Secret: The years I served as a foreign aid for the Aurora Club

Chapter 195 The Outside World and Silver City
464
Agaritu looked at the confiscated nautical chart, on which a safe route was marked with a red line. There were also many marks in the corners of the map, such as "avoid islands when you see them", "go to bed immediately when it gets dark", "stay awake at all times"... This was a very complete map, a good thing that solved the urgent problem.

He flipped to another one, which was a treasure map. The paper was very old and seemed to be about to tear at any time. The road sign pointed to the southeast, with a dotted line marking a small area with the word "treasure" marked in ancient giant language. It seemed to be the same direction as his.

The captured adventurers have already handed over everything they have, and are nervously looking at the "Undead King" in the distance while being surrounded by the blades of the Demon Sailors. If the other party is still not satisfied, the next thing they should sacrifice will be their own lives and souls.

After thinking for a while, the "Undying King" made a decision.

He wanted to take these extraordinary people away with him, and the "Death Announcement" needed building materials and mice.

……

"You met treasure hunters at sea? Yes, yes, I know. It's no problem to capture them as building materials or guinea pigs. They have a safe route and know many ways to avoid them. Okay, if you think the treasure map is interesting and you want to check it out, that's fine... OK, OK, OK, I know, I know. I'll send you your location later. You'll have high authority and can do whatever you want. I'm busy. OK, OK, OK, I'm hanging up now."

Edward hurriedly finished the internal call, turned around and gave Mirella an impeccable smile:
"What do you want to ask?"

Mirella was angry but dared not speak. She bowed her head again and said respectfully, "Her Majesty the Queen wants to know how the last commission went."

"The Governor's business?"

Edward quickly flipped through the memory information. The "faceless puppet" had an extraordinary learning ability. Through his own efforts, he had learned to act, from speaking one word at a time at the beginning to being able to write a review fluently in the tone of the upper class nobles of Loen, without any need for any polishing. So Edward read out very easily:

"The progress is good. They have just passed the Middle Range Island and will reach the port of Balam in about three days. The demigod general accompanying the army has officially boarded the ship. The expectations of your Spirit Cult armed forces have been dashed."

Mirella nodded thoughtfully, "So, Your Highness, how are their injuries?"

Edward reached out to pour himself a cup of tea, but after noticing the thick layer of spices and seasonings under the tea, he put it back on the table with a polite smile. Mirella didn't notice this little detail, and Edward continued:

"This time the team has a total of 530 people. My subordinates eliminated 30 people in the first few days, and then they were all eliminated by the demigod because they were exposed. Then it eliminated another 50 people before the demigod officially boarded the ship. The demigod was very confident in himself and was not familiar with the servants and sailors, so he did not notice that the number of people being eliminated is currently steadily increasing. If everything goes well, it is expected that when we land in three days, except for a few commanders and the demigod general, all others will be eliminated by my subordinates."

"Excuse me, your subordinates?"

"Yes."

"But you used 'it' just now."

"No problem. If it can successfully complete this task and come to me, it will be 'him'." Edward smiled indifferently, "That's right, I want to know, does the Spirit Cult have any low-sequence characteristics or materials of the 'Fortune Teller' path?"

Mirella thought quickly and responded carefully: "I am not in charge of the management of the seals, but if you want to know, I will ask the responsible personnel inside."

"Okay, thank you for your help. This matter is not urgent."

Thinking of the Queen's message, Mirella gritted her teeth and spoke carefully: "Please forgive my abruptness again. If... the digestion is a little lacking, how many people do you plan to release to Balam's land?"

"In this regard, I still trust my own judgment."

Mirella was horrified: "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to..."

"Haha... don't be nervous. Believe in my spirit of contract. I am always willing to put in 100% of my effort to complete the customer's requirements." Edward didn't care. He stretched out his hand and made a pressing gesture, pushing Mirella, who wanted to stand up and apologize, back to her seat.

He smiled gently: "I understand your uneasiness, but my remedial measures will vary according to the guest's ideas. So, has the Spiritual Cult decided how to deal with diplomatic incidents such as the accidental death of the Governor?"

"Thank you for your magnanimity..." Mirella wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and spoke more carefully, "I have no right to know about this matter. Perhaps you need to talk to Her Majesty the Queen."

The devil was still smiling: "So what do you think about the city rioting, the governor being shot, and no one left?"

"Let's put it this way. The months-long battle has caused many shameful crimes to occur in Aldra. Many arms dealers and weapon merchants are making a fortune from the war and don't want the war to end. So one day, they made the governor disappear in public... This way, you can largely avoid impeachment from Loen and instead put the blame on the governor's guards' poor protection, or even bite back."

“…” That sounds perfect.

"The Spiritual Cult is secretly collaborating with the Rose School, right? Tell me where Sua is, and I will help you let the Governor die naturally."

Faced with the thoughtful, complete and free suggestions from his partner, Mirella began to sweat again. He lowered his head and said in a calm voice, "I'm sorry, I don't have the right to make a decision on this matter. Her Majesty the Queen is also looking forward to further discussions with you."

Edward could see that he had no say in the matter, and his only purpose was to ask him to deliver a message to the Pale Queen.

For the Pale Queen, apart from the potential consensus of "don't make deals with demons" that only low-sequences fear (to be honest, Edward felt that this consensus was a bit too self-serious, and demons were not interested in everything), as long as she was willing to let the Rose School continue to stir up trouble in the southern continent and take the blame, it didn't matter whether the collaborator was herself or Sua.

"No matter how you think about it, I'm better, right? Of course, if Xia Eggers is a coward, then Sua is better..."

After seeing off the sweaty Mirella, Edward sat in the room for a while and chose to go out for a walk.

When he went downstairs, he saw the little daughter of the innkeeper sitting in the waiting area of ​​the lobby, with a brand new newspaper on the coffee table in front of her. Seeing the familiar gentleman coming, the little girl immediately ran over happily with the newspaper and handed it to Edward like a treasure.

Edward squatted down, gently touched her head, and smiled, "Have you learned the words I taught you yesterday?"

The little girl nodded vigorously and said in standard Loenese with a baby voice: "I got it, sir!"

As she spoke, she handed over a vocabulary book that she had bound with several sheets of white manuscript paper. Edward flipped through it and saw that it was filled with Loenese words written neatly. Every stroke was written with great effort, leaving deep marks on the next page.

"You're a very smart child." Edward noticed the proprietress secretly looking at him from behind the counter, and said with a somewhat regretful tone, "If you were in Loen, you would definitely become an outstanding student and a respectable female teacher or clerk in the future."

"It's a pity that you were born here."

The proprietress was a woman from the southern continent with soft and beautiful features, while the owner of the inn was a businessman from the northern continent. Therefore, their inn was located in a city with better public security and was relatively wealthy and respectable.

God is always willing to show more favor to smart children who are eager to learn and know that they should give something in exchange for knowledge. He pinched the little girl's face, took the newspaper, and stood up: "But I have to go out now. I will teach you when I come back. You can think about what you want to learn today."

After bidding farewell to the studious girl, Edward walked out of the hotel and came to the bustling streets of West Balam.

The streets were bustling with people, from both the southern and northern continents. This was once the main area that suffered from the cultural impact of the northern continent, but it still retained a considerable part of its own cultural traditions. Many people walked in coffins on the streets, and the meaning of death could be seen everywhere.

"Well, South American civilization, Aztec and Maya, poetic death..." Edward did not sit in the coffin. He had experienced all these things hundreds of years ago and was tired of them. He walked and stopped on the street, then took out a newspaper and took a look at it:
The Beloved New Governor Is Coming to the War-Torn City

The city where he was temporarily living was very close to the war-torn Aldra. It only took three hours by steam train to get there. It was a relatively prosperous medium-sized colonial city worth seizing.

Edward thought for two seconds and came up with a plan to pass the time.

He walked into a department store owned by a Northern Continental person and bought a lot of cooking oil and rice noodles. He asked the Northern Continental clerk, who was secretly delighted at having made a big deal, "Do you have any other foods that are easy to preserve?"

The North Continent clerk was very happy to do more business and immediately said, "Yes, sir, there are also many preserved dried meats and vegetables."

"Okay." Edward nodded. "Give me a box of dried meat."

When the clerk turned to the counter, he turned to another clerk who was putting items on the shelf and asked, "I want to buy as many medicines as possible. Like alcohol, bandages, painkillers, hemostatics and anti-inflammatory drugs, please give me some."

The female clerk was stunned for a moment, then quickly stopped what she was doing, agreed repeatedly, and walked to the other side.

At this time, the male clerk who originally looked like a Northern Continent employee also came back. He listened to Edward's detailed request and suddenly felt a chill on his back. He approached carefully and asked, "Sir, are you going on a long journey?"

Edward glanced at him warily, looked around, and asked in a low voice: "Are you from the Northern Continent?"

The clerk nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, I am from Intis."

Edward sighed and whispered, "Since we are from the same hometown, I can't say much... I can only tell you that the southern continent will soon be in turmoil. If you have some money, prepare some food and gold, and it is best to have a boat ticket in your hand at all times."

The appearance of the Northern Continent gentleman and his noble manners were too credible. The clerk's face turned half pale and he stammered, "Ah! But, but doesn't it mean that Loen's new governor is coming? I heard that the Restoration Society has already withdrawn its troops outside the city..."

"Where did you hear that? That's not the truth! In fact, Rune—" Edward's voice was a little louder, and He immediately stopped talking. He waited until all the curious looks from the surroundings disappeared before continuing to speak. His tone was already a little bad, "That's all I have to say. Some big shots don't want this to end. It will soon be unsafe here... I'm kindly reminding you of this because you're from the same hometown. It doesn't matter whether you listen or not. Is my box of dried meat ready?"

The clerk apologized quickly, but Edward had no intention of saying another word. After paying the bill, he used a carriage to transport all the items away and soon disappeared from the sight of many inquiring people.

The clerk began to panic and wonder what to do. His uneasy look attracted other colleagues to ask the reason, and the rumor began to spread in a small circle. Then, Edward went to other stores and spread rumors with different faces, different information and hints.

As it was getting dark, Edward, who had been busy all afternoon, returned to the hotel where he was staying. The proprietress was sitting in the waiting area, taking a break from her busy schedule to play with her daughter. When she saw the friendly gentleman who had been living in the store to take care of the business, she quickly pulled her daughter up to greet him.

"Good evening, Mr. Vaughan." The landlady showed a warm smile. "Have you had dinner? The kitchen has some fresh mushrooms and meat. If you need anything, please let me know."

"Thank you, you are a thoughtful lady," Edward responded gently. "I have not had dinner yet, which is fortunate. Your baked fish with orange sauce is very delicious, and it would be even better with a plate of mushroom soup."

"Okay, okay." Thinking that this generous customer would not be stingy with the tip, the proprietress walked towards the kitchen happily.

When she passed the door of the hotel, she heard dense footsteps and anxious shouts outside, as if many people were running and talking on the street. She curiously and nervously opened the door a little and took a look. She saw that there were more people coming and going outside than usual. Under the gloomy sky, people were carrying more or less food and supplies, and kept talking in low voices. The landlady smelled a hint of uneasiness in this strange and panic atmosphere. She closed the door tightly and prepared to wait for her husband to come back and ask what happened outside.

The little girl who was writing words on the coffee table in the hall raised her head, listened attentively to the direction of the door, then giggled and gestured:
"boom!"

Edward smiled, not caring about the sporadic gunfire outside. He patted the little girl's head and said gently, "Just concentrate on writing. If you can write all these words correctly, I'll treat you to beef jerky."

Tempted by the delicious snack, the little girl's eyes lit up and she continued to write from memory with great enthusiasm.

After a few sudden gunshots, a fire started somewhere. There was a lot of noise and chaos was unfolding in an orderly manner.

465
"…Then this is the final decision."

Under the sky full of flashes of lightning, in the pitch-black world, the six-member council ended its meeting.

After the chief made the final choice, a whole cycle had passed since the guests arrived.

All the elders were silent. The future of Silver City became an invisible burden weighing heavily on the hearts of all of them.

In the dark future, they don’t know whether this decision is correct, but they all seem to see the times rolling in.

The chief looked around and read out the final results of the discussion:

"I will go alone to a place 500 meters outside of Silver City to meet with the foreign guests."

"I will be solely responsible for all negotiations."

"I will not carry any extraordinary items to prevent accidents from happening. They will become a sharp weapon against the City of Silver."

This was his own choice. Even though several other elders kept advising the chief to carry at least one extraordinary item to save his life, Colin Iliad still rejected their concern and kindness and refused to let any items other than his own be lost.

"If anything unexpected happens to me, Silver City will immediately enter the highest level of defense."

"The next chief will be nominated by the five of you. I will keep the secrets passed down between each chief, but you can only browse them after the new candidate is confirmed."

"Everyone, do you have any objections?"

The elders spoke in unison: "No objection."

Then, the meeting room fell into silence.

After a few seconds of silence, it was Colin Iliad who broke the heavy atmosphere. He looked at a burly elder and calmly gave an order:

"Waite Hillmon. Now, you and Barrett, go to the bottom of the round tower and activate the seal 'Crown of Glory'. Keep it activated after I leave the city to defend against possible attacks."

The burly elder with a reflective head and another relatively thin elder who was over 2.2 meters tall stood up at the same time, saluted to the chief, then stepped out of the line and left the meeting room.

The candles burned slowly, and orders were issued one after another. Except for the three demigods, the six-member council was the best of Sequence 5, capable of handling all emergencies except the most critical city defense. They took orders and left one after another, carrying the candles in front of them to their designated posts, walking into the darkness and turning into a fire that was getting farther and farther away.

Finally, Colin Iliad looked at the silver-haired Lovia. The two looked at each other. After a long silence, the old chief said:

"Lovia."

"Yes." The elder whose name was called stood up quietly.

Colin's weather-beaten face was as indestructible as a stone statue: "Protect the Silver City."

Luo Weiya was slightly shaken and whispered: "I am willing to sacrifice my life for the Silver City."

"Sacrifice is never necessary. Only by living can we have a future." The Chief said, "Derrick Berg is a good kid."

Luo Weiya understood the chief's hint. She hugged the skull tightly in her arms and accepted the order with a sigh: "I understand."

In the darkness, the two of them stood quietly for a long time, and finally left in different directions.

……

A dry wooden stick was stuck in the ground, and a lantern that continuously emitted warm light was hung on the top of the stick.

The Angel of the Word knelt down before the lantern, using the light source as a symbol of the sun, clasped the cross in his hands, and closed his eyes in prayer.

He knelt on a small piece of clean land that had been cleared, emanating an aura of peace and tranquility. His deep spirituality transformed into illusory feathers surrounding him, making him look like an angel in mythology.

Apart from the flashing lightning in the sky and the terrifying monster hovering in the distance that no one dared to approach, this scene could be described as sacred and beautiful.

After praying for a long time, Stiver opened his eyes, hunched over his two-meter-three-meter-tall body and turned towards the direction of the Silver City, a joyful smile on his old, dry face.

"May the glory of the Lord bless you." The Holy Word Angel said kindly, "Come here, Guardian of the City of Silver."

In the darkness, Colin Iliad approached slowly with a torch in hand. His eyes first fell on the lantern hanging high up, and then his pupils shrank slightly. He felt a strong spirituality from the light. This was a very powerful seal!
He didn't know if this was a threat from an outsider, but when Colin saw the visitor in person, he realized the meaning of the bottomless power. He took a few steps forward, came to the edge of the light, felt the warmth, but did not get close.

Colin's vigilance was within Steve's expectations. He took the initiative to speak like a true elder and started chatting with Colin.

"I know you have a lot of questions, and I will answer them slowly."

Stifel showed a nostalgic look: "I am the messenger of the Lord, but without the Lord's command, I cannot take you away."

"The outside world is dangerous and terrifying. It is a land ruled by false gods, full of temptations and struggles that will lead to the depravity of mankind. This land contains the answers to all the things you want to know. As long as you discover them all, you will understand the Lord's intentions."

False Gods... That means there are still humans in the outside world. What kind of world will they live in? Will it be eternally dark like the City of Silver? How many people will there be there, how many monsters will there be? The humans in the outside world still have the power to fight among themselves, which proves that the threat to their survival is not too great... Colin was distracted by these words, but he remembered his purpose and asked calmly:

"Where is the Emerald City?"

"Hahaha..." Stiver laughed hoarsely, his voice filled with endless memories, "The people of the Emerald City are blessed, they are loved by the Lord, prosperous and beautiful. I ascended to heaven from there, and also witnessed its destruction in sin. It is blessed, and the Lord's favor still existed when it was destroyed, and it has been one thousand nine hundred and fifty-four years since then. I am not a competent guardian, and you have done a better job in this regard."

He hinted at his identity with these words, and unsurprisingly, he saw an expression of astonishment and contemplation on Colin's face.

Then He said:

"I came here to take the divine child who is about to be born and send Him back to heaven, to the Lord."

"…Is He really the Angel of Destiny?"

Stiver looked at Colin in surprise and praised: "The classics of your city-state are well preserved. In some cities, they have forgotten their history and their origins, and have become similar to monsters."

"The woman of the city-state you protect gave birth to His Highness the Angel of Destiny of this life. As a result, the city-state and its people can receive the blessing of the Lord. I will wait here for His birth and then take Him away."

"Mother and child separated..."

"Don't be sad. It is such an honor to be the mother of His Highness! They can live a happy life in this life without fear of illness and hunger." Stiver laughed and sincerely praised the great Creator. "His Highness the 'Angel of Destiny' will grow up by the Lord's side in every life. This is His privilege. He is the angel closest to the Lord and has a divinity that is holier than ours."

After saying that, Stiver smiled and closed his eyes as he prayed in the direction of the City of Silver, muttering to himself:
"Your Highness, the Respected Angel of Destiny!"

"Please give me some enlightenment and guidance on my destiny. When should I take you away and return to the Kingdom of God?"

Colin narrowed his eyes and stood there alertly, waiting for possible visions and revelations. Based on his understanding of the "Angel of Destiny" from ancient books and murals, it should be presented in the form of a dream.

The wasteland outside the city became quiet, with only the crackling of torches.

After a few hundred heartbeats of silence, Stive raised his head in confusion.

——No revelation.

TBC
------

Ouroles: Abba Abba.

(End of this chapter)