Chapter 107
Their hands were all tightly covered by black gloves, on the back of which the Saluzzo Family crest was glaringly visible.
Not all priests in the Orthodox Church are Ascended; the vast majority are just ordinary people who have some understanding of the hidden world.
In Sicily, the Lord of Years held power through family-based structures, were the absolute authority.
"Take the things out. We don't want to make things difficult for you, Father Agnir."
The old priest of the Orthodox Church sighed, "In the name of the Three Goddesses, I have not held anything back, and I do not know what you are looking for!"
"In that case, we'll have to find it ourselves," the liquidator replied.
"Please go ahead," the old priest sighed again.
He genuinely had no idea what the Saluzzo Family's liquidators were looking for.
The thugs began a violent search, and none of the believers present dared to resist; they all obediently allowed themselves to be searched.
After their search yielded no results, the liquidators even thoughtfully placed a few coins in the donation box.
"We have our duties, Father Agnir."
"I understand, we all have rules we have to follow." The priest made the sign of the cross.
Although the believers did not suffer any substantial damage after this incident, they quickly dispersed.
Night fell.
Randon Abbey returned to silence, but the priest couldn't sleep for a long time. He thought of the declining abbey and the younger generation who were running around trying to raise funds, and a fire seemed to burn in his heart.
He thought again of the mob of liquidators who had suddenly appeared earlier that day, and he found it even harder to sleep.
The priest, carrying a lantern and dressed in his robes, went to the prayer hall, opened the donation box, and began to count the generous donations inside.
The flickering lamplight dispelled the approaching darkness, and among a pile of low-denomination banknotes and coins, a palm-sized handwritten copy lay quietly.
The priest inexplicably felt that this was exactly what the group of purgers were looking for.
He swallowed hard, reached out and put the handwritten book in his pocket. He didn't even have time to count the money in the donation box before rushing back to his bedroom.
The Randon Abbey had electricity, but the priest dared not turn on the lights. He drew the curtains, closed the door, placed the lantern by the bedside, and opened the first page of the manuscript.
The manuscript was written in Latin, which the priests had no trouble reading.
"The Rose Magic of the Rose Magician..." The priest read these words and felt inexplicably thirsty, wanting to drink water.
He drank two large glasses of water in succession and felt that his vision became clearer and his hearing became more acute.
Although this handbook is not long, it contains extremely detailed information. While the writing style is that of the Third History, the vocabulary is almost vernacular.
The priest had some understanding of the hidden world, but he remained completely clueless about the Path of Ascension.
This manual introduces various principles and the relationships of restraint and support between different subordinate paths. It also lavishes praise on the July Archon of the Holy Grail and describes in detail a path known as the "Magecraft" in the latter half of the book.
"The Magecraft was once a disciple of Mr. Day Ruler. He was called the 'Sage' in the Second History, but there was no calamity in the Third History, so where did the Sage come from? He was called the 'Court Sorcerer' in the Third History, but the crown fell in the Fourth History, so where did the Court Sorcerer go?"
Therefore, in the Fourth History, this path changes, shifting from Mr. Day to the Holy Grail. In other words, the Lamp's Principle and the Cup Principle may be interchangeable... According to this method, the apprentice can ascend along the path of the Magecraft— "
The priests knew what intercalation was, a concept from calendars and celestial phenomena, referring to the intersection of two different paths.
The intersection is a redundant, yet indispensable part.
But that was too far off for the priest. He devoured the manual, repeating the prayers praising the Holy Grail over and over again, following the methods recorded within.
His mind quickly reached its limit, and then in his dream he successfully visited the wasteland.
The morning sun shone on the priest's face, and he got out of bed with renewed vigor.
Agniel carefully hid the manual in a secret compartment under his bed, then prepared to preach to his followers.
During his sermons, he finds his voice more alluring, his gestures more persuasive, and his tone more infectious, making even the most mundane sermons more capable of awakening the passion within his followers.
So much so that they were willing to gather clouds around them, thus giving Randon Abbey a new life.
Two days later, he will meet a weary descendant of the Texas Family who has come all the way from Blanckug, intending to make peace with the past.
They will quickly reach an agreement and launch another bloody power reshuffle on Sicily, re-establishing the ironclad laws.
Europe countries will also be quick to react and seize the opportunity to take advantage of the Saluzzo Family's blood and flesh... but that's exactly what Hebe wants to see.
As for Mostima, the envoy from the Silent Bookstore, he boarded a train last night and headed to Paris, the capital of Gaul.
164 The dust has settled in Sicily; the Gate of Ys is closed to all.
Blankog Island, Silent Bookstore, Reading Room.
The overhead lights cast a soft glow, but even so, Hebe still chose to place candlesticks and a fireplace here.
This is done to create a bright and warm atmosphere, where some knowledge can only be interpreted, while others can be interpreted in the opposite way, but at least a bright environment helps protect the eyes.
This also helps Hebe discover Morgan's subtle actions.
Lord Blanckug flicked his tail and wrapped it around the Fallen Empress's restless hand.
Hebe shifted to a more comfortable position on the recliner, then used her foot to push away the Fallen Empress was leaning towards her.
"It's too hot."
Hebe released the Fallen Empress's hand and patted her with his tail as a warning.
But the Fallen Empress persisted, coming closer and using her fingers to twirl strands of Hebe's flaxen hair.
Just as Hebe was about to try the same trick again, Morgan pinned her leg down.
Feeling the increasingly heavy breathing behind her head, Hebe silently raised the atlas and gently patted it on the Fallen Empress's head.
"Royal Sister, you still haven't told me the secret of Atlantis." Hebe lazily put away the rolled-up atlas in her hand.
Morgan pursed his lips unhappily, but he really couldn't refute it.
The secrets of Atlantis are highly confidential knowledge, which can only be discovered and understood at the right time and place.
Hebe understood Morgan's difficulties, but as she said before, understanding didn't mean she would ignore them.
During this time, she has been consulting relevant nautical charts, trying to combine what she learned in the simulation to find a suitable route.
As for Sicily, which has recently been the subject of much discussion due to the incident, although Hebe has made plans there, he will not invest any more there.
The reason is that, with the Sicily events, the official forces of various countries began to take action.
For example, the Albion Patrol Hall, and for example, the Iberian Tribunal.
Iberia played a complex role in the World War.
Although they were forced to join the Iron Hook Cross, the one who came to power was a ruler who believed in the authority of the Scar Father.
The latter ruled Iberia for thirty years until the end of his life, when he returned power to the royal bloodline, allowing the country to undergo a complete transition of power and institutions.
The Inquisition is an organization that originated from that era.
The court has always maintained a distant yet friendly relationship with the Albion Circuit through Blancco.
After the Silent Bookstore announced its reopening, the Iberian Tribunal was one of the first foreign official forces to visit.
[Visitor: Inquisitor Elini]
[Sexual characteristics: Blade, Lamp]
The youngest judge, the best apprentice, the most composed envoy... what else? Irene was not one to answer with silence; she always lit her way with a lamp and cleaved the tides with her sword.
On the light gray card, abstract strokes outline the profile of Inquisitor Elini, who holds a rapier high and carries a lamp with flickering flames in her hand.
This was another acquaintance of Hebe's whom she had never met before. She came here partly as a courtesy visit, and partly to secretly inquire about the Silent Bookstore's attitude towards Sicily, since the Lord of Years had once been an important ally of the Silent Bookstore.
"Sicily is embroiled in a limited war. The Saluzzo Family has lost its most important wine-producing region and cellars under attacks from other major families." Irene touched the sharp, feather-like laurel Laurel Wreath on her head. "This is a war between Lord of Years, but Iberia has always had an agreement with Sicily ... So I would like to inquire whether the rising 'Lady of Sicily' is related to the Silent Bookstore?"
Toyokawa Shoko was slightly dazed upon hearing this.
She never expected that in just a few days, the woman who was troubled by rumors and the past would actually carve out a bloody storm in Sicily.
Judging from the situation, Texas is establishing a new order with an iron fist... In any case, the Saluzzo Family has become a victim and will become a thing of the past.
"Silent Bookstore is concerned about this, but we truly know nothing about the identity of 'Lady of Sicily'." At Hebe's instruction, Toyokawa Shoko politely but distantly shook her head. "We have always maintained a mutually beneficial and harmonious cooperative relationship with the Lord of Years of Sicily. We hope that the situation in Sicily will stabilize soon, at which time we will make further contact with the Sicily side."
Morgan chuckled as he watched the flickering flames in the fireplace.
She watched the entire process of Hebe's leadership in the Sicily uprising.
While finding Texas in Blanckug was a pleasant surprise, anyone else would have been propelled to the throne of Lady of Sicily by Hebe.
Sicily only needs one ruler, but it doesn't matter who the ruler is.
Throughout the entire process, Hebe only spent two hours on this, which is less than the amount of time she spends with her atlas every day.
This was the time allotted for compiling esoteric texts on-site.
One of the books was even prepared in advance by her.
Two volumes of manuscripts brought down the Saluzzo Family, which had owned a century-old business, established a new order in Sicily, and allowed the Langdon Rose Abbey to rise from the ashes.
Morgan rubbed Hebe's tail, thinking that she had tricked not only the Lord of Years, but also the Orthodox Church.
The rising Landon Rose Abbey will become a force to be reckoned with within the Orthodox Church.
Aside from initially paying attention to the situation in Sicily, Hebe remained indifferent afterward— the Lord of Years held less appeal for her than the sea charts.
Morgan couldn't help but let out a satisfied sigh: she was always utterly captivated by Hebe's commanding presence.
That aloof indifference and the wisdom to calculate everything... will only make the Fallen Empress more impulsive.
Although Hebe didn't know what Morgan was thinking, she could guess the general idea.
She even brought down the Red King who was about to ascend to immortality. Now, it's just a small island of Sicily. What is there to worry about?
If the thugs of the Saluzzo Family feel dissatisfied, they can consult the Red King Ozymandias about his feelings.
But Hebe wasn't slacking off; she did indeed spend a great deal of effort on the atlas.
"Pencil."
Hebe drew a line on the map with her fingernail, then took the pencil given to her by Royal Sister and traced a line segment along the marks in a winding manner.
"Xiao Xiang visited the Ys City in his dream, and I also mastered several routes for traveling between the two worlds." Hebe thought to himself, "Blanckug has also been a visitor to Ys. Even though history has changed and these roads have been distorted, some parts have always remained."
Much has been lost, much has been preserved; things left behind by the world appear after the waves.
Hebe stared at the last few dotted lines that had not yet closed, his eyelids slightly closed.
Immediately afterwards, she pushed open the door and went into her bedroom by the sea.
On the computer's dark green desktop, the third card was shimmering faintly. It was a card with a bright blue background, depicting a city forged from orpiment, amber, coral, and ice.
"Secret History Simulator, welcome to log in, [The Knower]."
"The current version of the emulator has been updated with new content and added some features."
"New content: Lostbelt [The Utopia Above the High Seas] - The Lostbelt is currently under lockdown!"
"The Side Gate to this Lostbelt can only be opened by approaching the area where Atlantis sank!"
165 Xiao Mo, long time no see
During this period, Hebe has made several attempts to recapture the ease and comfort of "staying at home" that she previously enjoyed.
But it didn't work; the Side Gate to Atlantis still couldn't be opened properly.
This trip is absolutely necessary.
Fortunately, she doesn't actually need to enter Atlantis in person; as long as she gets close to that area of the sea, the simulator will work normally.
Therefore, any intelligence is crucial before actually setting off.
Hebe is very patient, but the current situation doesn't allow her to have enough patience!
"I hope Royal Sister's secret will be worth my long wait..."
Hebe descended the spiral staircase with a calm expression.
Back in the reading room, Morgan was lounging lazily in the spot where Hebe had been, beckoning to her repeatedly.
Instead of returning to the recliner, Hebe chose to sit in an armchair.