Chapter 287 Membership Gardner Martin looked at the members of the Iron Cross opposite him and nodded with satisfaction. "aim!" With this command, Faustino and others raised their glasses to their lips. Is this what aiming is? Lumian almost laughed out loud, while the members of the Iron Cross next to him were more serious than each other. He roughly understood the essence of this ceremony and had some guesses about what would happen next. At this time, Gardner Martin issued a new order: "Fire!" Almost at the same time, Parsifal, Blake and others gulped down the red wine in the goblets, finishing one third of it in one gulp. "fire!" Gardner Martin uttered the second word aloud. Lumian tilted his head back slightly and gulped down another third of the red wine.

The same is true of Gardner Martin. He then continued: "storm!" The members of the "Iron Cross" present drank up the remaining red wine. Gardner Martin let the goblet leave his mouth with a serious expression: "lay down your weapon!" As he spoke, he raised the goblet above his eyes and touched it to his forehead before placing it back on the table. Vincent Lorraine and others also made similar moves. Then, they straightened their backs at the same time, patted their left chests with their right hands, and shouted in unison: "War! War! War!" As the voices shouted in unison, Lumian felt a subtle change in the atmosphere in the room, which seemed to be filled with warmth, excitement, and passion. This atmosphere also infected the members of the "Iron Cross", making them immersed in it and feel a sense of mutual understanding and brotherhood. Even though he had not been contaminated by the "abnormal" and had not been fanatical about his ideas, in such an environment and atmosphere, Lumian was somewhat affected and unconsciously became a little excited. (Note 1) He was just complaining that the initiation ceremony of the "Iron Cross" lacked mystery and was not worthy of the name of a secret organization. Now he felt that it was only different in temperament from the "Aurora Society" and others. In addition, the more mysterious part is the vigil at 13 Market Avenue. Gardner Martin pressed down with his right hand, causing Faustino, Albus and others to stop instantly and become quiet. He smiled again and said: "Let us welcome our new brother, Lumian Lee!" This time, he used Lumian's real name, indicating that the "Iron Cross" was very familiar with the situation of its members. The members of the Iron Cross, including the "Supervisor" Olson, applauded one after another. Lumian stood up, poured himself a glass of red wine, and drank it in one gulp as a sign of respect.

This fully shows his true character as a regular customer of the old tavern. "Very good, we are all brothers, don't be too polite." Gardner sat down, waiting for Faustino to distribute plates and cut bread to everyone, and said with a smile, "I have just talked about the history and philosophy of our 'Iron Cross'. Now let me talk about what we are going to do." He immediately stopped smiling: “The most important thing we have been doing is to overthrow the current government, establish a country ruled by Extraordinary People, and transform this world. To this end, we have been planning and trying, and have established multiple branch organizations to prepare for creating unrest. "In my case, it means using companies and gangs to control the dock workers, construction workers, porters, handymen and coolies in the market area, and when necessary, make them take to the streets and use barricades to fight against the police and the army." Lumian frowned and asked in confusion: “Isn’t it said that Extraordinary people are fundamentally different from ordinary people, and that Extraordinary people are superior to ordinary people? Why do we still aim to control and exploit those workers?” He found it ironic that the Iron Cross's philosophy and actions were completely inconsistent. Although this is normal, concepts are concepts and slogans are slogans, and they cannot be equated with reality, but at least we should talk about these things after two days, and we can't slap ourselves in the face the next second. If he had not just joined this secret organization, Lumian's tone would have been more sarcastic. Gardner Martin laughed: "Very perceptive, you have noticed an important issue. "Before this, only Albus had proposed it, and the others accepted it naturally." Was there any other intention than just using ordinary people to create chaos? Lumian glanced sideways at Albus, who was sitting at the edge of the dining table, and noticed that the dark red-haired young man was in a rather casual position, with his right leg crossed and his ankle shaking constantly. Gardner Martin explains it simply: “First of all, we must understand one thing: why do those gods establish churches and spread doctrines? "You probably don't believe in the saying 'God loves the world'. If they really loved people, the market area wouldn't be like this now, and there wouldn't be so many homeless people in Intis." Lumian actually agreed with this point and nodded slightly without interrupting the "chief". Gardner Martin smiled and said: "We have speculated that gods need believers, and history over the past few hundred years has proven this to be the case. "The more ordinary people we control, the more we can make the Church of the Eternal Sun and the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery wary, reducing their support for the current government and increasing the chances of a successful rebellion. "In the end, this is a huge bargaining chip to get them to acquiesce or even support us instead." “They are all bargaining chips…” Lumian’s eyes flickered slightly. He got to know and interact with individuals and families. Gardner Martin sighed: “If we want to control more workers and more citizens, in addition to our own efforts, we also need the cooperation of the government and Congress. "I have always known what kind of person Hugues Artois is and what forces are behind him, but I still chose to support his campaign for Congress because I knew he would do something that would bring disaster to the market area. He represents Congress and the government. The worse he does, the more people will lean towards us. It's a pity that this piece of shit was assassinated just a few days after he was elected." So this is the reason why the Savoy Party supports Hugues Artois... I thought there was some evil god hiding behind you, and the evil gods all supported Hugues Artois... Lumian suddenly realized what he heard. Without Gardner Martin's personal explanation and without understanding the philosophy of the "Iron Cross", he really could not guess the true intention of this secret organization in supporting Hugues Artois's candidacy for Congress. Gardner Martin sums up the previous words: “So, in the market area, what we value most are the docks, yards, warehouses, freight companies and construction companies. The purpose of the Sava Party’s existence is mainly to contact various people, collect the necessary intelligence, and provide part of the funds for the organization.

"Of course, gangs are also an important means for us to control ordinary people." No wonder a lot of resources were invested in the Savoy Party...Lumian looked at the focused "Bloody Glove" Black and mocked him in his heart for being a better actor than himself. You must have heard what the boss said countless times, so why are you still paying attention to it? Look at Albus, he's eating, drinking, and shaking all the time. After Lumian nodded to show that he understood, Gardner Martin took a sip of red wine and said: "Another thing we are doing is exploring underground to find the entrance to Trier in the Fourth Epoch." Hearing this topic, Lumian couldn't help but look at the "supervisor" Olson who had been silent. The tall and thin man, who looked like a hungry bear, was cutting a steak that was only medium-rare and kept stuffing the bloody pieces of meat into his mouth. Lumian glanced back and forth at his neck a few times, but found no signs of fracture. Was it really an illusion created by some ability, with only the head and spine left? Lumian muttered silently. But this is consistent with the legend of Bansi Port! "Either Olsen has a deep understanding of the incident in Bansy Harbor, or he has encountered similar monsters elsewhere... "Even if it was just an illusion, it couldn't have been imagined out of thin air. It must have come from his experience and knowledge... "Ms. Magician said that most of what he said was probably true, and she suspected that the reason he disappeared for several months was because he entered Trier in the Fourth Epoch... “He met a monster there with only a head and a spine left? "Since he has entered Trier in the Fourth Epoch, why is Gardner Martin still looking for the entrance? Is Ms. Magician's suspicion wrong?" Lumian had a lot of thoughts and made a series of guesses. He looked at Gardner Martin and asked doubtfully: "Why are we looking for the entrance to Trier in the Fourth Epoch?" Gardner Martin laughed: "For other Beyonders, that is hell, an abyss, a place of disaster that cannot be approached, but for Hunters, it means a huge treasure. "And our 'Iron Cross' is mainly composed of Beyonders from the 'Hunter' path." "Treasure?" Lumian thought of the "Shadow Tree" and the invisible sea of ​​fire that could burn off part of the Shadow Tree's roots. Gardner Martin said seriously: "I don't know how much you know about the history of the Fourth Epoch. I can only tell you that during the Fourth Epoch, gods still walked on the earth and angels often appeared. That period was also called the 'Age of the Gods'. "In the 'Age of the Gods', there were three powerful countries in the Northern Continent. One of them was called the Tudor Empire, and its capital was Trier, which sank into the ground. "Alistair Tudor, the Emperor of the Tudor Empire, is known as the 'Blood Emperor'. He is a true god who controls the 'Hunter' path! "He fell in the war between gods, and his remains are in Trier in the Fourth Epoch!" The remains of the "Blood Emperor" Tudor? Lumian instantly remembered some of the contents of Aurore's witchcraft notebook. Aurore also did not conduct an in-depth study of the history of the Fourth Epoch, but only had a general understanding of it. She mentioned the three major empires: the Solomon Empire, the Trunsoste Empire, and the Tudor Empire, as well as titles such as "Blood Emperor", "Night Emperor", "Underworld Emperor", "Black Emperor", and the "War of the Four Emperors". According to Aurore's description, the "Blood Emperor" is as powerful as a god.

Note 1: Adapted from the ritual of the Nine Sisters Lodge of Freemasonry. (End of this chapter)