"The Count of Monte Cristo, whose original surname was Chai Kang, also known as Sinbad the Sailor, was the son of a wealthy shipbuilder in Malta. When he was young, he was reluctant to participate in his father's business, so he chose to follow the seafarers to the sea, began his own adventure career, and soon became a famous adventurer.

Legend has it that at the age of twenty he served in the army of a small kingdom of India and fought against the British, in which he was taken prisoner and prepared to be escorted to England for trial. However, during the journey, he was imprisoned in a prisoner's boat and took the opportunity to dive and escape. After that, he began to travel everywhere, duel everywhere, make peachy incidents everywhere, and make many friends, and his fame began to spread.

As he kept his wealth secret, no one knew the exact amount. Some speculate that his annual income is millions of dollars, while others speculate that he only has a few million assets, and the rest is a façade of consumption, and he may still be in debt.

There is also a legend about his wealth - in the 20s, when there was civil strife in Greece, he served in the Greek army. During that service, he discovered a silver mine in the local Mount Thessaly, but he kept his mouth shut and kept it from everyone. After the Battle of Navarino, when the Greek government was stable, he became an investment businessman, and then asked King Otto for the mining rights in that area, because he paid enough money, so the king gave him the corresponding privileges, and he received a huge fortune as a result......"

In the Treville Mansion, Charles calmly finished reading a report in his hand, and next to him stood a tall, aloof young man in a black coat.

After reading it, Charles gently placed the report on the table, then turned his head to look at Kong Ze.

Although his expression was calm, the anger in his blue eyes was unreservedly revealed.

To be honest, he was a little angry.

After all, this information was almost found in his grandfather's previous investigation, and there was really nothing new to say.

This is definitely not the performance he wants to see, could it be that these people have no restraint from their bosses, and they have begun to slack off? Charles couldn't help but be suspicious.

"Is this the report you're going to give me?" Charles asked very gently.

"Yes." Kong Ze felt the pressure coming from the young man, but after all, he had been experienced for a long time and had seen too many high-ranking officials, so he could be willing to deal with this pressure and maintain a calm attitude. "I'm sorry, sir, but that's all we've found so far."

"It's taken days, and you're going to report this little thing? My grandfather can find these things with a little check! Charles's gaze became even more unkind, "Mr. Kong Ze, you can't be fooling me, are you?" I don't think the high-ranking secret police of the Ministry of the Interior are capable of that! ”

Being so deliberately provoked by Charles, Kong Ze's originally rigid face finally loosened a little, and as an expert, the most difficult thing for him to accept was that others questioned his professional level.

"I'm sorry, sir, but please understand, after all, we've just started our investigation, and we've only found something that's easier to find." Kong Ze tightened his face again, and then said word by word, "But don't worry, if you give us a little more time, we will definitely be able to come up with some more valuable information, after all, we have now found two people who are said to be more friendly with the Count of Monte Cristo." ”

"Which two?" Charles sighed slightly and asked again.

"One is Father Boussani and the other is Lord Wilmo." "Father Boussani is an Italian, a philanthropist with a good reputation and a wide range of friends. It is said that he had a good relationship with the father of the Count of Monte Cristo, the old ship merchant Chai Kang, so it can be said that he was the one who grew up watching the Count of Monte Cristo; The other person is an Englishman, a very rich British nobleman, and all British nobles are as arrogant and vitriol, he and the Count of Monte Cristo are enemies, I don't know why they have a feud, they have dueled several times, and they are considered a sworn enemy. ”

"One is an old acquaintance, and the other is a sworn enemy?" Charles was a little amused, "That looks good, it's a good clue, where are these two people now?" ”

"Coincidentally, they are all in Paris, and it seems that they all happened to come here because of some things." Kong Ze replied.

"Three people running around the world, for their own reasons, end up now gathering in Paris by chance?" The cautiousness of nature made Charles a little suspicious, "This is too coincidental, right!?" ”

"For now, at least, this coincidence is in our favor." Kong Ze also felt that this was a bit strange, but it was finally a breakthrough, "I will visit the two of them as soon as possible." ”

Charles thought to himself that this is also the truth, no matter who is sacred on the other side, since it is in Paris, it is one more clue, and the others can be talked about later.

"Alright, let's look it up here, I hope to find something more reliable." Charles gave the order, and then suddenly thought of something, "By the way, you can also tell me the addresses of these two people, and maybe when I will visit them too." ”

"Yes, sir." Kong Ze straightened his waist.

Then, he thought of something, and whispered to Charles. "Don't be in a hurry, I've already sent someone to visit Greece, and I may be able to get some useful information from there, and don't forget, that mistress from Monte Cristo, judging by her dress and appearance, seems to be from that place."

That's right!

Charles nodded secretly.

During this time, he had met Heidi several times, but each time it was a glimpse, and the count's mistress seemed to be only interested in her master, and no one else was bothered to look at it, but at least he had taken the opportunity to observe the young beauty again.

The beautiful woman seemed to be well-educated and well-behaved, but judging from her conversations with the maids next to her, it seemed that she did not speak French, but only a language similar to Greek, which was a sign of her origin.

She was from Greece, and the Count of Monte Cristo had ventured in that area, and he himself said that he had exchanged Heidi from the Turkish Sultan - so, from this point of view, maybe this beauty was really the spoils of the Count of Monte Cristo in Greece?

Either way, Charles felt he could look forward to a story from Greece.

…………………………

After sending Kong Ze away, Charles's mood was still quite uneasy.

At this time, he and the Count of Monte Cristo had a close relationship, and they had a little friendship with each other, and they talked and laughed a lot I don't know how many times—but even so, he still felt that he was a little confused about the count.

It's not that he is boasting, it stands to reason that although he is not very old, but after all, he has been in the palace for many years, what hypocritical and cunning person has not seen? But he felt that he could not see the Count of Monte Cristo.

They talked about everything from foreign countries to France, from history to the present, but each time the conversation turned slightly to the Count's own experience, he was particularly secretive, and then quietly changed the subject.

No matter how much he asked head-on, he couldn't get a single bit of information from the earl, as if the earl had really appeared in the world out of thin air—or crawled out of the dark abyss.

It also made him feel very bad.

As for the duke, he was ordered by the emperor, and His Majesty ordered himself to monitor the actions of the Count of Monte Cristo nearby, lest he do anything wrong, but he did not even know the origin of the other party, and his private actions were even more confused, which was difficult to deal with; In terms of selfishness, he planned to knock the earl on a large sum of bamboo bars, but he lost so many smiling faces so far, but he didn't even figure out the details of the other party, how could he find the handle?

The more he thought about it, the more anxious he felt, but he had been in the mood for so many years, and he had been carefully taught by his grandfather for many years, so the young man's anxiety was quickly suppressed by calmness, and he suppressed the impatience in his heart and restored his apparent calm.

However, it turns out that blessing and misfortune do not go alone, and what should come cannot be avoided after all.

Just as he was about to go back to his study, the servant came again to report him bad news.

"Custom-made shoes delivered again?"

He was stunned for a moment, then blushed, but in the end anger was replaced by helplessness.

"I don't have to order shoes twice in three days!"

But he also knew in his heart that it was useless to say anything now, but to show his flaws in front of others for no reason, so he could only shake his head, sigh, and then walked to the living room step by step.

Sure enough, an old acquaintance was waiting for him.

It's only been half a month, Charlotte is becoming more and more delicate and lovely, although she is wearing only simple linen clothes, and there is no decoration, but the delicate skin is still so beautiful, because she came to the house, so the headscarf is also taken off, and a dazzling blonde hair is scattered behind her head, as smooth as silk, especially the towering peaks on her chest, which makes people look forward to the future development of this beautiful girl......

However, Charles was in no mood to look forward to it now.

"Oh my God, it's only been so long, why did you come here!" He looked at the other party half annoyed, half helpless, "Didn't I say it, it's dangerous to come here during the day!" Why don't you listen to me! ”

"I'm my sister and you're my brother, why should I listen to you?" Charlotte asked with a smile, then walked in front of Charles, reached out and touched Charles's chest, "Okay, don't be so angry, young master, I also have something urgent to come to you, so I don't care so much, I will pay attention in the future and try not to embarrass you." ”

I don't know why, being coaxed by Charlotte like this, Charles's anger has also subsided a little, but on the surface, he refuses to get off the stage like this, so he still frowns slightly.

"What's the urgency? Won't it bother me again? Don't forget, I was already taking a risk by looking for a relationship to help you release that person, so you can help me think about it a little, Charlotte! If Your Majesty knew that I was involved with the thieves...... I...... Hmmm......"

Charles stopped, for he suddenly noticed that Charlotte had taken a small object from his bosom.

This is a pistol, to be exact.

It is exquisitely constructed, with a finely finished barrel that is straight and gives off an icy sheen, and a wooden handle with intricately carved patterns.

At this time, Charlotte's face was full of smiles, and she pointed this gun at her cousin.

A sense of absurdity suddenly rose in Charles's heart.

Instead of being afraid, he felt angry.

"You...... You're pointing a gun at me?! Have you forgotten that I helped you so much! He almost cursed. I tell you, I'm not coerced! ”

"Who said they were going to coerce you, young master?" Charlotte crossed him, then turned the pistol upside down and handed it to Charles, "This is for you!" ”

"Huh?" Charles was a little confused for a moment, but subconsciously took the pistol.

"Alright, anyway...... Thank you in advance! Charlotte suddenly looked away, looking a little embarrassed. Thank you for helping me, I didn't expect you to really have a way to get him out so quickly, so I have to accept your affection. ”

"Of course, I'm pretty good." In front of Charlotte, Charles was not so steady, but he did not hesitate to boast to himself, "I have not been a fool in the palace for so many years. ”

"Yes, yes, our young master is the best." Charlotte still had a soft smile on her face, as if she were coaxing a child, "Of course the person who can get in touch with the Count of Monte Cristo is amazing." ”

"What? You're spying on me?! "Charles felt something was wrong again one day.

"Yes, but it's not." Charlotte gave an ambiguous answer, "You are the grandson of the marshal, it is normal to be looked at by someone with a heart, right?" But I know that you are in contact with the Count of Monte Cristo for another reason, not because of surveillance but from another source. ”

"What channel?" As soon as Charlotte said this, Charles became even more vigilant.

"That's a long story...... Charlotte spread her hands, then looked up at the window, "Charles, you may not know it, but the Count of Monte Cristo is famous among our people!" He is a lawless and omnipotent person, many Jiangyang thieves admire him, and some are willing to smear his liver and brains for him, so all along, our people have tried to get close to him, wanting to use his power-"

Charles knew that in order to create a rebellion against the Empire, the Royalists had been dealing with people from all walks of life, and people from the dark world like the Count of Monte Cristo naturally received their special attention - and Charlotte, as one of the managers, was even more widely traveled.

He knew in his heart that this was not good, but Charlotte refused to listen to it after so many years of persuasion, so over time he could only acquiesce to this result.

From this point of view, Charlotte must know a lot about people like the Count of Monte Cristo, maybe she can ask something?

"Do you know where this guy came from?" He couldn't help but ask.

"I don't know, this guy suddenly came out of the ground more than ten years ago, and some people say that he is the incarnation of the devil, I think even if it's not, it's almost the same." Charlotte replied mercilessly, "But for us, it doesn't matter if we can help, whether it's an angel or a devil......"

"So are you already hooked up with him?!" Charles suddenly thought of this important question.

The Count of Monte Cristo had come to Paris as a collaborator of the Empire, and if he had been revealed to be a supporter of the Royalists, he would undoubtedly have lost his credibility with the Imperial Government and become a thief at both ends.

"No, he didn't cooperate with us in this regard, at least not yet, I guess because he didn't want to get involved in royal politics, he just wanted to make his own black money." To Charles's disappointment, Charlotte immediately denied this speculation, "However, over the years, we have carried out a lot of small-scale cooperation, after all, there are some shady resources that can be exchanged between the two sides......"

"So you came here just to let me watch out for him?" Charles understood something slightly.

"Yes, young master, do you think I don't understand your mind?" Charlotte gave him a blank look, then sneered, "You must have treated him as a fat sheep, right?" You people are demons who eat people and don't spit out bones. But you're wrong, this isn't a fat sheep, it's a hungry wolf, and if you're not careful, you'll die! ”

"Anyway, this is in France, outside he is a thief, in France he has to abide by the rules of France, otherwise we have 10,000 ways to turn him into powder." Charles replied with a strong grip.

"Ah, the young master is so powerful now, he can turn people into powder at every turn!" Charlotte looked at Charles with a sarcastic look in the name of praise, "But for you, keeping a life is the most important thing, right?" Otherwise, if you lose your life, even if you save a great foundation, no matter how bright your future, no matter how beautiful and rich your wife is, what can you do? It's not just that you can only cheapen others for nothing - don't forget, this is a group of Jiangyang thieves who kill people without blinking! ”

Charlotte's sarcasm, Charles didn't take it seriously, but the latter words were serious.

"A bunch of thieves?!" Charles' eyes widened slightly. "Aren't the people he brought into the country clean?"

"I don't know what about the people he brought into the country himself, but what about the people who followed him into the country, I heard some news." Charlotte replied in a low voice, "Charles, this is definite news - a band of robbers from Rome, led by their leader Vampa, have smuggled across the borders of several countries and infiltrated into France, and their goal is obviously to come to Paris and give the Count a strong voice, and these people regard the Count as a god and die for him." ”

Seeing that Charles still didn't seem to pay much attention, Charlotte also accentuated her tone, "Charles, this is really not a joke, that's a real outlaw!" These bandits killed people and goods in the suburbs of Rome, and did all the bad things that lost their conscience, especially their leader Vanpa, who was very ruthless at a young age, and the lives of his men were not thousands, but hundreds, and even those who were terrible to the thieves obeyed him! When such a man comes to France and sneaks into the Count of Monte Cristo, do you think you can easily provoke him? ”

Charles froze slightly.

He didn't expect that the earl would be so bold as to let his subordinates and accomplices sneak into the territory of the country to support himself.

He wanted to report the other party, but immediately gave up - after all, the Count is still a guest of the Empire, and it is really difficult to report without real evidence, besides, can he still say that he heard the news from the mouth of the royalists?

So I can only hide the news in my heart first.

Then, he also had some sudden realization.

Charlotte saw that he was deliberately approaching the earl, and after hearing the news, she was really worried about him, so she rushed over to call the police.

After all, it's still a family, Charlotte, it's true that she's still principled, and she didn't misjudge anyone.

He was slightly moved.

"Thank you, Charlotte!" After figuring out these joints, he said to his cousin from the bottom of his heart. "If you hadn't told me this news, I'm afraid I would have suffered a big loss, I really didn't expect this earl to be so frustrated, the empire treated him as a guest, and he actually dared to gather a group of Jiangyang thieves around him! I really don't know whether to live or die! ”

"Do you really think of him as a friend? Not necessarily, everyone knows that they just use each other, and no one is more noble than the other. Besides, what do you say thank you, everyone is just helping each other. Charlotte was a little embarrassed, but still laughed gently, "Speaking of which, although this Wampa kills people without blinking, he has one thing that is still quite powerful - he is good at carving wood products, and he is no worse than the craftsmen who have been handed down for generations, I spent a lot of money to buy two pairs of guns from him, keep one for myself, and the other one will be given to you, keep it for yourself, don't wait for someone to shoot your head one day in a daze!" ”

"Hmmm! I will. Charles solemnly put the gun in his arms, and then emphasized, "Thank you." ”

Now that you know that the Earl is such a ruthless character, you really need to be more prepared.

But...... Abandon?

No, it's not in his dictionary.

You're great, but I'll let you know that some people are even better.

In particular, this is still my home field, I don't believe it, you are a foreign river thief, how can you still get me a local snake?

In an instant, countless pride flashed in Charles's heart, and the original boredom and frustration were almost swept away at once, and Charlotte's words not only did not hit him, but made him rise a fighting spirit.

"You may indeed be a demon crawling out of hell, but, I, Charles de Treville, must make you manifest." He muttered to himself.