Chapter 565: Transaction
Mon Carlo, inside Junhai Castle.
In the tall audience hall, an old pirate wearing a majestic navy uniform sat on his throne. He half-opened his mouth and looked at the object in his hand with cloudy eyes. At this moment, what he held in his withered hand was a short braid, a dry braid with a dry dead snake entangled in it.
"I didn't expect that... hundreds of years have passed, and you still keep this thing..."
Looking at the thing in his hand, Pirate Edward spoke slowly in an old voice. Opposite him, on the red carpet in the audience hall, a figure responded to his words.
"Of course. This thing is a symbol of your time as Captain Blood Wave. The Cult will naturally keep it."
The bald man named Tonic, wearing a cloak, looked at Edward on the throne and said with a tacit expression. He seemed to have no awe at all for the ruler of Mon Carlo in front of him. Edward did not seem to blame Tonic for his rudeness, but continued to look at the braid in his hand and muttered.
"Captain Blood Wave... what a nostalgic name. I haven't been out to sea for thirty years. If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten it. The Divine Cult still remembered it. How thoughtful of you..."
"Oh... How could I not be considerate? You are the one who brought the greatest losses to the Church among all the captains who betrayed the Church back then. Many people in the Church will remember you for the rest of their lives. They won't be able to sleep well unless you die..." Tonyk said seriously while staring at the old man on the throne, while Edward put the braid in his hand aside and responded.
"Yes... I still remember that when I first changed my sect, there were a lot of assassins who came to look for me. Fortunately, the charlatans in the new sect ignored me, otherwise I don't know how many times I would have died. Later, my own territory became larger, my foundation became deeper, and the cult became weaker, so the assassins were no longer a threat to me... Let me think... It has been nearly a hundred years since I was assassinated by Chi Cheng... Since then, I haven't encountered any influential assassins, and the little ones outside can all be dealt with...
"So... the Cult sent you here to continue this game? It's been so long, and they still want to get rid of a traitor like me?"
Edward silently stared at Tony below and then spoke slowly. Tony spread his hands and shook his head in response.
"No, no, no. The Cult has long lost interest in killing you. Anyway, you don't have much time left. Even if you don't care, you will be finished soon..." Tonyk said this, and there was a hint of obvious mockery towards Edward in his tone. Edward's eyes fixed because of Tonyk's words, and his whole expression became a little gloomy. He grasped the armrest of the throne with his withered hands and said in a deep voice.
"So... the Cult asked you to come here just to humiliate me in my last moments?"
"Of course not, respected Captain Edward, I am not here to kill you or to humiliate you. On the contrary, I am here to save you. The Church of God is ready to show mercy and save your lingering life without holding grudges..."
With a strange smile, Tonik spoke to the old man on the throne who was emitting a dangerous aura. After hearing Tonik's words, Edward was slightly stunned, and a hint of disbelief emerged in his eyes.
"What did you say?"
"Ah? Are you too old and deaf to hear clearly? Then I'll say it again, I'm here on behalf of the Church of God to extend your life with the water of the Fountain of Youth that can bring back youth..." Tony continued to say to Edward with a smile. After Edward heard the term "Fountain of Youth", his eyes widened and he stood up from his seat tremblingly.
"The Fountain of Youth... The Fountain of Youth! The gift of abundance... The water of life! Have you found it? Have you taken possession of it?" Edward said excitedly and tremblingly with an incredulous tone, while Thornick spoke as if nothing had happened.
"What do you mean by occupying it... It originally belonged to the Divine Religion, and now it belongs to its owner. Old man, let's not beat around the bush now. I'll tell you directly that the Divine Religion has prepared a bottle of the Fountain of Youth for you. The dosage is enough for you to live for another fifty years. As long as you are willing to repent and once again devote yourself to the Lord of the Abyss's drowning ritual, then this bottle of spring water will be yours..."
Tony said this to Edward. Edward, who was originally excited and even a little out of control, suddenly paused after hearing Tony's words. He calmed down again. It seemed that he was thinking about something silently under his stagnant face. After a while, Edward looked at Tony again and spoke silently.
"If I return to the new religion... I can extend my life by another fifty years... At first glance, this seems to be a good deal for me... But in fact, the price I paid is much greater than this. If I publicly declare that I have returned to the Abyss... Mon Carlo, which I have run for many years, will disappear in the holy war artillery fire of Shenglin Mountain.
"I think that what the Divine Cult wants is not just a useless combat force like me, but also the entire Moncarlo and my special status in the secret world and the secular world, which are also very valuable. If the Divine Cult wants me to give up everything and return publicly, then isn't fifty years a little too little?"
Edward said this slowly, and Tony did not deny his response.
"Yes, it would be a pity to waste the resources you control in your current identity. Because the Church of God will not ask you to publicly announce your return to the church. Your return will be carried out in secret. You will continue to rule Mon Carlo in your current identity and work for the Church of God in secret."
"Oh...it's true. The Cult still thinks of Zhou Yu..."
Listening to Tony's words, Edward could not help but nod in response thoughtfully, and a hint of cunning emerged in his serious eyes.
"Okay, I agree to this proposal and will return to the Divine Religion in secret. As long as the Fountain of Youth is in place, I will secretly serve the Lord of the Abyss in the shadows... So now, where is the thing?"
Edward narrowed his eyes slightly and said to Tonic in front of him, while Tonic sneered and spoke.
"Humph, it's not that easy to just give you something... You old fox, you're a two-faced person. Don't think the Church of God has forgotten. If I hand the spring water to you directly, you will probably immediately embezzle it, and then tie me up and hand me over to the Church to show your loyalty and seek credit."
"How could that be? I am a man of my word. If you just give me the spring water, I promise that you can return safely, and I will do my best to work for the Divine Religion in secret in the future..."
"Your credibility is shit! Edward, even if you let me go back, you will not be loyal to the Divine Religion. Instead, you will continue to play games between the Divine Religion and Shenglin Mountain, trying to please both sides and gain benefits. You will fool us in various ways. When you finally make a choice, you will definitely choose Shenglin Mountain instead of the Divine Religion!"
Tony exposed Edward's plan without any hesitation. Edward, who had seemed to have a much gentler attitude, couldn't help but look gloomy. Then he spoke with a hint of harshness in his voice.
"So, what do you want?"
"How is it? It's very simple. I can give you the Fountain of Youth, but you must also sign a letter of allegiance, a letter of allegiance that proves that you sincerely return to the Divine Religion. As long as you sign it, the Fountain of Youth will be delivered to you immediately."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
