Capital city, bustling area.
The man was sitting in a black government car, and the setting sun outside the window slowly crossed the car body, leaving streaks on the ground like streams of light.
At this moment, the phone in the car rang, and he picked up the receiver and put it to his ear.
"Boss, the person has been dealt with."
A voice full of electrical noise came from the phone receiver, but the man was able to tell who the owner of the voice was.
"Will the Bureau find anything?" the man asked.
"I have wiped out all the clues related to us at the scene, and they can't find anything. Even if they find out about the monster by some mistake, they will never contact us."
"very good."
The boss was very satisfied with the report. Although he disagreed with that man's habit of always wearing strange masks, his work efficiency allowed him to laugh it off.
"Tonight, the 'gift' from the east will arrive in Hebier. Are the people who will pick up the car ready?"
"Get ready. The old people have arranged for senior personnel from the Trial Bureau and Investigation Bureau to pick us up. I think there shouldn't be any accidents."
The man touched his beard and seemed a little dissatisfied.
"No, I can't trust them to send those test subjects there as well. Apart from our goods and the two pick-ups, I don't want a third person to come out of there."
"I see."
As soon as the other end of the phone finished speaking, the steam stove beside the man made a ticking sound. This was a warning that the steam generator was operating to its limit. Even today, the maximum communication time of portable telephones designed with black water as steam power is only a few minutes. If the call is not ended after a warning is issued, the internal high temperature that cannot be dissipated will destroy all the lines.
"Do you have any other questions?"
The boss was ready to hang up the phone. He didn't want to burn a steam core just for a report from his subordinates.
"The one you agreed on..." said the other end of the phone.
The boss knew instantly what he was talking about.
"Everything went as planned."
"Grateful."
After saying this, the other end of the phone stopped answering. The other person is such a person. Although he may occasionally have bad jokes, he rarely talks about things that he really cares about.
The boss hung up the phone with satisfaction. He held his chin with one hand and tilted his cheek slightly, and his mind began to rapidly calculate the next steps. The time, the place, even the set and the actors on the stage, everything is calculated.
The boss is proud of his talent. In the past ten years, he relied on this talent to climb from a small blackwater merchant to his current position. People who had ridiculed him in the past could only look up to him and even knelt in front of him and kissed his toes.
Calculating over and over again, repeating it again and again, the beautiful picture of the future gradually unfolded before his eyes.
After a long while, he took out a cigar from the hidden cabinet with his finger on the car door and lit it in the car's cigarette lighter. The smoke from the burning cigar dispersed in the car, and he enjoyed the mellow aroma and sweetness with a smile.
He ejected the old steam core and replaced it with another synthetic silver steam core. This is a vapor core that uses expensive synthetic silver as a shell and heat dissipation pipe. It has stronger heat dissipation efficiency and energy output than ordinary cores, and of course the price is hundreds of times that of the latter.
The boss's feelings as a small businessman made him particularly stingy when using this kind of consumable, but today he inserted it into the phone without hesitation, as if he didn't care at all that it would be scrapped after dozens of minutes.
After replacing the inner core of the steam phone, the boss immediately dialed another secret number. He never kept a record of this number, and no subordinate knew it.
After the phone rang three times, a deep male voice came out.
"'The Fool', what can I do for you? I remember that there are still three years until the next meeting of the Agreement Bureau."
The "Fool" mentioned on the other side is the boss's organizational code name.
"My dear elder, please forgive me for being presumptuous." Although there was no one in front of him, the boss couldn't help but bow slightly to show his respect. "I want to tell you that I want to hold an agreement bureau meeting in three days."
The other end of the phone snorted, paused for a moment, and then continued.
"Have you mastered something?"
"I stole fire from the East."
The boss said this sentence slowly, he said it very slowly, feeling that every word was exerted with force.
After the words fell, there was silence on the other end of the phone. The boss can completely imagine the surprised expression on the other side's gasp.
"What do you want?"
The other end of the phone asked, this time his voice was obviously wary.
"Don't be so nervous," the boss chuckled. "The entire Western world knows that the mystery of the East is something we can't touch. Hundreds of years ago, a young man provoked a war against the East. However, there is no one in that war now. We failed in the war where we knew the details. Not only that, we also lost all the information about the East, and even our own history was wiped out in that war. At that time, the East closed all shipping routes, and Westerners could no longer enter. Some people say that even mosquitoes from the west cannot fly into the eastern country. We can only know that it is a fertile land from the remaining documents. "
The boss slightly raised his eyes to look at the sky, and then he uttered a song-like sentence.
"There are legends that the people in the East are all descendants of gods, and the power of gods flows in their blood; there are legends that the land in the East is full of gold, and they build houses with gold; there are also legends that the emperors in the East can shake the heaven and the earth with just a move of their hands and turn the world upside down. The hand is the sun, the hand is the moon."
The boss paused and stretched out his hand as if to catch the setting sun from the west.
"But you and I both know the truth. They are indeed the descendants of the gods. Relying on those great powers comparable to miracles, the Easterners were once invincible. But now, it has taken the Western world hundreds of years to finally find a way to steal the power of the gods. method. In the civil war fifty years ago, the Federation also relied on that power to win. But the stolen power was not the orthodox power after all. We may be able to defeat their warriors with this power, but we still cannot defeat the emperor. Their emperor is the best warrior in the race. The Agreement Bureau has been planning to obtain that huge power." The boss smiled and slowly concluded, "Your next goal is to obtain it from their nobles and even the royal family. Steal the power of God."
There was another long silence on the other end of the phone, but the boss curled his lips.
Regarding the mystery of the East, the entire Western world knows that even the poor children in the street corners have heard those legends to some extent.
But the truth about the civil war fifty years ago and the goals of those behind the Federation are secrets among secrets. The boss is just an outsider and should not know this.
So he knew that this time his hand would catch the opponent off guard. Now he just needs to pursue the victory and put forward more transaction conditions before the other party can react.
"what do you want?"
Instead of blaming him, the person on the other end of the phone asked in a calm tone.
"It seems we are finally at the negotiating table?"
"Since you speak so frankly and know so many things, you are qualified to sit with us."
Hearing the other party's answer, the boss frowned. Although he exposed the big secret that the other party was hiding, the other party still spoke in a domineering tone.
They are also human beings, so what qualifications do they have to determine whether others are qualified? Could it be that they think they are gods? the boss thought.
Although he was angry, he couldn't show it. Now he doesn't have enough strength to compete with the opponent, but one day he will sit on the throne of the world, and then all these self-esteemed old people will have no choice but to surrender to him.
"Thank you for your understanding, sir," the boss said with a smile. "What I want is very simple. Please give me a seat in the Presbyterian Church. I want to enter the core power center of this country and even the Western world."
"The appetite is quite big." The other person snorted.
"I think that if I can get the 'Gift of the East', the result will be enough to get the rewards I deserve. There are several Easterners, and even precious 'blood nobles'. It is said that the other party is related to the royal family. Relevant people..."
"make a deal."
Before the boss finished speaking, the other party agreed without saying a word.
Hearing the urgency in the other party's tone, the boss raised the corners of his mouth slightly. He knew that his punch hit the opponent's vital point, and at the same time, he was sure that what the opponent wanted was indeed a noble bloodline, especially a "blood noble".
Although he could negotiate further terms, he did not continue to take action. That's enough for now. He is facing the core rulers of the Federation and even the Western world for hundreds of years. If he pushes the opponent hard, he doesn't know what they will do.
He exchanged the information at hand for a seat in the Council of Elders of the Agreement Committee. To be honest, he had no loss at all. He would definitely be the first to handle those gifts from the East, and naturally the first to study them.
Thinking of this, the boss smiled and exchanged greetings with the other person, and soon both parties hung up the phone.
At that moment, the core melted and the phone went completely silent.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
In the dark space, a horizontal line cuts the sky and the earth. The horizontal line slowly became brighter, and at the same time gradually widened. Finally, the horizontal line supported the heaven and the earth, as if the heaven and the earth had first opened, and the neon lights lit up layer by layer. This huge space is completely illuminated.
This is a huge room that seems to have no end. The sky and the ground are made of countless neatly cut black glasses. The sky and the earth reflect each other's light, and the stream of light jumps. Looking at it, it seems as if the sky and the earth are extending infinitely in the distance. .
If you look closely, you can see vaguely wonderful totems painted on the far wall. Three marigolds intertwine each other and sit on an iron throne made of a sword.
That is the emblem of the Agreement Bureau, symbolizing "relief".
In the center of this huge space, a black glass round table rose up, and around the round table, chairs rose up one after another and were fixed.
The next moment, a blue light flashed. The short man walked to the round table and sat down as if he were dancing.
She came early, ten minutes before the meeting started.
But she came so early on purpose because she was the host of the meeting. Her fingers danced on the obsidian table. A huge map is reflected.
That was the map of the Lancelot Federation, covering most of the entire crescent-shaped Western Continent.
Her fingers jumped from one peak to another, like a child enjoying a cheerful outing, enjoying the joy of the ever-changing scenery.
She also liked this feeling, which made her seem to have huge power. Those red and green lands are all under her control.
Then, the map slowly zoomed in, finally zooming to the size of a city.
"Capital: Landsdaq"
Marked on the map.
She traced the map with her delicate hands, and the night scene instantly spread across the room.
The bustling city is in full view.
However, her gaze quickly passed through the bustling area and fell to the distant wilderness. It was pitch black there, like a black hole that could swallow even light, a pitch black hell.
It was a place called the "Dead City", the starting point where the capital city and even the west were once again shrouded in the shadow of monsters. The Sirmak River crosses the capital city and divides the capital city into two parts, one large and one small. The smaller part is the dead city, and the larger part is the prosperous area.
From a distance, the bustling area is peaceful, with neon lights and incandescent lights interlacing on the city skyline, outlining the bustling scenery. But just a few hundred meters away, the lights suddenly dimmed. The closer they got to the Slmark River, the darker they became, until across the river there was no more light, and there was total silence.
It was also called the Dead City three years ago, but there were still people living in the Dead City at that time. Living there are migrant workers who want to get rich in the capital city but cannot afford the high housing prices, orphans of warriors who fought bravely in the Hundred Years' War, and homeless people who are helpless and penniless and can only receive relief. Chinese.
The dead city is a gathering place for all kinds of people who have no financial means and no support. They gathered in this corner, looking at the lights in the distance, feeling the envy, jealousy and helplessness in their hearts.
There used to be a huge empire on this land. It is the largest country in the history of the Western Continent - the Second Empire of Lancelot. In the unexamined history, it is said that the Imperial people at their peak even once stood on the same battlefield as the invincible and mysterious Easterners, and planted their flag on their land.
But the empire was ultimately too large, corrupt and bloated. The war between the East and the West three hundred years ago was both glorious and a fuse. It depleted the wealth of Westerners and burned up the history of Westerners. Finally one day, the empire was finally overwhelmed and disintegrated from within.
Lancelot's Second Empire was divided into numerous small states, each claiming to be Imperial Orthodox.
In order to compete for the status of orthodoxy, Westerners' firearms and advanced steam weapons were aimed at their own people, and the blood and roar dyed the land red.
The Hundred Years' War began - known in history as the "Lan Kingdom's Hundred Years' Civil War".
Civilians watched in horror as the war spread, dragging their families and families to flee. They didn't know who to support or where to flee. There was war everywhere. The people are tired, the soldiers are tired, but the war still does not stop.
As the war and blood spread, a monster that was named the "Chalk Beast" a hundred years later quietly intervened on the battlefield. They were violent, savage, but extremely powerful. While attacking neighboring countries, the soldiers of Lan State also had to resist these crazy monsters, resulting in heavy casualties and rivers of blood. But the bloodshed and killing attracted more monsters. But at that time, in order to maintain the war and the front line, all countries concealed this matter in unison. They only knew that it was the devil on the battlefield, the shadow of killing.
They become the shadow of the soldier.
By the time the monster thing could no longer be concealed and was brought to the surface by various countries, the matter was irreversible.
Those cruel creatures have no humanity and kill everyone on sight. According to historical records, several towns in Lancelot's Second Empire were found to be covered with bones overnight.
Amid the pain and sorrow of the people, governments still do not intend to stop. They claimed that the monsters were the evil minions of the Easterners, seeking revenge on the Westerners for a war hundreds of years ago. While the people complained of resentment against the Orientals, they continued to be forced to push forward with the war.
The displaced people were harmed by war and monsters at the same time, and their lives were miserable. Both religious believers and non-believers were praying to God that the war would end soon.
Civil war has raged on and off in the Western Continent for a hundred years.
Just fifty years ago, the "Lancelot Federation", which inherited the mantle of the Lan Kingdom, rose up. With their powerful and advanced military strength, they continued to annex the lands that were separated from the Second Lancelot Empire, and fought under the banner of Lancelot. The banner of national restoration is overwhelming.
Finally, a few years after the rise of the Lancelot Federation, the "Lancelot Hundred Years' Civil War" came to an end. The monsters also disappeared from everyone's sight as the war ended.
This is how the history of the Federation is recorded in the history books of the Federation.
"It was a sad era, it was a brave era, it was a bloody era, it was a dark era. But in the end, it was replaced by the golden era."
The golden age of the Lancelot Federation and the Westerners has arrived. The capital of Lancelot is plastered with posters of a white-haired old man wearing a red and blue striped suit. The old man is hugging his children and friends with unspeakable joy on his face.
However, behind the light of the golden age, the descendants of the heroes who fought for the federal government, the civilian war orphans, and even the people affected by the war had nothing to rely on. The pitiful subsidies from the federal government are simply not enough to save them, so they are more homeless than homeless in their own homes, and end up living in this dead city.
But fate seems to especially like to play tricks on people who are suffering. The suffering of the residents of the Dead City does not end there.
Three years ago, a vicious incident that shocked the country was reported. The chalk beast that disappeared with the end of the Lan Civil War fifty years ago has once again entered the human sight. The monster entered the city silently, and in just one night, it massacred all the residents of the dead city, no matter men, women, old or young, no one was spared.
So the city became a real dead city.
The girl looked at the dark night scene of the dead city in trance. But of course she was not commemorating the victims of the Dead City, nor was she regretting the lost history here, nor was she praying for those heroes and martyrs.
She was simply thinking that this deserted city was a nuisance and when could it be demolished.
"Knock knock" Finally the second person stepped into the glass room.
The girl looked up and saw that the person coming was an acquaintance.
"Looking at the city again? You really like the night view of this city."
The visitor said. The voice sounded like that of an old man.
"Yeah, no matter how long it takes, I never get tired of seeing the night view of the capital city. You know, this is probably the case in most places in the world."
"It's all divided into two like this?" The old man didn't understand what she meant.
"It's like this. The rich look down at the poor, showing the luxury and arrogance in their hearts." The girl paused, "And I look at them all like a god."
The girl waved her hand with a smile, shattering the false image of the city, and the flying light particles fell on the floor of the room. But her smile became brighter and brighter, like an innocent child.
Children are the most innocent creatures in the world, and they are also the cruelest creatures. Just like this girl.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
Ten minutes later, twelve figures entered the room and took their seats one by one.
The meeting officially begins.
"Is everyone here?"
The old man who was chatting with the girl not long ago sat in the host's seat and asked. His face was covered with a dark cloth, covering half of his face, making it impossible to see his expression. The plaque on his chest reads "The Hanged Man."
"'The Hanged Man,' I heard you discovered something interesting?"
The girl sitting next to the Hanged Man spoke out.
She is the girl who was playing with maps not long ago. There was no shadow on her face at the moment, but instead it was covered with black sand, covering half of her face.
She is also a member of the Council of Elders of the Protocol, and her nameplate reads "Magician".
The girl showed a mischievous smile while looking at the report sent by the Hanged Man. She lifted her hair with her fingers and played with the ends of her hair emotionally.
The girl clearly looked to be no more than fifteen years old, and she looked particularly strange sitting among a group of old people. But no one in the meeting would underestimate her. No member who can participate in the Agreement Bureau's Elders Council is a fuel-saving lamp. What's more, she sits in the highest position and is one of the most senior members of the Agreement Bureau.
"Remember the 'Fool'? The guy we gave the 'codename' five years ago, he got the 'Oriental' or the 'Blood Noble'."
The Hanged Man stated, but excitement that was inappropriate for his age flashed in the corners of his eyes.
"That's really good news." The magician tilted his head, "But it's just a matter of time, what's so interesting about it?"
"Yes, the most interesting thing is of course not this. But the 'Fool' threatened me that if he was not given a seat in the Presbyterian Church, the deal would not be concluded."
"What a ignorant brat." The third person said, his voice full of disgust.
"He probably hasn't understood the capabilities of the Agreement Bureau. The entire Western world is within our control. If he betrays us, he will only be dead." A fourth person also added.
"Everyone, please be patient!"
Seeing that the meeting was getting agitated, the Hanged Man immediately called a halt. Then his eyes fell on the magician.
"What do you think, ma'am?" he asked.
"Isn't this interesting? Let him join in." The magician said with a smile.
"Ma'am, will this expose more of our secrets?"
"What does it matter? The secret will eventually be exposed one day, but interesting people are not always there." The magician smiled and showed his little fangs.
"As you wish, ma'am."
"As you wish."
The two people who were originally angry at the Fool's behavior quickly compromised after listening to the magician's words. Then, as if it had been agreed upon from the beginning, the Agreement Bureau reached an agreement on the Fool joining the Presbyterian Church. There were sounds around the round table.
"Of course," the magician said suddenly after the voices quieted down, "I don't think that kid can succeed."
After hearing her words, the participants were a little puzzled. How on earth did the magician know that things weren't going to go well? Also, why hire that careerist if things aren't going to go well?
"Maybe if you really want to say it, this is a woman's intuition."
The magician blinked, showed a sly smile like a cat, dropped the report in her hand with great interest, and left the round table with cheerful steps. Her shadow merged into the darkness little by little, and finally completely turned into particles of light.
Looking at the girl scampering away, the Hanged Man smiled wryly like a grandfather looking at his granddaughter, then coughed lightly and announced to the round table.
"Then this meeting of elders is adjourned."
The Hanged Man tapped the table with his hand. All the participants nodded, and their figures turned into particles of light one after another.
Soon, the room darkened again, returning to darkness and silence.