Under the scrutiny of everyone present, the Templar Knights had no choice but to speak. "We know where the gemstone is, and deep down, we are willing to hand it over or even destroy it.
But honestly, none of us dare tell you where it is, nor can we allow you to search for it."
"What do you mean by that?" Richard asked in confusion. Then, as if realizing something, he added, "Is the gemstone hidden in a dangerous location, or is it in a sacred place that you dare not open?"
Philip's expression turned uncertain as he looked at the Templar Knights. "Is it that place?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. No one from the Holy Church dares disturb it.
And after nearly a thousand years, we only know the general location. The exact entrance has been lost for centuries."
"Sigh..." Philip let out a deep sigh and took the initiative to explain. "If there are no surprises, the gemstone should be buried in the tomb of the Templar Grandmaster who passed away over 900 years ago.
If that's the case, then the Templars indeed wouldn't dare open it."
Disturbing the rest of the dead was something no one dared to say outright.
Though William was not truly English at heart and had no such concerns, he had already ordered Sunday to locate the tomb the day before—and they had already found it.
However, he too did not wish to bear the stigma of grave-robbing.
No matter what excuse was used, disturbing the dead was something that people fundamentally could not accept.
Of course, thieves were an exception.
But in modern times, even the descendants of those old thieves had learned to pretend to be noble, so William had to play along.
Even if he could hide it from all of England, he could never hide it from Captain Marvel.
If Carol ever mentioned it by accident, or if their relationship soured in the future, today's grave-robbing would become an unshakable stain on his reputation.
Now that there was a legitimate way to obtain Set's gemstone, William didn't mind taking a slightly more complicated route.
Furrowing his brows, he said, "You must not forget—if we all die in the next few decades or centuries, and future generations become complacent and fail to take it seriously,
what will they have to stop Set if he decides to come after the gemstone again?"
This immediately rekindled the worries of the hesitant crowd. William then played back Amunet's recorded statements.
He explained, "This mummy repeatedly referred to Set as the 'God of Death.'
But all historical records indicate that Set's domain is the desert and darkness. Shouldn't that make us even more wary?"
"That can't be..." Shackle, the Minister of Magic, asked nervously, "Are you saying that Set is trying to claim the domain of death?"
This was exactly the response William was waiting for. He shrugged. "I doubt that a devout follower like Amunet would dare to misname her own master's domain."
The group nodded in agreement. Shackle, looking deeply worried, said, "That means if Set enters our world, he will bring nothing but death."
William nodded firmly. "Isn't it obvious? If enough people don't die, how could he justify calling himself the God of Death?"
"Damn it!"
"Bloody hell!"
The room erupted into curses.
Even someone as uninformed as Prime Minister Richard understood that if a god obsessed with death were to enter England, the resulting catastrophe would be apocalyptic.
Having grasped the gravity of the situation, he turned his gaze back to the Templar Knights. "Where exactly is it?"
"I... I... I..."
"Damn it! Just tell me the general location of the tomb. The rest we can handle by surveying it under the pretense of building a subway.
As for funding," Richard looked at William, "I assume you wouldn't mind donating a bit of money to the London government, would you?"
"No problem," William agreed immediately, feeling relieved himself.
As long as there was a legitimate reason, everything else would be simple.
Building a subway would take far too long—why waste time when they could get straight to the point?
"Actually, after returning home yesterday, I looked through some old family records and have a rough idea of where the tomb is.
If St. Paul's Cathedral happens to need renovations, as a Holy Knight, I could donate £20 million to restore it.
And if, during the renovations, we happen to uncover a centuries-old underground passage, it would be reasonable to investigate it in the name of cultural preservation.
That's not excessive, is it?"
"Of course not," Richard said, slightly disappointed that they wouldn't be able to build a subway, but he understood the greater priority.
If mass casualties occurred during his second term, not only would his legacy be ruined, but he might not even be able to finish his tenure.
Besides, William's plan left no room for objections.
Even if people suspected ulterior motives, they couldn't exactly oppose the restoration of a church or prevent believers from donating.
"Then it's settled. Today's meeting was convened to discuss the restoration of St. Paul's Cathedral.
Now that the proposal has been approved, what do you all think?"
The attendees exchanged glances before quickly nodding in agreement.
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
Seeing unanimous approval, Richard shifted into his government leadership mode.
Standing up, he swept his gaze over the group. "Okay, let's move on to the next topic.
Do we agree to entrust the handling of this threat to England's safety entirely to Duke William Devonshire?"
He raised his hand immediately and added, "If anyone here believes they have the capability to confront a god, then I support their right to compete for this responsibility.
Otherwise, allowing someone else to take charge would not only be irresponsible to themselves but also to the millions of people in England.
We need absolute security. Personally, I'd rather trust someone who has already interacted with Thor and maintains a good relationship with Captain Marvel, who once saved Earth."
"Damn Richard..."
With those words, any English wizard who had been considering vying for the position backed down.
Seeing no opposition, Richard continued, "Then, William Devonshire, do you accept the responsibility of leading Kingsman,
ensuring the safety of England while also heading the department responsible for extraterrestrial matters?"
"Of course. It would be my honor," William accepted without hesitation.
"Wait,"
Shackle, the Minister of Magic, could no longer worry about the dangerous glint in William's eyes.
"I have no objections to William overseeing extraterrestrial threats, but our Ministry of Magic must also retain authority over magical affairs in England.
After all, don't forget—this authority was earned over centuries by thousands of wizards who sacrificed their lives to protect England."
Hearing this, William rolled his eyes at Shackle. "Fine, I acknowledge your jurisdiction.
And when necessary, we can even collaborate to deal with supernatural beings or extraterrestrials that threaten our interests.
Any objections?"
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