With a slight sway, the coachman tightened the reins, and the carriage slowly stopped on the granite road in the countryside. On the roadside, the guard disguised as a farmer turned his head and reported to the owner with silent eyes that everything was normal. After that, a man wearing a
The man wearing a large cloak and covering himself with a hood and scarf stepped out of the carriage. He first looked at the surrounding terrain, and then walked towards the house next to him. A pair of shiny high-top riding boots stepped on the road softly and made no sound.
After entering the foyer, the man took off his hood and face towel, revealing his handsome and handsome face. The attendants with quick hands and feet took the cloak he had taken off, a gold basin for washing his hands, a towel for wiping his face, and a drink to soothe his throat.
, and other attendants were lying on the ground, carefully cleaning the dust on their riding boots. The man smiled helplessly and allowed the attendants to serve him.
"Aren't you used to it?" After entering the hall, the host sitting by the fireplace stood up, "Duke Hepburn?"
"As a superior person, you should naturally enjoy treatment consistent with your status. The reason why nobles are called nobles is not only because they pay more, but also because they have a superior life." The officiant walked to the wine cabinet and took out the crystal.
Pouring wine glasses for guests, "Although it inevitably encourages the trend of debauchery and luxury, for ordinary people, this lifestyle is the goal they strive for. There are not a few new nobles in various countries every year, even if they can only
Let us select an elite among hundreds of new nobles, which will be helpful to our career."
"Of course I understand this." Swiss Hepburn took the wine glass, "What I have never understood is the choice of the officiant. You have already achieved the official position of the officiant of the Demon Temple, why would you still participate in a secret society? I'm looking for
There is no suitable explanation.”
"If anyone else asked me, I would remain silent, because maintaining an appropriate sense of mystery is very beneficial to the leader of the association, but His Excellency the Duke is a person who will not be confused by mystery." The officiant seemed to be in a very unscrupulous mood today.
He looked like that and said with a smile: "Please sit down, my husband, I will explain this question to you."
"This is a story. People like you will definitely not believe the public propaganda about me by the Demon Palace. It is said that I come from an ordinary family, but I just weave a dream for countless ordinary people. Let's take this as good intentions.
The publicity is ready." After the guests and hosts sat down, the officiant looked at the orange flames in the fireplace and took a sip of red wine. "I was born in a noble family in the Tulan Empire. The family is large and prominent. In order to protect myself, at the family meeting
, the elders decided to let me enter the Demon Temple as a trainee priest, mainly because I have the toughest character and a resolute face, and that year, I was only twelve years old."
"Being a priest is very hard, because the devil's palace and the secular world are two different worlds. All secular powers have to bow here. Even if you have strong financial resources, you can't find a way to send them out. If you want to get ahead as a priest, in the early days
It's all up to you." The officiant sighed, "In the eyes of ordinary powerful people, the priests in golden robes are a group of terrible self-interested villains, but they don't know that the lower the status of the priest class, the more terrifying the power struggle is.
And darkness. The suicide rate and homicide rate among the academy priests are unimaginable for ordinary nobles. There were two hundred people in my class, and by the time I graduated, there were only thirty-two left. Those with good talent, deep scheming, good looks, and good character.
The tough ones, the confused ones, all died. These people are all descendants of nobles with backgrounds."
Even though he was used to power struggles, Sves Hepburn was still surprised when he heard about such a bloody thing. The probability was far greater than that of a fierce war.
"Stay until I graduate from the academy and become a priest of the Little Demon Temple. I don't rely on money, pretending to be stupid, or my butt. I got the letter of appointment." The officiant raised his wine glass to the Duke and shook it proudly.
"My new starting point is to lead five gray-collar priests, five apprentice priests, one secretary priest, 20 guards and 34,916 believers."
"At this time, you should be able to breathe a sigh of relief." The Duke replied, "At least it will relieve some pressure."
"For a person who has no ambitions, the pressure is less. As long as the top is satisfied and nothing happens to the bottom, it will be fine." The officiant smiled bitterly, "But on the other hand, the situation is more critical, and the family's survival is under the greatest pressure.
The important thing is that I have to climb up. To climb up, I have to trample dozens of priests with the same status as me under my feet. The bad outcome is that I will get burned."
"I understand." The Duke nodded, "The position of priest is not hereditary, and the competition is extremely fierce."
"How can we allow some people who know very well that they will threaten our survival in the future to continue to exist? Therefore, even though I feel very sad, I still have to do some things without any hesitation." The officiant's voice was low, "
I have always comforted myself with the motto "Those who achieve great things do not stick to trivial matters", always thinking that when I reach the top of power one day, I will end this tragedy... Every day, I am redeeming others, but who knows?
Am I the one who really needs to be saved? Do you know why I am called the luckiest golden-robed priest in history?"
Swiss Hepburn replied, "Because you are the youngest gold-robed priest in history."
"There is also this reason." The chief priest nodded, "But for me, my luck is that I am ruthless. Because of this, I became the assistant priest of the Great Demon Palace of the Erina Empire in a very short period of time.
, during this term, I met the then-golden-robed officiant, and was promoted as an exception, catching up with an era."
"Catching up with an era?" The Duke thought for a while, "There is nothing special about the era that your Excellency lives in, right?"
"You are still young and have not experienced many things, so you naturally don't understand." The officiant smiled, "Priests have great glory, but almost every priest has a very dark heart, and they are not allowed to marry and have children. If they are not strong in character and loyal in belief,
Sooner or later, people will fall into physical and mental decay. But my mentor, the previous golden-robed priest, was such a person. There were also such people among the royal family and nobles at the same time. The emperor you are familiar with, Marshal Verlaine, Viscount Gironde
They are all such people, led by such people, who have won the war between gods and demons twice in succession and completely reversed the situation of the alliance between gods and demons. How can we say that this period is not a great era?"
Swiss thought about it, it was indeed true.
"In such an era, my eyes are inevitably attracted. Compared with many people, I feel ashamed in my heart. Ever since I became a priest, all kinds of questions have become more and more intense. Why, why is this world like this?
Is that so? Why do you have to have your hands stained with blood if you want to live?" The officiant's eyes flickered, "When all these questions accumulated, one thing changed my understanding of the world."
"I can't think of anything else that could change your worldview during this period of time." The Duke thought for a while, "It should be what happened in the Demon Palace?"
"Yes, this matter is that my mentor passed away as the last golden-robed chief priest." The chief priest nodded, "In the Demon Temple at that time, the mentor was the only person I did not need to guard against. He was my mentor and helpful friend. Such a relative.
Of course I was very sad that I was about to pass away, and I stayed at the bedside to serve him day and night. But my mentor who was dying was beyond everyone's expectation and seemed very relieved and happy."
"Glad and happy?" Swice couldn't understand what kind of person would behave like this.
"I'm very confused, but how can I raise such confusion to a person who is about to die?" The officiant said slowly: "The mentor naturally knew that I was confused, so he explained to me the reason, a shocking reason -
—My mentor, he is the only golden-robed officiant who has died a good death so far."
"The only one?" Duke Swice was quite surprised, "Then the former officiant..."
"They all died unexpectedly. Of course, the publicity would not say that, and there was no record." The officiant said calmly: "I was equally shocked at the time, but my mentor told me about a past incident. His mentor died.
It was extremely miserable. He was there at the time and saw his mentor being burned to ashes but there was nothing he could do..."
"Who has such power? Could it be..."
"Yes! Apart from them, who has the power to execute the golden-robed chief priest of the Demon Palace? Think about it, people with such a prominent status will die unexpectedly. Who else's life is guaranteed in this world? In such a world, really
Is it normal?"
The chief priest smiled and said, "Since then, I have vowed to find answers to the doubts in my heart, and I want to avoid more and bigger tragedies from happening. I told myself that I am not a priest, I am a proud nobleman, and I have
Responsibility, I have an obligation... Because you are not a member of the Skull and Bones Society, you can't know what happens next. Anyway, that's what happened next, I joined the Skull and Bones Society."
"So... what is the purpose of the Skull and Bones Society? Because now I can't imagine that an organization like the Skull and Bones Society can be formed and continued in the Demon Alliance." The Duke asked with some difficulty, "The basic reason for the emergence of all secret organizations is
The condition is to pursue common interests, but as far as I know, the members participating in the Skull and Bones Society have transcended national boundaries. Each member is a distinguished elite. What interests do these people not pursue? What interests are worth using such fierce methods?
What means are there to fight for it?”
"Are these your questions?" The officiant's eyes looked over, as if he understood everything.
"Of course, I still have a question, the most important question." Duke Swice looked back at the officiant, "Any secret organization must keep its secrets strictly because its purpose is not in line with the interests of those in power or superiors.
...But the members of the Skull and Bones Society are so prominent, so those who cannot tolerate the Skull and Bones Society are not the royal families of various empires, right?"
"As I have told you before, if you don't decide to join, you won't know the purpose of the Skull and Bones Society." The officiant did not intend to tell the Duke this key point, "Life is a gamble, and you will win against your opponent."
Before you reveal your trump card, you need to make a correct judgment. What else can I do in this gambling game? Tell you your opponent's trump card? When I was betting on this game, no one helped me like this.
It’s obviously very unfair.”
"Indeed, my request was too much." The Duke nodded and replied, "It shows that being too curious is not a good thing."
"Have you ever thought about where your curiosity comes from? There are so many things worth exploring in the world, why are you curious about just this one thing? Or do you have doubts about the world and are just looking for answers?
?" At this point, the officiant put down his wine glass, "Although I can't tell you the key things, I can tell you some of the past events of the Black Skull and Bones Society." (To be continued)