At this time, the special reporters from various countries have basically arrived at the 21st Circle.
Although the most stringent selection process had been carried out, there were still more than a hundred reporters who finally entered the scene. Even though all the reporters tried their best to keep quiet, it still made the extremely silent temple seem a little noisy.
Alice is among them.
This year's papal election ceremony made an exception and allowed reporters to enter - this is an opportunity for the entire media industry, and it is also a difficult test.
Because there were more than one newspaper invited, and with the Church’s prestige preventing reporters from talking nonsense, it was really difficult to produce news that was eye-catching, interesting, fair and unique at the same time——
In fact, they are basically mutually exclusive, and you can usually only do two of the four.
Especially the Iris Kingdom.
As a country with the largest number of private newspapers, their news media industry has developed extremely rapidly. And good development usually means the arrival of involution - when buying newspapers has become one of the important entertainments for civilians, how to take advantage of it from your peers?
The other party's market becomes the first issue to consider.
And Iris people are never stupid.
They quickly realized the most cost-effective solution: instead of improving themselves, attack their opponents.
It's hard to do your own news well, but it's much easier to attack other newspapers' news.
This is also the reason why Alice, as a young reporter who is not very experienced, only worked for a year and a half, but was promoted three levels in a row and temporarily became the chief reporter.
The "Iris Gazette", as one of the very few official newspapers in the Iris Kingdom, has always been besieged by a number of private newspapers. And this news is really too big... because the Theocracy and the Pope are so powerful that even the "Iris Gazette"
》The editor-in-chief didn’t dare to take the blame.
Although there may not necessarily be a problem, but what if it does?
——As the most beloved young lady of the Harcourt family, the youngest daughter of the military minister Duke Harcourt, no matter what the news is written, no one would dare to attack it.
It is precisely for this reason that Hawkeye gave this task to Alice, who had just left the newcomer category.
Because she is indeed the most suitable to take on this task - Alice, who has only undergone simple training and has not officially started killing people, is clean enough to pass the Theocracy's review.
As for her being accompanied by an assassin full of shadow power, this is normal.
After all, she is a noble lady of the Harcourt family. It is normal for a person to travel to such a far place on a business trip, and to have a high-level guard force around her - and there is no doubt that extraordinary people who are adapted to the path are almost the most suitable to serve as
The guardians are only slightly worse than the extraordinary ones on the authoritarian path.
Rather, if she really came here alone, it would be strange to not bring anyone with her. Not to mention, their whereabouts were helped by the Theocracy's internal forces to help cover up...
Everything is very reasonable.
Now Alice is nervously picking up her notebook and writing something. She keeps writing a few sentences, and then erases a large part of it. She writes a few words and draws a few cartoon patterns next to it. She really doesn't know what to do.
When doing something, just let the pen tip click against the paper to cover up the anxiety and tension in my heart - although nothing is covered up, this level is just right.
It suits her especially well.
This is what a newcomer who is suddenly pulled up by the leader to take the blame should be like. None of the reporters around her had any doubts about this. Only a few people looked at her with some sympathy, and a few others looked at her with disdain.
Contains ridicule and sarcasm.
"...I don't know what's going on with the instructor."
Alice murmured in her heart.
No one could understand her excitement and uneasiness at this time.
It is said that among this generation of pope candidates, there is this eternal saint.
Rounding it off, it’s equivalent to assassinating the Eternal Pope in advance!
Honey Badger is the assassin mentor who taught her camouflage and poisoning techniques, and is one of only four fifth-level members of the Hawkeye organization. With the death of Lars Graham, the high-end combat power of the Hawkeye organization has been reduced.
It was a sharp decrease of one-fifth... If something happened to the honey badger, the Hawkeye organization, with only three people left, would no longer be able to strangle the Sons of the Moon.
There are six official fifth-level transcendents in Iris, five of whom are children of the moon. Previously, the Hawkeye organization was able to form a balance of power with them, but Iris launched the extremely unreasonable "war against Avalon".
After the "reparations", the Hawkeye organization's support among the people dropped sharply.
Only two months have passed this year, and three strongholds have been removed. It is said that they were betrayed by previous collaborators. Now the Eagle Eye organization is urgently reviewing all collaborators, so it has scaled back its operations.
To support an organization, you need money.
With relatively insufficient funds, they had no choice but to accept the difficult task from the Theocratic Cardinal.
Once the mission is successful, they can completely open up the Theocracy's market. At least they can establish a stronghold on one of the floors... If Iris's strongholds are all removed, at least they can have an overseas stronghold to reorganize their strength and continue to fight against the moon.
The son's erosion of human political power.
and……
The money given in this mission is really, really, really large.
So much so that as long as the money is obtained, the organization can continue to shrink for more than a year. This time is enough for Hawkeye to catch all the betrayers and update a round of safe houses.
——In other words, this mission must succeed.
Alice is just a "ticket", just like the "collaborators" they have used in the past. She does not need to participate in the assassination operation, and she does not know the honey badger's plans and methods. The difference between her and those collaborators
, which probably means that you must also take risks.
Although she dresses very mature, in fact she is just twenty-three years old and has just graduated from college for one year.
For a young girl from a noble family, she obviously cannot resist such a dangerous and exciting secret service mission with a noble sense of mission that can prove her ability and change the situation of the entire world.
But until now...
Her face was as red as drunkenness, and the fingers holding the pen could not help but tremble. Although others would understand her and laugh at her because she was a newbie who took the blame... But Alice was very smart. She knew that as long as the honey badger
Once the assassination mission is completed, she will almost immediately come under suspicion.
But no matter how much she told herself not to be nervous, it was difficult for her to control her inner anxiety.
——She also probably guessed her result.
If I could survive, it was probably because my employer was powerful enough. If nothing else happened, I would probably die here, today.
It's like a newspaper company using itself as a shield...
The Hawkeye organization is also sacrificing itself.
Time passed by, and nine o'clock was getting closer and closer.
When it was nine o'clock in ten minutes, Alice suddenly saw... the Eternal Saint picked up the wine glass in front of her and took a sip.
——Almost immediately.
The Eternal Saint suddenly covered her eyes and let out a small cry.
"Gray!"
Anxious shouts came from Yanis.
At that moment, Alice's ears suddenly buzzed - there was a long and distant metallic sound.
She had tinnitus due to excessive tension.
She watched the cardinals stand up nervously and come over one after another. The crowd of reporters almost exploded instantly, and people were whispering and discussing something.
She looked at everyone's expressions and became extremely excited, but everything was like a mime, without any sound, it looked so funny.
I saw Yanis suddenly pulling out the pure white cloth belt of the pure white saint.
Her left eye is still a beautiful sky blue...
But her right eye was as brilliant and dark as the starry sky in the universe. The amber in her eyeball spread to the eye socket, making her look like a delicate sculpture with one corner broken off.
——That is a terminal disease for elves!
Alice's mind buzzed.
There is no doubt that that is the effect of the special poison they got, the "Tears of Time"!
Mrs. Honey Badger really succeeded!
Their plan... actually succeeded!
At this moment, the honey badger in the 18th ring was looking at everything on the live crystal screen in disbelief.
She looked down at her pitch-black gloves soaked in a special liquid—this was an assassination prop she specially modified for this assassination operation.
- It's not even ready yet.
"...Could there be a companion?"
The honey badger looked at the screen with half confusion, half doubt, and ninety-nine points of astonishment: "Or did the boss find more than one company?"
That was indeed the "post-poisoning performance" that the employer described to himself.
