Carlos, Kindle the Fire?

Originally, Zhou Yi had thought Carlos would instantly turn grave and say something like, "So you're the legendary Templar Knight, the mortal enemy of us Assassins."

Instead...

Silence fell over the scene, and it lasted for more than a second.

After quite a while, Carlos finally furrowed his brows and cautiously asked Zhou Yi, "Are you talking about that... Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon?"

"No, I'm not talking about that." Zhou Yi shook his head helplessly. "Looks like your Assassin Brotherhood has kept the existence of the Knights Templar Order hidden..."

"What?" Carlos had absolutely no idea what Zhou Yi was talking about.

"Fine, looks like I'll have to play history teacher today. But before that..." Zhou Yi pointed at the gun in Carlos's hand. "Put that away. Let's get a drink and talk while we drink."

"Everything you said is true?"

After Zhou Yi explained the history between the Knights Templar Order and the Assassin Brotherhood, Carlos asked, "But I know nothing about any of this!"

"The Knights Templar Order fell into decline because of the Loom of Fate controlled by the Assassins."

Zhou Yi shrugged. "Imagine it. The people designated by the Loom of Fate were the people the Assassins had to kill. Once it was controlled, how much damage do you think that could cause?"

"Controlled?" Carlos's pupils widened slightly.

"Since those names were produced through a special code, naturally, that meant the code could be deciphered and then manipulated."

Zhou Yi said, "Once the Assassins began exploiting that mechanism, it meant they had broken the rules and started attacking the Templar Knights without restraint."

"The Templar Knights did not even have time to react before the deaths of large numbers of elder-level figures severely crippled them. They had started out at an enormous disadvantage, and there were internal divisions as well... Gradually, after thousands of years of fighting, they were completely defeated."

"Then... you..." Carlos trailed off.

"I'm probably the last Templar Knight in this world," Zhou Yi said. "That's why I came looking for you."

"But I'm an Assassin."

"An Assassin? No. Once the Assassins began tampering with the results of that Loom and tying their targets to profit, they ceased to be Assassins long ago. They became killers."

"What's the difference?"

"The difference is enormous." Zhou Yi spoke seriously. "Assassins act for their beliefs. Killers act for profit."

"So in my view, the current so-called Assassin Brotherhood would be better off calling itself the Assassin Alliance."

"We have always followed the guidance of the Loom." Carlos argued.

"Have you? I'm not so sure."

Zhou Yi drained the wine in his glass, then asked the waiter for paper and a pen. He wrote down the phone number he had just gotten and handed it to Carlos.

"I don't want to have a meaningless argument with you, nor do I want to force you to join the Templar Knights and help me. So I've chosen to let you see it with your own eyes."

"Since you believe the Assassin Brotherhood is currently following the Loom's instructions, then fine," Zhou Yi said.

"After you go back, find a way to get the recent assassination lists for every Assassin and send them to me. I'll investigate what sort of tangled interests lie behind those lists."

"Evidence can be faked."

"Do you not trust your own eyesight and judgment, Assassin Master?" Zhou Yi chuckled.

"I'm not asking you to investigate because have you considered this? If everything I said is true, then who exactly is controlling the operation of the Loom of Fate within the Assassin Brotherhood right now?"

"Sloan..." Carlos murmured.

He remembered some things. Details.

"When you're in the middle of it, you can't see clearly; an outsider sees the whole picture. Now that I've said this, you'll definitely think of some suspicious things, but that is far from enough."

"And the reason I don't want you investigating is precisely this. If you make too much of a move and get discovered, Sloan will put you on the list of that so-called Loom of Fate."

Zhou Yi said slowly, "Although you are an Assassin Master, facing that kind of assault would surely give you quite a headache, wouldn't it?"

"If you were discovered..." Carlos asked instinctively, but stopped himself halfway through.

"If I'm discovered, the ones you should worry about aren't me, but those sent to hunt me down," Zhou Yi said with a laugh. "I'm far stronger than you imagine."

"If that's the case..." Carlos asked, "why don't you just go straight to them?"

"Because my goal isn't simply to wipe out the Assassin Brotherhood," Zhou Yi said. "I want to correct the mistakes the Assassins have made and fix some of this world's problems."

"That sounds like something a religious fanatic would say." Carlos frowned.

"Because there is something wrong with this world to begin with. It is far too... unbalanced," Zhou Yi said. "The Assassin Alliance, the Continental Hotel... killers and Assassins trample the law beneath their feet and treat order as though it were nothing. That is wrong."

"The world is a scale. Once it becomes unbalanced, something will emerge to maintain that balance. So I need to place some weights on the other side of the scale."

"I'm getting more and more convinced you're some kind of religious fanatic." Carlos's eye twitched.

"The Templar Knights have always been staunch supporters of atheism," Zhou Yi refuted. "I merely want to bring back some order that can maintain balance in this chaotic world."

"Therefore, I alone am not enough. I need to spread the glory of the Templar Knights across this world once again."

"So, Carlos, Kindle the Fire... ah, damn it. Once you've confirmed the Assassin Alliance's current situation, join the Templar Knights and bring glorious order to this world!"

"..." Carlos fell silent for a moment. "Isn't that basically preaching?"

"Of course not. There's an essential difference in purpose." Zhou Yi gave Carlos a disdainful look. "Also, if possible, I think you should find some time to meet your son."

At a time like this, wasn't he supposed to bow down and pledge allegiance?

Was my overwhelming kingly aura not strong enough?

Zhou Yi thought to himself, sighing inwardly.

To be honest, he was certainly not some Templar Knight devoted to order.

However, after reading the past events recorded in the Book of Revelation and interpreting the system's explanation of the Templar Knight profession, Zhou Yi guessed that if he wanted to make money through this profession—and make a lot of it—

Recruiting people and rebuilding the Knights Templar Order was an indispensable step.

When I got on the bus, a little girl behind me was playing with a magic wand. She pointed it at my back and said she would turn me into the most handsome man in the world. I smiled after hearing that and turned around. The little girl suddenly screamed, "Mom, I can do magic!"