, and the brighter the light, the thicker the shadow behind it.
So while the two big families are angry, there will naturally be some people who are happy. Of course, this cannot be expressed on the face.
Half a month after the battle of Roaring Bay, Sauron came out of his palace with a gloomy face on this day. Accompanied by Wessel, the leader of the personal guards, he went to the meeting room. During this period of time, Sauron hadn't smiled at all on his face. Wessel could only carefully figure out what his boss was thinking. But the limit he could think of was nothing more than the defeat of the Roaring Gulf and the fall of the two legion commanders, which made Sauron feel bad.
Of course, he would not have imagined it. The death of the two legion commanders certainly made Sauron feel bad, but what Sauron cared about most was Franklin. The battle appeared to be to defeat the pirates, but most of the reason was just for the beast that escaped from him. gentlemen.
Sauron's original intention was to make Franklin feel that he had no place to stay at sea by crusading against pirates. As long as he could force the beast ashore, Sauron would be sure to catch him. It's a pity that things went against the original. Not only did the battle fail, but it also cost the lives of thousands of soldiers and two army commanders.
Failure to catch Franklin meant that the demon that still occupied his palace would be unhappy. If the silver demon is not happy, Sauron will have no hope of advancing, and if he fails, he will be punished. Fortunately, Gaia had been in a deep sleep state when he visited the palace for the past few days, so Sauron knew that he still had a chance. As long as Franklin is caught before Gaia wakes up, then he still has the hope of gaining a glimpse of the tenth-order realm.
God knows how eager he is to advance, this is almost the instinct of every capable person. And the higher the level, the stronger this desire. Similarly, the higher the level, the more difficult it is to go further.
While thinking about how to go next, the conference room arrived. Today is the quarterly summary meeting once in March, and Sauron can already predict that the two big families will definitely take this opportunity to strongly advocate sending troops, and whether it is the Odson family or the Karki family, they have had many contacts with him in private. Every contact, without exception, will point the topic to the link of revenge.
This gave Sauron a headache.
He never liked to be judged by others, and he was also not afraid of kicking these two giants out of the political circle, even if they were his supporters!
It's just that after kicking them out, for a while, Sauron couldn't find any other family to replace them, no matter in terms of background or financial resources. Just go one step further, though. As long as you can step into the threshold of the tenth step, you can shock anyone with absolute force. When the time comes to kick some self-righteous guys out of this circle, and then directly confiscate their property, it will not have much impact on Luomen City.
On the pyramid of power, Sauron never intended to leave a place for others at the top of the tower. On the pyramid, as long as he alone is enough!
When Wessel pushed open the side door of the meeting room, there was a rush of loud noises, which made the commander of the personal guard frown. Glancing secretly at Sauron, he didn't show any expression, and the livid face just now gradually receded. But after serving Sauron for so long, Weatherell knew that the calmer he was, the more terrifying he would be.
The conference room is different from the war room, which is a vast hall with a floor of shining marble. The gray and white pillars with five big men hugging each other are arranged on two sides, and each pillar is decorated with angel sculptures. The vaulted dome is inlaid with gorgeous crystal lamps. When the lights are fully turned on, the dome is as beautiful and magnificent as the galaxy in the universe.
On the walls on both sides are a row of stained glass windows, and the mosaics on the windows are mostly based on the stories in the Bible. In the middle of the meeting room hall, there is a scarlet carpet that extends to the abutment at the end. On the abutment are two ornate seats adorned with jewels, for the Pope and Sauron. The pope is still the spiritual leader of the new city of Rome, but just looking at Sauron's seat and sitting side by side, one can know that Sauron has overwhelming power in the city of Rome.
Two vertical flags hung from the wall behind the abutment, the left one was the flag of the Pope's Hall, and the other was the battle flag of the Holy Seal Knights.
Sauron strode to the throne in front of the Knights' battle flag and sat down, then glanced at the empty chair next to him, and said calmly, "Where has the Pope gone?"
After Wessel whispered softly in his ear, Sauron nodded expressionlessly, then looked at the ministers in the hall and said, "Then, let's start the meeting."
The camps among the ministers were also distinct, and the officials belonging to the Knight Order and several legion commanders naturally stood on Sauron's side. The opposite is naturally the bishops and civil officials in the Pope's hall. After Zoro announced the start of the meeting, a man with a mustache and gorgeous clothes came out. He is Jutus, the finance minister of the city of Rome. After paying respects to Sauron, he said: "Lord Sauron, the total income of our city of Rome has increased by 15% in this quarter. But in my opinion, this figure can be increased by 5% to 5%. Between 10%, the reason why it is lower than I expected is because some of the taxes paid by our several colonies seem to have been lost for no reason... "
As soon as Youtusi opened the chatter box, he eloquently expounded his own opinions. This person does have his own way of managing money, otherwise Sauron would not have let him be the Minister of Finance. But Youtus is well-known for his long-windedness, but long-windedness is long-winded. What can be clearly expressed in one sentence, he can explain in ten sentences without repetition. It has to be said that he is also excellent in eloquence and financial management.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer started with the taxation of the colonies, through various explicit hints, and finally vaguely mentioned the few big figures in the hall. Immediately, the faces of several noble lords changed color, and Sauron was a little bit dumbfounded about this minister. Youtus has nothing to do with anyone between the church and the Knights, and sometimes when he speaks up, he will often point the finger at certain big figures. Here, people from both the Church and the Knights will point it out to him, and neither can take advantage.
But also because Youtus has such a personality that no one is afraid of offending, Sauron secretly kept him, or this old boy would have died in the belly of some woman on a drunken night. Of course, Sauron didn't value him, it was just that he needed a neutral person to make some voices that were inconvenient for him to say.
Seeing Youtus talking with great interest, Sauron was afraid that he would go on talking, and the whole meeting would be overwhelmed. So he gave him a hard look. Youtus was also alert, and he knew that his performance time was almost up. But in the end, he still couldn't help but said: "Lord Sauron, you should take care of His Highness the Pope. Your Highness's financial subsidy has increased by another 10% this quarter, and this money is enough to feed a hundred commoners for a year."
Sauron nodded, and said: "Indeed. I heard that His Highness the Pope is very keen on giving speeches recently. In this regard, I will persuade him when he comes back."
Youtus was elated, and this time even the Pope named him. If the chancellor of the exchequer has done his job, it can be said that he will die without regret. Youtus saluted Sauron contentedly before retreating to his seat.
Then another minister wanted to report something, but was suddenly stopped. The minister's face was filled with shock and anger, but he saw his colleagues keep winking at him. Only then did he notice that, right at the front of the team, a red shadow emerged from the crowd. Only then did the minister retreat quickly. It was a cardinal, and it was Bishop Mendriza. In addition to being the head of the Karki family, he was also the father of Habes, the commander of the 7th regiment who died in battle.
Mendriza is over 50 years old this year, and it is his sixtieth year. But the power of the seventh-level light element makes him look like a middle-aged man in his forties. His face is exactly like Habes, but there is a little more vicissitudes that Habes does not have. As soon as Mendriza stood up, Sauron knew what he was going to say, and said first: "Dear Bishop Mendriza, I am deeply sorry for the death of Habes. At the same time, I can assure you that the crusade against pirates is a It is imperative, but there is no rush. After all, the matter is of great importance, and I think the bishop can understand."
Mendriza raised his head, looked at Sauron, and said: "Habes is the most outstanding of my five sons and daughters. He has always contributed his strength to the Pope Hall and Lord Sauron without any regrets. But now, he died at the hands of those dirty pirates, and his body is nowhere to be found. As a father, I cannot bury my beloved son in the family cemetery. As a bishop, I I can't lead the soul of a believer to the last stretch of the road. No matter what my identity is, I am ashamed of Habes. If I can't even realize my desire to avenge him, what face do I, Mendriza, have? To my clansmen, and those followers?"
"Bishop Mendriza, I think I've made it clear just now. It's not that I won't take revenge, but that now is not the time." Sauron said impatiently.
"Then, Lord Sauron, when is the time?" Mendrisa pressed forward step by step.
Just when Sauron was about to get angry, the door opened and a knight of the Silver Hand trotted in. After reporting something in a low voice beside Wessel, the commander of the personal guard whispered next to Sauron again: "Master Lambonis is here, and he seems to have brought a group of retired officers from the Knights."
Sauron snorted and said, "Let him in."
So Wessel made a gesture, and the knight stepped back quickly. Then the gate opened again, and an old man in full armor entered boldly from outside the gate. Although this person is already sixty years old, his whole body has a concentrated breath, and the murderous intent emanating from him is as real as it is. Obviously, his whole body was very clean, but since he walked in, there seemed to be a lingering smell of blood in the hall.
"Lambonis? It's the Bloody Knight, why is he here?"
Discussions like this suddenly sounded quietly in the hall, and Lambonis can be said to be a veteran of the Knights. Most of the thirteen captains of the Knights now, including Sauron, are his students. In the dark history of the pope's hall and the confrontation between alien races, Lamborghis was always active on the front line. And the blood-stained road that goes straight through the Eternal Mountains was forcibly opened by him leading the army through blood and fire.
It can be said that Lambonis's meritorious deeds were all made by fighting, hence the name of the Bloody Knight.
Now he is here, no doubt, also for Habes. Habes was, after all, his last student and his favorite one.
Seeing Lambonis, Sauron had to stand up, frowned and said, "Teacher, I thought you were on Sequoia Island."
"Fart! My student is dead, why do you make me feel like staying in Sequoia Island!" Lambonis roared like a wild lion.
"I am also your student, not only me, there are several students here." Sauron reminded.
"But Habes is different from you. He is the purest and my ideal successor." Lambonis emphasized.
"He is also a Legion Commander, and including me, there are twelve other Legion Commanders. We can sacrifice ourselves for the Pope Hall at any time, and Habes is no exception!" Sauron said tit for tat.
Lambonis groaned heavily, which sounded like a slight sound, but it struck everyone's chest like a heavy hammer. The officers on the side of the Knights basically accepted it calmly, but there were many ordinary people on the side of the civilian ministers. Suddenly, more than a dozen fell down, including the Minister of Finance Youtusi.
Sauron's face darkened, and he said loudly, "Lambonis, this is the meeting room!"
He called the blood knight's name directly, but Lambonis suddenly woke up. The student in front of him was no longer the young man of the day, but the real master of the city of Rome who held great power. At that moment, he lowered his voice slightly, and said, "I was presumptuous, Lord Sauron, please forgive me."
Seeing that Lambonis finally paid back his face, Sauron's expression eased, and he said, "Teacher, I understand how you and Bishop Mendriza are feeling. But..."
"I know!" Lambonis nodded and said: "I understand your concerns. The Knights have lost two leaders, and the other one is unknown. You can't afford the same loss, so I'm here. I Bring some old subordinates, as long as you allocate enough soldiers and ships to me, we will fight this battle for you!"
At this moment, Youtusi, who was waking up leisurely, just heard this sentence, and immediately shouted: "No, the pension for the soldiers will exceed the budget!"
Lambonis gave him a hard look, and Youtus rolled his eyes and passed out again.
Sauron's face was gloomy, and Lambonis' move was breaking his taboo. For him, this teacher can gather a group of old subordinates for Habes, even though these old things are not as powerful as before. But force is force, and Sauron doesn't want other forces besides the Knights to exist under his nose. In particular, this force is not yet under his control.
Almost instantly, Sauron did not intend to let Lambonis and his old subordinates go back. But how to solve them is a problem. Suddenly Sauron thought that Gaia once said that no one is allowed to enter the palace except him. If Lambonis and the others accidentally broke in, Sauron could clean up whatever happened.
So Sauron showed a smile and said: "Teacher, this matter is very important, why don't you come to my palace for a while first. After the meeting is over, I will discuss it with you again?"