"It's easy to solve the problem, but it's a little harder to solve the problem."
"Of course, if you can't deal with that person, there's no need to despair."
"Everyone has their own price tag."
——"Ad The Grand Duke said"
...
"Oh, remember to pay attention and arrange packages that suit customers' personal tastes."
——"The Grand Duke of AD·2021 Bound Edition"
...
That same day, later.
In the restaurant on the second floor of the castle.
Grilled lamb chops, salt-baked mashed potatoes, mushroom chicken soup and other exquisite foods are placed on the long table for meat eaters to enjoy.
The Binsi brothers very wisely just lowered their heads to eat the food, pretending that they were background boards.
Of course, the real background of the restaurant is the soldiers standing with weapons at the door, against the wall, and next to the lamps.
Guard Harmoto held up a silver plate and presented a glass of clear mountain spring water to his master and the noble young man respectively.
No honey, sea salt, lemon, or poison was added.
The clear and pure mountain spring water reflects the faces of the young lord and the noble young man.
"Rescuing the four of you safely from the underground requires me to use a lot of manpower and material resources." Chu Yang said to Arcadio with just the right volume of voice.
"Yes, I have seen the 'spectacular' scene at the Linzhong Lake camp. I'm really sorry for costing you so much, kind-hearted Federesh." Arcadio had a business smile on his face and said to Chu Yang
replied.
The lord took a sip of the mountain spring water in the cup and asked the noble young man in a calm tone: "Well, dear Buendia, have you caught the rare monster of your dreams?"
Arcadio, who was across the long table, replied without changing his expression: "It's a pity that we haven't been able to catch the legendary 'five-headed white goose' yet."
"Oh? That would be troublesome." Chu Yang looked at the wooden wine glass in front of him, turned the handle of the glass with his fingers, and said calmly, "I originally hoped that after you presented the rare monster to His Majesty the King,
, Your Majesty has rewarded you with a large amount of wealth, part of which will be used to compensate for my expenses and losses."
Arcadio's face was filled with a smile, "If you don't mind, I can write a letter and send it to my castle by your hands. In the letter, I will say..."
"Hey, because I was playful, I took my guards and old servants on a detour and traveled along the coast of the kingdom. I accidentally encountered pirates and was caught on a pirate ship."
"The kind-hearted Federesh accidentally learned that I was kidnapped by the pirates while suppressing the pirates, so he negotiated with the pirates and tried to redeem me."
"It's just that the hateful pirate captain is so greedy that he actually asks for 300 gold coins! The kind-hearted Fei Diele can't afford that much cash at any time. I have no choice but to write a letter to my father to prove that I am still alive and urgently need help from my family.
A large ransom must be sent to the city of Gus and handed over to the pirate captain by Federesh before I can be redeemed."
"648 gold coins." The devil, who had been eating grilled lamb chops in the seat next to him, suddenly said this.
(By the way, the devil also changed his brass mask into an upper and lower assembly, making it easier to eat)
"Oh, yes, it's 648 gold coins. The pirate captain has increased the price." Arcadio immediately answered.
Chuyang nodded and asked again,
"Your father, Count José Buendía, will he agree?"
Arcadio thought for a while and said with some hesitation: "648 gold coins is almost a quarter of the tax revenue of my family's territory. Father, I don't think he is reluctant to part with this money?"
Chuyang: "..."
Li Jiasu: "..."
Calm down, calm down, don't be too greedy, and stop it in moderation.
"Okay, let's end this matter here. I don't want to pursue anything further." Chu Yang said, adding two spoons of honey to his cup and stirring the sweet soft liquid with a silver spoon.
"Baron Arcadio, what are your plans for the future? Why don't you tell us?" The young lord took out the silver spoon and took a sip of the honey water.
The noble young man took a few bites of the salt-baked mashed potatoes, wiped his mouth with a napkin, looked at the young lord and the devil, and said, "I think Binsi has told you the reason why I was looking for that heretical ruins, right?"
On the side, Binxi, who was sipping mushroom chicken soup, looked at his young master with an "awkward yet polite" smile on his face.
"It's okay, I don't blame you." Arcadio shook his head, and then continued to preach to Chu Yang and Li Jiasu,
"In order to win when I compete with my brother for the position of lord in the future, I naturally hope that my cards will be better."
"Originally, I planned to inform the Holy City [Vatican] after confirming the true existence of the heresy relics, so as to obtain a reward from the Holy Atonement Church, the Holy See, and an endorsement from the church.
.”
"But now, haha, since I was [rescued by the devil], there is no need to go to the Holy City for excitement. I don't think I can fool them through their lie detection magic."
"Even if you report the heresy relics to the church, the most they can do is 'forgive your sins and spare your life'."
The noble young man sneered.
Then, he looked at Chu Yang and Li Jia Shu and said slowly: "So, it is not impossible to settle for the next best thing, 'capture rare monsters and present them to His Majesty the King.'"
"If there really are any 'Five White Geese' on your island."
Chu Yang shrugged, "I can't guarantee this, Arcadio. I can only say that the information I told you about the depths of the island and events decades ago is the true information I know."
"As for whether the 'Five White Geese' can still be found on the island, no one knows."
Arcadio nodded with a smile and said, "Understood, I'm not in a particular hurry. Opportunities can always be found."
"Well, what do you mean when you say 'not particularly anxious'?" Li Jia Shu asked, while smearing Siris' special hot sauce on a piece of grilled lamb chop.
Arcadio said "uh", thought for three seconds, and then explained:
"My father is in his prime and in good health."
Chu Yang and Li Jiasu looked at Arcadio.
"Don't get me wrong, my brother and I are both nobles with a bottom line. My brother and I don't bother to do things that go against human ethics." The noble young man said seriously.
The young lord and the devil nodded.
Let's forget about such a troublesome thing as parricide.
Arcadio continued: "My brother and I will have to wait for seven or eight years at the earliest to fight for the inheritance rights."
"So, I'm not in a big hurry. I just take my time and opportunities will always be found."
Li Jiasu pondered for a moment,
Then the devil's voice came out,
"Well, Baron Arcadio, do you believe that the city of Gus on this island can be 'reborn' in three years?"
The noble young man was slightly startled,
"Your Excellency Axelarat, you mean...?"
The devil said in a very confident tone:
"I have the devil's wisdom, and Federesh has the youthful courage."
"Baron Arcadio, please consider using your resources and connections to invest in our city of Gus for the long term. How about it?"
"I'm telling you..."
...
If you really want to explain in detail the things that are being discussed in a big way, it would probably take you tens of thousands of words without even breathing.
Therefore, if there are books, it will be long; if there are no books, it will be short.
Simplify it and fast forward to some interesting plots.
Three words, construct a scene:
Castle, dungeon, female knight.
...
On the same day, or later.
On the underground floor of the castle, in a slightly damp dungeon.
"You bastard! Devil! What did you put in the porridge earlier!"
The Judgment Knight cursed angrily.
Half an hour ago, she couldn't bear her hunger, and finally ate less than half of the wheat porridge sent by the soldiers.
And now, she vaguely felt a sense of heat inside her body, dispelling the cold dampness in the water-seeking dungeon.
Chu Yang was stunned for a moment, then said: "I was afraid that the humidity in the dungeon would be too heavy, so I asked the chef to add a few more pieces of chopped ginger, half a spoonful of beef bone oil, and a little chili powder to your wheat porridge.
"
Juana was stunned for a moment, "Ah, is that so...?"
Li Jia Shu glanced at the half-eaten bowl of wheat porridge, thought for a moment, and said, "Not used to wheat porridge? It's okay. How about I go to the kitchen now and let the chef cook you a bowl of noodles?"
eat?"
The Judgment Knight snorted coldly, and then looked at the noble young man.
"Arcatio, are you in cahoots with these two damn devils and heretics?"
The noble young man shrugged, "No one wants this to happen."
The young lord smiled and said, "Baron Arcadio and I have had an in-depth conversation. He and I both believe that there is value in cooperation between Buendia and Federesh."
"Making progress together is always the best way to reduce conflict."
The devil pondered: "No one in this world is qualified or necessary to be responsible for anyone's self-choice, except himself."
The noble young man nodded, "You can't lie to yourself about some things. If you hesitate, there is a problem."
The Judgment Knight snorted coldly, "Do you think you can escape the excommunication punishment of the Holy Lord of Atonement by doing this?"
The devil shook his head, "When something happens, you have to find a way to solve it, rather than looking for someone to take responsibility."
"Well, the reason why we are talking to you now is to resolve the conflict between you and me, or at least to put aside the conflict."
"There are some situations that you may not quite understand..."
The Judgment Knight directly interrupted the devil's speech and cursed: "What's so difficult to understand? No matter how you torture me, I will never give in!"
"Sooner or later, the church will discover my disappearance, find clues, and send the Crusaders to this cursed island to excommunicate you heretics!"
Chu Yang muttered outside the iron fence: "When did we torture her?"
Arcadio shrugged.
Li Jiasu looked helpless and asked: "You are so fearless, do you want to give you a dagger and let you stab me in the neck?"
"Then your church's Crusaders can rush over immediately."
The Judgment Knight turned his head in annoyance, and his angry gaze penetrated the devil's face through the golden mask.
"The Lord of the Atonement has a motto, 'Those who commit suicide will not reach the Kingdom of Heaven.'"
"You evil devil who plays with people's hearts! No matter how you talk, I will never commit suicide! I would rather die than cough cough cough..."
Probably because she spoke too fast and was so out of breath, she choked on her own saliva.
"Ahem...gu, kill me!"
The devil sighed,
"Listen, Chuyang's purpose in summoning me to this world is not evil."
"He neither intends to refine any Philosopher's Stone, nor does he intend to develop any evil secret method of immortality."
"He signed the Nine Hell Contract and summoned me to this world just to rebuild his family's castle!"
"Of course, I will also help him develop the island and improve the quality of life of the citizens."
Chu Yang nodded, his eyes looking straight at the golden religious mask of the 'Weeping One'.
"Brother Toledo, I admit that there are some problems with my methods."
"I used heretical means and summoned the devil to do something for me."
"However, my purpose is definitely not [heresy]!"
"I just want to renovate and rebuild the family castle, and at the same time make the territory rich. Is there a [sin] involved?"
After a pause, Chu Yang said seriously: "You can summon that magical mantra light ball used for lie detection to see if I have even a lie!"
The Judgment Knight was silent for a long time.
Then she said: "Federesh, even if you have a clear conscience."
Reaching out, the condemnation knight points to the devil,
"He is a devil. And our church must eradicate this evil heresy."
"So, no matter how long you keep me in the dungeon, when I get out of here, I will definitely return to the Holy City [Vatican], report the situation to the church, and then lead people to kill this devil!"
Li Jiasu: "..."
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
The devil laughed wildly.
The devil stopped laughing like a villain, and said to the crime knight in a deep voice: "So, I have already told you that there are some situations that you haven't reacted to yet."
The condemnation knight looked at the devil with cold eyes,
"What's the meaning?"
Arcadio, beside Chu Yang, shook his head slightly and sighed.
Li Jia Shu said calmly:
"Can you trust the church? Can the church trust you?"
Well, to explain with an example that is easier for people from Terra Blue Star to understand:
Suppose that there are two countries, country a and country c, fighting in an ice and snowy area.
A small team from country A took a secret and dangerous route to carry out an espionage mission. As a result, they encountered an accident and fell into an ice cave.
After half a day, they were discovered by a passing team of volunteers from Country C. At first glance, several people were frozen to death, and only one person was still alive. He passed out and was only one foot away from death.
A passing squad of volunteers from Country C chose to rescue the survivor from the ice cave and brought him back to the prisoner of war camp.
In the prisoner-of-war camp, this soldier from Country A was treated and revived, and he did not suffer any anti-human torture and received humanitarian prisoner-of-war treatment.
Two weeks later, due to the need for military decision-making, the political commissar of the Volunteer Army of Country C decided to let the soldier of Country A leave the prisoner-of-war camp, and asked him to return to the military camp of Country A with a letter or oral message, and asked him to tell the soldiers of Country A.
The superior officer said that our volunteer army of country C wants to send diplomatic envoys at xx time on x day at the xxx location to try to have a round of negotiations with your country a. If you want to come or not, if you don't keep the appointment, we will continue
beat!
So, based on the above information, let’s assume that after this soldier from country A returns to his home camp, he may encounter the following situation:
1. He was awarded a medal by the superior officer of Country A and became a combat hero in the army. After a few days of rest, he was appointed to an important position by the superior officer and returned to the front line again to continue the desperate struggle with the volunteers of Country C.
2. After delivering the letter/oral message, you will be immediately put into a small dark room and reviewed by the CIA for three or four weeks. Finally, if you are lucky, you will be kicked back to your hometown in country A; if you are unlucky, you will be kicked out for any reason.
For example, for crimes such as 'treason', 'having been brainwashed by the army of country C', etc., they were shot on the spot and buried in a hole.
Oh, even pensions don’t need to be paid.
From a logical and rational perspective, is 1. more likely to happen? Or is 2. more likely to happen?
So, from the perspective of seeking stability, what should this surviving soldier of Country A do?
Well, of course, he may also have great trust in the officer system and civilized system of country a, thinking that country a will not let down loyal soldiers like himself.
General Patton driving a tank and racing etc. must be fake news!
Ahem, in short, the devil explained to the Crime Knight why he did not recommend her to take the route of 'returning to the Holy City and telling the church what happened'.
After all, she can be considered [rescued by the devil] now.
She must know much better than outsiders such as Chu Yang, Arcadio, and Li Jiasu about what lie detection methods and examination methods the high-ranking monks in the Inquisition have.
So, does she dare to bet?
Is her faith in the church really as unwavering and pure as she had shown before?
The devil snapped his fingers,
The guard Hammer, who had been silent just now, took out the key chain from his waist, opened the fine iron door lock on the iron fence, then stepped forward and unlocked the fine iron shackles on the hands and feet of the condemnation knight.
"You can leave, I have no interest in locking you in a dungeon for the rest of your life." Outside the iron fence, the devil pointed at the stairs to the exit of the dungeon.
Then the devil patted the young lord on the shoulder again and said: "Chu Yang, I'm going back to rest first. There are still a lot of things to be busy with tomorrow."
Thump, thump, thump,
Li Jiasu left the dungeon directly.
In the dungeon, the remaining people were silent for a long time.
Or maybe, it wasn't that long.
The condemnation knight stood up.
She walked towards the cell door,
Others make way.
Walking out of the cell, she walked towards the stairs to the dungeon exit.
One step, two steps, three steps,
He walked slower and slower, his steps gradually wavering.
There was a 'pop' sound,
The condemnation knight fell to the ground,
Tears dripped from the sides of the golden mask,
She sobbed.
Chu Yang stepped forward, walked to her side, and was silent for 12 seconds.
Then, he took out a velvet purple handkerchief from his coat pocket and handed it to her.
"Ms. Juana, calm down."
"I hope you can count me begging you...can you stay in Gusi City for a while?"
The young man's emotions are complicated:
"Please use your own eyes to look at my actions, the actions of the devil, the various things happening in Gus City, and the changes that have taken place on this island."
"After that, it's not too late for you to make your own choice, right?"
Juana stretched out her trembling hands and took off the golden mask from her face,
And took the handkerchief from Chuyang,
Wiped away her tears.
===Volume 1 "Storm in the Ocean: Cursed Harbor", completed ===