The town of Aric Chia, an ordinary and extraordinary Roman town. The territory of Rome is sparsely populated, even in the core area. Like other Roman towns, there are only about 200 people living in the town, and there are a few crossroads.

However, the infrastructure is readily available. Grocery stores, gas stations, bakeries, Orthodox churches, and banks face each other at the intersection in the center. There are dedicated cheese shops that sell nearly 100 varieties of cheese, including Parmesan, Mozzarella and Ricotta ricotta, from Ireland to the Caucasus. In addition to fresh meat, the butcher shop also serves sausages from all over the Western Hemisphere, such as Parmesan ham and salami.

Each small shop has a dazzling array of goods. Whether it's a cheese shop, a ham shop or a hotel, the variety is as rich as a specialized museum. Even one of the tech savages, the Grand Commander of the United Arab Emirates, was in the cellar in Berlin.

This is Rome, one of the six capitals of the Western Hemisphere. Unlike the orderly tributary order of the Eastern Hemisphere, the ethnic composition of Rome was as complex as a palette.

The town of Aric is located in the heart of Rome, half the world is within reach. They sifted through everything from the past, keeping the best suited items for the local service industry and displaying them in small, inconspicuous shops down the street. If the townspeople are willing to go out once a day, their diet is as rich as that of the UAE's rulers.

Now, however, the town has been emptied of all tourists, leaving only the townspeople. It's an operation that takes place every dozen years, and it's not really that hasty, and the town just doesn't receive visitors for a long time in advance.

Although there are no tourists, almost everyone in the town is going about their lives as usual. Because their "job" during this time is to live as usual, their status in this ritual is "native". This is important.

When the jeep in which Shang Luo and his party were riding arrived at the edge of town, a pickup truck was parked there. At this time, there will be no tourists coming, and most of the people who will come are "the ones who should come".

The mayor of the town, dressed in a narrow tuxedo, stepped out of the van. His eyes wandered among the crowds, searching for the one he was destined to associate with.

"Here." Titus, who was parking, waved out, confirming his identity to the other party of the ceremony.

"It's really a stranger this time." Looking at these strange Auroras, Mayor Mare's collar straightened his coat.

"Welcome to the pearl of Lake Nemi, the town of Arquia. Ladies and gentlemen, find a seat and sit casually. He pointed to the pickup truck behind him and motioned for Shang Luo and his party to sit on.

It was a line that had been prepared for a long time, and he had practiced it for a long time. This wasn't the first time he had cooperated with the ceremony, and every mayor was told to cooperate with the ceremony when he took office. Although most people will only be told to cooperate with the show, not the whole truth. But this one knows.

Because this ceremony is different. Even at the risk of a mysterious leak, you can't afford to make a mistake in the process. The roles of strangers and locals must be played well.

Titus, who got out of the car, also stretched out his hand to introduce the person in front of him:

"This is, Mr. Kailus Kesso, the mayor of the town of Arakia, and he is the only person in the town who knows."

"What about the rest of the town?" Shang Luo asked.

"The rest of the town, during this time, will receive a special allowance from the Senate, they just need to live as usual. It was claimed that it was going to be a military exercise, so there was personnel control - there was indeed an artillery group deployed in the south, and it was true that no one could come in casually, and we did not deceive the citizens here at all. ”

"Then if we don't succeed"

"Well, that's something I'm going to emphasize in a moment. While your lives are important, we all have a last resort anyway, such as physically erasing the Sacred Forest. But for the sake of the equipment that has exploded, for the sake of order in Rome, please do your best. ”

Before entering the door, Titus bowed to Shangluo. If he could go on his own, he would definitely go and challenge the forest king alone without hesitation. But now, the only hope lies in the students in front of them.

"So, I'd like to ask what kind of damage will be caused by the last resort?" Shang Luo asked.

"If you fail, we will have to mobilize artillery to bombard for 72 hours, completely razing the entire Sacred Grove, including Diana's Temple. Shooting next to the city of Rome would inevitably lead to the accountability of the Senate for the internal guards, which of course did not matter. The important thing is that a vital foundation of the edifice of magic will be removed, and the order of the whole world will inevitably be shaken; Of course, from the perspective of adults, I still hope that you will take care of yourself. But on the premise of taking care of yourself, please work harder. Our thanksgiving is definitely not just a golden branch, you can all receive a heartfelt thanks from Rome, and a reward commensurate with your deeds. and."

He looked at the north and said slowly: "Actually, we can also provide you with backup, and the information alone will be very rich. The danger of this mission is not great, otherwise Lu Qianhu would not have agreed to let you come. So, although the bombardment of the artillery group is a last resort, we will also activate some backup plans before things get out of hand. ”

"Then why don't you give it to us now?"

"The backup plan is called a backup plan, of course, because it falls under the category of 'unconventional measures'. For example, we have prepared dragon tooth soldiers to spare, and you can apply for them when you need them, but dragon tooth soldiers are quite troublesome to recycle, and the danger is greater than the golden branch ceremony itself, so it is better not to use it until it is in a hurry. The difficulty of this mission, well, overall is not great. ”

He thought for a moment and nodded in confirmation:

"It's really not a big risk. Although I have not participated in it myself, the ceremony has always been done by apprentices of your age. This time, we made a series of backup plans, all to make sure nothing went wrong. I can also tell you that the Golden Bough Ceremony has a historically casualty rate of less than 0.5%, making it a fairly safe ceremony. ”

He is not lying. The Golden Bough ceremony is indeed very safe, but this time only you have obtained the qualification, I always think it is for you? Well, it seems too coincidental. Apollonia reminded.

Similar to Apollonia's reminder, Titus also concludes with a rigorous statement that borders on a "disclaimer":

"Of course, historically it has been safe. But anything can happen in the dark, and something unexpected can happen. If you're all sure, get on the bus. Once in the car in the town of Arakia, the ceremony began. ”

(End of chapter)