Chapter 35: The Assassin Instructor
Asker arrived at the edge of the river valley.
He saw a man in white standing in the middle of the open space.
He had dark brown eyes, slightly curly hair, a high nose bridge, and deep-set eyes, seemingly of Middle Eastern descent from the Ilania region. He held an old book in his hand and had the elegant demeanor of a scholar.
However, his kill count, which had instantly climbed to 10, indicated that this person was definitely not a scholar.
After seeing his face clearly, Asker placed his hand on the sword at his waist.
“Do you know me?” The man turned and asked gently.
“Why do you say that?” Asker asked back.
“That’s the look you give when you see someone you know.” The man replied. “But I don’t remember ever meeting you.”
“Perhaps I mistook you for someone else.” Asker said.
“Who did you mistake me for?” The man asked curiously.
“Rasul, the youngest Assassin Instructor in the history of the Ilanian Assassin sect?” Asker said.
The man silently closed his book.
“It seems you really do know me.” Rasul said. “Do you know why I’m waiting for you here?”
“I’d like to hear it.” Asker said.
“You killed one of our people.” Rasul replied. “The White-Clad Assassin, Jalaluddin, was discovered by you while carrying out a mission in Olympia. He was killed while trying to assassinate you.”
“According to the customs of the Assassin organization, we should at least avenge him once.” Rasul said calmly. “So we started collecting information about you, and the results were quite interesting.”
“Asker Lepidus Achilles, from the Achilles family of the Eastern Solomon Empire, and also the last member of the family.”
“Early records indicate that you were just a mediocre person. Your parents hoped that you would study law or accounting, but your test scores weren’t good enough. Later, your family pulled some strings to get you a high school teacher position, clearly having lost confidence in your life, only hoping that you would live a mediocre life.”
“From beginning to end, you had no experience in learning martial arts or entering the transcendental world, until your parents were killed, and you suddenly displayed strangely superb strength, killing a level 2 Transcendental with an ordinary person’s body, and it was a Flesh Sequence known for its powerful life force.”
“Then you started to form a mercenary group, and the people around you appeared one after another.”
“The daughter of the Duke of Bavaria, the daughter of an Italian family, and even the daughters of the two emperors of the Eastern Solomon Empire and the Seljuk Empire. It seems you are a collector of noble ladies.”
“However, the little thief from the Thieves Guild, the desperate half-elf, the down-and-out mercenary from the North, and the girl next door all indicate that you might just have overflowing sympathy for the lower classes.”
“To be honest, we have never seen such a strange mercenary group, composed of people from different countries, different ethnicities, different classes, different ages, and different personalities. The only thing they have in common is their gender, which is meaningless.”
“The strangest one is you. From the limited information, we found that you are proficient in various weapons and tactics, from greatswords, short swords, and straight swords, to spears, battle axes, shields, and even firearms. There seems to be no weapon or technique that you don’t know.”
“Although you chose the Weapon Master bloodline, which seems reasonable, judging from the exquisite skills you displayed, it’s not something that can be brought about by potions.”
“What intrigued us the most was the Ilania Flash Step and Multi-Stage Counter-Charge you demonstrated during the contest in the Night’s Watch legion. Those are assassin techniques that people outside the Assassin sect cannot learn.”
“Don’t you have anything to say? Mr. Asker?” Rasul finally asked.
“You’ve said it all, what else can I say?” Asker said with a chuckle. “Your investigation into our team members is even more thorough than my own understanding.”
“Well, how about we change the way we do this.” Rasul pondered. “We take turns asking questions, and the other party answers, how about that?”
“Sure.” Asker said.
“Let me ask first.” Rasul said seriously. “Do you have any direct or indirect hostility towards the Ilanian Assassin organization?”
“No.” Asker replied. “Are you here to kill me?”
“Originally yes, but I changed my mind.” Rasul said with a smile. “Did you obtain the martial arts inheritance of the Ilanian Assassins through any direct or indirect means?”
“Sort of.” Asker said vaguely.
Having played an Assassin character in his previous life and having spent a long time in the Assassin sect, that counted, right?
“Did you assassins come here to destroy Olympia?” Asker asked.
“Not at all.” Rasul said with his hands behind his back. “Mr. Asker, did you bring your people here intending to get involved in the conflict between Olympia and the Latin Crusaders?”
“We came here only to purchase the corresponding potion materials.” Asker replied. “But, if there is an opportunity for practical training, we don’t rule out the possibility of participating in the battle.”
“Mr. Rasul, you claim that the Ilanian Assassins do not intend to destroy Olympia, but your actions have actually had a destructive effect, how do you explain this?”
“The explanation is that everything we Ilanian Assassins have done in the city was under the instruction of City Lord Appius.” Rasul said meaningfully.
The city lord’s instruction? Asker was stunned. Wait, wouldn’t that mean…
“It seems you’ve also guessed it.” Rasul said leisurely. “Mr. Asker, who do you think will be the final victor in the current chaotic international situation, the Latin Empire, the Seljuk Empire, or the remnants of the Eastern Solomon Empire?”
Is he testing my insight? Asker pondered for a moment and replied:
“The Latin Empire cannot last long. It is built on armed force, but it has neither the support of the people nor the financial resources. It will be the first to fall.”
“The Eastern Solomon Empire also has no chance of reclaiming the capital. Once the Seljuk Empire completely digests Anatolia, Constantinople will be in the tiger’s mouth, with no chance of survival.”
“The only hope is for the Church to launch another Crusade. However, the war between Pope Innocent and Emperor Otto of the Holy Roman Empire is imminent, and there is no condition for another Crusade.”
“The best outcome for the Eastern Solomon Empire is to hold onto the Siris province, they shouldn’t even expect to keep the Macedonia province. In the long run, the Seljuks’ dominance in the East cannot be shaken.”
“Well said.” Rasul applauded, a faint look of approval on his face.
“Then, the question I want to ask is,” Asker said cautiously, “the Ilanian Assassins are wreaking havoc in the city, and the people they assassinate are actually the doves among Olympia’s high-ranking officials? Since City Lord Appius instructed you to do so, it means that he anticipates that the Latin Crusaders will go all out in the siege next?”
“That’s two questions.” Rasul said lightly. “But for the sake of your previous answer, I can answer you.”
“The targets of our assassinations were some stubborn doves and a few not-so-firm hawks, otherwise the intention of the assassinations would be too obvious.”
“The Latin Crusaders will indeed attack with all their might, because the Church has sent instructions, ordering the Latin Empire to capture Olympia as soon as possible, and declaring that Olympia is the source of all evil, the vanguard of the supernatural world eroding the civilized world, the serpent of sin that tempts humanity to fall.”
“Here’s some additional information. The reason why the Church declared this is because Emperor Otto recently issued the Walpurgis Decree, declaring that any Transcendental within the empire, as long as they are registered and certified by the local lord, can enjoy the right not to be arrested by the Inquisition.”
“After this decree was issued, a large number of lords in the Holy Roman Empire chose to hire Transcendents as secret advisors, which angered Pope Solomon.”
“He ordered the Inquisitions, Templar Knights, and Witch Hunters of various countries to capture and kill the Transcendents within their territories, and at the same time, quickly excommunicated several counts in the Holy Roman Empire who openly accepted Transcendents.”
“And attacking Olympia is also a major signal of the Church declaring war on the supernatural world, showing the Church’s determination to defend technological civilization.”
In other words, these Crusader fanatics would definitely do their best to besiege Olympia, and City Lord Appius, in order to prepare for war, hired Ilanian Assassins to carry out internal purges…
Asker rubbed his brows, feeling that this plot was several times more complicated than the game in his previous life.
“The conflict between religious authority and imperial power, the split between East and West, the all-out confrontation between technological civilization and the supernatural world will inevitably lead to clashes and massacres of iron and blood.” Rasul’s voice lowered.
“What about you? Mr. Asker, where do you stand?”
“We only stand on our own side.” Asker replied.
“Everyone only wants to stand on their own side.” Rasul said, “However, in times of chaos, weakness is the original sin.”
“Like camels in the desert, when encountering a sandstorm, they have to huddle together, enduring each other’s roughness and stench. Those camels standing alone on the sand dunes, seemingly proud and free, are actually the fools who die the fastest.”
“What role does the Ilanian Assassin organization want to play in these chaotic times?” Asker asked slowly. “Mercenaries? Information brokers? War profiteers?”
“See, we still have common ground.” Rasul smiled gently. “I intend to offer you honorary membership in the Ilanian Assassin organization, how about that? This way, we can write off the past.”
“It’s not the first time I’ve been an external advisor in a major organization.” Asker smiled wryly. “What are the specific rights and obligations?”
“You can pay for our intelligence, and of course, you can also sell intelligence.” Rasul said, “Occasionally, we will issue some missions. You can choose to accept them, and of course, there will be rewards. It’s okay if you don’t accept them.”
“It seems I have no reason to refuse.” Asker said.
“Of course, we only offer this status to special individuals we want to befriend.” Rasul said lightly. “After this dream ends, someone will contact you, Mr. Asker.”
“From now on, we are no longer enemies.”
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