Chapter 1044 Chapter 1040 St. Paul·Funeral (Second update)

Peggy Carter's coffin was decorated like St. Paul's Cathedral in London. The choir sang elegy beside it. The young singing voice resonated on the exquisite gilt murals and round vaults, and gradually amplified into overlapping and vigorous chants. Steve Rogers walked on the right, leading the other pallbearers to the altar. They placed the coffin on the pedestal, with Peggy's photo and wreath standing beside it. The coffin was not opened and filled with flowers for mourning like most funerals in the United States. Instead, it was covered with gold crosses embroidered on the four corners in accordance with the Protestant tradition. White linen, as if the host did not want others to see the image other than the young woman in military uniform in the black and white photo. The pastor stood on the pulpit under the blue stained glass, waiting for the people in the church to take their seats, and welcomed their arrival with a brief prayer. After a lengthy ceremony of readings and sermons from the Psalms and Gospels, reciting the General Creeds, general intercessions, the first part of the Eucharist, playing music, and praying for the dead, the priest said, “Now Sharon ·Carter took the stage to deliver a speech."

Natasha Romanoff did not stay in the church for long. After she replaced Salomon to convey her condolences to Steve Rogers, she left early to breathe. When she chose her seat, she deliberately chose an inconspicuous position, so not many people noticed her when she left. Natasha climbed up the steps of the transept to the side aisle outside the famous Baroque dome of St. Paul's Cathedral, overlooking the Thames River in the distance and the strange-shaped Millennium Bridge across the river. Peggy Carter's passing is sad but also a relief, as if the day has finally arrived.

St. Paul's Cathedral will not be open to the public today. All schedules are occupied by this ceremony. On the one hand, Peggy Carter's influence and achievements allowed her to enjoy royal treatment, and on the other hand, many people came to attend the funeral. They are all inextricably linked to the intelligence agencies, most of them MI5 and MI6. If there had not been a Hydra rebellion, there might be even more people crowded into the nave today.

These people are not suitable for appearing in the public eye, and the identities of many of them are kept secret, even when attending funerals. Many people at the funeral recognized Steve Rogers, but due to today's political environment, the funeral process, and the upcoming Sokovia Accords, not many people said hello to him. In just one month, the whole world suddenly turned upside down. Natasha Romanov knew that the news that the three aircraft carrier battle groups had been silently destroyed had been leaked. The current situation did not allow NATO to investigate where the news was leaked. , can only passively bear its impact. Insiders had some small thoughts even when attending the funeral. This was the most unbearable atmosphere for Natasha Romanoff, because they all thought they could hold the Avengers in their hands.

They would never have guessed that there was another hunter under the sea, Natasha thought.

"I assure you, the CIA... absolutely does not..." A few vague words were sent to her ears by the breeze. Natasha subconsciously retracted herself into the shadow of the pillar until she could tell from her memory who the voice belonged to. "Ah, Ms. Romanoff, I didn't expect there were people who disliked funerals as much as I did. Peggy Carter was a respectable elder, but the funeral was too long and too sad. For those who knew her well, this day It will come eventually. I'm sorry that I can't pay tribute to your companion, he was a great legend, a legend of this world."

The man in a black suit, with a high hairline and an Oxford accent, unobtrusively put his phone into his lining pocket, as if it were just a used handkerchief. He inadvertently changed the subject, "Have you ever visited St. Paul's Cathedral? If you are interested, I can take you to see William Holman Hunt's "The Light of the World." Although it is not on display now, it depends on With a small amount of power, I can still invite you to look at that painting. Unlike the previous two versions at Keble College, Oxford and Manchester Art Gallery, this painting in St. Paul's Cathedral is Holman Hunt's pinnacle work. "St. Martin Parting His Cloak" and "Penrose Architectural Drawings" are the most famous cultural heritage of St. Paul's Cathedral, and you should not miss such cultural treasures even if you come to attend a funeral."

"Hello, Mr. Holmes," Natasha Romanoff said forcefully. She knew who the man in front of her was and what kind of power he had. She knew that the other man was trying to figure out how much she had heard. It's just that now is not the time to get to the bottom of it. She can tell from the other party's expression that what was said on the phone was not pleasant. If we think more divergently, the reason why Sharon Carter, a character who is nominally a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent but actually a CIA agent, appears here may be partially due to the ongoing dispute between the British and American governments. Negotiations were made, and considering the intelligence capabilities of the Immortal City, she thought that perhaps the Immortal City's spies were also in London. However, Natasha Romanoff has given up on continuing the counterintelligence mission. There are countless CIA and FBI agents packed into the Avengers base. Now that the Avengers are facing division, all this is meaningless. .

All she could think about now was fixing another thing that could make the split worse. The current split of the Avengers is just a matter of different ideas. After this, there may even be a life-and-death fight. She can tolerate the former, but she absolutely cannot tolerate the latter. Natasha Romanov, who didn't care about anything else, was completely uninterested in the civil servant's lengthy nonsense. She couldn't even distinguish carefully what he was talking about.

Mycroft Holmes smiled awkwardly, realizing that his attempt to stun Natasha Romanoff had failed. "I think it would be disrespectful to the dead to stay here for too long. I can't miss the Requiem anymore." He passed Natasha Romanov and walked towards the entrance of the side corridor. "Are you coming to say your final farewell? ?”

"I'm going to Vienna."

"I remembered, there is a private jet at Heathrow Airport ready to take off at any time." Mycroft still kept smiling, "You should leave quickly, unless you are waiting for the buffet after the funeral. If you do It’s understandable, after all, the buffet at St. Paul’s Cathedral is definitely much better than the food on the private plane prepared by the White House. If it were me, I would never touch the bread they serve.”

Facing the cabinet secretary's flattery and showing off her ability to control intelligence, Natasha Romanov only gave a bland response. "It's a pity I didn't have time for the buffet, and I'm curious as to how bad the bread on that plane could have been."

"Then I wish you good luck." Mycroft bowed his head politely in farewell and walked down the stairs without looking back.

The call from the Immortal City liaison officer came at the wrong time, and they were so unscrupulous in handing over information that Mycroft was worried about their ability to keep secrets. Every call record of a high-ranking cabinet secretary like him is recorded. Although he is the one who reviews the call records, and he also has the power to directly interfere with MI5, he really doesn't want anyone to discover his call records. There was an unknown number with a long call time. Even if he explained that it was a harassment call from the insurance company, it was not a decent thing to argue with an insurance salesman.

Mycroft Holmes does not consider his actions to be treason, but rather a means of "offshore diplomacy".

He is a civil servant of the British Empire, not a politician who relies on votes to come to power. His job is to ensure the survival of the British Empire, and all politicians want is fame, money and status. In his view, revealing the US military's actions in Europe to Latvinia is very beneficial to Britain, which wants to maintain independence in Europe. On the surface, he cannot prevent the cabinet from condemning Latvinia, but secretly he It can still ensure that the prime minister and cabinet politicians will not do something irreversible.

He clearly remembered the name of the sword in Salomon's hand. Although it was too long ago to be traced back legally, the legend about that sword could still tear Britain and the Windsor dynasty apart. Mycroft Holmes is loyal to the Queen and the British Empire. He is the last patron saint of the British Empire. He is a knight and loyal servant who protects the Queen. He does not want to have a glittering, tyrannical boss. In this case, the living conditions of a civil servant It will plummet, worse than when Margaret Thatcher was in power. With this thought in mind, he walked down the steps with his head held high and greeted the increasingly louder requiem. However, this good mood only lasted until the second before he saw the news push on his mobile phone. Even he did not expect it. Things will take a turn for the worse.

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