Throne of Radiance

"Joseph, I heard that the King's District has been a bit chaotic recently, and you should take care of it."

"Yeah, after all, it's in your jurisdiction, so you should pay more attention."

"I think it takes up too much of your time and energy to participate in the Cold Island Project, and you don't have time to do your own work. In fact, there are many candidates who have been trying to participate. If you don't have the energy, you can give up the spot to those who need it."

……

At the semi-formal and semi-private reception, well-dressed upper-class people toasted and exchanged glasses, shuttled back and forth among the crowd, all with decent smiles on their faces.

As one figure after another approached and walked away, leaving behind those eccentric or schadenfreude words, Joseph Houston, a member of the Morningstar Empire Council and the manager of the King's District, looked gloomy little by little.

In the hand holding the wine glass, the veins popped out.

At this time, a middle-aged man with a medium to fat body and slightly bald head came over with a wine glass and comforted him: "Hey! Joseph, don't be angry. This time, the biggest cake of the Cold Island Project was swallowed up by our council Here, the cabinet also got a lot of benefits, the group of pedantic royalists only get a little corner, it is normal to be unhappy, anyway, we are the ones who take advantage."

"I understand." Joseph took a deep breath and sneered, "They can only bark a few times to vent their dissatisfaction!"

He also knew in his heart who was really taking advantage of it, so he wouldn't be so impatient, because he was unhappy because of a few sour words, what really made him feel bad was...

"Shit! Something really happened in the King's District!" He cursed violently in his heart, and slammed his wine glass to the table next to him, "The group of mad dogs have begun to get out of control!"

Joseph's eyes swept over the bald middle-aged man in front of him, and then at the people passing through the lively reception, his mind sank slightly.

——I am afraid that everyone only thought that there were some small riots in the King's District, but they didn't take it to heart. In such a chaotic place, there will always be some greenheads popping up every once in a while, but as long as they are cleaned up After the pause, you will obey the rules honestly and no longer try to challenge the rules.

In the Morning Star Empire, the boundaries between black and white have never been so clear.Otherwise, it seems that an innocent member of parliament who was accidentally involved in a shootout while passing by was shot dead by gang members, a member of the royal family who was too arrogant and domineering and was shot dead by a civil righteous man, a drug gang was swept away and a certain image was involved It's an accident that a good elder actually buys and takes drugs... All of these are accidents.

Therefore, a sinful city like the King's District, a place of chaos, and other places where ordinary people can't help but keep a respectful distance when they hear it, are nothing more than animal houses for hunting dogs to big shots.Usually, these hounds would bite each other casually in the animal house, attacking innocent lambs who broke into the territory. At the critical moment, as soon as they were on the leash and the hounds were out of the cage, they would obediently pounce on their enemies.

——After all, there are always some things that glamorous big shots won't do, and there are always some dirty things that need to be done by others.

Although there was more movement in the king's district this time, the big shots just thought that the hounds were biting each other too hard, and they just knocked a few sticks to warn them.At worst, if a few dogs die, a few new hounds will be added.

But Joseph knew it wasn't.

This is simply the result of his efforts to suppress the news.

The reality is that things are getting out of control.

The hounds are disobedient, and even the animal house is out of his control. The person he sent to beat the hounds will not know if he enters the animal house, as if it has become someone's independent kingdom, and he himself has been ruled by others. Hold the handle and threaten it!

—God knows what it felt like to have a gun held to the back of his head when he woke up in his mistress' bed at three o'clock in the morning!

—he didn't even see the face of the man.

Such a thing may even happen a second time, a third time.As long as he doesn't give a clear answer for a day and chooses to give in, he must always be on tenterhooks.After all, he won't be let off so easily every time.

There is a guy hiding in the dark who is always threatening your life and safety, who can not be nervous?

The irritable Joseph was no longer in the mood to drink and talk, so he got up and went to the rooftop to blow some air.

At this time, the elegant and soothing piano sound sounded behind him.

It seems that there is a soft moonlight shining on the quiet lake, and groups of white swans are flapping their wings in the night; the blue waves of the lake are rippled, just like the ripples of this music in the air. Unconsciously relax.

Joseph couldn't help but turned his head, and saw that there was a piano on the side near the corridor at some point, and a slender figure was sitting in front of the piano, his fingers brushing the keys gracefully.

From his direction, one can see the man's pale golden half-long hair, a small half of his face exposed under the hair, eyes as clear as lake water, and the perfect curvature of the corners of his lips.

As if aware that someone was watching him, the song ended, and the man sitting in front of the piano stood up gracefully, put one hand on his chest, and bowed slightly to this side.

His eyes fell on Joseph, and the corners of his lips curled up.

Joseph read his mouth--

"See you again, Mr. Joseph."

Joseph's pupils shrank.

The next second, the gunshot rang out!

The lights at the reception were suddenly turned off, and the surroundings were plunged into darkness.

The moment the lights went out, the gorgeous chandelier on the ceiling fell rapidly, and the fragments flew everywhere.

Many people screamed in the dark.

Then, another gunshot.

An even harsher scream followed.

In the next second, the light was restored in the hall.A large number of security personnel rushed in, and it took only three seconds.

The chaotic crowd has regained calm.At any rate, they were all dignitary figures. After calming down, they at least maintained their superficial calmness.

Everyone is spinning like a gear.

"The whereabouts of the murderer have not been found! There are no other traces!"

"Several gentlemen and ladies had their arms cut by splinters!"

"Sir Leonardo was shot in the chest and needs urgent help!"

"Other than that, there are no other casualties!"

"A bullet with a special material was found at the scene..."

"Where's the pianist? The pianist who played the piano just now is gone!"

"He can't escape in such a short time, this building is sealed off, and no one is allowed to escape!"

"A man was found in a locked toilet on the first floor. He claimed to be the pianist for this reception..." Someone hurried in, speaking in a hurry, "Just half an hour ago, he was knocked unconscious from behind Already!"

"Oh my god, I can't believe it! How do you do security? You can let a murderer swagger in under the guise of a pianist..."

Angry reprimands, submissive responses, condescending voices giving orders... Countless noisy voices surrounded Joseph's ears, seeming to be very close to him, but also seemed to be far away from him, as if separated by a barrier.

He stood there stiffly, his expression dazed.

Fortunately, there were people who lost their composure more than him at this moment, so his reaction did not attract anyone's attention.

"Yes, it's that person..." Joseph gritted his teeth tightly, and the muscles on his face tensed because of this.

Although he didn't see that person's face when he woke up in his mistress' bed last time, he clearly remembered the first words that person said: "Nice meeting, Mr. Joseph."

He remembered even more clearly the words that person said before he left: "It's only three things. When we meet next time, you will make the right choice, Mr. Joseph."

"It's him, it must be him!" He roared in his heart.

I don't know if my body is trembling slightly from excitement or fear.

The voice in the hall over there floated to my ears again.

"——This is a terrorist attack!"

"—Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely, never let the murderer go!"

"This is a conspiracy against the royal family!" Someone raised his arms angrily, "Unforgivable, unforgivable!"

Simultaneously with this voice, was Joseph's trembling heart: "This is a warning, a warning to me!"

To warn him with a human life, and it is the life of a noble knight who is related to the royal family...

He leaned against the pillar behind him, and his body slowly collapsed.

"Shadow Council..."

Joseph's head lowered slowly, completely hidden in the shadow of the pillar, and a deeper shadow had silently enveloped his heart, completely devouring him.

Under the eaves of a house not far away from here, a figure slowly emerged. He was wearing a long black windbreaker, and the long black umbrella in his hand was stuck on the ground like a cane. His calm posture was like an old-fashioned noble gentleman of the last century.

"Ah, I accidentally made the noise louder. I'm sorry. I'm just a little excited. When I meet a rare stage, I can't help but want to perform." The pale golden hair fluttered gently in the night wind, K smiled slightly, "I just picked the unlucky ghost with the most turbid mental fluctuations."

"However, although the movement is a bit louder, it can be regarded as fulfilling your request, right?"

He smiled leisurely and looked at the distant street where sirens were roaring.

"—The Shadow Council has successfully expanded."

"Yes, it expanded smoothly." In the deep shadows, another voice rang out, "As you wish, it has become a terrorist organization in some people's minds with a high profile."

The arc of K's mouth remained unchanged: "You should have prepared for this point since you chose to cooperate with me."

The voice in the shadow did not refute, but sighed softly: "This world is undergoing drastic changes, and the general trend of the coming era no longer allows me to spend ten or twenty years weaving a big net without a trace..."

"If you want to leverage enough power in a short time, you may have to use some extraordinary means." The voice in the shadow said calmly, "That's why I came to you."

"Then, go ahead, I will always be ready to appreciate your performance, one of my four pillars. If you need it, I can help you build the perfect stage."

K smiled and asked back: "Oh, is the stage to be the president of the Shadow Council included?"

"—if you can do it, yes."

·

Bright lights illuminate the second floor of the apartment.

In front of the desk, Bai Yi slowly closed the pages of the notebook, twirling the pen at her fingertips twice before putting it down.

"La la la la la..." He stood up and hummed the completely meaningless lyrics in a cheerful tune.

At the same time, he stretched out his two hands, with the middle and index fingers pointing straight down, and tapped cheerfully on the table, the frequency of his fingers blending perfectly with the rhythm of the tune.

At first glance, it looks like two little people with long legs, dancing happily on the table with the beat.

From time to time, they also danced together, with the middle finger of their right hand parallel to the table, as if a small person was being hugged by leaning forward, with one leg lifted back, doing a difficult ballet move.

In the end, Bai Yi manipulated the two villains and "bowed" to end.

——The performance slowly ended.

He clapped his hands with a look of amazement, and boasted without any shame: "Perfect performance!"

"—you think so too, don't you?"

Bai Yi raised her head slightly, her eyes fell outside the window.

A group of fluffy and black fur balls lay on the window sill on the second floor at some point. Its big round eyes faced Bai Yi through the glass window, as if thinking.

"...It seems that I haven't seen a stray cat since I moved here." Bai Yi opened the screen window and pinched the cat's ears, "Are you a newcomer recently?"

Looking at it horizontally and vertically, I always feel that it is very similar to the cat who was rua bald by him in the dungeon. Bai Yi madly ruaed, quite confidently: "Well, I will treat it as a ticket to invite you to enjoy the show."