Chapter 299: The City of Angels

Chapter 299: The City of Angels

Welcome. The man had shiny blond hair, a straight nose, and porcelain skin. With a bright smile, he opened his arms to greet Gi-Gyu and said, Nice to meet you, Morningstar!

Gi-Gyu's travel to Italy was a secret, so only the people responsible for escorting him welcomed him.

Nice to meet you too, Gi-Gyu replied in awkward Italian, making his escorts smile even brighter. He had practiced a few Italian greetings and sentences, and this must have pleased them.

Im the branch manager of the European Players Associations Italy branch, Alberto. The blond man offered his hairy hand for a handshake.

Gi-Gyu shook his hand and thought, Hes just a regular player.

He had checked out Alberto secretly to see if he had any sorcerous energy or a foreign aura about him. Sung-Hoon had previously told him that Alberto could be trusted, but Gi-Gyu wanted to be sure. Now, he was confident the Caravan Guild and Andras hadnt experimented on Albertos body.

Well, I guess I dont know for sure just yet, Gi-Gyu told himself. He knew that he shouldnt deem the man innocent just because he couldnt feel any sorcerous energy or foreign aura from the branch manager. A man didnt have to be brainwashed to be greedy and evil enough to obey a demon.

Oh! What a beautiful woman you are! Alberto exclaimed in fluent English when he saw El. He opened his arms to hug her, but when she just silently looked at him, Alberto scratched his cheek and added awkwardly, Haha! Im sorry if I offended you.

After the introduction, Alberto escorted Gi-Gyu and the rest of the group. They moved quietly and in secret so no one recognized them.

I better keep my eye on him, Gi-Gyu thought as he followed Alberto. This man could be connected to the Caravan or the Iron Guild.

And Im definitely not doing this because he tried to hug El, Gi-Gyu told himself firmly.

***

-Ill go ahead and look around on my own.

Before they had even gotten on the plane, Go Hyung-Chul had hidden in Gi-Gyus shadow; now, he wanted to investigate independently. In his paparazzo days, Go Hyung-Chul had made many enemies, so he had to keep his public appearance at a minimum.

Gi-Gyu had no problem with that, as it played in his favor.

As the group moved, Go Hyung-Chul left them without Alberto noticing.

The car they were riding in stopped. It had been a long time since Gi-Gyu sat in a car.

Were here. Alberto and a man, seemingly his assistant, opened the car door for Gi-Gyu and the group. Gi-Gyu watched the scenery in front of him.

The Colosseum, Gi-Gyu whispered.

Thats right, Alberto announced with a pride-laden voice, The Italian branch of the European Players Association is here.

Gi-Gyu continued to look at the Colosseum. It was his first time seeing it, but it did not impress him.

Maybe its because Im so used to looking at Old Man Hwangs constructions.

All of Old Man Hwangs buildings were unusual and beautiful. The sudden thought made Gi-Gyu smile.

From now on, please follow close behind. Could you excuse me for a moment? Alberto asked. Gi-Gyu nodded. Alberto took something out of his pocket and activated it.

Whir.

With a slight noise, a magic wave spread out.

We cant have you seen by the public, Mr. Morningstar, so I just formed a barrier, Alberto explained. He had likely used a barrier-type item to hide their abilities.

Gi-Gyu walked behind Alberto. Gi-Gyus and Els faces were exposed, but the tourists in the area didnt pay them any attention. The item must have been very effective.

This is amazing. I had no idea such an ability existed. Alberto still hadnt stopped talking; there was surprise in his voice now. You are truly amazing. I guess your reputation wasnt exaggerated at all.

Alberto was truly impressed.

It hasnt been long since I learned to do this, Gi-Gyu replied in fluent Italian. His pronunciation was perfect too, which was why Alberto couldnt hide his shock.

I didnt know it would work, Gi-Gyu thought. He didnt sync with Alberto completely, which was why they wouldnt affect each other directly. Gi-Gyu had only synced with him temporarily to extract Albertos memory of his language. In the past, Gi-Gyu couldn't have even imagined something like this. However, now that he had perfected the sync, he realized the endless possibilities within his reach.

And hes so annoying. Gi-Gyu was frustrated by how Alberto admired Els beauty. This was why he had wanted to pull a prank on Alberto. Even if he failed, Gi-Gyu was certain that he wouldnt harm Alberto in any way.

In the end, Gi-Gyu succeeded in extracting Albertos language module.

But I got much more than that I really dont need these memories.

Gi-Gyu now also had Albertos memories of his past girlfriends. He simply wanted to ensure Alberto wasnt a traitor, but now he had HD access to Albertos promiscuous lifestyle.

Im sorry I did it without explaining, Gi-Gyu apologized now that he knew Alberto wasnt a traitor.

No, not at all. Im glad we cleared it all up, Alberto chirped.

Gi-Gyu coughed awkwardly before explaining, I dont know if Sung-Hoon explained this to you, but were here to find the Vatican. Do you, by chance, know its location or anything that might help?

Sung-Hoon had promised Gi-Gyu that Alberto would cooperate fully.

The Vatican Alberto frowned for the first time. Youre asking me a tough question.

...

Simply put, I dont know its location. Im pretty sure it exists in Italy somewhere, but because of its uniqueness, it is impossible to know its location. Alberto explained.

How is that possible?!

Currently, the Vatican was a large group with numerous powerful players. It was like an army, so how could a country not know the location of such a group? As the branch manager, Alberto was responsible for the players in Italy. So it didnt make sense to Gi-Gyu that he didnt know the Vaticans location. But thanks to their temporary connection, Gi-Gyu knew that Alberto wasnt lying.

Its because I have no authority over them. Alberto pointed at the sky and continued, Someone much higher controls them. The Vatican is independent of our association. Even though they must live somewhere in Italy, we know very little about them.

Gi-Gyu couldnt help feeling disappointed.

HoweverAlberto narrowed his eyeswe are investigating them.

And did you find anything so far?

A sharp look appeared in Albertos eyes. So far, he had acted like a good-natured clown; now, he was exuding intense energy. Gi-Gyu realized that Alberto didnt become the branch manager by chance.

The year the Tower appeared, that S-Class gate in Rome destroyed the Vatican and much of Italy. We all suffered because of it. Our financial loss and casualties were unimaginable, Alberto answered.

Gi-Gyu already knew this part of history. Italy alone hadnt suffered that year. When the Tower first appeared, the gate had damaged the entire Europe badly. If it werent for the very first high-rankers and the forerunners, the continent of Europe might have disappeared from the map.

Just like North Korea.

But Europe wasnt a place the world could afford to lose. And luckily, the S-Class gate was closed, and the whole of Europe worked together to recover. Eventually, Europe returned to normal, proof of its impressive strength and the power of its long history.

After that nightmarish day when Italy became hell, Alberto whispered. The Vatican changed. Their people had just lost their home, yet when they resurfaced

Alberto licked his lips and added, They were holier than before. With their new divine power, they took over Italy.