Ormos Port is filled with the smell of spices all year round, which is different from the silence of Xumi City. Although it is also entangled with ancient spiritual trees, the double-wood dock is obviously more peaceful than Xumi City, which is controlled by the void.
Vitality.
The Port of Olmos is always more moving at night than during the day. The dim lights shine on the roofs of knitting sheds that can be seen everywhere, glowing with sparkling light.
According to the owner of the fruit stall, these sheds are the result of the second-generation light transmission technology of the Academy. They can withstand strong light and the erosion of coastal water fog, which is very useful.
At the dock, traders talked about business in different languages, the carts for transporting goods creaked, the pots in the teahouses boiled, and the kittens hiding in some corners meowed quietly.
In the bustling hustle and bustle, there are still people playing leaf flutes, and the melody is like a local nursery rhyme, but the player is not very skilled, so the melody is intermittent.
And in a tavern in the bustling Port of Ormos, His Royal Highness the Prince soon found Pantalone at the dining table in the corner, lowering his head and stroking his ring.
Sora once used the power of the Abyss to carefully investigate the executive codenamed "The Rich Man". In line with what Abyss said, Pantalone was born quite poor and had never become God's chosen one. All his current wealth
and status, all achieved through his own hard work.
In this world where money is dominated by gods, the difficulty of building an economic network covering the entire continent by oneself is evident.
Pantalone is different from many wealthy businessmen and politicians Sora has seen. He has superhuman intelligence and strategy, and also has an extremely strong will that is not recognized by the gods.
Although the other party lowered his head and rubbed the ring, his eyes never left the wooden door of the tavern. The moment Sora entered the tavern, Pantalone squinted and stood up to greet him.
"I have long admired your name, Your Highness the Prince... I am the ninth executive of the Fools, the "rich" Pantalone, and I have come to meet you privately. I am not being polite enough, so please bear with me."
There was a mixed crowd in the tavern, but no one paid attention to the two strangers in the corner of the shop.
"You're welcome."
The blond boy was more free and easy than Pantalone. After sitting down across the table, he picked up the menu and ordered some wine and dishes.
"It's hard to imagine that you and "Harlequin" are from the same era."
Pantalone looked at the prince of the abyss with a smile.
"You look so young and spotless."
Kong looked at Pantalone, who was smooth and concealed, and said straight to the point: "There is no need to talk about gossip. Since you know my affairs and you still come to see me without telling your master, you must have something important." "Of course... I heard about your deeds from the Harlequin, and I have always wanted to find a chance to get to know you."
Pantalone didn't seem to expect that Sora's question would be so direct, and she didn't say a lot of the pleasantries she prepared.
"We executive officers have our own plans when joining the Fools, and I am no exception."
"What you and the Abyss Cult are doing may be contrary to the Queen's ideals, but they coincide with my personal ideals. What's more, I am still a banker, and what bankers need most... is connections."<
/p>
Sora already understood that Pantalone wanted to connect with the abyss, and he had no intention of rejecting the other party's deliberate efforts to please him.
A few words can be exchanged for a large sum of money, and he has no reason to refuse such a deal.
"So, what can you bring me?"
"Clean money, Zhidong's scientific research results and intelligence, and his apparent identity."
Pantalone's answer was equally simple and straightforward, like a cunning fox.
"I will personally fund the activities of the Abyss Order in Xumi. After you leave Xumi, you can also contact me through the Northland Bank branches in various countries."
"What's the reason?" Kong picked up the filled wine glass and took a sip, "Big bankers are most particular about seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages. The risks of this transaction are not small. I have reason to believe that your income from investing in the Abyss Cult is much greater than yours."
The risk of betraying Solstice."
Pantalone was deep in thought and did not directly answer His Highness the Prince's question. He supported his chin with both hands and stared intently at the workers shouting loudly at the bar and the cart drivers devouring their food.
The dense vegetation outside the window reflected faint fluorescence, and Pantalone's dark gray eyes shone like looming horseshoes.
"In the era when I was born, Kanria had long been destroyed. According to common sense, I should not have any knowledge of this godless country."
Pantalone spoke, and her cold words made the temperature in the cafe drop a bit.
"But I sympathize with the plight of the Kharians, just as I hate the arrogance of the gods."
"God has committed countless sins against this world, but humans can only look up in silence. Everything I do is to overthrow Teyvat's unfair system and allow humans to gain the equality and respect they deserve."
Sora stared at Pantalone, unable to tell whether what the other person said was sincere or flattering.
The goal of the Abyss Order is to overthrow the rule of heaven, but the Abyss is also the enemy of all living things.
"Your Majesty the Queen...didn't that promise you?"
"I am a banker, and a shrewd businessman will never put all his bread in the same basket."
Pantalone smiled and picked up the slice of bread brought by the waiter and put it on his plate.
"In addition to being loyal to Her Majesty the Queen, Northland Bank has also been secretly supporting resistance forces in various places."
Kong used a knife to spread butter on the bread and shook his head with a smile.
"You cunning snake...why should I believe you?"
"I may deceive my business partners, but I have no reason to deceive you, Your Highness. You and I are the same kind of people, and we are also working hard for the same cause."
After Pantalone finished speaking, he fell into a long silence. He twisted a piece of bread, patiently wiped away the gravy and jam on the plate, and put it into his mouth. He seemed to be enjoying these things with elegance and familiarity, which were quite rude in the eyes of Liyue people.
action.
Seeing Sora's surprised look, Pantalone spread her hands indifferently and smiled: "Your Highness, there is nothing surprising. I have also had poor days."
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"Really?"
The blond boy looked outside the pub door.
This is the busiest time in the Port of Ormos. Scholars and disciplinary officers can be seen everywhere, as well as mercenaries having a drink after get off work. They gather together in twos and threes and usually do not choose to share a table.
But in addition to these consumer mercenaries, there are old women begging tremblingly and starving children crying loudly on the street.
Xumi, which has lost its gods and is completely controlled by the sages of the Order Council, is now facing internal and external troubles. Although Omos Port is still nominally under the jurisdiction of the Order Council, because it is too far away from Xumi City and has many powerful forces, it is also the first to respond.
Where there are policy loopholes.
"Look, do those poor people look like you when you were young? They were displaced because of the secret plans of fools, but now you have long been accustomed to turning a blind eye to them."
Kong turned his head with cold eyes and stared at the smiling rich man, who just swallowed the food in his mouth calmly.
"For a great cause, there are always necessary sacrifices."
"When you were walking in the wild, did you take care of your Qiuqiu people?"
As soon as he said this, Kong fell silent.
On the surface, this man is just an ordinary banker, but his knowledge of secrets is shocking.
Pantalone did not continue the topic of life experience, but changed the topic and raised a doubt that had been bothering him for a long time.
"Your Highness, do you know the god named Harpas?"
It's a pity that the Twins only came to Teyvat five hundred years ago. Even Kong, who has experienced the catastrophe of Kanria, cannot fully grasp the history that was lost thousands of years ago.
"There cannot be anything in this world that can be more blasphemous to life than the existence of the devil itself. The long lifespan, the power of the world, the chaotic self-understanding... The gods who were born on the top of the clouds are not worthy of judging the mortals who set foot in the sky.
way."
"Even the God of War who cut off a corner of the Sky Island and accomplished the feat of [setting leaps in the world]."
Kong raised his head contemptuously, his amber childlike eyes seemed to penetrate the ceiling of the tavern.
"Don't trust any god, banker."
"What we want to do is to overthrow the throne, not to replace the throne."