In the face of the emperor's thunderous anger, Peter did not explain further, but kept prostrating and prostrating, apologizing to the emperor for his recklessness.

As the rain began to fall, beating against the foliage of the garden, Alexios did not let his anger continue, "Hermit, you have betrayed my love for you, and you have been involved in the rebellion of Caesar of the Empire. So until you prove your innocence, I will keep you in custody in Mikhail's house for the time being, and you two will not take him as an example to follow."

After saying that, the emperor went into the inner house, and several warriors set up the thin Peter, and wanted to throw him into the basement and detain him, "You should feel lucky, monk, this is not Your Majesty's Agnes dungeon after all, and there is still a chance for you to repent." "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, do not allow the selfish hatred and love to blind your wise eyes, not only to the great cause of reviving the Holy Sepulchre, but also to the future empire of Komnenos." ”

However, in the sound of the rain, the sound grew fainter and fainter, until as a burst of thunder rolled by, and disappeared at the end of the corridor corner, Alexios stopped for a moment with his hands behind his back, as if still savoring Peter's advice, and after a while he entered the inner chamber, where several Chaldean astrologers were seated.

"The result?"

"The mighty jackal will fall into the hands of the hunter, and in the mist of the sea and land, a new star will rise again in Asia Minor." The white-bearded astrologer who takes the lead. With a hoarse voice, rubbing the star palace map in his hand. Tell the Emperor about such a result.

"I'm finally going to fall into the coffin, and I've been holding back for more than ten years," Alexios looked very pleased with the divination, and walked to the window. Looking at the misty rain curtain outside, it seems that through all this, the situation is like a fire.

In the next room, Nikdemia, who was holding a lighting candle, brought in Fourche and Rainold, who were still trembling, and then the eunuch deliberately blew out the candle flame in one breath, but the golden reflection soon illuminated the walls of the black hole hole - Nikdemia. Opening the boxes containing the new gold coins one by one, the eyes of the two of them were golden, "For each of the five hundred gold coins, Your Majesty will never break his word, and you must have seen this with your own eyes in the Jukuntina Palace last night." Then the eunuch took out a few delicately decorated copper pipes from a box and placed them in the palms of the two of them, "This is an additional gift from Your Majesty, six silks from the Corinthian silk weaving yard." In this empire, only the imperial relatives, or the heads of the fathers, can be eligible to have them. ”

"When the rain stops, we'll take all the teams with us." Reinolds was full of excitement. Hanging these brass pipes around his neck made him look very funny, and he understood it in his heart. These silks and money, the Greek emperor would not give them for nothing.

Sure enough, Nikdemia laughed with satisfaction. "The pilgrim camp, Peter's detention. Are you two easy to explain? ”

"Well, please rest assured that Your Majesty will leave it to us, and at the beginning of next month we will fulfill our promise not only to cross the strait, but also to attack Surelman (Gilliki. Arslan). Forchet patted his chest, full of confidence.

"Very well, Your Majesty's sailors will send you all safely to the other side in the waves, and the old man will personally take charge of the dispatch, and after your victory, the army of the Empire will also march into Asia to assist you in the battle."

On the outskirts of the city in the rain, only the outline of the black city walls could be seen, and the pilgrims, seeing the rain that had not been seen for a long time, ran in groups to the deep moat with clay pots and clay pots to draw water, while Forchet and Reinold, on horseback, rode out of the city gate, crossed the stone bridge over the moat, and entered the camp.

"What, the hermit was left in the palace?" Hearing this, the leading horseman Walter. Sanzabal was amazed.

And Gottschalke, who was sitting next to him, held the rosary in his hand and looked at everyone coldly. Seeing this, Forshe hurriedly followed the instructions of the eunuch in advance and explained, "The Greek nobles in the palace have said that this is also the emperor's will. After speaking, Forser took out the golden edict, saying that it was His Majesty's meaning, as well as the royal family's flower charge and signature. The nobles assured him that the hermit would be absolutely safe before and after His Majesty's return to the imperial capital, and that His Majesty would only discuss with him the merger of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, and coordinate the relations with the rest of the pilgrim armies, especially the Dalian contingent of the Holy Priest Shang Gawain. ”

"That's not too much, but I'm afraid that this edict alone can't reflect the sincerity of the Greek monarch, right?" Walter demanded more, but Rainold became impatient, "Immediately the Emperor will order us to be replenished with a large amount of free grain in the camp outside the city, and a large fleet of ships from Gallipoli and Tsarsidon to transport us across the sea free of charge, so that it will not be enough!" Do you still want the emperor to send his son or daughter as a hostage? ”

"Crossing the sea? Is it to attack Sur Leman? At this time, Gottschalke, who had always been watching coldly, said, "I'm sorry, you can go, but I won't accompany you to death." ”

"What are you talking about, you unruly low-ranking monk of the Rhine Valley!" Forser was furious and accused Gottschalke, but the monk also took the case, "Now you two have betrayed the priesthood and the hermits, equating the lives of 100,000 pilgrims with child's play, and doing everything for the sake of sycophancy to the court of the Greeks. I am fanatical about my duty to go to the Holy Sepulchre, but I would rather be led by an all-powerful commander like the Priesthood, rather than with you fools, who would be taking advantage of the ill-intentioned Greek Emperor. ”

At this time, Reinolds was so angry that he drew his sword out of its sheath, but was stopped by Forcher and Walter, who were not to be outdone, and also pulled out the monk's special axe, and came up to fight desperately, but was also stopped by several other people in the camp, and the criticism on both sides was endless.

"Alright, if you don't want to go to the Holy Sepulchre, then it's better to stay in shame."

"Not only do I not want to go with you, but I will leave this dangerous capital with the thirty thousand pilgrims of the Rhine and Bavaria whom I have mobilized, and go to join His Excellency Gawain, and let no one stop me, or my axe will fall on his neck and head like the thunder and lightning and the rain that are now outside." Gottschalk looked vicious, wielding an axe, as he walked outside.

"Don't stop him, let him go, let him go!" Rainold shouted at the other's back, and then he turned, "But Walter. Sanzavar, as the flag bearer of the pilgrims, must take command of the entire army. (To be continued.) )