France, many people think of the first thing that comes to mind when they think of this country, but in fact, France has also had strong periods in European history, most notably during the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte of Corsica.

Napoleon's fame, but his rule in France was not historically the best, and the real strength of France was the Bourbon dynasty that began at the end of the 16th century.

In the past, Louis XIII defeated the Holy Roman Empire, and then Louis XIV, known as the Sun King, conquered all of Europe and became the undisputed hegemon of Europe at that time.

Almost all once-prosperous countries eventually prospered and fell, and the Bourbons were no exception, and the Empire of Nouthe defeated by Louis XIV was ultimately defeated by Louis XVI.

The mediocre Louis XVI only knew how to spend all his days drinking, and did not care about the life and death of the French people, which finally led to the French Revolution, which left a strong mark on history, and Louis XVI became the first king to be guillotined by his own people.

In the 15th century, when France had just emerged from the Hundred Years' War, Louis XI managed to recover almost completely of France's territory during his lifetime, but it also angered the Habsburgs, who were gradually taking control of the Holy Roman Empire.

At this time, the Holy Roman Empire had turned from prosperity to decline, and the phenomenon of division began to appear in various parts of the empire, and it was no longer as strong as it once was.

Maximilian I seemed to be the last vestiges of the Holy Roman Empire before its collapse, and the Austrian army he led crushed Louis XI's French army at Ginegat, and the situation of the war gradually became clear.

Lu Xiao traveled west through Milan and Turin, crossed the border of the province of Savoy into France, and then traveled north, arriving in the Paris region at the end of March 1478.

Paris is the capital of France, the largest city in the country, and the economic, political and cultural center of the entire country.

The Paris region, also known as Île-de-France, is a densely populated region located in the middle of the Paris basin.

However, perhaps because of the impact of the war, after Lu Xiao entered France, most of the French nobles who were dressed more decently put on a worried look.

Lu Xiao was greeted outside the gates of Paris by a middle-aged man named Jean Martin, who was dressed in a more popular way, and did not look like a wealthy businessman or a nobleman with a high social status.

Jean Martin bowed politely to Lu Xiao and greeted him in French with a flicked tongue: "Welcome, friend from the East, I am a member of the Paris Brotherhood, Jean Martin." ”

Lu Xiao also skillfully returned the salute to the other party with the usual European etiquette of this era: "Hello, Mr. Martin, I am Lu Xiao from Daming. ”

……

The border between France and the Holy Roman Empire is in full swing, but Paris, the capital of France, still looks calm.

Unlike the rest of France, the aristocrats in Paris do not see much worry on their faces, and still enjoy their daily lives at leisure.

Jean Martin took Lu Xiao around the city of Paris, and finally came to a mansion that looked quite luxurious.

Located in the heart of Paris, in the Louvre district, not far from the world-famous Louvre, the mansion is home to a place in Paris, judging by the size of the building and the extravagant furnishings inside.

In addition to introducing Lu Xiao to the customs of Paris along the way, Jean Martin never mentioned the relevant information of the Brotherhood, and seemed to have been on guard against something.

Lu Xiao could intuitively feel through the enhancement of the sixth sense of the eagle's pupil that the person Jean Martin was wary of was not an outsider like him, but some suspicious elements roaming the streets of Paris.

'Templars?' ’

In 1478, before the Renaissance in Italy had spread in France, the churches in Paris still used the most famous Baroque spires of the Middle Ages.

Following Jean Martin into the quintessential middle-world mansion, after a few minutes of sitting in the drawing room, a young man dressed in an ornate aristocratic costume walked in surrounded by a group of attendants.

Lu Xiao's first impression of this handsome young man was not very good, and the arrogance that the other party deliberately showed with his head held high made him a little disliked.

"You are the land that left many legends in Florence and Venice?"

The arrogant young man nodded symbolically to Lu Xiao: "Philippe de Messier, it's a pleasure to meet you." ”

Philip Shi Ran walked to Lu Xiao and sat down, and the attendants also stood behind him in a line, and the other party seemed to think that this method could show his style.

"So, Lu ......"

"Ahem!"

Suddenly there was a cough of suppressed anger outside the door, and Philip, who had been trying to put on a proud posture before, shook his whole body, and lowered his head at a speed visible to the naked eye, no longer proud of his previous pride.

'Oh? ’

Lu Xiao looked at the middle-aged nobleman with a majestic expression outside the door with interest.

Philip seemed to turn into a quail under the angry gaze of the middle-aged nobleman, and he shrank his head and did not dare to look up.

"Philip, who let you receive my guests without permission, and put on a funny posture of a country nobleman meeting a farmer?"

"Uh...... Father. ”

"Shut up!"

The horsewhip in the middle-aged nobleman's hand exploded in the air, and Philip sat up straight with trembling like a duck shot at him, not daring to speak back.

Glancing at Philip angrily, the middle-aged nobleman waved his hand hatefully: "Get out!" Let me see that you don't learn anything......"

"Yes! Father. ”

Without waiting for the other party to finish, Philip quickly left the parlor with a group of dejected attendants.

"Whew~"

After taking a deep breath to adjust his emotions, the middle-aged nobleman dissipated his anger and returned to his previous elegant and easy-going appearance.

"Lu, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Thoughtfully, he bowed slightly to Lu Xiao, and the middle-aged nobleman introduced himself: "I am the head of the French Brotherhood, Vincent de Messier, I hope you don't care about Philippe...... Practical joke. ”

"Hehe~ Of course not."

Lu Xiao smiled and replied: "I have also seen the children of the Auditore family in Florence, and the children of the noble family lack experience when they are young, and they will indeed behave more ...... Mavericks, as they gain experience, they will gradually become sensible. ”

Vincent smiled wryly and shook his head, "You're talking about Ezio, right?" If Philip could turn back like Ezio in the future, I would be satisfied. ”

"Ahem~ That's all for the chat, let's get to the point."

Vincent's face returned to seriousness, "As the leader of the French Brotherhood, I don't want to admit my incompetence, but the current situation does prevent us from acting as an Assassin or a Templar, and you have come at the right time. ”

"The Brotherhood of Assassins in France is almost equal in power with the Knights Templar, and once the two sides are caught in a situation where they are dragged behind each other, it is difficult to decide the winner in a short period of time, and it is often necessary to rely on external help to break the situation."

"I have learned the purpose of your visit to France from Giovanni's letters, as long as you can help the Brotherhood capture the Sword of Eden, I promise as the leader of the French Brotherhood that the Sword can be temporarily handed over to you and the Italian Brotherhood for safekeeping."

Lu Xiao nodded calmly: "Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Vincent, then, where is the Holy Sword now?" ”

Vincent rubbed his brow in a headache: "In the Louvre, the merchant who helped the pirates sell the stolen goods somehow learned about us and the Templars' secret interest in the Holy Sword. ”

"In a hurry, he 'donated' the holy sword to King Louis XI at a relatively low price, and it is now stored in the Louvre."

"Whether it's the Templars or our Assassin Brotherhood, it will not be easy to invade the Louvre without alerting the King, and both sides will definitely try their best to create obstacles for each other."

"Your arrival has given us one more trump card to come up with."

Vincent solemnly proposed: "Lu, the Brotherhood of Paris will do its best to help you stop the Templars, and you just happened to infiltrate the Louvre with the help of your unknown identity as an outsider and quietly 'take' the holy sword." ”