Eagle’s Glory

Led by the maid, Edmond Dantès walked through the corridor, then entered the alley around the corner, and finally came to the door of a room.

Chanel motioned him to wait first, then knocked carefully on the door.

"Your Majesty, Edmond Dantès is here to see you!" Her expression became serious, and she said respectfully outside the door.

Wait, Your Majesty?

Edmond Dantès was momentarily stunned.

Before he could continue thinking, there was a response from inside the door.

"Bring him in."

"Yes." Chanel nodded and opened the door.

Then, she looked back at Edmond Dantès, and after he hesitated for a moment, he could only walk in. Chanel followed in, and then closed the door carefully.

He could tell that the voice of the person inside was very young, so his doubts arose even more. .

After he entered, he found that it was an old house that was old, and it could be seen that it had been abandoned, and there were many mottled marks on the ceiling—but the floor was covered with carpets with simple patterns, and there were also tapestries on the walls. , masking other dilapidated evidence.

There are muskets, sabers, two hunting bags as simple ornaments on the walls of the room, and a small plaster statue and brass wall clock above the fireplace. The windows were hung with curtains to block out the light, and the tassels on the curtains were of the usual silk pattern.

The whole room is simple and tidy, but without losing its due sense of solemnity.

Beside the fireplace was an oak table, on which were placed many documents, bookmarks, paper and pens; besides, there were also some cutlery and disks on it at the moment, polished and polished, evidently that the occupant of the room had just had dinner.

Edmond Dantès' attention was quickly attracted by the person sitting on the chair.

Although he had already guessed from the voice that the other party was very young, he was still shocked at this moment - the person in front of him was clearly just a young man!

He has short blond hair, fair skin, and a gentle and delicate face, with the temperament of a poet, but his eyes are quite sharp, and he is also looking up and down at this moment.

Overall, this young man appears neat and well-educated, yet full of action and courage.

"Edmond Dantès?" After a moment of silence between the two, the young man asked.

He behaved quite gently, then pointed to the seat opposite and motioned for Edmond Dantès to sit down. "Please take a seat."

Edmond Dantès sat down obediently.

"You must be full of questions now." Aigron smiled gently, "It's okay, we have a lot of time now, and I can answer your questions—but before that, please answer my question first. "

"Excuse me, sir," answered Edmond Dantès.

"It is an undeniable fact that I bought your freedom with money, so I would like to ask, how much are you willing to serve me as compensation?" Eggron asked directly.

"To what extent..." Edmond Dantès was stunned for a moment, and then couldn't help but ask, "Then what do you need me to do?"

"Go and command my sailors, help me smuggle, build a smuggling and intelligence network that can run smoothly, buy and sell stolen goods, go through fire and water, and maybe even kill people." Aigron replied.

"Kill...!" Edmond Dantès frowned, then shook his head, "I don't want to kill innocent people."

"As a felon who has been imprisoned in the dungeon for twelve years, I originally thought that you should not be afraid of killing." Aigron looked at the other party calmly, "The information I received is that you were so bold and participated in Conspired by Emperor Napoleon, helped him land in France from Elba Island, and almost helped him restore the empire... I don’t think such a person should be afraid of blood.”

"No, sir! You misunderstood!" Edmond Dantès quickly denied,

"I never participated in Emperor Napoleon's conspiracy. I just sent him a letter as a sailor."

Aigron's face suddenly became very strange, as if he didn't believe his words at all-of course, he knew in his heart that he just needed to play on the occasion.

"Just, by the way?" He asked with a sneer.

"Yes, believe it or not, but I was like this at the beginning. Please give me some time, and I will explain my matter to you in detail." Then, Edmond Dantès decided not to hide any more, and put himself in that day Everything that happened in Nian was told to the young man exactly as it was, including how he was forcibly dragged away after getting engaged.

Because he thought of those sad things, he spoke very emotionally, and almost burst into tears, but neither Aigron nor Chanel spoke, and listened to his narration quietly.

After a long time, Edmond Dantès finally finished speaking. Then he sighed and looked at the young man.

"So, sir, you see...I'm really just a poor guy who got caught up in this."

Because he had spoken out the heaviest thing in his heart, he felt a lot more relaxed at the moment. "If you hope to find a staunch supporter of Emperor Napoleon, you may have found the wrong person... However, I am still willing to use my sailor skills to serve you. I owe you, I admit it, and I will be very happy Thank you for your service."

The young man didn't answer, just looked at the other person quietly.

"You...don't you believe me?" Edmond Dantès asked anxiously, "Sir, I said everything from the bottom of my heart. This is my most miserable experience, and I didn't lie."

"My poor friend, I believe you." Aiglon nodded gently.

Edmond Dantès felt relieved suddenly. "Very good……"

However, before he could finish speaking, the young man interrupted him again, and then looked at the other person with pity, "Although I believe you, I pity you even more, and I even think it's a bit ridiculous."

"Ridiculous?" Edmond Dantès was stunned, and then a sudden anger arose in his heart.

"I have served twelve years of hard labor, and you actually call it ridiculous?"

"Your hard labor is not ridiculous, but after twelve years you are still as naive as before. That is really ridiculous!" Aiglon replied.

"What?" Edmond Dantès asked in confusion.

"You were only eighteen years old when you sent the letter. I understand your innocence and childishness. After all, not everyone has to be like me and forced to understand things at a young age." Aiglon sneered, " However, no matter how much you think you are innocent, your actions have brought you to a world you have never been exposed to, a world that is magnificent and full of all the ugliness in the world. This world will not be judged based on what you think in your heart. Instead, you will speculate on what you have done with the greatest malice - then, Mr. Dantès, who is thirty years old, please open your eyes now and see what you did twelve years ago. What?!"

Amidst the loud roar, Aiglon stood up from his seat, then walked up to Edmond Dantès, looking at the poor man calmly, "You went to the island, met Napoleon, and returned He sent an important letter to his confidants to help him complete the great cause of restoration - but later you said that you were just a passer-by, and you just completed this task as if you were an ordinary friend sending letters! You can say that you have been doing this all your life. It's okay to say that, but I guarantee you that no one in the Paris government will believe you, and your so-called grievances will never be vindicated, because in their eyes, even if you only do these, your body , your soul has been forever branded with the mark of the Bonaparte family, you are a heinous and stubborn traitor in their hearts, and you will not be able to get rid of this mark even if you die and turn into ashes!"

Edmond Dantes' face suddenly froze. He looked at the young man with wide eyes, and even lost the ability to speak for a moment.

"I...I..." He murmured to himself, but didn't know what to say, "I'm not innocent?"

"You are not guilty, but you are also guilty." Aigron sneered and continued.

"What you have done is to set yourself on an extraordinary path. Some people can't even find a way! On this path, you will either be rich and prosperous after success, or suffer punishment after failure. You are very unfortunate. , the empire finally failed, so you were imprisoned in the Castle of If. Others were worse than you. Marshal Ney was even shot by the French army! Everyone suffered the price because they participated in this game. Are they innocent? ? Are they guilty? These questions are no longer important. The only important thing is the result. Whether it is a success or a failure. If it succeeds, then everything is right. If it fails, then you will go to jail or even lose your life and you can only swallow the bitter pill silently! During these years, you must have complained about your innocence to every official who came to visit the Ifubao, begging them to be merciful and let you go free. If you were so naive, you must have done it! But what is the result? No one will care about your heart What on earth were you thinking? You have already acted and sentenced yourself! But today, you are still so naive, twelve years later! Twelve years have passed! But you still told me in front of me that you were just sending It’s just a letter... Hahahaha, don’t you think it’s ridiculous?!”

In front of Aiglon's endless questions, Edmond Dantès's face became increasingly ugly, and finally his whole body couldn't help but tremble.

If Edmond Dantès was still the stupid eighteen-year-old boy, still the ignorant sailor, he would have been furious and felt that the young man in front of him was talking nonsense.

But he is already thirty years old, and he has been trained by Father Faria during his twelve years in prison. He has more or less touched the world that he could not touch before.

He knew that in that world of wealth, splendor, and gloom and rancidity, the logic of "fairness" would not work.

The true logic pursued in this world is to rather kill the wrong person than to let it go, and to never leave any room for the opponent. There is only no tolerance and consideration.

Only the winner has the right to write history, so if you fail, then all the blame will be taken for granted.

Since he participated in the conspiracy, no matter what his true intentions were, he was a part of it - in this case, if Napoleon succeeded, he would be a hero; but on the night when Napoleon failed completely, he could only become a traitor.

Yes, such a clear and clear fact, why haven’t I thought of it?

Did you not think of it, or did you not want to think of it?

Edmond Dantès suddenly understood why Father Faria always looked at him with pity every time he talked about his grievances over the years.

——He is unjust, but he is not unjust either.

His biggest mistake was rushing into a life-and-death world in a daze with the recklessness of a young man, but he didn't realize himself and make proper preparations, and he didn't even have a way out.

He didn't even think that he might bear the price of losing everything because of his behavior. He thought that after delivering the letter, he could pretend that nothing happened, and return to his hometown to get married easily and happily, and welcome the best future!

How naive! How miserable.

So he was pitied by the young man in front of him, and he even found it ridiculous.

"Ah!" Blood was rushing to his head, and Edmond Dantès couldn't help covering his head.

When he had to face his "responsibility", when he found that he had suffered such a terrible punishment "for a reason", when he found that he had paved the way for himself, that kind of remorse, that kind of sadness, let him He lost the ability to think for a moment.

"Mercedes!" Various thoughts flooded his mind, causing him to have a splitting headache. His consciousness was nearly blurred, and he only had time to call out this name, and he didn't even know why.

"Mercedes? Is this the name of your fiancée? You must be very guilty now, because of your own mistakes, she has endured so many disasters, and in the end she can only be separated." Remember the heavy hammer, hitting Edmond Dantès on the heart. "I understand your feelings, but whether it's guilt or apology, it's all useless. If you want to make up for everything you lost, you can only rely on hard work! Grit your teeth and walk the road, just like me."

"What way?" asked Edmond Dantès, who was in a state of confusion.

"For me, it's the way to return to the throne; for you, it's the way to serve me and follow me back to France." Aigron raised his head and looked at the other person arrogantly, "You think I'm Is it an invitation? Wrong, I'm stating the fact that you don't have a choice, you think you have a choice but you really don't.

Since you have participated in this game, now you have no way out, even if you shed tears and blood, you must finish the game and see how it turns out. "

"Return to the throne..." Edmond Dantès opened his eyes wide and suddenly understood something, "Miss Chanel just called your majesty—"

"Good observation and analysis skills." Aigron nodded with a smile, "Yes, I am the son of Napoleon, who was proclaimed Emperor Napoleon II by his followers. Don't look at me at this age, about My history can already write a book, but I can also write a few books by myself-everything I do now is for this purpose, and you are the person I think can help me. In return , I can also help you, let you flourish, let you take revenge on those enemies who have bullied you, imprisoned you, and plunged you into despair!"

Edmond Dantès's mind was almost blank for a moment, and he was speechless.

It's not surprising that anyone who encountered him so many unexpected situations in a few days would have a blank mind - let alone just come out of the cell.

But the world has never been kind to him, and he doesn't have much time to digest the shocking information.

Just under his gaze, the young man stretched out his hand to him.

"You did commit a crime because of a momentary confusion. This crime is called the crime of failure, and failure is a crime! No one believes that you are wronged, but so what? Since your way has been blocked by them, since your soul You have already been branded by them, so just go to the end! Let them taste the pain you have tasted. Sir, stretch out your hand!"

With a blank mind, the young man's words seemed to possess some kind of magical power. Edmond Dantès subconsciously reached out and held the young man's hand.

Aegron shook hands tightly, then looked him in the eye.

"Yes, that's it, follow me. If France rejects you as she rejected me, then there are only two ways to go, either bear the shame and go away incognito from now on; or trample her There is no other way but to fall to the ground and let her tearfully admit her mistakes and open her arms to accept you back."

Then, he increased the volume and questioned again in the ear of the other party.

"Twelve years, think about how many twelve years you have in your life! The most precious years of your life have been taken away by them, no one will apologize to you, and no one will feel guilty unless you go to him personally All the disasters you have endured will be justified... Tell me, do you want revenge? You want to be a naive sailor all your life, talking about your innocence; Or do you want to be a real hero and let the fire of vengeance burn them clean and let them know that they have offended someone they can't afford to offend? Answer me!"

"Yes... yes..." These questions were like a slap in the face, making Edmond Dantès finally sober.

Like lightning piercing the night sky, everything suddenly became clear.

It's too clear.

I served His Majesty Emperor Napoleon I, so what do I have to fear about serving Napoleon II again? It just made sense.

He has been in prison for more than ten years and has been cut off from the world. He doesn't know how this young man got out of the shackles and came here to start his dream, but this is completely unimportant.

Now that I have been abandoned by the world and have been wounded with a mark that can never be washed away, why should I surrender and beg for mercy? I want to resist all this, smash this world that insults me and persecutes me, stand on the head of the enemy, and return the pain.

He raised his head and looked at the young man eagerly, no longer confused.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to serve you..." He made a promise in a deep voice, "I am willing to follow you back to France as your loyal servant. There is only one condition... I cannot kill innocent people indiscriminately."

"Don't worry about this, I don't have such boring hobbies." Aigron smiled happily and nodded.

Then, he made a gesture, "Okay, let's come here today. I think you need a good rest. Chanel, take him to the room to rest."

Edmond Dantès bowed to the young man gracefully and respectfully according to the understanding taught by Father Faria.

Then, Chanel left with Edmond Dantès.

Aigron looked at the re-closed door and fell into deep thought.

Edmond Dantès is a person with clear grievances and grievances. Since he has made a promise, he will definitely play for himself in the future.

But this does not mean that everything is fine, there is still a small account between them that needs to be settled.

He will definitely go to the treasure place to have a look tonight.

It was already a place that he dreamed of, and he would never feel at ease if he didn't see it with his own eyes.

Fine, let's do the math right there.