Chapter 488 Coldness of Nine States
In the mysterious and chaotic Northern Europe, for hundreds of years, even the children who were newly sensible knew the rumors about the darkness, which had spread around Northern Europe.
Darkness was everywhere.
The thick blackness slowly penetrated into every corner of Northern Europe in the deepest and heaviest way.
The Northern Europe embassy, Special Warfare Organization, major enterprises, military departments, finance, intelligence, transportation, delivery.
Food, clothing, housing, and even wood, rice, oil, and even salt.
Everything in Northern Europe had a vague shadow of darkness.
The source of all this was the Dark World, and also the belief.
There were also many devout believers of the Vatican in Northern Europe.
In the eyes of the believers, this was a place where the brilliance of deities was extremely difficult to disseminate. In this region, every year, members of the Vatican who were above the bishop level would be killed, and nuns would disappear for no reason, and the church would be attacked. All of this was because of the existence of the darkness here.
Very few people knew what the so-called darkness was.
It was a person, an enterprise, or a religion.
Ordinary people could not describe it in detail, so the darkness became a legend.
Only the people in the Dark World knew that the darkness in Northern Europe, to be exact, was a force.
It was a force that had existed for a long time.
Elite, tough, mysterious, cold-blooded, strong, gloomy.
They might be evil, but no one denied their strength and influence on Northern Europe.
They were a group of knights traveling alone in the darkness.
People called them Dark Knights, and the leader of the Dark Knights, in the legends of Northern Europe, was the legendary man who could crush the light.
It was the commander of the Dark Knights, Rafael·Wilson.
In Northern Europe, this name was like a nightmare, and his code name was Nightmare.
He was a man who had attacked the Vatican many times in the past decades and had involved nearly half of the Holy Disarmament Corps of the Vatican in Northern Europe. He was a man who could even escape from Aresis’s hands unscathed.
In other words, the Commander of the Dark Knights, Rafael·Wilson, was the biggest villain in the eyes of the Vatican in recent decades!
In the hundreds of years of history of the Dark Knights, Rafael might have not been the strongest commander, but it was true that he had raised the status of the Dark Knights to its peak. When the Dark Saint Spear, one of the 12 Murderous Weapons, could fire, Rafael held it in his hand and was not afraid of anything in the Dark World.
The Dark Saint Spear had fired three years ago.
At present, it was still during the full-up period.
The main reason why the Dark Saint Spear had fired was for the Samsara Palace, or for the Master of Samsara Palace.
Now that Li Tianlan could face up to Qin Weibai’s identity, he naturally knew some of the past secrets of the Samsara Palace and the Dark Knights.
For him, as long as he still trusted Qin Weibai, he would not doubt Rafael.
On the evening of August 17th...
When all of Recchi City was in turmoil, it was the first time that Li Tianlan had seen the Commander of the Dark Knights, whom he had known for a long time.
Rafael was under 50 years old this year, and he was considered young among the Invincible Realm experts. Besides, he looked even younger. This famous Nightmare in Northern Europe was a Eurasian. He was tall and straight, handsome, and had a clear outline. He looked like a young man in his 30s. His every move was full of strength.
This was a man who was very charming both in appearance and temperament. He was neither strong nor cold. His smile was very friendly, but not hypocritical. It had a kind of natural sincerity and calmness.
“Your Highness Rafael, I’m Li Tianlan,” Li Tianlan bowed his body slightly and said in a calm tone.
Without any arrogance as an expert on the Divine List, Rafael bent forward slightly and said with a gentle smile, “Marshal Li, it’s my first time to meet you. You’re really extraordinary.”
Li Tianlan raised his eyebrows.
Dongcheng Rushi, who was watching the conversation behind him, was a little surprised.
Because Rafael had spoken Chinese.
It was the most standard Mandarin. His words were clear and casual and did not have any trace of an accent.
Zhongzhou State was the most powerful country in the world.
Chinese was being learned in every country.
There were a lot of foreigners who could speak Chinese, but it was very rare to see foreigners who could speak Chinese in such standard Mandarin.
Besides, although he was a Eurasian, according to the information, he was the descendant of a French man and a Japanese woman, which had nothing to do with Zhongzhou State at all, but now...
Dongcheng Rushi even suspected that Rafael’s Japanese might not be as good as his Chinese.
“Your Chinese is very good,” Li Tianlan complimented him with a smile.
“I like Zhongzhou State, which is the most mysterious and powerful place in the world. But unfortunately, I didn’t have many friends in Zhongzhou State before, and no one welcomed me to go and have a look,” Rafael laughed and said softly.
He was currently sitting in a somewhat gloomy hall. The light was very faint, but his voice was warm.
“Friend? Now you have one.”
Li Tianlan nodded. “After the incident in Eastern Europe, I hope Your Highness can come to Zhongzhou State to have a look. At that time, I will personally be your tour guide.”
“Hahaha.”
Rafael laughed happily, and the continuous roars became clearer and clearer in the laughter.
The roars came from both Li Tianlan’s side and the screen.
This meant that the distance between Rafael and the Caesar Hotel was equally close.
Rafael glanced out of the window. Suddenly, he said thoughtfully, “Marshal Li, Recchi City is very lively tonight.”
“That’s right. I’ve heard from Prime Minister Reeker. It’s said that there’s a group of terrorists in the Caesar Hotel who’re planning to overthrow Wulan State. Now that Prime Minister Reeker received the news, I’m sure he is going to make a severe suppression.”
Li Tianlan was talking nonsense with a serious face.
He was indeed talking nonsense. Rafael knew that too, but it did not matter.
The important thing was that this was a reason.
This kind of reason did not even need to be real, it just needed to be a reason.
In Recchi City, the prime minister of Wulan State was reasonable. He thought that the Shadow Throne were terrorists, so it was also reasonable for him to send troops directly.
After a moment of silence, Rafael nodded and laughed. “Prime Minister Reeker is very bold, and so is Marshal Li.”
Li Tianlan lowered his head and lit a cigarette. In the smoke, he was silent for a while and suddenly said, “But now it seems that we haven’t prepared enough. It’s too hasty. At present, Prime Minister Reeker has encountered some difficulties.”
Rafael looked at Li Tianlan quietly. He never avoided any topics, so he asked straightforwardly, “What do you need me to do?”
His voice was calm and direct, as if he was ready to do anything.
Even though Li Tianlan knew that the other party was one of his own, he had not expected that Rafael would be so direct. He paused for a moment and said softly, “If Your Highness can go to the Caesar Hotel now, I can assure you that the Dark Knights will receive the greatest kindness of Wulan State.”
Rafael paused, and asked hesitantly, “Now?”
He did not hesitate but seemed somewhat worried as he looked at Li Tianlan with sincere eyes. “Aren’t you being too anxious?”
“I don’t have much time. I have no other choice,” Li Tianlan said softly.
“Okay.”
Rafael took a deep look at Li Tianlan and said, “I’ll take my men there in person.”
Li Tianlan nodded silently and said calmly, “It’s like this. Because the Snowdance Corps is currently...”
Rafael waved his hand with a smile, stood up, and said, “Since we don’t have a lot of time, there’s no need to say the reason. I’ll go now. Marshal Li, I believe in you.”
Li Tianlan put out the cigarette silently.
On the screen, the Commander of the Dark Knights, Rafael, had turned around and was ready to leave.
Li Tianlan bowed deeply to the screen and said calmly, “Thank you, brother-in-law.”
He had two brothers-in-law now.
The first brother-in-law was still in Jiangzhe. He was Zou Yuanshan, who had taken the most important step in the next 20 years.
He was Dongcheng Rushi’s brother-in-law.
The second one was the Commander of the Dark Knights, Rafael.
This was Qin Weibai’s brother-in-law.
Who was Qin Weibai’s sister?
All of the Dark World knew.
No one knew that every time at a critical moment, they would stand with the Samsara Palace, but they were usually estranged from each other. Even the Dark Knights and the Samsara Palace, which occasionally had some conflicts, would be so close.
Rafael paused for a moment, and finally burst out laughing.
This middle-aged man, who looked elegant and gentle, laughed so heartily for the first time.
Perhaps even Li Tianlan himself did not know how important this word “brother-in-law” meant to Rafael.
Rafael walked out of the dark hall with large strides.
He was now less than six or seven kilometers away from the Caesar Hotel. He was temporarily staying in an ordinary hotel apartment, and there were no elites of the Dark Knights by his side. There were only a few high-level members of the Horsewomen who had come from Northern Europe with him.
Outside the hall was a larger hall.
In front of a huge French window, several high-level members of the Dark Knights were gathered together talking about the cannons that occasionally lit up in the night sky with great interest.
Rafael stood in front of the railing and took a look, then suddenly said, “Sin.”
The hall was silent for a moment.
Among the high-level members, an extremely thin old man in his 50s, dressed in a tuxedo, turned around, bent down, and said respectfully, “Your Highness.”
“Time to take action.”
In a soft voice, Rafael said, “Move people from the base and enter Recchi City as fast as possible. Tonight, we’ll wipe out the Shadow Throne!”
Only at this moment, he looked like the Commander of the Dark Knights, the biggest villain of the Vatican, not the brother-in-law who just met all the requests of Li Tianlan.
Everyone was shocked.
“How many people do you want?” Sin asked subconsciously.
He was the most experienced Dark Knight among the Dark Knights. He had been in the Dark Knights for a long time, even longer than Rafael. As the top expert of the Half-step Invincible Realm, his position could be said to be second only to the Commander.
“All of them,” Rafael said calmly.
Sin seemed to be too shocked and did not speak for a while.
“Your Highness...”
A very rough figure took a step forward, and his voice also became a little cautious. “It’s too urgent.”
He was also one of the high-level leaders of the Dark Knights. His code name was Wrath. Three years ago, during the decisive battle of Heaven Capital, he had led the team to the Sky Academy with the Dark Saint Spear in his hand and had witnessed the battle between the Master of Samsara Palace and Gu Xingyun.
Rafael glanced at him, nodded, and said yes.
“If we are to act a little later, we might be able to get more.”
Another senior officer whispered, and his voice was a little hoarse. His code name was Greed, and what he said was also very consistent with his code name.
“Maybe we should take a break now. Will it be better for us to go there when we are in high spirits?”
A lazy voice sounded. This was the Sloth of the Dark Knights.
Wrath, Greed, Pride, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and Lust.
Sin.
Nightmare Rafael.
This was the list of the top leaders of the Dark Knights.
Rafael listened to their opinions quietly. After everyone spoke one by one, he said calmly, “Are you done?”
All the senior leaders looked at each other and nodded at the same time.
“Then let’s move.”
Rafael waved his hand.
Everyone let out an “oh” and stood up at the same time.
Even Sloth, the laziest, stood up with a sigh.
Rafael looked at them quietly, without saying a word.
All of their opposition just now was not real. The Dark Knights had always been like this. They only said what they wanted to say. As the Commander, Rafael did not change his mind, so everyone had to take action.
“Your Highness, in this case, we’ll be taking a big risk.”
In the end, Sin reminded him.
Rafael made a sound of “eh”, expressionless.
Sin sighed softly, took out his cell phone, and began to dial the Dark Knights’ base in Wulan State.
“The Dark Knights were not called the Dark Knights at first, but I have long forgotten the name that this organization should have. We were just like other forces at first, pursuing money and power. We even do it now. But in the beginning, we affected the interests of the Vatican, so we became heretics. In desperation, we began to resist the Vatican.”
Rafael’s voice was calm. “But the Vatican has faith. What about us? Our greatest faith is against the Vatican, but what sort of faith is this? We all believe in an omnipotent God, and we only oppose the Vatican. Thus, from this point of view, we are just like the other forces, pursuing wealth and fortune. Fighting against the Vatican is an instinct, as well as for the purpose of survival.
“I don’t like this kind of life. Without passion, the darkness is the most disgusting. Everyone, the Dark Knights will not have any risk, because it will always exist. For the battle tonight, what I am sure of is that I have done something more important than my life, for my love. In addition, I have no other purpose. Now, I ask you to help me. After tonight, I may die and you might be killed, but the darkness will always exist.”
The hall became quieter and quieter.
Rafael did not care about anyone’s response. He lowered his head, took out his phone, and made a phone call.
The call was soon connected.
A slight sound of breathing came from the phone. It was so gentle.
Rafael laughed, and his eyes and smile became so soft.
“I’m heading to the Caesar Hotel right away,” Rafael said softly.
The man on the phone was silent for a while before he asked softly, “Now?”
“Yes.”
Rafael chuckled and said, “Tianlan sought me. As a brother-in-law, how can I refuse the request of my brother-in-law?”
There was silence on the phone.
“I’m here too,” the woman on the phone said softly.
“Then I want to go there even more.”
Rafael said with a smile, “No matter what, I have to protect my woman.”
After a long silence, the Master of Samsara Palace said yes softly on the phone.
Rafael had a big drunken smile on his face, as gentle as a cup of wine.
“After this matter is over, I’ll agree with your previous request.”
On the phone, the voice of the Master of Samsara Palace became soft.
“Okay.”
Rafael nodded with a smile on his face.
“So...”
The Master of Samsara Palace murmured to herself, “You have to stay alive.”
Wang Tianzong was also on the phone.
The Snowdance Corps could be said to be the world’s most elite troop, but Wang Tianzong was also the most powerful Sword Emperor in the Dark World.
If he wanted to break out of the encirclement, it would not be difficult for him to get out of there.
The most difficult part was that Li Tianlan occupied the general trend. At least from a general perspective, Wang Tianzong and the Snowdance Corps had the same standpoint, for they belonged to Zhongzhou State.
It was impossible for Wang Tianzong to give up Zhongzhou State’s support, so it was impossible for him to break through the Snowdance Corps.
His being imprisoned was already a matter of fate.
Wang Tianzong, who had tasted the feeling of being imprisoned for the first time in his life, returned to his room alone. He didn’t seem to be angry at all. Li Tianlan had restricted his freedom, but didn’t cut off his right to communicate with the outside world. Both sides took a step back. After all, neither Wang Tianzong nor Li Tianlan wanted to drive each other crazy.
Wang Tianzong had already called KingTong.
He even called the senior leaders he could find in the Shadow Throne.
However, there was no response on the phone.
There was no doubt that the signal in the vicinity of the Caesar Hotel had been completely blocked.
Wang Tianzong, who couldn’t do anything about it at the moment, calmed down completely and called Summer Solstice.
It was already the morning of August 18th in Zhongzhou State.
The call from Summer Solstice was soon picked up.
There was complete silence on the other end of the phone.
There was no sound of waves hitting on the cliff or the gentle music of fiddling with flowers and plants.
Only the soft sound of Summer Solstice’s footsteps and her voice could be heard clearly.
“I’ve heard about it.”
Summer Solstice took the initiative to say, “He did very well this time. He is reasonable everywhere. Tianzong, no matter how unwilling you are, you can’t do anything until you have the right opportunity.”
Wang Tianzong nodded with a smile and said calmly, “I didn’t intend to do anything. I’ll just wait for an opportunity.”
Summer Solstice answered yes with a soft voice. After a moment of silence, she said softly, “If you can break through, it will be the best chance.”
“Yes.”
Wang Tianzong said softly, “Before that, I am thinking about whether to be quiet or not. Now I can’t move even if I want to. Fate gave me a choice. I have no reason to refuse it.”
Summer Solstice was silent. The soft voice of footsteps sounded for a long time, and then she said softly, “Tianzong, you must be very uncomfortable, aren’t you?”
The dignified Sword Emperor was imprisoned by a young man who was like an ant in his eyes, both in strength and background. When had Wang Tianzong ever suffered such humiliation?
Summer Solstice thought of the dispute between her daughter and Li Tianlan, and her heart became more and more complicated.
“No.”
Wang Tianzong smiled and said, “To be honest...
“I’m very close to a breakthrough. The environment of the Office of the President is good. I don’t think anyone will come to disturb me on weekdays. I can take advantage of this period of time to meditate. The outside world is disturbing and the situation there is chaotic. I was in the middle of it. So I could not be quiet, or make a move. To be honest, it’s better for me now.”
“I’m glad you’ve figured it out.”
Summer Solstice smiled gently.
Wang Tianzong was silent for a while, then said softly, “Solstice, you can do something. You can’t come to Eastern Europe, but you can contact Zhongzhou State and Rothschild. After tonight, no matter what happens to the Shadow Throne, KingTong must live. This is the bottom line, my bottom line.”
Summer Solstice was silent for a while, then whispered, “Okay, leave it to me.”
Wang Tianzong seemed to be completely relieved. He narrowed his eyes and didn’t speak for a long time.
KingTong had to live.
That was his bottom line.
This sentence was meant for the high-level management of Zhongzhou State.
He was wondering if he should tell it to Li Tianlan.
He was now imprisoned here because he wanted to take care of the overall situation.
But if Li Tianlan insisted on stepping on his bottom line regardless of the overall situation, Wang Tianzong would naturally take action.
This was not a threat.
It was just a means of playing the game.
“I’ll leave for Youzhou in the afternoon.”
Summer Solstice said slowly, “You’d better communicate with Li Tianlan. He is just a little madman. If you don’t control him, KingTong will die...”
“I know.”
Wang Tianzong nodded and suddenly asked, “Where are you now?”
“On the way to lab No. 6,” Summer Solstice said calmly.
Wang Tianzong fell silent.
Lab No. 6.
That was the Sword-forging Room of the Wang family of Beihai.
It was also a place to test the murderous weapon, Human Emperor.
He narrowed his eyes slightly and asked calmly, “How’s the sword?”
“Just like you, it’s almost there.”
Summer Solstice was somewhat helpless.
Wang Tianzong also gave a wry smile.
The sword of the Wang family of Beihai, Listen to the Sea, was well-known in the Dark World.
However, after Wang Tianzong approached the Peak of the Invincible Realm, Listen to the Sea had gradually become inconvenient to use because of Wang Tianzong’s strong sword intent. Now, Wang Tianzong had surpassed the Peak of the Invincible Realm, and he increasingly felt that the Listening to the Sea Sword was powerless.
Therefore, the Wang family of Beihai began the sword-casting plan.
The sword-casting plan had already begun earlier. This plan was nothing more than a plan that should have been carried out more than 20 years ago.
Few people knew that as early as more than 20 years ago, the Wang family of Beihai had wanted to build a real unique magic weapon with their own hands.
Or rather, it could be said that it was a true Chosen One’s sword that could perfectly bear the sword intent of the Chosen One.
This time, the sword-casting plan was to use the sword embryo that had consumed countless precious materials.
It was just that, in the beginning, the sword’s owner was not Wang Tianzong.
It was a person who was truly hopeful and had a great chance of becoming the Chosen One in that situation.
Summer Solstice.
This was a sword that was originally made for Summer Solstice.
Wang Tianzong had now regained the sword embryo. He hoped to get a sword that could perfectly bear his sword intent when he broke through the last step.
“What’s the suggestion of Lab No. 6?” Wang Tianzong asked slowly.
“It’s because our requirements are too high. Peerless divine weapons naturally need spirituality. In other words, the Chosen One’s sword should be a sword with life. However, the Infinite Sky shattered too severely back then, and almost lost all of its activity. There is a lack of spirituality in it. The only way is...”
Summer Solstice was silent for a while.
Wang Tianzong also fell silent.
There were few weapons with life, but that didn’t mean there were none.
There were 12 weapons with life in the Dark World at the moment.
Wang Tianzong narrowed his eyes and said softly, “You mean that if this sword is formed, it needs to crush the Human Emperor?”
“For the moment, this sword needs the spirituality of the Human Emperor.”
At the other end of the line, Summer Solstice opened the door of Lab No. 6.
The No. 6 Lab was abnormally desolate.
In a huge bronze cauldron, a thick sword was inserted to be tested by various instruments.
It was a huge and wide long sword. It was completely black, two meters long, and its blade was very wide, which made it look very dignified and solemn.
There were countless patterns carved on both sides of the pitch-black blade.
The sun, moon, and stars were engraved on one side of the sword blade.
The other side of the sword blade was engraved with mountains, rivers, and seas.
The massive blade was quietly inserted into where it was, but it seemed to carry the entire world.
This was the true peerless divine weapon.
It was the Chosen One’s sword!
“Tianzong, I’m looking forward to the day when you can make a breakthrough. Hold this sword and sweep away the chaos in the world.” Summer Solstice walked over to the black sword and gently stroked its edge as she spoke in a gentle tone.
This was a famous sword that was close to completion.
After adding the murderous weapon, Human Emperor, Summer Solstice fully believed that this would be a brand new perfect sword, which was enough to protect the prosperity of the Wang family of Beihai for hundreds of years.
Summer Solstice had already thought of the name of this sword long ago.
For this sword.
Its name was Coldness of Nine States.