In the past few days, because of the unknown video, the entire city of Rome has been boiling. The conflict caused by Sauron was further stimulated, and with the support of Mendriza and Joseph, waves of large-scale demonstrations were set off in the city of Rome. The residents of Rome demanded Sauron to hand over the murderer. Even under the arrangement of Sauron, the officer who was rumored to have been killed frequently appeared in front of the public, but they accused him of being a substitute for the deceased.
The people also demanded that Sauron's palace be made public, all of which have violated Sauron's bottom line. He immediately responded forcefully, and the leaders of the movement were arrested and publicly executed. Then private troops were dispatched from the outer islands under Sauron's name to suppress them, and all those who dared to gather crowds to make trouble were arrested, and several lower-level nobles also suffered. They are basically the system of the Mendriza family. These people were executed by Sauron. To some extent, it was also a meaning that Sauron conveyed to the two families.
Sauron's tough fight back made many people remember the bloody days fifteen years ago, and now they remember Sauron's iron blood and majesty. This calmed down the voices of opposition quite a bit, but like lava on a volcano, the people's dissatisfaction and anger towards Sauron continued unabated, and they were at a stage that would erupt at any time.
Sauron was also very busy. In several meetings, both Mendriza and Joseph were absent, which made it clear that he wanted Sauron to sing the opposite. Based on other officials or allies under the two systems, they have also frequently impeached Sauron's political achievements in recent years. Even the Inquisition Office had to reopen the investigation into the death of the old Pope under pressure from Joseph's two wealthy families and the public, which greatly damaged Sauron's image.
On this day, Sauron, who finished his business and returned to his private office, did not roar angrily, but a series of explosions came from the office. When Wessel pushed open the door cautiously, and saw that the supplies and brains in the office had turned into a pile of tatters, and there were cracks like spider webs on the wall, he knew that his master was in a bad mood Thoroughly.
He was a little hesitant, wondering if he was looking for death if he disturbed Sauron at this time
Sauron noticed him and suppressed his anger, "What happened again?"
"No, my lord. But there is someone who wants to see you." Wessel bowed his head.
"Who? Mendriza, or Joseph?" Sauron sneered.
"Neither, my lord. His name is Rex, and he claims to be a member of the Dark Brotherhood." Weatherell replied.
"Dark Brotherhood?" Sauron asked, and suddenly the anger in his chest disappeared completely. This vocabulary, which had been away for more than ten years, finally entered his world again. This made Sauron a little distracted, and Wessel didn't dare to disturb him. After a while, Sauron said, "Let him come to see me."
A moment later, Rex walked into Sauron's office with a broken arm. When he saw the mess in the room, he was obviously taken aback. Sauron frowned and said, "You'd better say something useful. I'm in a bad mood right now."
Rex hurriedly lowered his head and said, "Your Excellency must be interested, because I know one thing, one thing about the Dark Brotherhood, and Zero and Pope Paul."
"Oh? It sounds interesting, let's talk."
So Rex told the whole story about Paul's arrival in Rock City, going to the headquarters of the Dark Brotherhood with Zero, and secretly meeting with the Committee of Seven. A smile gradually appeared on Sauron's face, and when Rex finished speaking, he said in a deep voice, "Since you are a member of the Dark Brotherhood, why did you tell me this?"
"My lord, I am no longer. Isabel's ruthless woman has already fired me. Now, I just want to take revenge on that woman!" Rex said through gritted teeth.
"Very well, if I catch her. She is yours, now tell me, where is the Dark Brotherhood stronghold?"
"Pearl Corridor, my lord. They have an underground base there, and I know how to get there. Of course, I hope I can get a little return for my efforts." Rex whispered.
Sauron laughed, patted him on the shoulder and said, "You bring excellent news, don't worry, I won't treat you badly."
Called Weatherer to come in again, and he asked a Silver Hand guard to take Rex down to rest first, and then said to Weatherer: "Go and inform Adam and the others, we have something to do. This is a good opportunity, you can take a breath." Get rid of the leader of the Sea God Squad, that boy Paul, and the brotherhood who always thought they were superior. I want to see, after that, who dares to stand up against me!"
"Of course not." Wessel flattered from the side.
At the same time that Sauron was going to have a three-way meeting with the Zero and the Dark Brotherhood, a two-masted sailing ship was sailing in a special sea area. This is a medium-sized ship that can carry around fifty people. Except for a dozen sailors on board, there were not many people left. But everyone here has a prominent identity. On this humble sailboat, there is Isabel, one of the seven members of the Dark Brotherhood, and Zero, the leader of the Sea Gods, and the last one is Pope Paul of Rome. .
They secretly left Rock City three days ago. After a few days of land travel, they set sail at dawn today at a secret port belonging to the Brotherhood, and headed towards this sea area.
It is already winter, and part of the sea near the mainland has already frozen, making it impossible to sail by boat. But here, because there is an active volcano in the sea, it does not freeze. Under the stimulation of the high temperature released by the volcano from time to time and the icy sea water, a hazy water mist is formed to cover the sea area. The captain driving in it must be a person who is familiar with this waterway, otherwise it is easy to hit the reef or ice floes This led to the sinking of the ship.
Obviously, the captain who is now in charge of this sailboat is experienced and very familiar with this section of waterway. The boat was not moving fast, but it was gradually approaching the destination of Ling et al. The place they are going to is called the Pearl Corridor. It is a group of islands made up of eighteen large and small islands. Because it looks like a pearl necklace from the sky, it has the name Pearl Corridor.
The headquarters of the Dark Brotherhood is on a certain island in the Pearl Corridor. When Paul heard the news, he was surprised from ear to ear. He had thought of many possibilities, but he had never imagined that the Brotherhood would have a base camp in that place. Because the Pearl Cloister is actually one of the inner islands ruled by the city of Rome, and on one of the islands the Pope Hall also has a military base.
I'm afraid even Sauron will not know that the Dark Brotherhood has set up a base right under his nose. If Isabel didn't say it himself, Paul wouldn't believe it even if he killed him.
With the independent bow of the boat, looking at the misty sea area in front of it, it feels like being in a dream. But when I think about it carefully, the experience of these years has never felt like a dream. Zero suddenly wondered, if the hibernation cabin he was in was not discovered by the people of the Z7 base, would he still continue to sleep deeply without knowing it until the energy of the hibernation cabin was exhausted, and then he quietly fell asleep in his sleep? die.
That would be another ending.
But now, what he is facing is an unknown future, just like this piece of water mist. You can only see the shadows of things in front of you, but when the ship approaches, you will find that the gap between imagination and reality is so huge.
Suddenly, Zero's heart moved, and then footsteps sounded from behind. Then Isabel leaned against the railing in front of the boat and said, "Every time I pass by this time, I will stand at the bow of the boat. Isn't this hazy feeling beautiful? But in fact, these waters The fog is very deadly. The heat of the submarine volcano and the ice-water phase stimulated to form water mist, but at the same time, some radiation fog in the seawater was volatilized, making them form some nano-scale toxic particles in the mist.”
Isabel turned around, leaned against the railing with her pink back and said, "Look at the sailors on this ship, they basically have to change a batch every year. Even if they are far away from this sea area, their life expectancy will be longer than normal people. shortened by a third."
"But they're still willing to work for you."
"No, no. To be precise, it's working for the Brotherhood. Because the reward we pay is something they can't earn even if they work hard." Isabel said lightly.
Zero silence, indeed, life is not easy for everyone in this era. If you can earn a huge amount of wealth for your family to live without worry, not to mention shortening your life span by one-third, even if you work hard, there are probably many people who are willing to do it. Zero turned to another topic and asked: "Actually, I'm curious, what criteria does your brotherhood use to judge that the future you lead is beneficial to everyone on the continent?"
Isabel shrugged and said, "How can there be any standards? The so-called future in our eyes is just a future that a few people hope for."
Zero took a deep look at her, and Isabel said calmly: "In fact, that's the case. We are human, and we also have desires and ambitions. As long as there are such things, what we see is destined to be narrow-minded. In fact, the current world is only a world of a few people. The low-level people can only survive by relying on the superiors. They are more concerned about the present, and they don’t care about the future.”
"It makes sense, but it sounds uncomfortable."
"Master Zero is also an idealist." Isabel laughed.
"That's not true, it's just that I'm not used to putting my ambitions on such a high-sounding word as 'guiding'."
"It turns out Master Zero also has ambitions."
"Who doesn't have ambitions in this era?" Zero smiled and asked: "Just like Miss Isabel, your ambition is not small, isn't it?"
"Don't say that, I just want to work hard and live a little better."
At this time, Pope Paul got out from the cabin. He walked up to the deck and walked towards the bow, and greeted the two of them: "You two are so excited, there is such a big water mist, is there any beautiful scenery to enjoy?"
After Isabel greeted him, he said, "It's windy and foggy here. My body can't bear it, so I won't accompany you two."
Watching her leave, Paul laughed and said, "Her body is not as delicate as it appears."
"Of course, as an ordinary person, he has been exposed to this environment for many years without any abnormal tissue. Even if he is not a capable person, his physical fitness will not be bad. Women, delicate, etc. are just It's just a protective color," Zero said.
Paul glanced at him and said, "You can see it clearly. I just think that she should be injected with genetic enhancement medicine like me, so that she can resist the erosion of the surface radiation."
The pope said again: "Now, those two old foxes of Mendrisa should use the video data I gave them to make Sauron very angry? It's a pity that I'm not in Rome, so I can't see Sauron's wonderful expression." .”
Zero smiled and said: "It seems that you are not afraid of Sauron, obviously our current situation is far from being an advantage."
"Of course I'm not afraid of him, because I know what kind of person he is." Paul looked back to zero, and said, "Actually, I'm more afraid of you."
"Afraid of me?" Zero shook his head, "Do I look that scary?"
"Because I can't see through you, just like this mist. People are always afraid of the unknown, aren't they?"
Ling didn't know what he wanted to say, leaning on the rail of the boat, he said in a deep voice: "Perhaps, you will find some of my actions incomprehensible. For example, why did I want to overthrow Sauron, but in the end I gave up the throne to you."
"That's right, this is your most invisible place."
"That's because, whether it's the West Continent or you, it's an episode in my life. And I don't have time to stop for these episodes. In my future, there are more important people and things Waiting for me." Zero looked at the young Pope and said: "I only hope that this experience of fighting together can make you and me a loyal ally. In the future, when I need your strength, Your Highness Paul, I hope You can lend a helping hand and help me."
There was an inexplicable flame burning in Paul's chest. In Zero's eyes, he seemed to see the continuous flames of war that would fill the future. He gritted his teeth, stretched out his hand and said, "Okay, I'll just bet once. If you can do everything you promised, then no matter what time it is, I will be your most loyal ally!"
"Then it's settled." Zero smiled, and firmly grasped Paul's palm.
At this moment, the fog suddenly cleared.
The boat sailed out of the misty area, and the line of sight suddenly widened. Right in front of the eyes of the two of them, a pearl corridor of more than a dozen islands strung together into an arc-shaped island group arrived. The boat sailed into a hidden harbor, and the first-class people disembarked, while two cars were waiting aside. The car left the pier and drove into a mountain tunnel. When it stopped, Zero almost thought he was back to some old railway station.
Except that there is only one platform, and the train on the track has only four short carriages, it is not much different from the old railway station. Isabel invited them to board the car and walked into one of the luxuriously decorated carriages. The two walls of the carriage are inlaid with wooden panels, and the ceiling is hung with a crystal ceiling. A "Mona Lisa's Smile" is hung on the left wall. The ground is covered with a red carpet, and people walk on it comfortably and silently.
It doesn't look like a carriage, it's like a room in some wealthy mansion.
After the zero people got on the train, the train whistled and steam spewed from the front of the train. Zero is surprised that this train uses the most primitive steam kinetic energy system. Seeing Zero's surprise, Isabel explained: "Using a steam system can prevent the large-scale use of energy from being noticed by the outside world. Although it is an ancient kinetic energy system, we have redesigned it so that solid fuel can be used instead of the original Coal. But more, because of the strong nostalgia of some committee members.”
In Isabel's explanation, the train started to run, and it moved along the rails. While adhering to the ancient appearance, the momentum provided by the technology of the new era allowed this big guy to move vigorously. In the carriage, Ling couldn't feel the slightest shaking, but watched the tunnel platform keep receding outside the window, and then the light came out, but it was a virgin forest covered with white snow. The train was driving in the forest, the door of the carriage was pushed open at this time, and a waiter pushed the dining car in, and skillfully served fine wine and food.
Isabel said: "It will take about an hour to reach the base, let's have something to eat first."
Looking at the silver plate decorated with patterns on the table and the finely crafted silver tableware, everything in it reveals the antiquity and low-key luxury of the Dark Brotherhood. They are completely a group of hidden nobles, or the highest level. Even for Isabel, who is only on the edge of the core of power, her every move can reveal a background and temperament that is difficult for others to match.
Compared with her, Zero felt that the guard named Rex was right, he looked like a bumpkin.
It's just that few country bumpkins can have the power and influence he has now.
The only person who appeared to be more elegant was Pope Paul. The elegant movements inherited from the Roman nobles made his eating look pleasing to the eye. As for Zero, Cinderella and Mr. X, they can only be described as "rude".
The train arrived at its destination in more than an hour, the city of St. Louis where the Dark Brotherhood's stronghold is located. It is said to be a city, but it is actually a base in the belly of the mountain. After the train arrives at the station, you still need to drive along the tunnel. After driving about one kilometer, you will see the gate of St. Louis. The steel gate powered by hydraulic machinery opened slowly, and behind the gate was a security inspection channel about 100 meters long. After passing the security check, you will finally enter the city of St. Louis.
This city in the middle of the mountain is not as big as imagined, and its area is about the same as a small town, let alone the size of Asgard. The mountain city does not have a holographic projection board like Asgard, and you can see the rough and uneven mountainside when you look up. It's just that high-power lighting is installed on the mountainside, and the street lights in the city streets are kept on all year round, so the whole city is brightly lit.
As for the style of the city, if Asgard is majestic and magnificent, then St. Louis is elegant and quiet. The buildings here are slender and ornate, and various sculptures can be seen as decorations on the walls and eaves. The fine white stone roads are like complicated patterns, connecting the whole city into an indivisible whole. Among them, there are fountains, squares, flower beds and green belts as embellishments.
There were few soldiers to be seen in St. Louis, where the people were well-mannered and well-dressed. Even cars are very rare, but a few horse-drawn carriages that were common in the Middle Ages pass by from time to time.
The entire city of St. Louis was reflected in Zero's eyes like a paradise. With his rich experience, this moment can't help but see a sign.