Eagle's Glory

Then, faint footsteps appeared next to his ears.

There are guards approaching his cell!

It was rare for the guards to come out in the middle of the night—usually only when prisoners escaped.

Edmond Dantès' heart was beating violently—could it be that his dealings with the priest and his escape plan were discovered by the jailer?

A surge of desperation nearly stopped him from breathing.

Why, why fate would torture myself like this!

But, after a while, he forced himself back to consciousness.

"Someone is coming, I'll deal with it first." He hugged the priest, and then quickly climbed up through the small hole.

His expression was calm, even a little solemn.

In the face of this sudden sense of despair, he even forgot to be afraid.

Aggrieved, he was thrown into a cell, lost everything, and endured 12 years of imprisonment. He cried and begged countless times.

But this time he will not surrender or beg for mercy. If it is really the worst, then he would rather die in front of the priest, even if he died a moment earlier than the priest, and he will not disappoint the father-son relationship between them.

With a kind of dignified composure, he crawled quickly through the hole, then covered the opening with stones, then pressed the bed down, and lay down on the bed.

Just when he was doing all this, the owner of the footsteps also stopped at the door.

"Number 34?!"

A call sounded from the small cell, and it was indeed the voice of the jailer who brought him food.

Yes, No. 34, this is the name of Edmond Dantès in the Prison of Chateau d'If - no one cares about his real name, it is destined to be just a handwriting that will be lost in the filing cabinet.

"Yes." Edmond Dantès tried hard to suppress his nervousness, and asked the other party in an angry tone of being woken up, "What's the matter?"

"Come out with me, someone wants to see you." The person at the door obviously lowered his voice.

Although his tone was ordinary, it sounded like a voice from outside to Edmond Dantès.

"What...?" he asked in a trembling voice.

"Are you deaf?" The jailer was not surprised by his reaction, and impatiently pushed aside, "I told you to come out!"

As if to prove what he said, there was the sound of a key turning at the door.

Then the door was opened, and the jailer came in, and gestured to him arrogantly.

"hurry up!"

Edmond Dantès wanted to ask what happened, but seeing the jailer's expression, he didn't dare to ask further, so he straightened his body with trembling hands, then stood up, and walked out the door.

Just stepping over the threshold made him tremble all over.

Is this what freedom feels like?

Has the French government decided to release itself?

"Hurry up!" The jailer turned his head impatiently and urged.

Along the way, his hands were constantly moving, and he instinctively wanted to attack the jailer and then escape, but his reason told him that attacking the jailer would only make him quickly caught by other jailers and hanged, and it would also implicate him. Father Faria.

So he could only follow silently, waiting for the fate's ruling.

Edmond Dantès had to go forward with the jailer, bypassing the corridors and steps, and finally came to the shadow under the watchtower of the Chateau d'If.

There are a few people standing here, including prison management officials and a few people in civilian clothes.

Standing in the middle of the group was a young man with a velvet hat on his head. When he saw Edmond Dantès approaching, he whistled.

"Edmond Dantès?" he pronounced the name, "or should I say, Monsieur No. 34?"

Edmond Dantès looked at the young man blankly, then nodded. "I am, sir."

"You can just call me Louis." The young man shrugged, and then he showed a gentle smile, "You used to be an excellent sailor, and you were caught here because you participated in the restoration plot of Emperor Napoleon, right? ?”

"Yes." Edmond Dantès nodded again.

"Very good." The young man nodded with a smile, "Congratulations, Mr. Dantès, you are about to be free."

Such a relaxed and freehand sentence made Edmond Dantès feel like he was struck by lightning.

Freedom, freedom!

Is the thing he longs for and desperately desperate for, the most precious thing he has no choice but to lose, is actually such an understatement in other people's mouth?

is this real?

The sudden experience tonight made him fall into a dream, so much so that he even had some doubts—isn't this a trick to deceive himself?

Could it be that the leadership of the prison directed and staged a farce because they were too bored here, and wanted to watch their own performance as a joke?

In an instant, so many thoughts flashed through his mind that he almost lost his ability to speak.

"Why, don't you want to be free?" asked the young man. "Have you already taken a liking to the lovely Château d'If?"

"How could anyone not love freedom...Sir, I know its value better than anyone else." Edmond Dantès showed a tragic smile, "Because of this, I suspect that I am dreaming now. Has France changed its dynasty now?"

"Then let me tell you, you didn't dream, but unfortunately, the dynasty hasn't changed yet." The young man shrugged again, "It's not the French government that wants to set you free, but me..."

The young man raised his thumb and pointed at himself, "I bribed the warden here to let you go free. Sad to say, your life and death are just a short line of words in the island roster. Relevant people, tomorrow you will be a dead person on the roster, and then you will disappear from If Castle immediately like air..."

That's it...that's it!

Edmond Dantès' heart was immediately swallowed by ecstasy, tears flashed in his eyes, and the young man in front of him seemed to have a halo for a moment.

Did God finally hang on me?he asked himself.

"Why...?" The remaining rationality made him ask, "Why did you rescue me? Did Mr. Morel pay for it?"

"What Morrell?" The young man laughed disdainfully, and then replied seriously, "No, it's my boss, he wants to recruit sailors and people who have served Emperor Napoleon, and you happen to be both... So I was ordered to fish you out. So sir, do you accept the deal?"

"I am willing." Without any consideration, Edmond Dantès agreed.

Is it still possible not to agree?

But at the same time, the poor man thought of another person.

Does he really have the heart to leave him alone?

He calmed his heartbeat, and then looked at the young man again, "But, before that, can I have a few words with you alone, sir?"

Louis looked at the sloppy man with some doubts.

It stands to reason that a guy who has been locked in prison for more than ten years must be crazy about wanting to be free. When he hears that he has a chance to be free, he will immediately be ecstatic, and even kneel down in front of him in tears. Right under your feet--

This is not an illusion. Recently, when he was carrying out the tasks assigned by His Majesty, he had encountered similar situations more than once.

But today, this Edmond Dantès is different.

Although he was ecstatic when he heard the news just now, but his next reaction seemed to have something unspeakable.

interesting.

Forget it, anyway, there is still some time now, just listen to what this guy wants to do.

Louis made a gesture to signal the others to wait in place, and then led Edmond Dantès to the corner.

"Can you tell me now?" He asked calmly.

"Sir, I...I have a request, a request that may be a bit ignorant." Edmond Dantès tried his best to look at the other party with the most sincere eyes, "Since you can bribe the prison to send me away, then I hope you will be able to send another person away."

"Who is it?" Louis asked.

"Father Faria, one of my cellmates." Edmond Dantès' tone unconsciously carried a little affection, "He is my father, mentor, and guide to me. I... I am willing to share with him everything, including freedom."

"Wait, cellmate?" Louis became alert, "Can the cellmates in Chateau d'Eve still communicate?"

"According to the regulations, of course it is not possible." Edmond Dantès smiled miserably, "But we dug a hole, which allows us to go in and out together."

"Good guy!" Louis couldn't help but sigh.

"So you know what I'm worried about - if I'm sent away, my room will be cleaned soon, and new prisoners will move in, and the burrow will be discovered, and maybe this will become A fatal blow to Father Faria." Edmond Dantès replied tremblingly, "Even if there is no punishment, maybe he won't live long, he is seriously ill, and he can't survive without my care... "

"It's very touching, but there's no item in my mission to rescue him." Louis replied, "He's a priest, not a sailor. If there is one more person, we will have to spend another unjustified sum of money."

"Sir, please be merciful...!" Edmond Dantès begged in a low voice, "I can do the work of two people alone, and if I take us away, I will finish his share... If he doesn't leave, I can't either."

"Hey, are you threatening me?" Louis frowned. "I set you free and gave you such a favor, but you ended up negotiating terms with me instead? Do you think that God just sent down a punishment to make all the sailors in the world disappear, and we can only come to beg you?"

"I don't know who your master is, but I will use all my efforts to serve him! I have only one condition." Edmond Dantès spoke to the young man in front of him in a tone almost pleading Said the man, "And we'll have a lot of money in return for him, maybe millions, I promise!"

When hearing the millions, Louis couldn't help laughing.

"Come on, there are really millions of you, are you still in this situation?" He retorted in a low voice.

However, Edmond Dantès' touching words did not leave him untouched.

It's not my money anyway—he thought, after a moment's hesitation.

"Well, remember what you said." After a moment, he nodded arrogantly.

Is this the grace of God?

Edmond Dantès could no longer control himself, and knelt weakly on the ground. Then, he looked up at the bright starry sky above Chateau d'If.

Whoever you are, whatever you want to do, may God bless you.　　

24, on the island

Blessed by the rising sun, a small sloop passed through the clouds and approached the lonely island in the sea.

On the rock facing south, a simple trestle bridge has been built, so sailboats with shallow drafts can be docked.

After the ship stopped and anchored, the gangway was lowered, and then several passengers on board walked off the ship one after another.

Then, an old man was carefully lifted off by two people on a stretcher.

After carefully putting down the stretcher, Edmond Dantès stood on the rough trestle bridge, staring blankly at this world that he had long felt unfamiliar to.

He looked very embarrassed now—with long hair and beard, his skin was frighteningly pale, and there were patches of dirt on his hands and clothes. He looked almost the same as a raw man.

That's all he got during his 12-year sentence in the Château d'If prison.

This world has abandoned me for 12 years, now that I have come out, does it really welcome me?Looking at the reflection in the sea water, Edmond Dantès asked himself in confusion.

He didn't know what happened to his relatives, whether his elderly father was still alive; he didn't know what happened to his beautiful fiancée, whether she remarried because she couldn't wait for him for a long time, or left because she was heartbroken. away from home...

Since the first day he was free, these questions had been running around in his mind like reptiles, preventing him from getting a moment of peace. He wanted to confirm the results of these questions countless times, but in the end he still didn't go.

On the one hand, he had promised to serve the man who had given him his freedom, and his dignity did not allow him to leave ingratitude; on the other hand, he could not leave Father Faria behind.

Under his pleading, Mr. Louis finally showed mercy, and spent an extra sum of money to redeem Father Faria from the prison of Chateau d'If.

In this way, Edmond Dantès and Father Faria were quietly taken away from the Chateau d'If.Of course, in the files of Chateau d'If, they are all dead.

Although the crimes committed by these two prisoners seem to be serious, they are obviously not important figures. They have been forgotten by everyone for more than ten years. Compared with the still young Edmond Dantès, Farley Father Ya's "death" was much more normal, and almost no one remembered this old and nagging old guy-so his departure did not cause any waves.

Death is already a habit in the gloomy and cold Chateau d'If. Everyone has seen it too much, and no one cares. When a prisoner leaves the world, another prisoner will naturally fill it. In this ruthless world, there will always be no shortage of prisoners. of.

After leaving Chateau d'If, Edmond Dantès and Father Faria boarded the boat with Mr. Louis, and after two days of sailing, they came to this isolated island.

Edmond Dantès didn't know where this place was, but he made up his mind. Since the unknown boss behind the scenes paid them a lot of money to give them freedom, and let the two of them walk out of Chateau d'If alive, Then he must make enough returns for this favor.

However, when a person is in an unknown environment, there will always be some instinctive confusion and anxiety.

Edmond Dantès unconsciously squeezed the priest's hand on the stretcher. In his heart, only this "father" can tolerate him unconditionally and communicate with him.

And the priest also held the adopted son's hand with his still-moving left hand, in order to give him some comfort and let him not worry.

After the cargo on the ship was unloaded, Louis turned and looked at Edmond Dantès.

"Okay, let's go, don't keep our boss waiting—"

Edmond Dantès lifted the stretcher again, then obediently followed Louis down the trestle, and then set foot on the exposed rocks of the island.

He looked around instinctively, and then suddenly felt something familiar in his heart.

He used to be one of the best sailors in the Mediterranean. He has been to almost every port and every island, and he is familiar with everything in the Mediterranean. There is no chance to see the sea in the dungeon.

"Excuse me, where is this?" In the end, he couldn't hold back his curiosity, and asked in a low voice.

Louis hesitated for a moment, thinking that this kind of thing would let him know sooner or later, so he still answered. "This is the island of Monte Cristo."

"Monte Cristo Island!" Edmond Dantès turned paler when he heard the haunted name, and he subconsciously turned to look at the priest on the stretcher.

Father Faria was also obviously shocked by this shocking news, and a little consternation appeared on his normally calm face.

But soon, he regained his composure, and then showed a gentle smile to Edmund.