"The missions have arrived."
Salicardo gazed towards the end of the night; everything was so obvious, the beam of light piercing through the darkness, advancing all the way to Old Dunling's docks.
Shermans also glanced out at the night through the window, his eyes full of sorrow.
"The leader is soone called Anthony Russo; do you recognize him?" Salicardo asked, getting the list of the mission was not difficult for him, after all, he was a distinguished Duke, and might have to attend the welcoming banquet in a few days.
"It's him..."
Upon hearing the na, Shermans' eyes changed slightly, with a hint of fear and lancholy.
"It seems he left quite an impression on you." Noticing Shermans' change, Salicardo paid attention.
After the night of Lawrence's attack, a new world unfolded before Salicardo. The cleaners had erased his mory of that night, yet he recalled it all again in his subsequent nightmares.
Old Dunling stands on the eve of a storm, various forces are caught within this cold steel city, and at this mont, the group ford by Salicardo and Shermans remains hidden in the darkness. Salicardo is well aware that if exposed, they would surely face the reckoning of that mysterious chanism; they strive to hide and watch the situation unfold.
"He's a traitor, Anthony betrayed us, betrayed the sacred Cardinals, and turned to the new Pope instead."
Shermans slowly spoke.
"Anthony was originally one of our people, even though he was not prominent within the Holy Hall Knights, in reality, with our assistance, he secretly controlled a substantial amount of power."
Salicardo listened quietly, not speaking.
"After the Night of the Holy Arrival, the Evangelical Church was greatly wounded, and the old Pope was injured in that incident, with not much ti left. After his death, we needed to elect a new Pope, but at that ti, the situation within Seven Hills was chaotic beyond compare."
Unlike other exiles, Shermans was very old; all these years of experiences had ravaged his will—power and desire were no longer his expectation. Just like a stubborn old man, what he does now is rely for the sake of so uninteresting resentnt.
"Perhaps this is humanity's ruinous nature; even the fear of faith and darkness can hardly curb its unrestrained greed. Originally, there were two strong candidates for the next Pope, one was Cardinal Miguel, and the other was Cardinal dici," Shermans said.
"The one managing wealth, the dici?"
"Lorenzo de' dici, the great Lorenzo, who once led Florence into the Golden Era but declared its end due to his twilight years."
ntioning this great figure, Shermans couldn't help but feel awe.
"When I was young, he was already a noble Cardinal. I once thought he would beco Pope, but he didn't; what he did was more frightening than I imagined." Shermans reminisced about that now-distant era,
"Cardinal dici didn't beco Pope, but he covertly supported several Cardinals to ascend to Papal positions," Shermans explained to Salicardo, "Being Pope requires detachnt from the secular, which would inevitably weaken one's control over it. anwhile, the dici Clan's foundation lies in finance."
"The Pope beca a puppet of Cardinal dici, simultaneously ruling over faith and the secular, an unprecedented scenario in church history."
Although unfamiliar with the intricacies of the Evangelical Church, Salicardo sensed the horror in Shermans' words. He was sowhat bewildered.
"Was there no opposition?"
"Of course there was," Shermans laughed, "But when you oppose, the dici family can easily bankrupt your family, without shedding a drop of blood, supporting others to replace your position. At that ti, the entire Florence belonged to him. The supported Pope wanted to rebel, but was quietly confined by him, with external claims that the Pope was bewitched by a demon."
"He ultimately committed suicide in his bedroom; Cardinal dici held a grand funeral for him, imdiately followed by the appointnt of the next puppet. Only then did we realize he had completely taken control, and he did it very well."
Shermans gazed out the window at the steel city, where the steam engine was born, factories roared in operation, thoroughly defeating faith.
"Initially, one major reason we weren't wary of the steam engine was Cardinal dici, though your steel torrent is intimidating. Under his leadership, Florence too entered the Golden Era. He was a cold tyrant, defeating enemies with gold, then plundering all their assets; wealth continuously poured into the church, even forr opponents gradually turned to him."
"But people inevitably age..."
Shermans sighed, Cardinal dici's legendary life ca to an end there.
"He grew old, Cardinal dici seed tired. In his later years, he continuously relinquished power, and with his exit, the Golden Era closed. Without him, we realized his importance."
"In his early life, he possessed gold and fa; the entire Florence under his rule, managing faith and the secular. Yet in his later years, he laid down all his weapons, turning to support those artists; he was kind and approachable, every artist sang praises of his kindness and selflessness."
Listening to this, Salicardo laughed; although he had never t this legendary Cardinal, he sincerely admired him.
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