Chapter 679 9.103

Chapter 679 103

Holding a hurricane lantern in her hand, the palace maid followed Yusuf.

Instead of heading to the ground floor, the two of them first came to the abandoned attic of the house. Yusuf opened a cover, revealing a narrow staircase less than thirty centimeters wide.

This width allows only one person to pass sideways.

Upon seeing this, the palace maid shook her head slightly with a chuckle, and followed Yusuf into the gap in the wall.

Stepping on countless rat corpses, he walked all the way underground. In the middle of a dark house, Gu Huaian stood there holding a torch.

He was alone in the house.

"Your Highness, Commander-in-Chief, with all due respect, this is completely unnecessary."

Putting down the candlestick in her hand, the palace maid walked directly in front of Gu Huaian without any precautions.

"In the early days of the founding of this country, it was not any emperor who relied on it, but every ordinary Roman citizen."

“Citizens are always our most reliable allies in the governance of our country.

Businessmen attach great importance to their privacy. Secret societies like the Vulcan Cult, which must rely on the "people" to thrive, cannot survive in the great Constantinople. "

Legalist mentor Gu Huaian was naturally a smart man. He immediately understood the meaning beyond the words of the palace maid.

I am afraid that the Romans already knew the significance of the existence of this building. Even if this fire sacrificial site was secretly destroyed, it was most likely done secretly under the supervision of the city councilors.

But don’t forget that the Holy Episcopal Church holds 45 of the 220 seats.

Legalist mentors using gold and silver to attract important talents is just a normal operation within the gang. For the most part, Gu Huaian never expected that this Roman sergeant named Yusuf would have such strong initiative.

Suddenly receiving such a large sum of gold and silver in a state that could be called poverty, he did not squander or expand, but immediately purchased real estate.

This kind of behavior will make him immediately targeted by the Mikhail family's informants.

It is not difficult for the "city defense troops" stationed on the city walls and the police officers patrolling the city to earn some extra money. As long as it does not cause harm to the rule of the kingdom, the commanders mostly turn a blind eye to occasional violations.

It was not uncommon for soldiers to gamble, drink, and find women with the gold and silver in their pockets. The gendarmerie in charge of military camp discipline did not have the ability to supervise everyone.

But when an honest man who never squandered suddenly bought a house that no one cared about, although the management of the Romans was loose, they were not fools after all.

This behavior must be discovered.

He hastily arranged for all the surviving Legalist stumps to enter this house to take refuge, and it had already been known to the gendarmerie. Mikhail III did not order the sheriff to come and collect the money, because he was afraid that he knew that Gu Huaian and this group of people still had uses.

Sure enough, he successfully waited for Loki, the god of death.

It is true that the Illuminati is the financial backer of the Mikhail family, but this shows that the controller of this huge business empire is not satisfied with being controlled by the Illuminati forever.

Businessmen are different from soldiers.

In their dictionary there is only interest, not loyalty.

They also want to get rid of the checks and balances of the Illuminati when they see an opportunity.

"Commander, please don't panic. My meeting with you today is just to convey King Loki's latest instructions."

"King Loki will use the Xuanyuan Sword as a bargaining chip to ask the three sect masters lurking in my Constantinople to fight with him."

Isamier took out the scroll again and told Gu Huaian again about Loki's request.

Gu Huaian's eyes immediately glowed with a somewhat intoxicated look.

His initial idea was just to consider that if a war broke out, he would lead Legalist assassins to fish in troubled waters in the city, waiting for opportunities to find the Illuminati masters and strike a blow at them.

Even if not a single sect leader is killed, it is still worthwhile to kill a few extremely powerful ancient foreign gods like "Wang Er Gulei" on the assassination list.

However, I never expected that "God Killer" Loki would use a Xuanyuan Sword to successfully force out all three sect leaders lurking in Constantinople!

This time was even different from the battle he had with the "King of Earth and Sea" Mutu in Paris.

In the war that took place 13 years ago, Mutu just drank the water of God and turned into a light giant before the world. The countries in the Western Continent have known about the existence of the Illuminati since then, but few people have actually seen the Illuminati lizard people who shed their human skin and look like their original form.

This time it was different.

Loki made it clear that if they want to obtain the Xuanyuan Sword, the three sect leaders must fight with their true colors. At the juncture of Michael III's birthday, high-ranking nobles from the Western Continent countries still gathered in Constantinople.

This is an unprecedented feast.

"Your Majesty the King means"

Gu Huaian had just finished speaking when Isamier immediately intervened.

"Although His Majesty is in Loki's hands at this time, his attitude is completely neutral."

"If King Loki can successfully kill the three Illuminati masters, it will be a good thing for our Mikhail family."

"But with all due respect, Commander, please don't have too many unrealistic illusions. In the bard's play text, King Loki is the invincible God of War."

"Yesterday morning he rode a dragon and descended from the sky, and his heroic gesture seemed to prove it.

However, according to the calculations of the grand maester, if Loki's words are truly followed, the fight will begin in the Colosseum. His chance of winning is no more than 30%.

Gu Huaian certainly knows the true appearance of this world.

13 years ago, Loki was able to defeat Mutu, the King of Earthsea, and occupy Paris. His real reliance was not the Frost Giants, but the millions of mobs who rushed into the French border and wanted to take advantage of the fire.

All the countries around the French Principality have been oppressed by this group of blood-sucking merchants for too long. Once they found the possibility of this group of termites, everyone immediately took action.

The most powerful force is still the people with an absolute numerical advantage.

However, this time he will fight the three leaders of the Illuminati in public.

Don't think that these leaders have no friends in the Western Continent.

In the long years of 200 million years, the huge wealth accumulated by the Illuminati is a huge number that mortals cannot imagine. It may not be appropriate to describe them as rich enough to rival a country.

A considerable number of wealthy businessmen and nobles and secret societies need to rely on the huge power of the Illuminati to survive. The 12 leaders are hidden in the secret corners of various major countries, and all of them are the commanders and princes who are in charge of everything.

The real reason for the death of Mutu, the ‘King of Earthsea’, was that he was not a member of the Adventists.

If the Patriarch and other Patriarchs came to help when Loki invaded the Duchy of France,

even with the support of millions of mobs.

The Viking pirates led by Loki would never have won.

Next Chapter

The hatred between the disciples of the Legalists and the Illuminati is well known to the world.

The Illuminati is indeed a behemoth hidden in human civilization, but the disciples of the Legalists who have ruled the country with an iron fist and reorganized a loose country are also not easy to mess with.

After leaving the spire where the Illuminati gathered, the maid immediately went to the hiding place of the disciples of the Legalists, just to show Gu Huai'an that the Byzantine royal family remained neutral.

"After the war begins, the Xuanyuan Sword controlled by King Loki and the hostages controlled by Lord Betugu will be delivered to my king at the same time, and both sides will fight until the last man.

The winner will win everything."

After listening to this not-so-long description, Gu Huai'an has roughly understood what Mikhail III meant.

Businessmen always think about how to make a profit regardless of drought or flood.

It would be best if Loki could win.

But if Loki fails, the Byzantine Empire will still have to operate under the control of the Illuminati, and it will be a piece of cake for these lords to take a breath and drive the Mikhail family off the throne.

This is unacceptable to the Byzantine king.

So far, Gu Huai'an has fully understood what Mikhail III wanted to convey, but did not convey.

The scholars cannot infer the true strength of Loki and the Illuminati, but it is certain that in terms of money, the Illuminati members must have an overwhelming advantage.

In this city, the king's control over the army is not strong, because the merchant's army will only help the party that pays.

The Byzantine Empire is called a paradise for merchants because there are many laws in this kingdom that Gu Huai'an thinks are incredible.

For example, there is no unified writing in a country with a small land area.

Several provinces in the west of Byzantium close to Greece use Greek and write Greek, while the eastern part uses Latin and writes Latin. The king even needs to use different languages ​​to convey his imperial edicts to different provinces.

Otherwise, the governor of the province is very likely to not understand.

This is quite exaggerated in Gu Huai'an's view.

What's more exaggerated is that the laws between provinces are different, and even different cities in the same province have their own set of applicable laws.

This is like a dream for the legalist mentor who advocates ruling the country with an iron fist.

Gu Huai'an served as a diplomat for half a year before gradually realizing a word that does not exist in the oriental dictionary-republic.

The Byzantine Kingdom, which perfectly inherited the mantle of ancient Rome, is still practicing the republican ideals passed down by its ancient ancestors.

In a city-state where all provinces are equal, no matter what method is used, the king cannot have perfect control over the army.

Isamil is right. When Loki's reinforcements arrive, he will face the encirclement of the entire Roman army in the city.

Even if a miracle happens, Loki wins this battle in a way that mortals cannot understand. The most he has to do is to save his men.

If his goal is not the Illuminati, but to completely occupy Constantinople.

This means being enemies with all countries in the entire Mediterranean.

This is simply an impossible task.

And if Loki loses, it is not difficult to imagine how much benefit all the participating armies can gain from the Illuminati.

They are quite shrewd in their calculations.

"I have another more important question. Myra, the Lord of Shadows, is one of the 13 cardinals in the Holy Episcopal Church."

"If he enters, what actions will the Holy Episcopal Church take? Can you tell me a little bit?"

As a mentor, Gu Huai'an thinks about problems in a completely different way from his assassins. It is certainly a warrior's act to charge into battle and sacrifice one's life for justice, but how to use every bit of combat power in one's hands more efficiently is something that leaders need to consider.

The ambush plan against Wang Ergulei caused him to lose most of his men. If he wants to kill the Illuminati leader who is more powerful than Wang Ergulei, he must make sure that none of the remaining men can play their due role.

Since the Byzantine king sent his personal maid to find Yusuf, it means that at least at this stage, the king's wishes are inclined towards him.

He had to take the opportunity to ask the question he was most concerned about - whether the Crusaders could participate in the war.

This question was crucial

**

People familiar with this city knew that there was more than one emperor in Constantinople.

Gregory III, who stood above Mikhail III, was also a ruler with great power. Even the king's coronation ceremony had to be completed under the guidance of the Pope.

In this country where wars rarely break out, the power of the nobles' private army is extremely limited.

The only truly powerful ones are the Crusaders affiliated with the Pope.

Among the 13 cardinals around the Pope, there was actually a leader of the Illuminati, which was beyond Gu Huai'an's expectations. But this leader happened to be "Griffith Sky Flame".

This was a very dangerous signal.

Because this cardinal was in charge of the most powerful force of the Crusaders - the Silver Knights.

The current situation is that the king and the Xuanyuan Sword are both in Loki's hands, so the three leaders of the Illuminati dare not act rashly for the time being. He controls the king and can first restrict the Roman sheriff and the wall guards.

But no matter whether Mikhail III or Xuanyuan Sword Loki's chips are in the hands of the Holy Army under the control of the Pope, they are no deterrent.

The Holy Church has become a crucial third-party force.

"Your Majesty once praised the new East Continent diplomat as a perfect strategic talent. Most of the vassals sneered at this praise, and even I doubted what talents a 34-year-old East Continent diplomat could have."

"Today, I saw that the Grand Commander is indeed worthy of his reputation."

Frankly speaking, we also want to know what happened inside the Holy Church.

"But forgive me for being frank, I don't know"

"From the outside world's perspective, the Holy Bishop and the Byzantine royal family live in the same city, as if they are symbiotic. But the truth is that the Senate has never controlled the Holy Church.

"The relationship between the Byzantine royal family and the Holy Church is like a poisonous snake sleeping next to thorns. The poisonous snake needs this group of thorns to defend it from foreign enemies, but it must stay away from this group of thorns to prevent itself from being hurt.

The two forces have been able to maintain this rather delicate relationship for hundreds of years without crossing the line. It is precisely because of this fragile balance that both sides can benefit from it. "

Gu Huaian nodded.

He was a smart man and immediately understood what Isaamier meant.

The relationship between the Holy Episcopal Church and the Byzantine royal family is very similar to the relationship between the Legalist School and the Tang Dynasty royal family.

If the Legalist mentors planted spies around Emperor Xianzong Li Shi, the emperor's every move of the day would be precisely controlled by the Legalist School.

But is it really necessary?

Once discovered by the emperor, the two families would drift apart, which would be counterproductive.

Similarly, Mikhail III had the ability to plant spies inside the Holy Episcopal Church, but he did not do so. Instead, he could avoid a distance. It was precisely because of this sense of propriety that the two behemoths could live in peace in the same city for hundreds of years.

The biggest advantage of a conversation between smart people is that they don't have to spend words explaining insignificant details. With a little guidance, Gu Huaian immediately understood

"What I am conveying below does not represent the official, but only my personal understanding. "

From the beginning of their meeting, Isamiel had been able to maintain absolute calmness and neutrality when talking to Gu Huai'an, and only at this moment did she reveal a slight subjective tendency.

Gu Huai'an could feel that there was still a faint hope in her heart, hoping that Loki could create a miracle and turn this huge kingdom from

"I am not optimistic about the situation."

"I think King Loki has less than 30% chance of winning. The reason for all this is that I don't know the so-called 'Lord of Shadows' Myra."

"But Griffith Skyflame is my friend. "

I know the methods of this old friend.

In the Middle Ages, mortals had very limited ways to obtain information. Others did not know the secret of this cardinal, but it did not mean that Isamil did not know it.

This is a rare talent.

The moment when the Holy Episcopal Church really flourished was the division of the Eastern and Western Roman Empires.

The Western Roman Empire still firmly believed in the 12 main gods of Olympus, while the Eastern Roman Empire began to support the little-known Holy Episcopal Church. Unlike Zeus, who controls thunder and lightning, and Hera, who is the mother of the world, the main god believed in by the Holy Episcopal Church is even a dead person who was crucified.

This was not a shame in the eyes of Rome at that time, but it was almost the same meaning.

However, at this moment, Griffith walked into the Holy Episcopal Church bathed in holy light. Church.

He was the first group of subordinates to follow Pope Gregory I.

It was his arrival that improved many holy light spells and compiled most of the "Prayer of Judgment". Most of the spells of "Path of Justice" and "Path of Holy Light" were created by him.

Pope Gregory I knew who he was from the first day he entered the church, but he still used him unswervingly.

There was nothing he could do about it.

The Lizardman Patriarch's understanding of the word "psychic power" far exceeded that of all mortals.

Long before the emergence of humans, they had survived in the cracks of civilizations for 200 million years. Each Lizardman Patriarch is good at studying a spell. For the elements of light and darkness, the understanding of the Lord of Shadows, Myra, is unmatched.

The Church of the Holy Lord was able to spread and develop rapidly, and he was one of the founders of the church. If all the senior officials were not aware that he was not a pure human, it would not be a difficult challenge for him to become the Pope.

How strong will this person's control over his army be? Isamil believes that Gu Huai'an will have his own judgment.

"Your Highness, the scholars' 30% chance of winning against King Loki is not aimless, but is based on quite precise calculations."

"Let's not talk about whether he can bring his army into Constantinople.

Even if his subordinates can come to join him, he will have to face a battle with completely unequal numbers. Sheriffs, city defense forces, gendarmerie, and crusaders. All mortals who can take up arms in this city may become his enemies.

Constantinople is a very realistic city

The influence of the peripheral members of the Illuminati in this city is far greater than you think. More.

When there is no wind or waves, they gather in the bar to listen to the legend of the God Slayer and raise their glasses to celebrate his great victory. But once their own interests are damaged.

Even if they will only lose a few dozen copper coins, they will immediately take up arms to defend their sponsors.

After Isamier conveyed all the information she wanted to convey, she turned and left. Gu Huaian stood there alone and thought for a long time.

He could hear the hidden meaning of the king's maid.

"It is a good thing to be able to get rid of the control of the Illuminati, but their ability is so strong that I don't think highly of them."

"But I don't plan to catch you for the time being.

If the Legalist School can use some special means to help Loki kill the leader of the Illuminati, it will also be a very good thing for us."

"If you still have any hidden tricks, you might as well use them all. "

It has to be admitted that the king of merchants still perfectly inherited the thinking of merchants.

This operation allowed him to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight.

No matter which force wins in the end, the Byzantine royal family will benefit.

While thinking continuously, he slowly wiped out a blue round stone from his arms.

"Commander, have you made up your mind?"

In the shadow not far behind him, Concubine Xue emerged from it.

Gu Huai'an nodded gently.

"Isamiel is the most trusted maid around Mikhail III. In this city, her status is even higher than that of most councilors."

"The King of Byzantium sent her to see me. What she said should not be false. Loki really used his own life and Xuanyuan Sword as bargaining chips to lure three masters into the arena!"

"Among the 12 masters, Mutu, the 'King of the Earth Sea' and Sadin, the 'Lord of Dusk', are both dead. If these three can be killed at the same time, almost half of the 12 masters will be lost.

Even if they have the power to reach the sky, they will never be able to restore their former dominance! "

As calm as Gu Huai'an was, his heart could not help but surge with emotion.

The green jade in his hand was indeed a portal key.

Right Prime Minister Li Chunfeng prepared a multi-directional portal for him.

Before leaving Donglu for the Byzantine Kingdom, Right Prime Minister Li Chunfeng told him very cautiously that if it was not an extremely important special situation, he should not open the portal easily.

The huge energy fluctuations caused by frequently opening the portal will definitely attract the attention of the high-level God Chosen in the city. It is inevitable to find their hiding place by following the clues.

"Commander-in-chief, I don't think it's appropriate. "

If the arrival of the Royal Envoy today is a conspiracy, they knew our hiding place but did not arrest us, just to wait until we open the portal and catch all the elite legalists teleported from the East Continent!

Even if their ultimate goal is to control the portal, what more terrible things will happen in the future that we cannot predict now!

Gu Huaian clenched the portal key in his hand.

You can't know a person's heart by knowing his face, and Concubine Xue's worries are reasonable.

Communication was inconvenient in the Middle Ages, and it would take at least three months to transmit a message to the East Continent. As the highest-ranking legalist mentor in Constantinople, he must make choices based on his own judgment of the situation.