The towering chapel tower stood in the Flea Nest, counting as the only exquisite building in this place.
At this moment, the police officers on the tower forcibly blew a copper trumpet, the sharp sound making one’s heart uneasy.
The originally bustling and noisy market of the Flea Nest had now fallen into complete silence.
The sound of hard-soled leather boots striking the ground broke this stillness.
A large contingent of police officers marched through the streets.
Every certain distance, a small squad would remain behind.
They firmly controlled all the streets and intersections, checking every passerby one by one.
What was even more unsettling than the police force were the black-clad figures that flashed from time to time on the streets.
They wore black robes that hung down to their feet, with a military emblem of a cross-sword hanging at the collar.
They were the executors of the Heresy Inquisition Bureau, seemingly waiting for something.
Initially, the Heresy Inquisition Bureau was a religious tribunal institution of the Papal State.
With the promulgation of the Religious Secrets Act, every kingdom that believed in the All-Saints Church had to establish a Heresy Inquisition Bureau, and the executors had to receive training and supervision from the Papal State.
Nowadays, except for the Northern Continent that had converted to the Holy Christine Sect and abolished the establishment of the Heresy Inquisition Bureau, the Heresy Inquisition Bureaus of other countries still held the highest level of law enforcement power and were equipped with sophisticated gear.
They specialized in cracking down on cases of heretical crime.
Matters that the military and the police force found difficult to resolve could be handled within a few days once they took over.
By the time superiors remembered to inquire about the progress, the heretical criminals might already have been executed.
At the crossroads in the center of the Flea Nest, eight tall steeds snorted with steaming breath.
The heavy steel carriage crushed the road surface, and the limestone paving stones cracked under the wheels.
This carriage was the mobile command center of the Carolingian Heresy Inquisition Bureau.
Only the director and deputy director had the authority to mobilize this carriage, because it symbolized the Heresy Inquisition Bureau itself.
Wherever it went was the place where heresy would be eradicated.
Inside the carriage, on the genuine leather sofas, the officials sat upright and solemn.
Opposite them was a man with magenta hair, a golden military emblem of the cross-sword hanging from the black robe’s silk ribbon.
Even without the identity of the secret army’s leader, the name Richard was known to everyone throughout Parisie.
He was the eldest son of the usurper Robert.
Richard had once gone to the Papal State to study as a monk.
When he returned, he had already become an executor appointed by the cardinal.
After ascending to the position of director, Richard was known for his sharp methods of enforcement.
He had personally sent hundreds of heretics to the stake.
Some said that the reason Carolingia had not yet been completely infiltrated by the vampires of the Northern Continent was precisely because of his existence.
However, there were rumors that old Robert did not favor this eldest son and for many years had not designated Richard as his political successor.
At this moment, those inside the carriage were all officials responsible for the public security and defense of Parisie.
The reason they had been summoned by Richard was the emergency task of clearing out heretics in the Flea Nest tonight.
The inspector of the Parisie Public Security Bureau lowered his voice and asked, “Are you satisfied with the execution of the blockade work, sir?”
The Public Security Bureau, long famous for its bulkiness and lengthy procedures, had elevated its administrative capacity to the extreme within a single afternoon.
At this moment, one thousand police officers had already sealed off the Flea Nest.
Only after arranging everything properly did the inspector dare to come and report.
Richard picked up a list of matters that had already been written out and recited the content on it without expression.
“Your task is to hold firm. No matter what happens, you must not leave your positions. All other matters will be undertaken by the executors of my bureau.”
“Understood!” the inspector responded loudly.
Richard put down the list in his hand.
“The task of the police force is to blockade the city, but merely setting up roadblocks at the street entrances is not enough.”
The inspector looked astonished.
He originally had no right to inquire about the actions of the Heresy Inquisition Bureau, but he had managed this city for more than twenty years and was familiar with every road here.
He had divided the one thousand men into seven groups.
The roads and bridges entering and exiting the Flea Nest would all be sealed, as if surrounded by iron walls.
Was this still not enough?
“It is not only that there are paths above ground and on the water. Beneath Parisie lies a vast sewer network that can lead to any place in the city,” Richard said in a flat tone.
“Quickly go find the blueprints of the waterways!”
Only then did the official from the city hall remember that filthy, dark place.
The public security inspector might not know, but the urban planning layout was the responsibility of the city hall.
“The sewers have a history of a hundred years. They were renovated more than ten times in the previous dynasty, and the blueprints of the city hall have long been inaccurate. However, all the waterways ultimately must lead to the north bank of the Seine River. Please have the city defense army arrange musketeers on the downstream north bank outside the city to wait at ease for the exhausted,” Richard drew a cross mark on the northern part of the Parisie map.
However, the affirmative reply was long in coming.
The predecessor of the city defense army was the Norman knights who had usurped the country together with Robert.
They should have been the most loyal unit of the new Carolingia.
Richard felt a slight surprise, raised his head, and saw the city defense army commander wearing an embarrassed expression.
“Sorry, Director Richard… Your younger sister, Princess Anne, transferred away twenty musketeers from the city defense army just this afternoon…”
***
In the luxurious and brilliant casino hall, soothing music played leisurely.
The sound of chips colliding interwove with the sound of high heels striking the floor.
Behind the corridor pillars of the hall, the Stranger gazed with interest at the gambling table that was surrounded layer upon layer by the crowd.
The black-clad accountant slightly bowed behind the Stranger and said softly, “The carriage of the Heresy Inquisition Bureau is parked at the crossroads. Approximately more than a thousand law enforcers have surrounded the Flea Nest.”
“How is the account reconciliation going?” the Stranger asked.
“Everything else is completed. Only the middle table remains. That blond-haired girl mixed a large amount of ordinary gold coins into it. We need to remove them one by one,” the accountant responded in a low voice, worry in his tone.
“What’s there to panic about? Richard has not yet figured out our location. There is still ample time. Do you think the procedures we have used for four years would go wrong so easily? This is just like a ledger that someone has casually scrawled a few strokes on. It only takes some time to erase them. But you need to figure out who is randomly scribbling on the ledger. That is by no means just an ordinary young lady who came to have a good time,” the Stranger said in an unhurried tone.
“Then who exactly is she?”
“The second princess of the Empire, Flora Lucis.”
“Lucis?! The descendants of the traitors…”
The Stranger quickly stretched out his hand to cover the accountant’s mouth, forcibly pushing the startled cry back into his throat.
He had long anticipated the accountant’s reaction upon hearing this name.
In the secret history passed down by the Dragon Worship Cult, the Lucis family had once been the earliest human tribe to swear allegiance to the Chen King.
They were the original dragon descendants and also the most noble of the priests.
However, in the war raised by the magic sword wielder blessed by the false god, the ancestors of Lucis turned their coats on the battlefield, killed the Chen King, and then crowned themselves as the king of humans.
Therefore, the Lucis clan became the most vile traitors in the history of the Dragon Worship Cult.
In the distance beside the gambling table, Liz slightly raised her head.
Her bright red pupils were concealed behind her chestnut hair.
Her gaze fell on the corridor pillar.
Even though the distance was far, she actually detected the Stranger behind the pillar.
Since he had already been discovered, the Stranger no longer hid.
He opened his arms wide and strode toward the gambling table in the center of the hall.
He stopped on the other side of the gambling table and locked eyes with Flora across it.
Through the bronze mask, the Stranger slightly narrowed his eyes, the corner of his mouth raising a cold smile.
“Good evening, beautiful lady.”
Flora met the Stranger’s gaze, her expression indifferent.
“You must be the owner of this casino. I didn’t expect you would appear in person.”
“You are the guest with the largest stake. As the operator, I naturally have to come pay my respects to this major customer of yours.”
The Stranger’s tone was high-pitched and somewhat affected, like a tenor in a drama. “I wonder if you are enjoying yourself tonight?”
“Of course not yet fully enjoyed. I am waiting for a turnaround to recover my capital,” Flora lightly raised her eyebrows and revealed a faint smile.
At this moment, the chips on this table had already piled up to six hundred gold coins.
Its value was enough to build a small city on flat ground.
“I’m afraid our humble shop is no longer able to pay for your spoils of war. We are willing to refund the chips in full and offer a thirty percent compensation. We earnestly request that you stop here. How about it?”
“You still have the real grand prize that has not been presented, right? For example, that three thousand pounds of gold, Mr. Dragon Priest,” Flora chuckled lightly, piercing through the Stranger’s lie.
“Princess, the Heresy Inquisition Bureau has already surrounded the outside. We are all trapped in this small casino,” a shrewd look flashed in the Stranger’s eyes.
Upon learning that her identity had been exposed, Flora felt a tightness in her heart, but still maintained her composure.
“So what? This doesn’t seem to affect us continuing this game. The Dragon Worship Cult shouldn’t be a group of untrustworthy cowards, right?”
“Credit? What qualification do you Lucis have to talk about credit? You who once betrayed the Chen King are now nothing more than shaky on the throne,” the Stranger laughed loudly, his laughter full of mockery.
“And certain rodents are still kneeling and worshiping the reptiles from a thousand years ago, scavenging leftovers from under our shaky throne,” Flora’s face still wore that faint smile.
Liz scanned the waiters and black-clad people who were gathering around.
They were all staring tightly at her and the princess.
Their arms were either placed on their waists or hidden behind their backs, most likely holding weapons.
There were more than a hundred people in total.
Although Liz could retreat unscathed even without weapons by relying on her charm technique and combat skills, at this moment her primary task was to protect the princess, making the difficulty increase several times.
At the moment when the situation was tense, a huge black shadow appeared behind the Stranger and lightly placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Her Highness also wants to gamble a round with you,” that person said in a low voice, the sound as if iron and stone colliding.
That person was dressed in crimson cotton armor.
After firearms came to dominate the battlefield, traditional plate armor declined from being standard equipment for elites to an expensive and impractical item.
Thus, cotton armor with cloth as the outer layer and iron plates installed inside appeared.
This cloth-faced armor was inexpensive to produce and could resist bullets, so it naturally received the favor of the military departments of various countries.
The city defense army of Parisie also chose to make cotton armor their standard equipment.
Everyone’s gazes focused on that soldier.
Behind him were more than ten soldiers wearing crimson cotton armor.
They carried new-style bolt-action rifles on their shoulders, like a crimson iron wall.
The iron wall then split open.
The “Her Highness” they referred to finally revealed her true face.
It was Anne, dressed in a violet long skirt.
Her rose-pink long hair was tied up with a light purple hair ribbon.
She lightly passed through the crowd surrounding the gambling table, sat down beside Flora, crossed her legs, and her slender toes gently hooked.
“Are you ready, Dragon Priest? Come and gamble a round with me?”
The eyes beneath that bronze mask were tinged with a bit of anxiety.
After succeeding to the name of Stranger, this was the first time he felt the situation slipping out of his control.
Anne Normandy was the youngest daughter of the current King of Carolingia, Robert.
Her elder brother Richard was the hunting dog of the All-Saints Church.
Their family was guarded against in every possible way by the church order, and the movements of the royal family members had long been under surveillance.
Anne should not have had any opportunity to obtain the exact information about tonight’s account reconciliation.
Yet at this moment, she had brought an army armed with firearms right before him.
“Why should I gamble with you?” A low growl came from the Stranger’s throat.
The attendants and black-clad men surrounding the gambling table slowly dispersed and formed ranks facing the city defense soldiers with rifles on their shoulders.
Liz quietly stood up, took hold of Flora’s arm, and signaled with her eyes for her to take this opportunity to slip away and leave.
But the princess only lightly shook her head and continued to sit beside Anne.
“The princess and I are both the stakes. You have no way to refuse. If you win, the princess and I as hostages will be enough to ensure your safe departure from the city. But if you refuse to gamble with me, my people will open fire. Regardless of whether you win or lose, this location will be exposed, and neither you nor your gold will leave Parisie tonight.”
Anne played with the chips in one hand.
“Hahahaha! Looking at it this way, I really have no room for choice left.”
“Let’s begin. If it finishes quickly, I can still go to sleep on time tonight,” Anne said lazily.