"Artifacts from Florence, I rember it’s that family called dici, they’ve always been supporting those artists, so these stones were casually chipped a bit by them and beca expensive and precious."
Pres comnted on those things. Although they were said to be artworks, under the hype of a group of people, they’ve turned into luxury items in recent years. Every wealthy person attempts to fill their living room with artworks to pretend as if they’re very cultured.
"The great Lorenzo."
Lorenzo glanced at those things and said casually.
Pres was taken aback, seemingly confused as to why Lorenzo suddenly started boasting again without any forewarning.
Seeing Pres’s expression, Lorenzo knew the guy misunderstood.
"It’s not , it’s him, Lorenzo de’ dici, the head of the dici Clan, the Cardinal of the Evangelical Church. He wields imnse power but loves to support so down-and-out artists. With the dici family’s wealth, he brought Florence’s culture into the Golden Era, but after he grew old, everything changed."
Lorenzo reminisced, recalling how he had the fortune of eting the old man during his ti with the Demon Hunting Order.
"The great Lorenzo, that’s what those people call him, not , but if you want to call that, I don’t mind."
The detective shalessly continued.
Pres didn’t say anything to counter, he wasn’t too knowledgeable about that faraway city, but listening to the detective, it seed he indeed had so knowledge.
"You’re coincidentally nad after such a character." Pres was sowhat surprised.
"Actually, if you’re shaless enough, you can change your surna to Victoria. It wouldn’t matter," Lorenzo replied bluntly.
Pres shook his head, such thoughts were enough to consider; he wasn’t as shaless as Lorenzo.
"Hmm... What are all these?" Pres looked at the paintings carefully stored next to him, but what was drawn were flamboyant things.
"These are also art pieces?"
"Do you have any objections? The human form is painted perfectly." Lorenzo said, "This kind of thing is normal, and in Florence, wealthy people often hire painters to draw these. After all, under the cloak of faith, people have beco sowhat oppressively mad."
The voice paused, and Lorenzo suddenly leaned closer to Pres and whispered.
"Did you know? There’s a rumor that in a hidden room within Saint Nalos Cathedral, it’s also filled with these artworks, but only the Pope can enter that room."
Lorenzo raised his eyebrows and cursed.
"So this dog of a thing is the least devout, damn."
As they spoke, the two reached the hideout of the smugglers, and the ground’s panel had already been lifted. Below was a complex of pipes with narrow spaces, just enough to fit a few people.
"They’ve been hiding here?" Lorenzo was surprised upon seeing it.
"Based on our deductions, they’re usually outside, only hiding in here when soone cos."
Pres replied, this place wasn’t sowhere they could hide for too long.
"Is that so?"
Lorenzo pondered for a mont, then stuck his head inside. In the dimness, the Demon Hunter’s vision was still useful. There was only dust and debris in the confined space.
Seemingly no useful clues.
No... Lorenzo suddenly realized sothing and then looked sowhat cautious.
"Was it like this when you arrived?" he asked.
Pres shook his head, "I was on duty at the ti, and the first detective to arrive wasn’t , but the useful information has basically been recorded here because with the Mission visit, they wouldn’t have left anything out."
Listening to his words, Lorenzo grabbed the files and carefully looked through them.
"No one’s cleaned up here, right?"
"No one, the goods here have been temporarily seized, these are valuable things, and the guards won’t let anyone in."
After reading, Lorenzo fell into deep thought.
Pres quietly waited by the side. This detective is like that, sotis he acts suddenly playful with you, singing and dancing, but then suddenly falls into contemplation, as if pondering the truth of so terrible secret.
"Pres, you said those people were agile, even your mounted police couldn’t catch them and they got away, right?"
Pres nodded, the file stated exactly that, the mounted police couldn’t catch them.
Lorenzo spoke slowly.
"The doubt lies here, Pres, a group of people who’ve drifted for so long on the sea, yet when they disembark, they’re full of vigor, and even with horses, you can’t catch them... Isn’t this a doubt?"
"But..."
Pres was about to say sothing in response, but he also realized the unreasonable aspects of the whole incident.
Smugglers run when they see mounted police, but these smugglers ran awfully quickly.
They hadn’t realized it, or perhaps they did but didn’t pay attention.
"Moreover, what did they eat, drink?"
The captain said he didn’t know the existence of these people, so presumably, during this period, the smugglers were here, but aside from the goods, there’s nothing here.
"And another point, what did those smugglers co for?"
Lorenzo asked.
"If it’s wealth, isn’t there everywhere here?"
Looking around, each wooden box contained an art piece, selling cheaply would still fetch a good price, yet those smugglers abandoned these, full of vigor, and ran away.
Hearing this, Pres’s drowsiness vanished, and he suddenly beca alert.
"So... what are these ’smugglers’ really trying to do?"
Lorenzo spoke softly, seeming fearful of waking so slumbering entity.
"I’ll apply for police assistance." Hearing this, Pres realized the complexity of the matter, far more intricate than it appeared, but... according to Suyalan Hall’s procedures, they wouldn’t overlook such details.
Or is it due to insufficient personnel that an error conveniently occurred here? He couldn’t figure it out.
"No, don’t make it public, leave this to ."
"To you?" Pres looked at Lorenzo with distrust.
Lorenzo’s cold face suddenly broke into a smile, he approached Pres, patting his shoulder as he spoke.
"Forgot? I’m ’holding an important position’!" He emphasized his words intentionally.
Relating to that mysterious departnt, Pres suddenly understood what’s going on, perhaps he was already involved in an event concerning that enigmatic departnt.
"Wait, really?" Pres tried his best not to ntion the mysterious departnt, but he also doubted Lorenzo’s statent, maybe this lunatic was tricking him.
"I wouldn’t joke about this, Pres," Lorenzo said seriously.
"Pres, you envy my life, but do you know when people know too much, they die sooner?" Lorenzo said, "So why not find so joy before you die... just like during the Renaissance, under the shadow of death, rather than toiling hard, take the opportunity to enjoy while you’re alive."
The voice carried a hint of coldness, the Demon Hunter’s deanor returned, an invisible pressure made Pres uneasy, and then he said.
"Lorenzo, trust is indeed a precious thing."
"Trust ."
Lorenzo said again.
Pres was silent for a while, perhaps the sleepiness finally overca him, and he handed the file to Lorenzo, thought for a while, then asked.
"Do you need my police badge?"
"Bringing that to Lower City District, you might get beaten to death."
"Okay."
Watching Pres leave, Lorenzo’s gaze beca serious.
He already had a preliminary hypothesis in mind, but this hypothesis was full of loopholes; he didn’t dare be certain.
The Revelation has been missing for too long, if Lorenzo were the Pope, the first thing after reconstructing the Order would probably be to retrieve the Revelation.
Pres’s caution differed from his, Pres was wary of the coincidence seemingly beyond belief—the Mission visit, lack of police force, procedural oversight—but Lorenzo wouldn’t explain these to him, sotis it’s not coincidence but certain destined matters.
They’re all people connected to darkness, situated in the chaotic vortex, ultimately eting at the center of death.
User Comments
0 comments from readers