In the hidden cavern beneath the Parthenon ruins, Merlin was pausing to talk to the demigod Cassandra, the first Assassin in human history.

This is a woman who has lived from the 4th century BC to the present day, a woman who has lived for 2,400 years.

The mysterious and powerful Kassandra offered a condition that Merlin could not refuse, but her request left Merlin a little confused.

He asked:

"Why don't you do it yourself? As the first Assassin, you know better than anyone how to raise a new Successor, and I just heard from Layla that she's trying to draw power from your memories... It also makes me wonder, how do they do it? Do you go back in time? ”

"I have my own calling, Merlin."

Kassandra said to Merlin:

"I've been holding out for 2,400 years just waiting for a worthy heir to come along and pass on a secret enough to affect the world to him or her, but now is not the time to free me from the tiresome curse of immortality."

"The Assassin Brotherhood was born of me, but it has nothing to do with me... Theoretically, I was not part of the Assassin Brotherhood, I had only been following it for a long time. ”

She walked past Merlin, walked over to Layla and Miles, picked up the package they had spilled from the ground, and then took out a black device from the package that could be worn on the eye, she waved it at Merlin, and said:

"This thing, derived from the 'Precursors', that is, the extraterrestrial technological power of the ancient Greek gods, they called it the 'Animus', a virtual machine that realizes the transfer of consciousness based on the inherited information in the genes, through this device, can allow the descendants of those who have the memories of legendary assassins in their genes to return to the era when their ancestors were active in a virtual and very realistic way..."

"Sounds incredible."

Merlin took the Animus from Kassandra's hand, he looked at the gadget, and Icarus quickly began to analyze the structure of the thing, and soon, the AI came to a conclusion.

"The internal structure and operation of this instrument are not the same as the basic theory of human technology, it is a product developed based on another scientific and technological theory, it does not have diffusibility in a broad sense, and there is a very advanced authentication inside the information processing chip, which is bound by genetic characteristics."

Icarus's voice rang in Merlin's ears, and Merlin asked in a low voice:

"Can you crack it?"

"It's hard, but I can try."

Icarus Says:

"However, for Master Merlin, there is no point in cracking this technology, and Lady Cassandra is right, this device can only be used by people with specific genetic fragments."

"What's that talking?"

Kassandra asked with interest:

"I felt like a soul bound to a machine... Is this the artificial intelligence that is being developed and advanced in your time? She reminds me of some of the things I've seen left behind by the Precursors..."

"Her name is Icarus."

Merlin pointed to his eyes and said:

"It is the most advanced artificial intelligence in the world and a good assistant for me."

"Icarus?"

Kassandra was a little surprised, a hint of nostalgia appeared in her eyes, and after a moment, she smiled and said:

"I also had a good assistant named Icarus, the best and best falcon, who served as my eyes and my best friend."

"What a coincidence."

Merlin stretched out his left hand, and in the beating of the dark red light, Victor, the raven spirit, appeared on his arm, this dark red raven spirit was now very powerful, very much in line with Merlin's image of a scout.

However, it was a raven, not an eagle, after all, much to Merlin's regret.

"You see, I also have a bird, and it's also my good companion."

"It's beautiful."

Kassandra reached out and stroked the spirit raven, which was untouchable, but it wasn't surprising that she could touch a spirit given that there was a demigod standing in front of her.

Victor seemed to sense the power contained in Kassandra's body, and he squatted obediently on Merlin's arm, allowing Kassandra to stroke its feathers.

A look of cowardice.

"You and I really resemble you."

Kassandra looked at the raven on Merlin's arm, and she said:

"If you were also born 2,400 years ago, maybe we'd be very good friends."

"It's not too late."

Merlin Says:

"I love making friends, Lady Kassandra... But let's start with the Assassin Brotherhood. I started with Lars. Al. Gul inherited his identity in the Assassin Brotherhood, and he told me that the Brotherhood was a great organization, holding the future of freedom for human civilization in the dark, and I thought it was a large and powerful organization, but..."

He was a little disappointed and said:

"But I didn't expect that by the time I actually came into contact with the Brotherhood, it was already dead... It doesn't seem to be as powerful as I thought it would be. ”

"The Brotherhood has been weakening, Merlin, and there is no need to be disappointed, it's just a law of necessity. The Templars were eager to use all the power at their disposal to build a perfect world, where order was paramount and everything else could be discarded, and the Brotherhood believed that people should have the power to choose freely even if the world was not perfect. ”

"The battle of ideas between us has been going on for thousands of years."

Sitting on the broken stonework, Kassandra said to Merlin:

"Human civilization is becoming stronger and stronger, the thinking of the people as a whole is no longer as easily deceived as before, freedom has become one of the foundations of modern human existence, it can be said that the future that the Brotherhood has always wanted to see has arrived, and the existence of organizations that protect free thinking is no longer as important as the Dark Ages."

"And along with the Brotherhood, their enemies, the Templars."

"After successfully eradicating the Brotherhood, the Templar Order has reached its final stage of craving... It's like two old men who have been fighting all their lives, and after trying their best to kill their opponents, they are only one last step away from extinction. ”

"So it's not about victory or defeat, it's just that the time that belongs to us people is over."

Kassandra spread out her hands and said to Merlin:

"But they haven't given up yet, they want to build a 'perfect world' and promote a 'perfect order', which may be a good thing in the Dark Ages, but in this day and age, it has undoubtedly become a kind of paranoid terrorism, an unscrupulous order to advance the order, but its purpose is no longer as pure as that of their forerunners."

"I mean, the corruption within them is appalling."

The demigod whispered:

"Their so-called perfect order is also very likely to become the tyrant rule of this era, and in the final analysis, it is nothing more than some conspirators eager to take advantage of it."

Kassandra blinked, she looked at Merlin, and she said:

"But the best part is to know that the Templars of this era have another identity besides the disguise of Abstergo's shadow company, and one that you are familiar with."

"Blindly emphasizing perfect order... And to do whatever it takes to achieve it really reminds me of the way some of my 'old friends' behave. ”

Merlin looked at Kassandra and said:

"Hydra?"

"Yes, Hydra."

Kassandra crossed her legs, her hands on her knees, and she played with her braids, and said to Merlin:

"Let me tell you some secrets that only I know."

"Hydra was ruled by Nacui's commander, Führer Hitler during World War II, you should know about it, know that Hitler was a hopeless Hydra, but what you don't know is that Hitler had another identity, he was the leader of the Templars in Germany and even in Europe at that time..."

"During the period when he led Hydra, the Templars' thinking and style were inexorably integrated into Hydra's organizational thinking, and even if Scarlet Schmidt finally realized that something was wrong and wrested control of Hydra from Hitler, it was already too late."

Kassandra spread out her hands and said to Merlin:

"Since then, the Templar faction has taken root within Hydra, and the Templar mentality and slogan of chasing absolute order are tempting and have a fearless spirit of sacrifice that is difficult to completely eradicate, and to this day, that dangerous thinking still occupies an important place in the Hydra Order."

"Even if the hydras who are pushing for the new order don't know the origin of this thinking, that doesn't change their hidden identity."

The demigod said:

"They're Hydra, and they're Templars too!"

"It's... It's a surprising fact. ”

Merlin pondered Kassandra's words, and finally realized that the demigods' description of the secret could not be faulted either logically or in Merlin's perception of Hydra.

This may well be true.

"So, you help them."

Kassandra pointed to the three young men who were locked in time, and said:

"Actually, it's also helping you and your organization, if you can find more people with legendary assassin genes, maybe the Assassin Brotherhood can really reappear in this era, but the reappearance of it, and we in the past, don't have much to do with it, the times are advancing, and an organization must also keep pace with the times, but these, let you and them control."

"But, Merlin, with all due respect, from my point of view, S.H.I.E.L.D. seems to have some signs of Templarization... I mean, you are also pushing for a 'new' order, and it is also tinged with power and confinement, and although it is currently aimed at the outliers, it is a bad sign. ”

The demigod warned:

"Maybe you're not as pure as you think."

"I've never thought S.H.I.E.L.D. is pure, Lord Kassandra."

Merlin whispered:

"In my organization, maybe 2-3 out of 10 people are hidden hydras... I knew this for a long time. We are looking for and waiting for an opportunity to catch them all. ”

"It's none of my business, you don't need to tell me this."

Kassandra stood up, and she said to Merlin:

"So, the deal is set?"

"Hmm."

Merlin glanced back at the three rookies behind him, and he said:

"I'll train them, but I'll do it my way... Also, you don't mind if I give them a little, little makeover, right? ”

"The transformation of the witcher?"

Kassandra pursed her lips and said:

"No, I don't mind at all. Mediocre bodies and minds cannot support great causes, and ordinary people cannot resist Abstergo's pursuit, and if these young people intend to carry on the legacy of their ancestors and rebuild the Brotherhood, then they cannot be mortals at the level of will or body..."

"In addition, since it is a commission, there must be some remuneration."

Kassandra took a rolled-up note from her pocket and threw it to Merlin, saying:

"After you have completed my commission, I will accede to Geralt's request and join him in introducing you to the organization behind us, and as a personal thank you, you can go to the place where the Assassin masters have hidden their treasures and take the items there, maybe they will help you, but after all this time, it is likely that there is only one or two things left in the treasure house I left behind."

"And I warn you, Merlin."

Kassandra said seriously:

"There are some things in them, which are more special, and once you take them, it means that you will be targeted by some people."

"The ancient Greek gods are not completely withered, and there are still some descendants of Zeus who are active..."

"Some of them, it's hard to wrap around..."

The demigod sister told her something, and turned to walk into the darkness, where Merlin asked behind her:

"Lady Kassandra, we'll see you again, right?"

"Of course."

Kassandra turned her head and smiled at Merlin, and she put her hand to her chest and said to Merlin as if she had said goodbye:

"Remember... Everything is empty..."

"All things are allowed..."

Merlin also placed his left hand on his right shoulder and leaned slightly over Kassandra, and by the time he looked up, the demigod had disappeared as it had come.

For a person who can control time, this disappearance could not be simpler.

A few minutes later, Layla, Miles, and Victoria woke up from that moment of pause, and they looked around blankly, only to see Merlin standing in front of the shattered sculpture, looking at them.

In the glow of the cavern, a dark red eagle seemed to stand on his shoulder, and his cloak and robes had become the ancient and solemn style worn by the legendary masters of the Assassin Brotherhood, with wide sleeves hanging low under Merlin's wrists like outstretched wings, and at his feet, Gollum tried to pose majesticly as if it were a miniature cheetah sculpture.

Merlin folded his hands on his abdomen, his face covered with a black hood, and he whispered:

"Young people... I know all that has happened, I know your ideals and your enemies, that if you want to fight Abstergo and the Templars, you need to be trained, rigorous and brutal, training that is impossible for a coward and a weakling, a training that will forge you into a deadly weapon. ”

He said:

"I'll help you with it, I'll help you become true assassins... It is my promise to my old friends, and it is my mission as an Assassin to help you find more like-minded people until you complete the rebuilding of the Assassin Brotherhood, which has faded away from time. ”

"Now..."

Merlin looked up, and the dark red eyes frightened the three young men in front of him, and then they heard Merlin say:

"Call me..."

"Mentor!"