xymnovel Chapter 24 Connection
Chapter 24 Connection
In the silent corridor, Maria and Raymond walked one after the other, with enough space between them for three more people to stand.
Maria glanced at the Count out of the corner of her eye, finally unable to hold back any longer, and asked, "What did you and that Guy... say to the King that made him so angry?" Her voice was filled with suppressed anger. "He even took his anger out on me!"
"Your Majesty, how could you not understand? The conflict between you and the King wasn't caused by Guy now. You know perfectly well your attitude towards him and the actual interference you caused when he was in power..."
Raymond sighed, his gaze still fixed ahead: "However, the immediate trigger was Guy. While I was away and the King was ill, he lied and claimed to be exercising regency. I don't know what agreement he reached with Chancellor Jocelyn, but he not only embezzled a large sum of money for himself, but also allocated a considerable portion to Raymond."
Maria was speechless for a moment, then sighed softly, her words tinged with resentment: "Count, your understanding of women remains shallow. A widow, utterly alone in the court, perhaps her only remedy is ambition. I suppose the princess is the same..."
Noticing the Count's slightly stiffened expression, Maria changed the subject, asking, "But is Guy really that lawless? Is nobody able to control him?"
Raymond sneered, "Not now, but soon. Guy, besides his filthy affair with Joslin, was also leading his Templar friends on a massive search and torture operation in Jerusalem the other day, all to find out who the so-called Assassins are."
"Assassins?" Maria pondered for a moment. "Count, your father..."
The count shook his head, stopped, turned to the railing of the palace corridor, gazed into the distance, and said, "The Assassins are indeed a mysterious and terrifying organization that we still cannot fully understand; even my father died at their hands. However, the Assassins are ultimately a heretical branch of Shia Islam, and their conflicts with Saladin and the Zengid dynasty are probably far greater than ours. They will not pose a real threat to us in the short term."
"Guy's actions have not only brought trouble upon himself, but could even bring chaos to the kingdom..." Raymond leaned on the railing, looking down at the bustling crowd below the Tower of David, his expression grave. "Perhaps right here among this sea of people, there are already Assassins lurking, plotting their revenge..."
Beneath the Tower of David, amidst the bustling crowds of residents, vendors, and pilgrims, Altaïr moved like a fish through the throng. He passed through the noisy market center and arrived at a quieter neighborhood near the Temple Mount, lined with uniformly luxurious residences.
His gaze swept across the numerous buildings, finally settling on a sturdy stone structure built of Jerusalem's distinctive golden limestone. Its heavy oak doors were adorned with brass fittings, and its windows, though few, were large and inlaid with clear glass decorated with intricate patterns.
There were no extravagant flags outside the shop; instead, a modest wooden sign hung beside the door, bearing the shop's name—"Oriental Treasures"—carved in Latin and Arabic. Altaïr glanced at the sign and then pushed open the door to enter.
As the name suggests, this is a porcelain shop. The interior is spotless, filled with the pleasant scent of wood. Everywhere you look, the shelves are overflowing with exquisite porcelain. At the foot of the steps near the entrance, there's a counter where a man in a black overcoat stands with his back to the door, staring intently at the wall.
As Altaïr stepped inside, a clear bell rang from the counter. The man in black was startled, turned around, and their eyes met.
"Excuse me, sir/madam, are you...?"
Altaïr lowered his hood, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Malik, you've forgotten me so quickly?"
The shopkeeper in black was taken aback, then suddenly realized what was happening and hugged Altaïr tightly.
"Artyrus, why are you in Jerusalem instead of Egypt? Is there some mission you have?"
Altaïr patted Malik on the shoulder, turned around and looked around warily at the doorway, and said in a low voice, "It's not convenient here, we'd better find somewhere else to talk."
Malik nodded knowingly, quickly walked to the door and locked it, then went to the wall he had been facing. He groped between the shelves, then gently twisted his wrist. With a low rumble, the wall slowly slid open to both sides, revealing a dark passageway.
Altaïr stepped into the darkness without hesitation, followed closely by Malik, who pulled the lever in the passage, and the entrance immediately closed.
In the pitch-black darkness, the two men's steps were unusually steady and rapid.
"Malik, the Egyptian stronghold has been completely wiped out," Arterton paused, "Our former mentor, Almorin, betrayed the organization."
"Mentor? How could this be?!" Malik seemed stunned by this shocking news. "How is this possible?! Are you sure?"
Altaïr's tone was calm and utterly unwavering: "A month ago, he ordered me to assassinate the tax collector in Alexandria. After I succeeded, I prepared to return, only to find the city gates under martial law and the outpost wiped out. I tried to return to the outpost to find Almorin and salvage the secrets, but in a passage known only to Almorin and me, I stumbled into a trap set by the soldiers..."
“A week later, he appeared in Cairo, killed a man, and took an emerald from him,” Altaïr continued. “That man was a guard of the tax collector I assassinated, and the emerald was originally the tax collector’s ornament. The strangest thing is that Saladin’s guards ignored it before and after Almorin’s murder, as if it were just an accident.”
"this……"
Altaïr patted Malik on the shoulder, his voice still calm: "I came here for three reasons: first, I had nowhere else to go; second, I was wary of you, be careful of Almorin; and third, I was looking for answers—does that emerald hold any secret? I have a feeling that this emerald is the key to connecting all of this..."
"An emerald?" Malik frowned. "What secret could that thing possibly hold? It's not even as valuable as the porcelain in my shop. But..." he hesitated, "My current mentor just returned from Damascus, and he did have an emerald hanging from his waist. He told me it was a gift from a friend. It looks no different from an ordinary emerald to me, so it probably has nothing to do with what you're talking about..."
Altaïr seemed to have been electrocuted, his voice suddenly rising: "Where is that mentor? Take me to him now!"
"Uh... he's on a mission. A few days ago, a nobleman named Guy led Templar Knights to wipe out several of our communication stations. After discussion, the elders decided to eliminate Guy, and the mentor volunteered. He had already set off before you arrived..."