APTnovel Chapter 169 Assassination Commission
Chapter 169 Assassination Commission
Chapter 169 Assassination Commission
The person sitting opposite had gray hair, and all the hair on their forehead had fallen out.
His thin frame and solemn expression gave him an impression of being difficult to communicate with.
The servant standing behind him, though not younger than him, definitely looked much younger.
Aaron guessed that the two were probably the master and the butler.
He leaned forward slightly and asked with a smile:
"So, what are your names, gentlemen?"
"My name is Alvis Price, a baron, and this man beside me is my servant of many years; you can call him Mead."
After the man finished speaking, the servant named Mead bowed to Aaron.
Aaron nodded slightly: "I have received your authorization certificate. In that case, I will listen patiently to your requests."
Alves seemed to be gathering his thoughts, and after a long while, he replied:
"Since I am sitting here, it means I have encountered a problem that I cannot solve on my own. Sir, I will explain it to you in detail, but I also ask you to promise me one thing: please do not tell anyone about my situation."
"Rest assured, the Block Alliance acts with integrity, keeps its secrets to itself, and will never leak them."
"Hmm—" Alves nodded slightly, "My territory is in the Kaufman Gorge, and it's called Vulture Castle."
"Sir, as you know, everyone says that the Stone Mountains are the scars of the kingdom, while the Koufman Gorge, located on the east side of the mountains, is undoubtedly the abscess of the kingdom."
"No crops can grow in the mountain valley, but fortunately, it is rich in minerals, so the lords in the territory are not considered poor."
"But the people are indeed living in misery, so the population loss in the gorges region has always been very serious. In order to alleviate this problem, our lord of the gorges has gone to great lengths."
"We eventually discovered that there was only one effective way to keep our people from leaving: to enable them to live on the land."
"So we reduced taxes and corvée labor as much as possible, and the problem was finally improved. Of course, this method was proposed hundreds of years ago, or even earlier, and I was just following the tradition."
"Sir, can you understand what I'm saying?"
Aaron smiled politely: "I can understand that to a general extent. But since you've brought this up, something must have happened in your territory that has prevented you from continuing to uphold the ancestral laws so well, right?"
"Yes, sir," Alves nodded, "it all started more than twenty years ago."
"At that time I was only in my thirties, but I had already inherited the territory and title, and had been governing it for some time. Although my abilities were average and I had not made any achievements, I was still able to maintain stability."
"Until one day, a young priest came to the territory, and Vulture Castle was soon thrown into chaos."
"His name is Felix, and I have to admit that Felix is a talented person. From the first day I met him, I was impressed by his outstanding ability to take action."
"In just one afternoon, he helped me sort out my family genealogy and analyze the blood ties between various families and my family."
"You know, even my herald couldn't do these things for me. Of course, it's also possible that my herald wasn't good enough."
"But the next day, he still pushed for reforms to the religious atmosphere of Vulture Castle. I didn't pay much attention at first, since making the people more religious would be beneficial to the stability and rule of the territory."
"However, it wasn't long before I discovered that the religious atmosphere in the territory had become too strong, and even the knights around me no longer went to brothels in private."
"I had a feeling that Felix had started collecting taxes from believers under various pretexts.
"The names of those taxes are unbelievable even to me—name tax, prayer tax, soul-pacifying tax, and so on."
"He even regulated sexual relations between men and women, and levied taxes on married couples and prostitutes, which left me speechless."
"So I immediately found him and told him about the historical situation in the gorge area, hoping that he could stop immediately."
"But Felix refused me and argued that believers paid taxes to the Vatican willingly, and that this would satisfy the people's souls."
"But, sir, you should understand that no matter how full your heart is, it can't fill your stomach. If these complicated taxes continue to be collected, even if the people in the territory don't leave, they will starve to death."
"After several fruitless attempts to communicate, I knew I couldn't continue hesitating like this, so I hardened my heart and drove Felix out of my territory. Sir, do you think I did the right thing?"
Aaron listened quietly to Alves's description, but as an advisor to the Block Alliance, he shouldn't answer the client's questions casually.
He then said, "As long as you have no regrets, then your actions, at least for you, are not wrong."
"I have never regretted it," Alves said, then suddenly lowered his head. "But—"
Aaron guessed that Felix must have done something to him after he left. "Mr. Price, please continue."
Alves nodded deeply: "Before Felix left, he rebuked me for being a traitor to the Lord. As a clergyman and a servant of the Lord, he will surely punish me in the Lord's place."
"I didn't take it too seriously at first, but I never expected that Felix would achieve such a position."
"That's true. Although I strongly disapprove of some of Felix's actions, I can't deny that he is indeed a rare talent."
"After leaving my territory, he returned directly to the Principality of the Holy See and entered the seminary to continue his studies. Later, he attracted the attention of the Vatican's high-ranking officials with a paper arguing about the relationship between father and son."
"And I heard that he even gained the Pope's favor, and then rose rapidly through the ranks, his priesthood was quickly promoted, and now he has become a patriarch."
"Of course, whether he does well or poorly has nothing to do with me, and I won't bother to pry into other people's business."
"The reason I know all this is because one day, I suddenly received several letters from the Principality of the Holy Envoy."
At this point, Alves suddenly raised his hands, and his butler Mead immediately pulled out several documents.
Alves handed the papers to Aaron and then continued:
"Sir, look at this. This is the judgment the Vatican has given me. They have excommunicated me, stripped me of my right to celebrate Mass, and more importantly, they have declared that no one in my territory will receive God's forgiveness after death."
"This has led to a large number of devout people leaving Vulture Castle, resulting in a severe population loss within my territory, and I am powerless to do anything about it."
Aaron picked up the documents and examined them. He quickly noticed the signature; they were all Felix St. Winster.
This raises suspicions that these religious documents are related to a personal feud between the two individuals.
Aaron put these down and asked:
"So, Mr. Price, how do you want the Block Alliance to help you?"
Alves raised his eyebrows and crossed his hands tightly.
He said, "If Felix only wants revenge for being expelled back then, I can completely understand. However, he shouldn't have dragged others into our feud."
"His punishment of Vulture Castle will affect all the people in the town. Faith is the only pillar of many people's hearts. His actions will only make people lose the will to live."
"I wrote to him to argue, but never received a reply. I also tried to ask friends to smooth things over, but I was just a marginal nobleman of the kingdom, and no one was willing to offend a patriarch for my sake."
"Sir, I have no other choice. I was forced into this situation. I beg the Block Alliance to kill Felix for me. As long as he is alive, our territory's normal religious authority cannot be restored."
"This is my demand. Even if not for myself, you should at least consider the feelings of the ordinary people. They are all innocent."
Aaron didn't think Alves was a good lord who cared about his people, and he didn't know if Alves was saying that on purpose.
But the reasons he gave were indeed valid and met Winn's requirements.
Given that, Aaron had no reason to refuse.
Moreover, prior to this, the commissions received by the Block Alliance were all minor incidents, and they had never assassinated any prominent figures.
For the alliance to make a name for itself, the identity of its assassination targets is equally important.
Therefore, Aaron felt that he not only had to accept this task, but also had to ensure that it was completed.
Of course, Aaron also understood that the mission would definitely not be simple.
The high-ranking members of the Holy See may not possess extraordinary powers themselves, but they are certainly protected by many magicians and Templar Knights.
If one is not careful, one may find oneself in a dangerous situation.
Therefore, Aaron must coordinate well with Alves to minimize the possibility of unforeseen events.
"Mr. Price, your Difficult Block Alliance is willing to help, but please tell me the details of the assassination target."
Alves nodded, and then told Aaron all about Felix's basic information.
He also emphasized: "The patriarch's activities take place in a very wide area, and he is practically homeless, but I can be sure of where he will be in the coming period."
"Why?" Aaron asked.
"Recently, the archbishop of the Kofman Gorge region also left his diocese and headed to the Principality of the Holy Apostles. I have heard the news."
He was going to attend the ordination ceremony of the new cardinal.
"And since the archbishop needs to go, the patriarch will certainly not miss it either, so Felix will definitely attend the ceremony as well."
Is the timing really that perfect?
Aaron suspected that Alves knew about the ceremony before deciding to have someone assassinate Felix.
But the client's true motives were irrelevant to Aaron; he was merely a proxy consultant.
What he was concerned about was Alves's funding:
"This is a dangerous mission, sir, and your target is a clergyman. How much are you willing to pay?" Alves lowered his head slightly. "Sir, how much money do you want?"
Aaron gazed silently at Alves, then held up five fingers.
"Fifty gold coins?"
"It's five hundred," Aaron replied.
Alves stood up excitedly: "Five hundred! Sir, you must be joking, this is no small sum! And I am just a minor nobleman, besides, the gorge region is inconvenient for trade and doesn't produce crops, I simply cannot easily produce that much gold!"
"But you also said that the gorge is full of minerals,"
Aaron answered calmly.
"Mining is the fastest way to make money, especially with the recent revival of the slave trade. Your mining costs must have decreased significantly. I think 500 gold coins is a price you can afford."
"Even if I had it, would it really be worth spending so much money to buy a person's life?"
"You're calculating the money from human lives, while I'm calculating the money from assassinations. If you don't think it's worth it, you can leave anytime."
After Aaron finished speaking, Alves fell into a long silence.
Finally, he asked, "Why is it so expensive?"
"I've already said, the mission is difficult, and Felix's identity is extraordinary. His head alone is worth this much money, and—."
Aaron paused for a moment before continuing.
"If the assassination succeeds, the Cube Alliance will be at odds with the Vatican, and it could even affect the Alliance's survival. My lord, I think you understand what that means."
Alves opened his mouth, paused for a moment, then squinted and stared intently at Aaron's face.
After exhaling a long breath through his nose, Alves slightly raised his chin at his servant.
Mead bowed and then walked out of the library.
Not long after, Mead returned to Alves carrying a locked wooden box.
Alves took out the key and opened the box.
Next, Mead began counting the gold coins from the box and stacking them on the table.
Ten coins were stacked in a pile, ten piles in a row, and a total of five rows were stacked.
After finishing, Alves said:
"Sir, the five hundred gold coins are right here."
"The Block Alliance will surely take down the target," Aaron promised.
"Please do it as soon as possible!"
"Of course, I will arrange for someone to carry out the assassination mission immediately."
Alves gave a few more instructions and then led Mead away.
Looking at the gold coins on the table, Aaron couldn't help but sigh, "They really are rich."
The fact that he can come up with so much money shows that he is very wealthy.
Even though Aaron's offer was high, he didn't refuse, which means that the matter had become so urgent that intervention was necessary, or that it could bring him more benefits.
However, Aaron didn't need to worry about any of that. He only needed to issue the mission to ensure that the assassination could be completed.
This mission will definitely not be easy, and it will certainly be a challenge for the assassins sent out.
Fortunately, he already had someone in mind.
The next morning, Kendrick went to the library.
He said to Aaron, "Sir, I may have reached my limit. Last night, I encountered a drunk man in an alley, and I almost couldn't resist killing him. Fortunately, I remembered my promise to you in time—sir, what should I do?"
"I told you, when you reach your limit, go vent," Aaron said with a smile. "And I've already prepared a feast for you."
"Really?!"
"Felix Saint Winster, Duchy of the Holy Missionaries, Conferment Ceremony,"
Aaron handed the written materials to Kendrick.
"Kendrick, enjoy!"