With loose skin, a wrinkled face, and small eyes hidden in deep cracks, the old man in front of him couldn't be more ordinary.

And yet—

Duke Goldsworthy did not let this slack off in the slightest, and as the ruler of Helmtica, he knew better than anyone the danger of the seemingly frail old man in front of him.

Martial arts instructor at the Academy of the Honorable.

The uncle of the current head of the O'Neill family.

A traveler who once challenged the deepest night.

And...... Patriarch of the Hemtika Branch of the Order.

No matter which identity should not be underestimated, as a martial arts trainer qualified to teach the next generation, his personal prowess was recognized by the vast majority of people before he left Hemtika, and after challenging the deepest night and returning alive to the city that gave birth to him, his strength is undoubted, and the illustrious surname of O'Neill ensures that the ancestor who threw himself into the arms of the Order has an invisible voice in the circle of the Glory of Hemtica, and as for the last identity that serves as the finale, it naturally has a weight to match。

That's the weight of power.

The Patriarch shepherds all living beings on behalf of the Lord.

As the name suggests, he is the supreme leader of the Hemtika Order, and his hierarchy in the headquarters of the Order is only a few people, and he is on the same level as the cardinal archbishop who is qualified to be ranked in the Holy Communion, and he is a well-deserved real power figure!

If a third party sees the meeting between them, even if the two are in a private house full of spider silk and dust, even if the two are sitting on two rotten wooden chairs, even if the two are just an ordinary solid wood square table between them, this dilapidated scene is enough to be remembered by future generations as a historical picture...... If the history of Hemtika does not come to an end here.

There is no exaggeration, because the two of them have enough weight to catch anyone's attention.

On one side is the uncrowned king of the Glory of Hemtika, after the revival of the old rulers, when the descendants of glory are faced with a major choice of life and death, all the glorious families are present, and the council representing the interests of Hemtika is no longer able to control this city lord with unique personal charm and high prestige, and on the other side is the long-missing patriarch of the Hemtika Order, three ...... No, now the two great sword-wielders are directly responsible for him, and there are three hundred battle-hardened sword-wielders under him, perhaps in terms of number and heritage, they are much more disgraced than the glorious ones, but they can also be called the opposite of the glorious ones, the other pole of the Hemtika order.

The meeting between the two of them, even if it was not so formal, was enough to leave a strong mark on history.

Because it symbolizes the union of the sword-bearers of Hemtica and the glorious ones, and symbolizes the integration of the order side of Hemtika.

But compared to the overly heavy meaning, the conversation between the two was not so solemn, even a little casual—Duke Goldsworthy, the lord of Hemtika, folded his hands on the table, and there was not much fluctuation in his dark pupils, but he said the name of the old man in front of him in a calm voice that did not rise and fall, and it was perhaps not so important to him.

"Brandon O'Neils. ”

In this regard, the old man's expression has been as calm as the mirror lake in winter: "Welcome." ”

"Should I say thank you for your hospitality?" Duke Goldsworthy looked around, his gaze finally resting on the old man in front of him, "However, before coming here, I really didn't expect that the famous debaucher of the O'Neill family would become a real ascetic after converting to the Order, I wonder if the Deepest Night can really fundamentally change a person, or if the teachings of the Order really have the magic of demagogy?"

"It's both. The Patriarch of the Order in Khmtika confessed unexpectedly that the derogatory description of demagogic doctrine was undeniable: "Having established the cruel nature of this world, there is no one who does not look forward to the promised land that flows with milk and honey." ”

He paused, and the dark golden pupils that flowed like magma stopped on the body of the Glorious One in front of him.

"But that shouldn't be your business...... Duke Goldsworthy. ”

"I'm not going to delve into your past, whatever you found in the deepest night, whatever you got in the Order, none of my business. The silver-haired Glory's fingers folded, his chin resting on the back of his hand, his black eyes refracted by the fire crystal, "I have only come to you for the old ruler who is about to be revived under Hemtika, I need you, I need the strength of the Order. ”

"The City of Gold. Brandon's expression did not change in any way, he just pointed to the floating city hanging high in the sky, "With that, you have been invincible, the seal under Hemtica has not been broken, if it is only to lose the suppression of the fire, with the unbreakable triple city in ancient mythology, the glorious person should have the capital and confidence to face any enemy." ”

"But that doesn't include the Old Dominators," Duke shook his head, "the Triple City is a defensive system for foreign enemies, and its effect on the Lord of Lalayah who rests here can only be called marginal - the moment the fire is extinguished, you must have dreamed of the amorphous existence that should not exist in the world—just as the city of Lalayah will eventually sink to the bottom of the deep and unknowable ocean, and Hemtika will eventually fall into a dream dominated by madness and madness forever. ”

The glorious ones who return to the bosom of the Lord are silent.

"The previous erosion is not the end of everything," Duke Goldsworthy added, adding, "as the ancient god who flows from the source of chaos rises, his bizarre dreams will engulf all of Hemtika and the entire Trifecta like the tentacles that extend from him." ”

The Patriarch of the Order raised his eyebrows: "In that case, why not leave here through the Golden City—even if it is limited by the nature of the connection of the Three Connected Cities, at least it can be temporarily transferred through the Golden City, after all, the Floating City exists for this purpose." ”

"Theoretically," the lord of Hemtika sighed lowly, "but the technology to manipulate this ancient city, which exists only in the reflection of history, has long been preserved only in the priestly class, and it is a pity that the temple of Hephaestus has become history with the extinguishing of the fire. ”

"In this way, the defense system of Sanlian City is just an ornament. This absurd conclusion made the Patriarch, who had always been quite calm, look surprised, but he soon calmed the strange color on his face, "In that case, the purpose of your coming here is quite clear. ”

"That's right, seek cooperation. ”

Duke did not intend to hide it, because there was no need, although the Glory and the Order had differences on many issues, because of the conflict of interests, they were always on the same side, and they were natural allies in the eternal holy war between order and chaos.

"It doesn't sound like I have a reason to say no. The old man tapped the solid wood table with the knuckle of his index finger, as if he was thinking very seriously about the feasibility of this cooperation, but in the end, he unexpectedly diverted the topic, "But before answering your question, I also have a question for you." ”

"Excuse me. ”

"What are you going to do with the survivors of the lower districts? The Patriarch of the Order looked at him and looked at him with dark golden eyes that were as scorching as flowing lava, "After the fire is extinguished, they will be the last remnants of Hemtika." ”

"I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you, but I don't have the consciousness to carry their lives, and I don't intend to be their savior. The lord of Hemtika City met the old man's gaze without giving an inch, and there was no warmth in his words, "There has never been a savior in this world, and there is no need for a savior, the fate of the world has always been in the hands of each of us, pay attention - it is in the hands of everyone." ”

"An unexpected answer," said the Patriarch of the Order, without concealing his curiosity, "but you have not yet answered me, what are you going to do with them—to leave them to their own devices?"

"Of course not. Duke Goldsworthy said, his tone calm, "I am the lord of Hemtika. ”

Simple words contain not simple courage.

This is a responsibility, but also a responsibility.

In the face of this rhetoric, which does not sound like grandiose rhetoric, Brandon O'Neill chooses to be silent, not because he has lost his words, but simply chooses the identity of the audience and returns the stage to the protagonist.

"I'm going to give them a chance, a chance to struggle to survive – power-driven armor, firearms, swords, and a relatively safe position. The silver-haired glory drooped her eyelids slightly, and her slender eyelashes covered the dark eyelids, "But that's all, the chance of survival needs to be grasped by themselves, whether it is to keep up with the charging team or face the demons that break into it, they can only rely on themselves after all." ”

"It sounds cruel. The Patriarch of the Order commented.

"But in this world," Duke Goldsworthy shook his head, "who lives without cruelty." ”

"Yes. ”

With the old man's nod, the two reached a consensus.

Next...... It's almost time to discuss the specifics of cooperation - if it weren't for the persecution of the old rulers, it would have been a protracted tug-of-war, but at the moment, neither side has time to care about the petty gains and losses in the corners, but only around the most fundamental issues, including command, and ...... In the end, no solution was reached that satisfied both parties.

Because—

Prior to that, the two giants, who ruled the Glory of Helmtica and the Sword-wielder, had changed their expressions almost simultaneously.

Then get up.

- The city of Lalaye, the city of water emerging from the center of the vortex, the city of silver among the three cities.

- Breakthrough!