Chapter 1153
Eagle Eye, This is the End
When Eivass made up his mind, his drive became incredibly potent.
He directly took Isabel to find the Speaker of the Great Tree Party.
This was a formal diplomatic request from Edward, which he couldn’t refuse.
After Avalon was merged into the new Hrasal Empire, Edward, as Eivass and Yulia’s elder brother, had also seen his status soar. Edward was now the Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the New Hrasal Empire to the Iris Kingdom.
This was a diplomatic representative of the highest caliber, one level higher than Edward’s previous title of “Envoy Plenipotentiary of Iris,” and he enjoyed full diplomatic privileges. He was, in essence, the embodiment of the New Hrasal Empire in Iris.
A diplomatic letter issued by Ambassador Edward, even the Speaker had to take it seriously.
Especially since the Great Tree Party already had a rough idea of what Eivass intended to do. After all, the public assassination attempt on Eivass, while not reported in the newspapers, was by no means a secret. Rather, the fact that it couldn’t be reported suggested the highest level of media control was in effect.
Even though most people who knew about it were already aware, as long as it didn’t appear in the papers, there was still room for maneuver. Once it was reported, it would mean the situation had escalated drastically.
In this context, Eivass’s request for a meeting actually relieved the high-ranking officials of Iris.
While cursing the madmen of Eagle Eye, they feverishly prepared for an emergency meeting with Eivass, fearing further unexpected incidents. In Iris, a proponent of freedom and human rights, they even imposed blockades and martial law on Eivass’s route. Agents and spies were stationed at every vantage point, lest another hot-headed assassin escalate the situation.
This was not mere pretense.
The Iris people were genuinely fed up with Eagle Eye. Their first attempt to assassinate in Avalon failed and they were fined a hefty sum, which eventually became taxes. Their second attempt to assassinate the Saintess in the Church again failed and they were caught; the Church had not yet imposed any punishment, merely suppressing the incident. Their third attempt to assassinate Eivass on their own soil failed again, and they were caught again.
Seriously, man?
If you can’t win, can you stop sending yourselves to your deaths?
The high-ranking officials of Iris were at their breaking point.
If the assassination had succeeded, it could have been called radical.
But the problem was that none of them had succeeded! In just half a year, they had failed three times in a row, each time a major event, and utterly meaningless assassinations. They simply couldn’t understand why Eagle Eye had provoked them.
Bone Sculptures were one thing… they knew Bone Sculptures had indeed intended to curse the Avalon Royal Family. But they hadn’t ordered him to assassinate Eivass.
As for assassinating a Pope Candidate, they were even more baffled. Regardless, they had no conflict with the Church.
They naturally couldn’t understand.
Because they truly hadn’t assassinated the Pure White Saintess.
Only those who have wronged you know how wronged you are.
However, in this third incident, they were not innocent. This time, there was no room for luck, as too many people had witnessed it. It was on the streets of a busy downtown area, with at least hundreds of people witnessing it firsthand. One could only say that Eivass was too merciful, not even harming any innocent bystanders… but this made it even harder for them to manage public opinion, so they could only suppress it for now and humbly inquire about Eivass’s terms.
The Great Tree Party had already discussed their course of action.
If Eivass made a move, they would immediately hand over the Eagle Eye organization. If Eivass agreed to this condition, they would immediately capitulate and frame the incident as “having been handled internally by both sides.”
“Don’t talk about anything useful or useless, brother, I surrender first!”
“It’s okay, brother. If the New Hrasal Empire attacks, I’ll be the first to surrender!”
After all, within the Great Tree Party, they didn’t know that their party leader, Pierre, was the leader of the Eagle Eye organization. Most of them didn’t even know Pierre had any connection to Eagle Eye. After all, Pierre had publicly been attacked by an Eagle Eye assassin and had angrily expressed his disgust for assassins.
Only a select few knew that it was just Pierre’s acting. And most of these people were already dead.
Even Speaker Pierre himself stated that this time, Eagle Eye must pay the price. He had already made plans to cut Eagle Eye loose.
Although he was reluctant, Pierre knew that Eagle Eye could no longer be protected.
It wasn’t that they had provoked the wrong person; if he wanted to, he could have stopped Master Thomas at a price. The main reason was that Pierre believed that with the departure of the Child of the Moon, Eagle Eye could no longer be controlled by them, the high-ranking assassins, with their “idealism.”
At this point, Eagle Eye was on the verge of losing control. And once it lost control, they would also pay the price; no one could escape from an escalating situation.
But when they met, Pierre realized… Although he had tried his best to elevate the degree of trouble Eivass was in, he had still severely underestimated Eivass.
The man in a formal dark suit, with slightly short hair meticulously combed back, looking gentle, serious, and dignified, stood respectfully in front of Eivass and Isabel’s car, personally welcoming them out.
“Cardinal Moriarty,” Pierre said, bowing slightly to Eivass and placing a hand over his chest, then looked at Isabel and nodded, shaking her hand, “Your Majesty the Queen.”
These titles were also carefully considered by him to find the best appellation. Eivass had many titles, such as Minister of Affairs, former Pope, Prince… but he considered “Cardinal” to be the highest-ranking title, while also implying Eivass’s plea of “Please, Brother Devotion, spare me,” a sign of submission.
His address to Isabel as “Queen” carried a similar meaning. Although Isabel was no longer Queen, he hoped she would realize this was an important conversation concerning bilateral relations and requested that she put herself in the position of Queen.
By assigning social roles to others, he could subconsciously influence their self-perception and adjust the environment to be more conducive to their survival. This was undoubtedly a survival technique of the Path Adaptation. As it was not an extraordinary skill, it did not cause any fluctuations in the Path.
The moment Eivass saw him, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
At that moment, Speaker Pierre felt a sense of foreboding.
Fortunately, Eivass did not make a move immediately. Instead, he gently nodded to the reporters on both sides of the street and the flashing cameras, offering a warm and bright smile. He greeted everyone present and bestowed a blessing.
Then, amidst the fervent cheers and shouts of the crowd, he, Isabel, and Speaker Pierre slowly entered the elevator of the Sky Tower.
The Sky Tower was a hotel, or rather, an attraction, in the capital city, the City of Light. Its distinguishing feature was its immense height, allowing one to overlook the sea of clouds. It was also a venue for the highest level of banquets. At such an altitude, it was impossible for assassins or eavesdroppers to infiltrate.
Of course, this also implied another possibility: those inside would be just as unable to escape.
After being seated, Eivass leisurely said, “Speaker Pierre… I’ve long heard of your name.”
“Not at all.”
Pierre smiled with a disarmingly sincere and honest expression, scratching his head. “I actually don’t think I’m very famous… You might not know, Cardinal Moriarty… within the party, I’m mainly seen as a mascot, haha. Everyone is actually more passionate and active than I am. I usually don’t have much work to do. As for why I’m in this position… it’s probably because I don’t know how to do anything, so I’m not a threat.”
His words were almost feeble.
But from another perspective, he was also shirking responsibility.
What Pierre implied was, “I don’t actually have much real power,” and therefore, “if something goes wrong, it’s not my fault.”
Eivass did not take the bait.
He simply smiled peacefully. “Is that so? I think the identity of ‘Leader of the Eagle Eye Organization’ is quite impressive.”
“……”
Pierre suddenly fell silent.
“You must be quite busy, right? After all, besides your political life, you also have to manage such a large organization. And not many people can help you… because even among the high-ranking members of Eagle Eye, not many people know about this. Within the Great Tree Party, there are none at all.”
Eivass smiled and took a sip of sparkling wine.
Speaker Pierre slowly exhaled, revealing a helpless yet relieved smile.
He offered no defense or pretense of ignorance. He knew such things were futile. Someone of Eivass’s status saying this meant he undoubtedly had irrefutable evidence. To be stubborn or put on an act would only further lower Eivass’s evaluation of him.
The middle-aged man, elegant yet exuding a sense of decadence, slowly lowered his head, clasping his hands together. He swayed them gently as if begging for mercy.
“I beg for mercy, sir,” he said softly and sincerely. “I lost. It’s all my fault. I’m sorry. I will do anything.”
He did not explain, “The assassination attempt on you wasn’t my order”; rather, it was the master assassin’s unilateral decision, stemming from his desire for revenge.
Pierre knew these words were true, but he couldn’t explain them. No matter what evidence he presented, the other party would assume it was the truth Pierre had hidden and then revealed. Furthermore, no matter what, he knew this matter… meant he was at least tacitly approving or not opposing it, so he bore some responsibility.
“A smart person.”
Eivass said with a smile. “I thought you would put up some resistance. For example, at least shift the responsibility for the assassination attempt on me… after all, that was Master Thomas’s decision.”
“…You even know that.”
Speaker Pierre was somewhat helpless.
He thought that within the Eagle Eye organization, it was his absolute domain. But now, it seemed to be full of leaks.
However, he also felt a glimmer of hope. He acutely caught the possibility of survival in Eivass’s words.
“As expected of Cardinal, the only Pope among humans,” Speaker Pierre flattered. “A powerhouse on a completely different level from us. Although it might be my delusion, is there a possibility that we could fight under your command, for you?”
“You all?”
Eivass raised an eyebrow. “Eagle Eye?”
“The elites of Eagle Eye,” Speaker Pierre corrected, “the very best. They are all from good families, their parents and grandparents were heroes who sacrificed their lives for Iris. These high-ranking assassins are now very trustworthy…”
Eivass smiled, watching him.
Speaker Pierre immediately amended his statement. “Of course… Even among the elites of elites, there are not many left who are absolutely reliable. However, it would be a great pity to kill off the remaining ones. They are all very clean – you can send people to investigate. I remember a Master followed your footsteps to the Church… I believe it was Master Honey Badger.
She also knows that a group of assassins in the organization are not corrupted. Although their numbers are small… I have always protected their morality and spirit. This is all to cultivate healthier talents for the organization…
You know, those assassins with questionable hands might be bought off by others, so I don’t dare to use them as much. Also, their Path of the Heart is no longer pure, it’s tainted… After all, not many assassins can contact me directly; I must select the best among the best.
“…So.”
Eivass looked at him for a moment, then suddenly asked, “How many are left in this group?”
“Sixteen. All are Fourth Tier or above, and three have already been promoted to Fifth Tier this month.” Speaker Pierre replied immediately.
Eivass looked at him for a long time, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest. Each light tap sounded like a thunderclap to the sharp-eared Pierre.
Finally, Eivass gave his answer.
“—Then, you deal with the rest.”
Eivass narrowed his eyes slightly, his pupils burning with a crimson glow.
He smiled, bringing the Eagle Eye organization to a close. “Remember to be thorough—be careful not to harm any innocent bystanders.”
“Yes.”
Speaker Pierre immediately responded respectfully. “The conduct evaluation of each assassin is continuously carried out internally. Their every move is under the surveillance of senior assassins. No one will be wrongly killed, nor will anyone be spared.”
“You also need to manage the transition.”
Eivass said gently. “Now that Eagle Eye and the Child of the Moon are gone, many grassroots facilities, such as welfare homes, are no longer controlled. Although there’s no need for grandstanding anymore, this part needs to be handled well. I’d rather not hear that funding for a welfare home or orphanage has suddenly stopped.”
“Certainly, I will handle this personally,” Pierre said quickly. “There will be absolutely no problems – I guarantee it with my life.”
“You are a smart man, Pierre.”
Eivass smiled. “Your intelligence has saved you… and it has saved Iris.
The Iris Kingdom, are you interested in returning to the Empire?”
