In the dungeon.

The middle-aged man who had been stripped of his armor and was wearing only a thin silk underwear was a little puzzled: "You are Lothar?" ”

Lothar pulled a chair from the side and sat down for a while, looking at the opponent in front of him, whom he had never seen as an opponent: "You seem to be a little disappointed? ”

Doge Ibn nodded, "Yes, I thought I would see a heroic figure. ”

Lothar couldn't help but laugh and said, "It's quite tough. ”

Governor Ibn smiled bitterly: "If you are really tough, you will not be caught, I just think that you are not the same as I imagined, you can train such an elite, how can you grow into your appearance?" ”

"And what do you think I should be? A monster with three hands and five legs? ”

Governor Ibn shook his head: "He shouldn't have been such a handsome young man. At your age, I'm still stuck between the thighs of prostitutes every day. ”

"Even if you flatter me, I won't forgive you half of the ransom."

As if the jar had been broken, the governor of Ibn was extraordinarily frank: "I also need money, and after leaving Damietta, I have to run to Alexandria to start over, there are too many places to spend money." ”

Lothar said lightly, "If you can't pay enough ransom, don't worry about it. As you can live here and die, rest assured, I will give you the highest accommodation among the prisoners, for example, a bed in this cell, so that you don't have to curl up in a straw pile full of cockroaches and ants on winter nights. ”

The governor of Ibn was silent.

A moment later, when Lothar was about to pat his ass and leave, he said with some hesitation: "I have an extremely valuable collection, which is said to be the scepter left behind by Osiris, the old god of the Copts. ”

Hearing this, Lothar sat down again: "If there is such a thing, will you give it to me?" ”

Governor Ibn said dryly: "I don't know how to use it, but I assure you that it is not an ordinary scepter, it has been certified by many priests of the old gods, but unfortunately, they do not know how to use it." ”

"Where are you hiding it?"

"What's in it for me to tell you?"

"I swear in the name of the Habsburgs that I will grant you a reduction in the ransom according to the value of this so-called 'artifact' that you handed over."

"Okay."

The governor of Ibn had no room for bargaining but chose to believe in the reputation of Lothar: "Outside the city, in the cellar of one of my humble estates, you can find it by chiseling through the walls"

After he finished speaking, he added: "There are some treasures that I have accumulated over the years that are not convenient to transfer, and they are all yours, as long as you promise to take away the ship that originally belonged to me in the port." ”

Lothar sneered: "Have you forgotten that even if you don't tell me the treasure land, the entire port of Damietta is in my hands, as long as I am willing to take the time, will I not be able to find it?" ”

The ship on which the governor of Ibn departed contained more than 100,000 gold coins worth of Sulleds, which was equivalent to the tax of the port of Damietta for several years.

The governor of Ibn was anxious: "Fart, if I don't tell you, that little ruined manor has already been given to your subordinates by you, and you will never know where it is hidden in your life!" ”

Lothar knew that Ibn was right, but he frowned and said, "Well, I will release you with the captured Mamluks of yours, and leave a quarter of your belongings on board." ”

Then the governor of Ibn reluctantly said: "I have heard that you have the name of a generous man, but now it seems that you are not worthy of it. ”

Lothar sneered: "I haven't heard of a Saracen nobleman who was captured by the Crusaders and not only did not need additional ransom from his family, but also left with half a boatload of belongings and his own guards. ”

That is to say, Lothar is a particular person, and after being some poor acid lord who sees money, after asking about the whereabouts of the treasure land, he has long turned his face and denied people.

The governor of Ibn also seemed to see Lothar's dissatisfaction, and he didn't care about pretending anymore, so he hurriedly said with a sneer: "That is, Lord Marquis, your reputation for generosity and justice is well-known throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, and if it were someone else, I would rather die than reveal this secret." ”

Phew, with your kind of goods, after a little torture, it is estimated that the stuffing will be exposed.

Lothar sneered: "Don't be too happy yet, don't forget, the premise of the deal is that the artifact you are talking about is really a creation left over from the old gods, and it is useful to me, I can't take tens of thousands of gold coins, as well as the ransom you should have paid, in exchange for a worthless 'antique'." ”

At this moment, the governor of Ibn could not help but feel apprehension in his heart.

At this time, the footsteps of Cellinina, who had left earlier, sounded, as if she was afraid of frightening Lothar, and she deliberately coughed softly.

"Something brought?"

"Hmm."

Cellina handed out a strip-shaped box about a meter long: "My lord, do you need me to open it for you?" ”

Governor Ibn reminded: "There is a layer of gold leaf in it. ”

Lothar glanced at him and nodded, "Be careful." ”

Cellina opened the box and tore off the gold leaf, revealing a simple, emerald green slender wooden stick - it didn't look like anything special, let alone a "scepter".

But just by being exposed to the air, the room will naturally reveal a refreshing scent of herbs.

The system's prompt sounds: You have obtained the artifact 'Osiris's Broken Staff'.

Description: The artifact left behind after the fall of Hades Osiris was damaged, and the scepter, which contained the full divine power of Osiris, was reduced to a part of the divine nature of "life, abundance".

It is no longer usable due to the imprint of Osiris, and it is recommended to incorporate it into the mother plant of the Tree of Life to bring the Tree of Life to maturity in advance and catalyze the creation of new Tree of Life subplants.

Lothar closed the box quietly and nodded, "This is indeed a treasure. ”

"Is it really Osiris's scepter?"

Governor Ibn wondered.

Lothar asked rhetorically, "Didn't you say this is the scepter of Osiris?" ”

"I don't know that."

Doge Ibn shrugged: "I originally thought of chopping it up and making it into an aroma, but unfortunately, it looks like it is wooden, but neither with a sword nor an axe can cut through it. ”

"You don't have to worry about what it is."

Lothar opened the cell door and said, "According to our previous agreement, you are free, Lord Ibn. ”

Ibn hid his curiosity and dusted off the hay from his shoulder.

"By the way, a word of advice to you before parting, it is better not to go to Alexandria, and not to stay in Egypt."

Ibn was surprised: "Why?" ”

Lothar chuckled, "Because the next time you are captured, you will not be able to hand over such a ransom." ”

The governor of Ibn was silent, and said helplessly: "But where else can I go, I can't go to Tunis to be a pirate, or Iberia to be a dog for the Berbers, right?" ”

"That's your business."

The governor of Ibn sighed.

He raised his hand to his chest, "Hopefully we won't see each other again, Marquis of Lothar." ”

"I hope so."

Lothar also drew a cross on her chest.

Seeing the governor of Ibn leave, Lothar spoke: "Cellinina, I have to trouble you to make another trip, don't be in a hurry, just come back in three days, and give this scepter of Osiris to the Tree of Life." ”

Cellina wondered, "Is it really the scepter of Osiris?" ”

Lothar shook her head and said, "It's only half." In addition to being the king of Hades, Osiris also has the priesthood of "plants, fertility and agriculture", which contains the divine power represented by these priesthoods behind it, which is a great feedback to the tree of life. ”

Lothar's tone paused slightly, and he added: "After the Tree of Life gets it, there is a high probability that it will give birth to a new seed, and when you come back, remember to bring this seed back as well, it will be very useful for me to collect the allegiance of the Egyptians." ”

Cellina nodded, "I made a note of it." ”

She took the box and was about to leave.

"Thank you for your hard work, stay safe."

Lothar admonished.

Cellina curtsied, smiled and nodded, and faded into the dark dungeon corridors.

(End of chapter)