In the fog, everything seemed to have stopped.
A bee flaps its wings and stops a few inches above a flower, preparing to fall.
Gu Qingshan stood in the middle of the garden, holding a sword in one hand and a rice cooker in the other, and tentatively said:
"This fog... seems familiar?"
In the mist, a female voice sounded: "Of course I am familiar. It's not like you haven't seen me like this before."
Xie Shuangyan appeared from the mist.
"Why are you here?" Gu Qingshan asked.
"I am the charity ambassador of the League of Nations. I just donated 300 schools and 20 churches to the Holy Kingdom not long ago." Xie Shuangyan said.
"So they welcome you?"
"Both the emperor and the church welcome me - after all, I also have a huge reputation among the people."
"Then why is this fog still needed?"
"To hide my identity——"
Xie Shuangyan said and snapped her fingers.
In the void behind Gu Qingshan, a war flag suddenly appeared quietly, emitting a faint brilliance.
A line of small characters appeared quickly in front of his eyes:
"You have discovered a certain apostle from the Four Holy Era, and she is proving her identity."
Gu Qingshan glanced at it and breathed a sigh of relief.
He put away the rice cooker and said with a smile: "It turns out he is one of our own, why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"It's not that I don't believe you, but once the secret is revealed, it may be leaked. In that case, my safety will become a problem." Xie Shuangyan said.
"Why are you coming to see me now? Did you know I would show up?" Gu Qingshan asked.
"Yes, you are constantly changing everything on the main timeline, which will eventually attract evil spirits." Xie Shuangyan said.
"They have just transformed into the Demon King sequence. It is not easy to come." Gu Qingshan said.
"Don't be careless - in the future, you will be the only one who delays their victory, but they have never been defeated in the war." Xie Shuangyan said.
"——I still want to save the king of the Holy Kingdom." Gu Qingshan said.
"Do you know the details of the Holy Religion?"
"...I'm not sure. I heard Su Xue'er say once that the Pope seems to be from Kirishima."
"She did stay in Kirishima for a while, but she actually had another identity."
"What is it?"
"It's the spy that Purgatory placed in this period of time."
"Purgatory...I do have some acquaintances." Gu Qingshan said.
"Don't worry about Purgatory, and don't provoke them. In fact, what I want to say is that our battle with the evil spirits is at a critical moment. Even if you want to save the emperor, try not to let Purgatory get any information." Xie Shuangyu warned.
"I understand, they are peepers hiding in the dark." Gu Qingshan said.
"Yes, I came here to tell you about this matter. Now that the matter has been clearly explained, I will leave immediately." Xie Shuangyan said.
"Aren't you going to help?" Gu Qingshan asked.
"I can't expose my identity - after all, I don't have the power to protect myself right now. If I'm discovered, there's only one way to die." Xie Shuangyan said.
She reached out and tossed it gently.
An afterimage flew out of her hand and flew to Gu Qingshan.
Gu Qingshan took it, but it was a card.
Xie Shuangyan said: "I have been weak for too long, and I only have this card left with me. Now I will lend it to you - it will come back to me after the incident is over."
Gu Qingshan said: "Thank you very much."
Xie Shuangyan nodded, slowly retreated, and gradually disappeared into the mist.
The fog lifted.
Gu Qingshan lowered his head and looked at the card in his hand.
I saw a woman painted on the card. She tipped the ancient water bottle in her hand downwards, and a stream of water suddenly turned into a bright and endless river, extending to the far end.
Lines of small firefly characters suddenly appeared on the God of War interface:
"You have obtained the card: Infinite Grip."
"Activate this card and immediately enter your card drawing session."
"——You can keep drawing cards until you get a card that is most suitable for the current situation, and this link will automatically end."
Gu Qingshan looked at it for a while, then put the Earth Sword away and activated the card directly.
The entire card suddenly turned into a soft halo, attached to his right hand.
A line of small firefly characters jumped out quickly:
"Entering the card drawing session, please draw cards."
Gu Qingshan reached out and pulled out a handful of cards in the void.
He spread it out in his hands and looked at it one by one, and saw that there were more than twenty cards in the hand.
The colorful cards seem to come from different decks, including melee, status, long-range, detection, tracking, stealth, precognition, causality, law, strangeness and other types.
Gu Qingshan looked at the cards in his hand and shook his head.
——None of these cards are suitable for use at this moment.
He threw the cards away and they immediately disappeared into the void.
Gu Qingshan continued to draw cards.
This time, more than thirty cards were drawn.
He looked through it carefully and picked out a card.
This card depicts a man in formal attire and a mask, knocking on a door, and the hand behind his back holds a bouquet of flowers and a dagger.
"Card: Destined Visitor."
"The Law of Cause and Effect Card."
"Activate this card and you will automatically gain a convincing identity to accomplish what you are about to accomplish."
Gu Qingshan stared at the card, sighed and said:
"This is also called 'having no power to protect oneself' or 'being weak for too long'? It's so humble."
He directly activated the card.
Bang!
A flash of mist passed by.
He directly transformed into a pot-bellied middle-aged man with a mustache, a black hat on his head, wearing appropriate attire of a Holy Kingdom noble, and holding a short scepter in his hand.
Gu Qingshan closed his eyes and counted his breath, and soon gained a memory.
Holding his scepter, he walked forward along the garden path and finally entered the palace.
A guard immediately came up to him, looked at him in surprise, and saluted:
"My Lord Earl."
Gu Qingshan nodded and asked: "Where is our Majesty?"
Another voice sounded: "Originally, you said you were going back, and His Majesty left the chess and card room - didn't you go back?"
Gu Qingshan turned around and saw that he was a valet.
He was responsible for many things around the emperor.
"Ah, my subordinates just said that everything has been done. There is no need for me to go there myself." Gu Qingshan said with the expression of a count.
"I see, please come with me. Your Majesty is drinking tea and meeting some nobles who have been waiting for a long time." The attendant said.
"Excuse me."
Gu Qingshan followed the attendant and walked slowly along the long corridor.
——He is now a powerful figure in the empire, a companion of the emperor since childhood, a loyal confidant of the royal family, and a great count who holds real power.
Gu Qingshan took a casual look and quickly noticed that there were several high-level professionals hidden throughout the palace.
These people are almost all at the top level in the world. If you compare them seriously, they are on par with the three generals of the Federation.
——Fortunately, I have this identity as a cover, otherwise it would be a bit troublesome for me at the seventh level of Qi refining.
Not far away, a guard suddenly trotted over and whispered: "The Pope is here and wants to see His Majesty."
The attendant nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go tell His Majesty."
The guard then left.
The attendant took Gu Qingshan all the way to the main hall of the palace.
The emperor was sitting on the throne talking to people. Those people were kneeling on the ground with expressions of excitement and glory on their faces.
Gu Qingshan had a look of disgust on his face, pointed at those people vaguely, and then looked at the emperor.
Seeing his behavior, the emperor laughed helplessly.
——This earl hates the little nobles in the countryside the most. He usually would rather walk around instead of saying hello to them.
"Okay, you go down and receive the reward." The emperor waved his hand.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The few nobles kowtowed repeatedly, turned around and retreated.
They passed by Gu Qingshan and quickly recognized him, and said in surprise: "Your Majesty the Earl."
A group of people hurriedly saluted again.
Gu Qingshan had a friendly smile on his face, nodded and said: "There is no need to be polite in front of His Majesty."
Those people completed the ceremony honestly and finally retreated.
Gu Qingshan immediately jumped up and said loudly: "My Majesty, why do you want to see these mud-legged people? They will pollute the air of the palace and eclipse the elegance and nobility here with their vulgar words and deeds."
The emperor laughed, pointed at him and shook his head, as if he had nothing to say about his temper.
The attendant came forward and reported: "Your Majesty, the Pope wishes to see you."
The smile on the emperor's face disappeared. He held his chest and took a few breaths. He frowned and said, "She said she wanted to come see me at this time, so let her come."
"Yes." The valet stepped back.
The emperor looked at Gu Qingshan again and said: "I'm afraid our chess game won't work. That vicious woman is coming to cause trouble again. My hunch tells me that she has a lot of problems."
Gu Qingshan waved his scepter and said bitterly: "Isn't that right? The crazy woman in the church is really disgusting!"
——The Pope is coming soon.
So, the assassination is about to happen.
But how many people did she bribe in the entire palace? How did the emperor avoid this assassination? How can I do it without exposing myself?
A series of thoughts flashed through Gu Qingshan's mind.
First of all, it is certain that the emperor was really killed by the pope.
Since the Pope chose this time and allowed the earl she played to leave just in time, it proved that she was sure of killing the Emperor of the Holy Kingdom in this main hall.
That is to say——
This has become her home court.
Gu Qingshan looked around and saw the guards standing at their positions, guarding the imperial court without squinting.
Who is the Pope's man?
Or are they all from the Pope?
He coughed lightly and saluted the emperor:
"His Majesty."
"Um?"
"I just got a good one recently."
"Oh? What kind of magic album is it again? Or a gem?"
"No, it's this -"
Gu Qingshan reached out and took out an old rice cooker.
"This seems to be a rice cooker?" the emperor asked.
"Take a closer look." Gu Qingshan smiled.
He handed the rice cooker to the guard beside him.
The guards went to the emperor.
"There is no need to test it. I already have a premonition that it does not pose any danger. Let me see what it is." The emperor smiled.
The guard presented the rice cooker.
The emperor was about to check the rice cooker carefully when a voice suddenly sounded outside:
"The Pope is here!"
A woman wearing a white robe and exuding a gleam of light slowly walked into the main hall of the palace.
Above her head, a bright halo floated out of thin air, emitting bursts of strong or dark divine light, making her look like an angel coming to earth.
She first took a deep look at Gu Qingshan.
——Why is this person still here?
"I have met Your Majesty," the Pope said.
"Well, what's the matter with you?" the emperor asked.
The Pope said: “I have something important to tell you——”
Buzz! ! !
The rice cooker suddenly trembled violently, causing the void to emit waves of fluctuations.
In an instant, the emperor connected the rice cooker and disappeared.
The Pope was silent.
--What's happening here?
Did the emperor notice it?
It shouldn't be. He was fully prepared. He should never know about the assassination.
The Pope calmed down, looked at Gu Qingshan and said, "My Lord Earl, do you know what happened just now? Where is His Majesty the Emperor?"
"He had a stomachache and went to the toilet. This is the latest way to go to the toilet without having to queue." Gu Qingshan said with a smile.
"That--"
"Wait a moment, I'll go see how he's doing, and I'll call you later."
After Gu Qingshan finished speaking, he strode out of the hall.
Judging from the speed at which he was walking, it was as if he was running away. He quickly turned the corner and was no longer visible.
The pope's face darkened and he looked at the guards.
"Rice cooker! That rice cooker was given to the emperor by him!" a guard said quickly.
"……wrong!"
The pope flashed and quickly chased after Gu Qingshan.
