You don't even want to call me godfather

After washing up, the two men checked the weapons they were carrying one last time and then went out.

The door of the room had been broken by Ou Ya before, so there was no need to bring the room key.

"You are here, Godfather."

Downstairs, Ou Ya's car was parked on the side of the road. He leaned against the car door, holding a cigarette in his hand.

Seeing Koshei and Iris coming downstairs, he threw away the cigarette and got into the driver's seat.

The two got in the car. This time, apart from Azazel and Raphael, there was no sign of Ben Hong.

"Where is that girl?" Koshe asked after the car started, "The girl named Benhong."

"From what she said, it seems that her sister, the head of the interrogation department of the notary office, called her away because of something," Ou Ya observed the vehicles behind him through the rearview mirror, drove the car onto the road, and said, "I don't know what it is exactly. We have no right to interfere in other people's family affairs."

Koshe didn't say anything. He found that Azazel beside him was looking out the window, and Raphael was sitting in the passenger seat, also without saying a word.

He and Iris exchanged glances, both noticing the oppressive atmosphere.

"Why do you look so depressed today?"

Looking at Ou Ya's furrowed brows in the rearview mirror, Koshe asked tentatively.

"'The Operations Section 2 team led by Ou Ya must protect the safety of the Syracuse representative.' This was the order given by Section Chief Xila this morning," Ou Ya looked at Koshei through the rearview mirror and said, "If it was just a task from the upper level, it might be okay, but if it came from Xila, it feels a little abnormal."

"Sila? Has she returned to Rutland?"

After Ou Ya mentioned this, Koshe suddenly remembered the existence of the character Xila, and also remembered the dozens of large firearms still lying in the Solomons Brewery.

Only then did he realize that the matter of the smuggled firearms being replaced, the crew being killed, and the people sent by Lateran to investigate might not be resolved so easily.

He even felt that the uneasiness he felt after coming to Lateran this time might be related to those firearms of unknown origin.

"Well, he just came back this morning and gave us the order," Ou Ya said, "Azazel should have met with Section Chief Xila."

"Well..." Azazel turned his head, a little absent-mindedly, "Not only mother, but also sister, are back."

"We also found a secret room under the church where the prisoner Hexi, who was arrested yesterday, worked. There were also some saltpeter and gunpowder left over from making bombs. It is very likely that this was the original base of the fallen angels," Ou Ya continued. "Now they should have found a new base. Potential dangers are always around us, which makes everyone uneasy."

"That's really..."

Although Koshe only understood half of what was said, after seeing so many things happening, he could roughly understand why they all looked so depressed.

"Alas," Ou Ya sighed, his tone quite helpless, "There are indeed too many things happening recently, it's really 'business is booming'."

"I heard that the executors of your notary office will take care of many aspects of the affairs," Koshe asked calmly, feeling the completely different atmosphere from yesterday, "from small things like helping people find cats to big things like delivering exam papers. Haven't you ever encountered such a situation before?"

"You haven't lived in Lateran, so you may not understand, Godfather," Ou Ya shook his head with a wry smile and sighed, "After working in this industry for a long time, many people often feel empty. Many people have thought about resigning, but they can't support their families with ideals alone."

"That's really a sad thing..." Koshei's eyes fell on the rapidly receding streets outside the window. For some reason, he muttered to himself, "It feels like a war is about to break out."

Chapter 51: The Secret Revealed

"arrive."

At the Hall of Nations, Ou Ya's car stopped at the door.

In the car, Raphael took off the musket on his back and handed it to Azazel in the back seat, and Azazel also handed his long gun to Raphael.

The two exchanged their guard guns and got out of the car first, followed by Koshe and Iris.

"Azazel, you will attend the meeting with the Godfather as the messenger of all nations," Ou Ya lowered the car window and gave one last instruction, "Raphael, take Asa's long gun to the building near the synagogue to keep watch. If you see any suspicious persons, notify me and Asa immediately."

"Okay, I understand, Uncle Ouya."

Raphael put Azazel's musket on his back, looked left and right at the passing vehicles, then crossed the road and blended into the crowd.

"Then I'll go back to the notary office first. Godfather, if anything happens, Azazel will prioritize your safety, and I'll be here soon."

After Ou Ya and Koshei finished talking, they rolled up the car windows and drove away.

"Let's go in first, Godfather," Azazel took out his work ID from his pocket and hung it around his neck, saying, "Standing outside the hall for too long might arouse suspicion from the guards."

"Well," Koshe retracted his gaze towards the crowd. Just now, when Raphael left, he vaguely sensed some abnormal gazes coming straight towards him. "Let's go, Iris."

The three of them walked up dozens of steps and arrived at the door of the synagogue. The door was wide open, but when they entered, two guards blocked their way.

"You must register your identity first. Only representatives of other countries and messengers from all nations can enter."

One of the guards walked up to Azazel, raised a device in his hand, and scanned the work ID hanging around his neck.

Meanwhile, another guard was registering the identities of Koshe and Iris.

"Okay, let's go."

Azazel's personal information was displayed on the device, and Koshei had also completed the registration, so the guard let them go.

"Is that all?" After entering the auditorium, Iris mentioned in confusion as they walked down the corridor. "I thought there would be a body search."

"Generally, we don't control representatives of other countries so strictly," Azazel observed the others in the corridor and followed their direction, while explaining, "It's a kind of trust in other countries. Besides, no one would be so reckless as to pull out a weapon at the International Conference."

"It seems that the Lord of Rutland is not a particularly conservative person."

Koshe said that he was a little worried when he registered just now. The pistol was inserted at the lower back. If the guard searched his body, he would find this firearm without a qualified certificate.

"In Lateran, we usually call him the Pope, not the Lord," Azazel corrected Koshei's address and reminded him, "All departments and facilities in Lateran are managed by the Pope himself. He is a very reliable grandfather."

"Is this so..."

Koshe silently memorized the title of Pope in his heart. He looked at the extremely sparse flow of people in the corridor. Basically, there was a Sakota with people of other races, who were undoubtedly representatives of other countries.

Seeing those Sakota leading the representatives of other countries into a door, Azazel followed suit and led Koshe and Iris into the room.

This seems to be a reception room. It is large enough to accommodate dozens of people, and there are dozens of chairs and tea tables placed against the wall.

"Mr. Cascade?"

Just when the three of them were at a loss as to what to do, a female voice called out to Koshei.

"Ms. Viviana?" Koshe turned around and saw that it was Viviana. He responded politely, "You are here so early."

"We just arrived," Viviana looked back at the Knight behind her and smiled, "As expected, as I said, we will meet soon."

"Isn't Miss Viviana accompanied by a messenger from all nations?"

Koshe noticed that there was no Sakota following them around like Azazel did, so he asked.

"As for me, the protection of the Knights is enough. After the Universal Messenger brought us here, I asked him to leave first," Viviana nodded. She looked up at the corner of the ceiling of the reception room, where several surveillance cameras were rotating. She seemed very relieved. "Although there don't seem to be many guards in the hall to avoid crowding, the alarm system here seems to be well-made."

"After all, representatives from more than a dozen countries gather here, so it must be the most heavily guarded place," Koshe agreed. He looked at the seat closest to them and gestured, "Why don't we sit down and talk?"

"Of course, Mr. Cascade."

There were several chairs and a tea table. Koshe and Viviana sat beside the tea table. Iris, the Knight of the Cross, and Azazel, the messenger of all nations, stood aside and watched the representatives of other countries with some caution.

Just after they sat down, a man named Sakta, dressed as a waiter, came over with a teapot.

He poured a cup of tea for each of them and left the teapot on the tea table.

"I heard that there have been several terrorist acts in Lateran recently," Viviana picked up the teacup, swung it, poured the tea in the cup into the waste liquid outlet on the tea table, and poured another cup of tea. "I don't know if it's alarmist, but it just happened that during the period when the International Conference was about to be held, Lateran, which has always been characterized by peace and tranquility, would also have these terrible incidents."

"It's true. The Azazel next to me is an executor who handles terrorist incidents, or should I say... handles fallen angels?" Koshe was also very particular. He made another cup of tea like Viviana. "But to put it bluntly, we, the representatives of other countries, are the most advantageous kidnapping targets for those terrorists."

"You're joking, Mr. Cascade," Viviana didn't seem to agree with Koshe's idea. She gracefully covered her mouth with her hand and took a sip of tea. "Before this, we had no contact with Rutland. Why would they take such a big risk to kidnap strangers like us?"

"No, no, this is too obvious, Miss Viviana," Koshe smiled and shook his head, explaining, "Since you are Casimir's diplomatic representative, you should understand some things. No matter what the terrorists' motivation is for kidnapping representatives of other countries, if the representatives lose contact in Lateran or even get into trouble, what do you think the country they belong to will think of Lateran?"

"Even those terrorists belong to the country of Lateran..." Viviana frowned slightly, as if she understood something. "If the person who is threatened is even the monarch of a country, then what will happen next is..."

"War," Koshei put down his teacup. He suddenly realized that the topic was heading in a serious direction, so he immediately ended the topic. "Well... But this kind of thing is not something we can get involved in."

"Mr. Cascade means..."

"Sorry, I have to excuse myself for a moment," Koshe stood up. He knew he needed to avoid the topic for a while in order to completely end it. In order not to appear too serious, he also said to Azazel and Iris, "Wait here for a while. I'll be back soon."

Although Koshei immediately dropped the topic, what he didn't notice was that behind him, a pink-haired Sarkaz, who was drinking tea with his back to them, paused for a moment after hearing Koshei's speech.

He turned his head slightly and glanced at the people behind him.

"Your Highness, what happened?"

Beside him, a black-robed man with a golden mask asked him, a pair of long white horns protruding from the black-robed man's hood.

"No, nothing." The pink-haired Sarkaz put down his teacup. He used his dark pink eyes to observe the people who passed by. He did not make any expression, but his eyebrows were full of gloom. "I just found something interesting."

He fastened his cape and stood up, flexing his fingers in his armor.

"Your Highness, where are you going?"

The man in black robe immediately tightened his grip on the silver hilt, as if every move of the pink-haired Sarkaz was an order to him.

"You stay here," the pink-haired Sarkaz glanced at him and ordered, "I'm going to do what I want to do. I don't need you to accompany me."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Chapter 52: Tracy

"call……"

At the end of the corridor outside the reception room, there is an unusually large window, which also serves as a smoking area.

Taking the opportunity to avoid the topic, Koshe leaned on the windowsill and lit a cigarette.

Looking at the passers-by walking downstairs outside the window, Koshei exhaled a puff of smoke, took a breath, and then exhaled some mist.

“It still looks cold.”

He flicked the ash off his cigarette and muttered to himself.

"It's already spring, but there's no sign of warming up," Just then, a person who seemed to suddenly appear beside him leaned against the windowsill and sighed, "But the sunshine at this moment is still quite comfortable."

"Excuse me, are you..."

Koshe turned his head and looked at the pink-haired Sarkaz beside him. For some reason, he felt that this person looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him before.

"Can I borrow one?" The pink-haired Sarkaz asked Koshei for a cigarette. He lit the cigarette and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. After a long while, he introduced, "Tracys, the regent of Kazdel, and also the king of Victoria."

Tracy's behavior of not hiding his special identity made Koshe a little overwhelmed.

But what surprised him even more was that at this moment he finally understood why Tracy looked so familiar.

He thought of... Theresa's ghost.

"Koshei... Cascade," Koshei gave his name hesitantly. After knowing the identity of the person in front of him, he needed to figure out the other party's purpose in contacting him, "The... Godfather of Syracuse."

"Godfather, um... Godfather," Tracys looked into the distance, the corners of his mouth slightly raised for no apparent reason, "You should be wondering now why I suddenly contacted you."

Facing Tracy's straight punches again and again, Koshe was a little confused. At least in his current life, he had never encountered such a way of talking to people.

"Observe the other party's psychological activities and translate them into words to create a feeling that the other party's thoughts have been completely seen through by oneself." Koshe couldn't help but sneer, perhaps sneering at his own short-sightedness. "So, what exactly are you here for? I think a king who owns two countries shouldn't be so idle as to ask someone to borrow a cigarette to smoke."

"Should I say you are smart, or just a brave man?" The corners of Tresis' mouth slightly raised, as if he didn't care about Koshe's rudeness, as if he treated him as a person of the same level as himself. "About a month ago, I learned from the messenger of natural disasters that the government of Syracuse collapsed four months ago, and a man named Cascade took the position of lord. Don't worry, I just want to chat with you."

"A king wants to talk to the leader of a small country like mine." Koshe obviously didn't believe what Tresis said. He smiled and shook his head, his expression gradually becoming serious. "Do you think I will believe it?"

"Whether you believe it or not, what does it matter? We are talking now, so my goal has been achieved." Tracys took a puff of cigarette, frowned slightly, and looked even gloomier. "Cascade, what kind of person do you think is qualified to be called 'king' by the world?"

"I think as a king, you should understand this question better than me, right?" Koshe took a deep breath. He didn't know Tracy's intention, but he didn't sense his malice either. "There are those who rule the world with benevolence and righteousness, and those who win people over with virtue. There are also those who have the best intentions but use thunderous means without mercy. What is a king? It's all about the kingly way."

"But how can tolerance and kindness change this corrupt world, this defeated country, and this numb people?" Tracys pinched the cigarette so hard that the filter was flattened, but no emotion could be seen on his face. "The kingly way is the path that the king takes. It is the correct path. But since he is the king, the path he takes is correct, and the methods he uses are also correct."

"The kingly way is like a whetstone. It is based on human nature and comes from propriety and righteousness. The three dynasties ruled with different ways, and the five hegemons ruled with different laws." Koshe seemed to understand Tracy's question and said, "Although I am not qualified to judge you, as a person in power, I can generally understand your thoughts."

"I've heard some rumors, Cascade, that Syracuse's government system collapsed overnight, and after that, you took the position of lord." Tresis turned his head and stared at Koshe with his dark pink eyes. "No matter how you did it, I have to admit that you are a character that cannot be underestimated. Godfather, no... it should be said that you are the 'king' of Syracuse."

"..." Koshe was silent for a moment. He didn't know how to explain the government affairs, but he didn't need to explain anything to Tracys. "I can't be called a king. I'm just a godfather. In a few decades, my child will inherit my position. This is my destined fate, nothing more."

"Maybe, fate." Tresis seemed to sneer at fate for once, and then said, "People have more than one destiny, Cascade. From our conversation, I can roughly understand what kind of person you are."

"Please say."

Koshe put out his cigarette, spread his hands and motioned Tracy to continue.

"Everyone has something to fight for, even if it will inevitably sacrifice something, there will always be people who will rush to it," Tracys threw away the cigarette, patted the ash on his body, turned around, and leaned against the window sill, "Life seeks benefits and avoids harm. Life is selfish and ruthless. We are all such people, whether it's me or you."

"...You are wrong about one thing, Tracy." Koshei folded his arms across his chest, leaning against the windowsill and looking at Tracy. "I am just an ordinary person. I just can't sit and wait for others to take away everything I have, so I did those things. They were the first to break the peace and tranquility of this country. There is no need for me to have mercy on them anymore."

"Carrying feelings is a weakness, but being cruel is no one's fault," Tracys seemed to have talked enough. He walked towards Koshe and stretched out a hand. "To be kind to the enemy is to be cruel to yourself. I hope you can remember this."

"I don't know why you want to tell me this," Koshe hesitated for a moment, and chose to reach out his hand and shake hands with Tracys, "but I will remember your words. At least they are not useless."

Koshe wanted to pull his hand back, but suddenly found that Tracy was holding his hand tightly, and the cold nails hurt him a little.