Ordinary players were naturally unaware of the conversation happening in Nebula Games' lounge.
But if they were, all players would surely launch a strong condemnation against Chen Xu: 'Right, right, Mr. Chen, you're absolutely right! The Assassin Brotherhood won't give players knives anymore, so if someone was originally an Assassin and later betrayed them for the Templars and got 'knifed,' that doesn't count then, huh!'
In between, players once again experienced a wave of 'knife' baptism.
In the modern-day storyline, when Desmond retrieved the Apple of Eden from the secret chamber, Juno from Those Who Came Before revealed that Lucy would betray the Assassins. She then took control of Desmond's body, forcing him to stab Lucy in the abdomen with his Hidden Blade, killing her.
As the game's plot progressed, players also gained a deeper understanding of the protagonist, Ezio.
In his youth, Ezio embarked on the path of an Assassin driven by hatred, with only revenge on his mind.
But in his middle age, Ezio witnessed enough people and events to become mature and wise.
By this time, Ezio had already understood the true meaning of being an Assassin.
Arriving in Rome, Ezio explained his reason for wanting to stay: 'There will be no peace until we stand up against the Borgia family, against the Templar Knights!'
In Rome, the Borgia family had completely taken control of the city. The entire city was dilapidated, emanating a sense of despair.
To liberate Rome, Ezio decided to start with the common people.
He established the Brotherhood, passing on the Assassins' skills and Creed to more people, hoping to unite against the tyrannical rule of the Templar Knights.
After years of struggle, Ezio eventually led the now-grown Assassin organization to complete their revenge, guided by the Apple of Eden.
He traveled all the way to Spain and killed Cesare Borgia, the Poison Duke, on a battlefield engulfed in flames.
His activities in Rome earned Ezio the esteemed title of Assassin Mentor, marking the most glorious period of his Assassin career.
Subsequently, Ezio began to focus on other matters. He solidified the Assassins' influence in Italy, established effective communication channels from Sicily to Venice, and standardized the training methods for Assassin apprentices.
Everything seemed to have settled down, but later, as Ezio sorted through the relics left by his uncle Mario, he discovered a letter from his father.
The letter mentioned a secret library hidden in Masyaf, the birthplace of the famous Assassin Altaïr. It was said that this library held more secrets about the Assassins and even the world.
Altaïr had been Ezio's spiritual mentor in his youth, and his writings had greatly helped Ezio. Upon discovering this secret, driven by curiosity and a thirst for knowledge, Ezio embarked on a journey to seek the truth.
After ten months of arduous travel, Ezio, now over fifty, arrived in Masyaf.
However, this former holy land of the Assassins was now under the control of the Templar Knights.
As soon as Ezio arrived in the village of Masyaf, he was ambushed and captured by a group of Templar Knights on his way to the castle, who even attempted to hang him.
Fortunately, just as he was about to be hanged, Ezio managed to break free and escape by jumping off the tower.
Ezio later discovered that the Templar Knights' objective was also to find Altaïr's secret library, but they had only found one key, and the remaining four keys were hidden in Constantinople.
Thus, Ezio embarked on a journey to find the keys, while also becoming entangled in the internal struggles of the Byzantine royal family in Constantinople.
And there, he met a woman who would also become his future wife: Sofia.
Even though Ezio was now over fifty, even though he was nearly thirty years older than Sofia, he still maintained the youthful spirit of his early days.
'Sir, who are you?' a young woman in a bookstore asked Ezio curiously.
'Me? Merely the most interesting person you'll ever meet in your life,' Ezio said with a smile.
During his quest for the keys, Ezio was able to witness the magnificent life of his predecessor, Altaïr, through them.
Once, Altaïr, like Ezio, was an arrogant young man, looking down on everyone and easily provoked.
He misinterpreted the Assassin's Creed as doing whatever one pleased, and his actions in Jerusalem brought severe consequences to the Assassin Brotherhood.
So, his Assassin Mentor meticulously arranged a 'death' for him, stripping Altaïr of his Assassin Master status and forcing him to start over.
The Mentor gave Altaïr nine names, instructing him to kill these individuals to bring peace to the local people.
However, during the assassination missions, Altaïr discovered that not everyone on the list was evil.
But Altaïr's Mentor told him that these people were all Templar Knights, whose objective was to obtain a Piece of Eden: the Apple of Eden, intending to use it to control the world.
Yet, after completing these tasks, Altaïr realized that it was all his Mentor's conspiracy, and his Mentor desired to monopolize the Apple of Eden.
Ultimately, Altaïr defeated his Mentor.
And began to reflect on the Creed and responsibilities of an Assassin.
These memories further deepened Ezio's understanding and admiration for his predecessor, making him eagerly anticipate the moment he would open the library.
Finally, Ezio gathered all the keys and, accompanied by Sofia, arrived at the entrance of Altaïr's library. After bidding farewell to Sofia, Ezio entered the library alone.
But upon entering, contrary to his expectations, there were no books or knowledge; only the skeletal remains of the Assassin ancestor, Altaïr.
On the bones lay a weathered Assassin's Creed uniform, and Altaïr sat peacefully in the center.
Hundreds of years of time condensed into a fleeting moment of inheritance between two generations of Assassin Masters.
On Altaïr's remains, Ezio found another key and another Apple of Eden within the library.
This made Ezio realize something.
'Found another relic?'
'No, you stay here.'
Ezio did not reach out to touch it, but instead stepped back continuously.
'I've seen enough for one lifetime.'
At this moment, the Apple of Eden suddenly bloomed with a light, and Ezio, combining it with what he had witnessed, finally understood everything.
'Desmond? I heard your name once, a long time ago, and now that name lingers in my mind like a distant dream.'
'I don't know where you are, nor how you can hear what I say, but I know you are listening.'
Ezio looked at the surrounding scene, influenced by the power of the Apple of Eden, and slowly removed his equipment.
'I used to just strive to live, not knowing the meaning, just like a moth tirelessly flying towards a distant moon.'
'I finally discovered a strange truth: I am merely a messenger, delivering a message I cannot comprehend.'
'Who are we? Who would be so fortunate as to share our story like this? And pass it down for centuries to come?'
'Perhaps you can answer my questions, perhaps you can give all this suffering some value in the end.'
'Now, listen carefully…'
At the same time, seeing this scene, just like Ezio in the game,
Song Ren understood everything.
Ezio was merely a mouthpiece, experiencing so much just to let Desmond in the future know about Those Who Came Before.
This was a dialogue spanning a thousand years and three eras.
(End of Chapter)
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