After ending the conversation with the young man, Edmond Dantès followed Chanel out of the room without a trace.
It was already dark at this time, and the island of Monte Cristo was already dark. Only a few rooms in the huge building had light leaking from candlelight. With the help of these dim lights, Chanel took Edmond Dantès along the corridor.
After taking some detours, we finally arrived outside a room.
"You can rest here." Chanel said to him.
"Where is Father Faria?" Edmond Dantès did not go in immediately to rest, but first asked about the whereabouts of the priest.
"That priest? He's inside." Chanel replied with a smile, "Considering that he has difficulty moving now and needs the care of others, I think it's best to arrange your residence together so that you can take care of the old man conveniently."
"That's really great." Edmond Dantès breathed a sigh of relief, and then immediately thanked Chanel, "Miss Noel, you are so considerate to the priest."
"This is what a maid should do. It's not worthy of your praise." Chanel still smiled and replied, "Okay, it's getting late. You should go to bed early. It's time for me to go back."
"Well, thank you for your hard work. Goodbye." Edmond Dantes said goodbye to her quickly.
"Good night." Chanel saluted him and left along the way he came.
Edmond Dantès watched the girl's figure disappear into the darkness.
Although she always said that she was just "a mere maid," judging from the accommodation she could arrange, her status among His Majesty Napoleon II was definitely extraordinary.
This is not surprising, as people will identify the people closest to them. Even without a title or bloodline, just by virtue of her status as a personal maid, Miss Noel must have a transcendent status.
Edmond Dantès no longer thought so much, he opened the door and walked in.
His expression was very strange, full of excitement and complete confusion.
Although he had just talked with the young man and made a promise to serve him, he was still in a state of confusion. This was not surprising. After all, he had just been released from the gloomy dungeon. Suddenly,
After receiving such a huge amount of information, you will definitely not be able to adapt to it all at once.
Precisely because he was now in a state of confusion, he found that he longed for Father Faria's teachings more than ever.
Father Faria...his spiritual mentor and father, the only person in the world who would never bully him, cajole him, betray him, and who would always give him advice with the utmost patience.
The rooms assigned to them were quite simple and crude. They had obviously only been repaired hastily. You could see traces of dilapidation everywhere and only had the most basic furniture. However, it was still a thousand times better than the "hotel" at Castle If.
There were two beds in the room. Edmond Dantès quickly found Father Faria on one of the beds with the help of dim candlelight.
He was worried that the priest had fallen asleep, so he just slowly approached the bedside. Unexpectedly, the priest immediately opened his eyes and looked at his adopted son kindly.
"My child, are you back?"
"I'm back." Edmond Dantès let out a sigh full of relief.
"It sounds like you just experienced a severe mental shock..." Father Faria continued to look at Edmond, "It's still early, tell me what happened to you."
Of course Edmond Dantès could see that the old man was trying hard to solve his own problems. He also knew that if he remained silent, the other party would only become more worried, so he no longer hesitated, but said what he had just said to him.
Everything about the young man's meeting and conversation was told to the priest in detail.
Father Faria listened quietly, with a calm expression on his face at first, but the more he listened, the stranger his expression became. When he learned the true identity of the owner of the island, even he couldn't help showing a look of surprise.
After Edmond Dantès finished speaking, he couldn't help but sigh, "Bonaparte! This is probably a surname that the two of us will never get rid of. I didn't expect that we were in prison because of them; we were released from prison.
Prison still depends on them..."
When the priest said this, Edmond Dantès also felt a little dumbfounded.
"Do you think you want to serve this family?" the priest asked again.
How do we have any choice now? Edmund smiled bitterly in his heart.
Now that both of them are on the island, under their control, how could they disobey the young man's orders?
"Don't worry about me." As if he saw what he was thinking, the priest suddenly replied, "I have reached this age and may be killed by a new illness at any time. I have already made corresponding psychological preparations.
I'm not afraid, or even regretful, because I have allowed my life to be extended with the help of you. I have taught you everything, leaving only this useless and cumbersome body, this body.
It doesn't matter to me when the body dies. If it becomes an obstacle to you, then I can't wait to die now."
"No!" In panic, Edmond Dantès interrupted the priest loudly, "I beg you, don't say such cruel words. I don't want to see you pass away. You have already suffered a lot in your life.
It’s too much suffering. So you can still live for a long time until I make up for all the suffering you have suffered before, otherwise God will not be fair at all!”
"As far as I can see, what God is best at doing is creating injustice in the world." Father Faria replied with a smile.
However, after saying this, he was deeply moved by his adopted son's true feelings.
"Father, you know me. I am a person who will do what I say. Since I have promised to serve him, I will definitely do it." Then Edmond Dantès replied seriously, "And
, I don’t feel embarrassed, because as His Majesty said, all other avenues for me have been cut off. If I want to retaliate against those who oppressed me and insulted me, I need to use strong power... If His Majesty Napoleon II has
This power, then I am willing to use this power. I believe that as long as he can return to the throne of France, then I will have the day to redress my resentment."
After hearing what Edmond Dantès was saying, the priest was not very surprised and just blinked silently.
"My child, you are destined to take a dangerous path."
They all know that the so-called career is not easy. Back then, Emperor Napoleon was not able to reverse his fate. He was crushed under the heavy pressure of the coalition forces of various countries and had to sadly surrender to the enemy, and finally ended up dying on an isolated island.
If he is like this, can his son really do better?
Every sane person will have some thoughts in his heart.
However, the reason why people are human is that they will do those seemingly impossible things. As long as there is a glimmer of hope, then they must do it to the end, because this is not only the cause of His Majesty Napoleon II, but also Edmond-
Dantès's career.
The revenge has not been avenged. If you do nothing, what's the difference between staying in the dungeon and being a miserable rat?
After a conversation with Father Faria, Edmond Dantes suddenly felt that his mind was much clearer.
Yes, now that you have decided what to do next, why should you be confused?
He felt a surge of pride in his heart for no reason.
If a person who is more than ten years younger than him dares to challenge fate, then what reason does he have to dare not?
Just like when he encountered a storm when he was a sailor, he just closed his eyes and rushed forward. What was there to be afraid of? Did he have anything to lose?
"Then, what are you going to do with the treasure on this island?" Just when he was full of pride, Father Faria suddenly asked.
This question dragged Edmond Dantes back to reality.
Yes...the treasure...the treasure of Monte Cristo!
Ever since he learned the information about the treasure, Edmond Dantès had thought countless times about how to use this huge wealth to destroy his enemies; and Father Faria forced him to say it word by word, time and time again.
Reciting the remaining letter made the name of this island engraved in his soul, and he could not forget it even for a moment.
Not only him, but even the priest's life is inextricably related to the treasure on Monte Cristo Island - in a sense, the treasure is even the spiritual sustenance for the old man to continue to live in the painful and desperate prison life.
And perhaps it was a trick of fate that they were on the island of Monte Cristo at the moment. How could Father Faria feel at ease?
Edmond Dantès fell into deep thought.
This is indeed a very confusing issue.
First of all, this treasure may not necessarily exist; secondly, even if it exists, it may have been secretly discovered hundreds of years ago; thirdly, maybe it is not an accident that the young man came to Monte Cristo Island, and he may have learned from some channel
After hearing the news about the treasure, I excavated it first.
No matter which of the above three situations actually occurs, the so-called "treasure" is just a mirror.
Only by avoiding all these situations can the treasure lie quietly in a cave on Monte Cristo Island, waiting to be discovered.
Even if it is discovered, how should it be used?
Although Monte Cristo was an uninhabited island before, it is now obviously under the control of someone - and this person is the person he just promised to be loyal to.
So theoretically speaking, the treasure seems... to belong to that young man?
But this is unreasonable, because the treasure was originally owned by the Spada family. When the last descendant of the Spada family was still alive, he had already said that he would transfer all the property to Father Faria, and Father Faria would remain with him for the rest of his life.
They are all thinking about this treasure... What right does he have to decide who the treasure belongs to on behalf of the priest?
Various ideas came one after another, and finally Edmond Dantès made a decision.
"If I really find the treasure, then I will leave half to you, and the remaining half, 40% to Your Majesty, and 10% to myself." He looked at the priest, and then said seriously, "Father, I
I wonder if you can support my decision."
"Why do you think so?" Father Faria was noncommittal and asked him what he thought.
"I don't care about money that much. If the treasure is really as huge as you said, then even if I only get 10%, it will be enough for me to enjoy a lifetime." Edmond Dantès replied calmly,
"Your Majesty saved our lives and gave us freedom, and I am now loyal to him...so in order to repay him, I will give him my treasure. This is the real repayment. As for you...you
You are entitled to half of the treasure because you are the ultimate heir of the Spada family and the one who holds the secret of the treasure. Do you think it is appropriate for me to think so?"
Edmond Dantès's eyes were calm and composed. It was obvious that this was the result of his careful consideration rather than a sudden whim.
At this moment, he really got rid of the shadow of the naive and ignorant sailor and transformed into a person who truly dared to take responsibility.
Father Faria blinked silently, he was very satisfied.
"My child, I don't care how you plan to distribute the treasure, I just want to see you have the courage to decide how to distribute it. I see courage in you, which is good."
"That is to say, do you agree with my distribution plan?" Edmond Dantès was delighted.
"No, I don't agree." The priest shook his head.
"Huh?" Edmond Dantès was stunned. He didn't understand why the priest suddenly changed his mind. "Do you have any other opinions...?"
"Since you don't care about money, what do I care about? I don't even know if I can survive until tomorrow, so why bother grabbing money from living people." The priest laughed slightly mockingly, "So I
I hope to make another change in your distribution plan - Your Majesty will take 80%, and you will take 20%."
"You don't want a penny?!" Edmond Dantès became anxious upon hearing this, "No, this is not possible."
"I have made up my mind, child. So don't waste my few years of life by arguing with me." Father Faria gently suppressed his next words as if he were sweeping his adopted son away. "Of course, I am so determined.
Not unconditionally... I will meet with His Majesty and tell him that I know the information about the treasure and am willing to donate it to fund his cause and use it in exchange for a condition."
"What conditions..." Edmond Dantès asked blankly.
"I want to change your title and let him make you a hereditary nobleman of the empire after he succeeds in his great cause. At least you must be a count." Father Faria said word by word, "He must establish the title, and I will
The ultimate secret will be revealed."
Edmond Dantès was shocked. He didn't expect that the priest had already made up his mind after hearing what he heard, and would actually consider this for him...
He almost shed tears. "What use do I have with those damn things... They are all yours!"
"No, I don't need it at all." The old man shook his head gently, "I have no children or other relatives, and my life is coming to an end. Honor and money are meaningless to me;
But you are different. You are only thirty years old. You have a long future. You will have a family and children in the future. I must consider what I can leave for you and your descendants. Everything will depreciate in this world.
In this era, probably only hereditary titles can give them a little bit of glory..."
"No...!" Edmond Dantès still couldn't accept it.
"Don't be childish! If you are grateful to me, then do as I say." Father Faria interrupted him again, "Okay, don't waste time anymore, go and take a look now. As I said
Your tip to find that treasure on the island."
"Now?" Edmond Dantès asked.
"The later you delay, the greater the risk of being discovered - and the more leverage you have. We really can't afford to delay." Father Faria looked at Edmond with urging eyes.
"Just think of it as letting me rest in peace. Go find it quickly and see what the thing I've been worrying about all my life looks like!"
Under the gaze of the priest, Edmond Dantès's expression gradually became solemn.
He stood up again.
Yes, whether it was for the priest or for himself, he wanted to see if that damn and fascinating treasure was there and what it looked like...
"Okay, I'll go now." He no longer delayed, but nodded hurriedly to the priest.
Then, he opened the door and carefully observed the surrounding situation.
Everything was immersed in dark silence, and no one was walking around. In the distance, he seemed to be able to see one or two people patrolling and watching, but he felt that he could easily sneak out.
So what are you waiting for?
He closed the door and rushed into the darkness.
With the help of dim candlelight and starlight, he walked through the ruins of the monastery in the dark, then crossed the damaged wall and arrived at the wasteland of the island.
Then, following the description he had memorized countless times, he found the traces left by the cardinal on the island.
He followed the stream and finally found a spot covered with moss and grass at the bottom of the gorge.
He carefully swept away the cover, and then found an iron cover. Then he grabbed the iron ring, opened the iron cover with force, and saw the deep stone steps below.
An ominous premonition suddenly arose in his heart.
All this seemed to go too smoothly. Even if I knew the cardinal's will, it shouldn't have gone so smoothly.
Could it be...has anyone really been here before?
He shivered all over.
But now there was no room for him to hesitate any longer.
He gritted his teeth and rushed into the cave along the stone steps.
The cave was huge, so he lit the torch and found that the cave was connected to another cave - just as the will described.
He no longer hesitated and quickly rushed to the second cave.
It's still empty here, it seems like there's nothing there.
Edmond Dantes took a deep breath.
Let me reveal the final mystery of fate!
He walked to the corner, then bowed and began to dig up the dust on the ground.
"ah!"
His hand quickly stopped, because for a moment he was so fascinated by the jewels that he could hardly open his eyes.
This was a huge money chest, with gold and various jewelry placed on three floors. Now these jewelry were shining brightly in front of him.
Edmond Dantès was stunned for a moment.
He already knew that there was a treasure here, but when he actually saw the treasure, he found that his original mental preparations were just ridiculous lies——
etc!
After the initial excitement passed, he suddenly felt something was wrong.
This cash box seems to have been vandalized.
The smile on his face suddenly froze.
"Monsieur Dantès, what are you doing?"
At this moment, a question sounded from behind him.
Although the sound was very low, it echoed in the cave, and then resounded like thunder in Edmond Dantès's ears.
He recognized that voice.
He looked back in shock.
In the dim light, he clearly saw the young man standing at the door of the cave with an indifferent expression, holding a cane in his hand.
Miss Noel stood behind the young man with a gun and looked at him with a hostile look, as if asking him why he betrayed His Majesty.
"No...!" He murmured to himself, "I'm not a traitor!"
But how to explain this? He was so flustered, how could anyone believe that he didn't want to snatch the treasure?
Aiglon kept observing the other person's expression.
He is going crazy with fear, forget it, let's control it first.
Aiglon took a few steps forward quickly. Edmond Dantès stood up and seemed to want to explain something, but in a flash of lightning, the cane poked him in the chest.
The tremendous pain made Edmond Dantès's vision darken.
"I beg you, spare the priest..." He finally only left these words, and then fainted.