American History 1988
Chapter 230 - 224: Knights of Equity

Chapter 230: Chapter 224: Knights of Equity

"Over a hundred years ago, when we Irish first came to the continent of North America, everything here was not as wonderful as imagined."

Anthony Kennedy pushed open the door, which was carved with elaborate patterns, and the bright sun quietly spread into the interior of this ancient building from Fifth Avenue.

Tap~ tap~ tap, the sound of heels striking the marble floor reverberated crisply, and the mottled sunlight filtered through the stained glass windows into every corner of the hall.

"We fled from famine and left our homes; we crossed oceans and storms and finally stepped onto this land."

The dim hall was without any lights, but owing to the light refracting from the windows, one could still discern the walls covered in murals.

"Although we escaped the famine that ravaged Ireland, we still had nothing on the new continent.

We became serfs, built railroads, mined coal, and worked as porters at the docks, doing the hardest and most tiring jobs."

Shivering with cold and hunger, in tattered clothes, people supported each other, resembling beggars, the only difference being their unyielding defiance visible on every face.

"I was considered the scum of civilization, synonymous with crime, theft, and rudeness. We were spat upon for half a century.

But the Irish never abandoned self-redemption; we valued education and helped each other."

The murals showed people gradually improving; they donned clean clothes and no longer looked emaciated.

"We founded our own universities, teaching our children and women to read, being generous to our impoverished kinfolk."

Gradually, the murals began to display portraits, no longer depicting lower-class workers but policemen, firefighters, teachers...

"We opposed discrimination and oppression, we fought against all forms of injustice, we struggled for the freedom of every Irish person!"

Creak~, the heavy hinges of the door groaned.

Bang, the sunlight was once again shut out.

The surroundings plunged into darkness, even the windows above ceased to emit a sliver of light.

Whoosh~, a flame flickered to life, Dean instinctively shielded his eyes with his hand.

"Dean Price, as a person of Irish descent, do you swear to your compatriots here that every word you say next will not be a lie, deceit, or evasion?"

A strange voice emerged from the darkness, seemingly just a few steps away from Dean.

Now, just about adjusted to the darkness, Dean noticed that there were four figures standing around him.

Each of them was clad in a green robe, with broad hoods concealing their murky faces in shadows.

Only the flickering light of candles in their hands gleamed like fireflies, the sole brightness amidst the vast darkness.

Four figures, four candles, Dean was encircled at the very center.

"I am willing," the response echoed in the expansive hall, then slowly dissipated.

"Do you sympathize with every Irish person, Dean?"

"I will help every Irish person who deserves help."

"What constitutes deserving? An elderly Irish man with a disreputable past who sincerely repents in his later years, does he deserve your help?"

"If his conduct can truly be considered repentance, then I will offer him help.

If he is merely lying to gain sympathy from fellow countrymen, then I will turn a blind eye."

"Why? He might be on the verge of death, and you happen to have the capacity to help him through this difficulty."

"Because he lied to his brethren! Not judging him is already the greatest mercy from God."

The voice fell silent, and after a while, another voice emerged.

"Will you help every Irish orphan, elevate them intellectually and socially, so they can achieve corresponding material and status welfare?"

"I am willing."

"Will you rise up against the discrimination and oppression that Irish descendants have suffered?"

"I am willing."

"Will you provide necessary support and assistance for Irish descendants to attain greater social positions?"

"I will do my utmost."

"If to achieve great success or a significant social status elevation, it requires you to sacrifice the interests of many ordinary people, how would you choose?"

"I refuse."

"Why?"

"Do no evil."

The environment fell silent once again, the candlelight flickered uncertainly.

"Will you be loyal to your own family?" another unfamiliar voice asked.

"Of course," this was a faithful creed of the Irish.

"You are lying!" Unexpectedly, there was a trace of anger in the voice.

Dean was startled; this was an unexpected response.

"Lying?"

"I have noticed, you have been seeing two girls at the same time. I’m not certain if there’s a third, but you have not been loyal to your partner."

WTF? Are these damn Knights also concerned with such matters?

"I treat everyone around me with sincerity; the affection I offer them is unadulterated."

"Is this your loyalty to your family?" the voice rose again, filled with mockery.

"God is my witness," Dean countered unabashedly.

Whoosh~, Dean heard heavy breathing.

Soon, rustling noises surrounded him, and after a while, the candles were extinguished; all around him fell into utter darkness.

After an indeterminate amount of time, just when Dean was becoming impatient, the sound of creaking hinges came again.

Sunlight flooded in from the entrance, windows, and vents above; Dean was engulfed in light.

Once he had adjusted to the surrounding light, he saw that everything remained unchanged.

It was still that mottled marble hall, silent murals watching the passage of time.

Only the figures in green robes and candles had vanished without a trace.

"Dean, welcome to the Knight of Equity," Anthony Kennedy reappeared beside him somehow.

The black suit, the red tie, everything that just happened seemed like an illusion.

The only difference being a smile seemed to linger in Gregory’s eyes, yet when Dean looked back at him, it was as if it had been a mirage.

Dean turned his gaze, and in Anthony Kennedy’s hand was a badge identical to the one on his chest.

"This is...?" he reached out and took the badge.

"The Knight of Equity was originally established to help orphans, impoverished elders, and economically distressed young people."

"Only males of Irish descent who are at least 21 years old can join, but with the changing times, the duties of the Knight of Equity are also changing."

"Now, it focuses more on social public welfare and philanthropic causes, of course, that’s the story for the outside world."

Kennedy found a small booklet from somewhere, "It contains some of our key members."

"However, due to the secretive nature of our Order, and since you’re only at the first level of enlightenment, the key members you can inquire about are all deceased."

Well, from Kennedy’s words, Dean had already figured out that members of the Knight of Equity were divided into different levels.

Opening the booklet, the first name Dean saw made him gasp in surprise.

If he remembered correctly, some of them had even signed their names on the Declaration of Independence.

But just like Kennedy had just mentioned, these were historical figures.

"So, what do I need these for?" A bizarre initiation, a symbolic badge, Dean guessed members of the Order had their own duties.

"You don’t need anything," Kennedy gestured for him to relax, "The Order is a mutual assistance organization, members are only summoned when someone needs help.

Of course, this applies to you as well. In helping others, you too will receive everyone’s support."

Dean’s eyes flickered, he thought of something. "That Governor of Arkansas..."

Anthony Kennedy’s gaze swept lightly, he said nothing, but Dean already understood.

"Come on, in celebration of you joining the Order, there’s a gift for you now."

"A gift?" Dean was somewhat surprised. Membership benefits too?

The gift Kennedy spoke of wasn’t anything valuable, it was three envelopes.

"Choose one." The three envelopes were laid out on the ancient walnut desk.

"What is this?" Dean didn’t think it looked like they contained anything valuable.

"Pick one, and then open it," Kennedy tilted his head, indicating that Dean should choose at random.

Dean didn’t hesitate, picking the one on the far left.

With a gentle pinch of his fingers, it was thin—it seemed to contain only a slip of paper.

Under Kennedy’s prompting gaze, Dean opened the envelope.

Inside was just as he had guessed, only a slip of paper, but it had a name and address written on it.

"Ryan, Connecticut..."

"Stop!" Kennedy stopped Dean from continuing to read.

"Why?" Dean shrugged innocently.

"Dean, no one knows the information on that slip of paper, including myself.

You are the first to open it, and you will be its only master; it’s top secret information!"

Seeing Kennedy’s serious expression, Dean became even more puzzled.

"Wait, Mr. Kennedy, did you just say ’master’?"

"Do you remember what I told you earlier about why the Knight of Equity was established?"

"To help Irish orphans, elders, and economically distressed young people?"

"That’s right," Kennedy’s voice, aged and heavy, slowly echoed in the hall. "Most of them are orphans."

Dean’s eyes widened ever so slightly, he was connecting the dots.

"The parents of these orphans were mostly members of the Irish Republican Army within Ireland who died in the wars.

To prevent their children from being ruled by the English, they transferred their children abroad in advance.

The Knight of Equity is one of the organizations that took in these children. We nurtured them, educated them, and then trained them."

Anthony Kennedy’s gaze was profound, the candlelight on the table unable to penetrate the depths of the secrets hidden in darkness.

"So..." Dean’s voice was somewhat hoarse.

"Irishmen help each other, when critical, he will take a bullet for us."

Dean had never fathomed that beneath the glossy, sunlit facade of America, there lurked so many secrets.

"Dean, you’re no longer an ordinary person, you should take responsibility for your own safety," Kennedy offered his advice.

"But..." Dean glanced at the slip of paper in his hand, considering he could hire a security company.

"Don’t worry, the person in the envelope is safe and reliable, they have specialized training.

Apart from the instructor, no one in the Order, not even the Knights, has ever seen him, nor do they know of his existence.

Before being activated, they are no different from ordinary people."

This was why Kennedy had stopped Dean from reading further. No one but Dean should know his information.

"Do I need to go to this place and find him?" Dean looked at the envelope in his hand, curiously asking.

"With that letter and your badge, the other party will know what to do."

"Alright, I’ll make a trip to Connecticut before I head back to the West Coast."

"Dean, apart from the young people who have already been trained, you can also opt to foster an orphan," said Kennedy as he handed Dean another envelope.

"There’s a list inside. Once you’ve made your choice, the Order will be responsible for teaching them the necessary skills.

You can visit them at any time during this process. The child needs a bit of extra care as they grow."

It was clear that the Knight of Equity had done this before; it was somewhat cruel and cold-blooded.

But for those orphans who crossed oceans, perhaps such an outcome wasn’t too bad.

Dean reached out and took the envelope.

----

PS: I’ve been buried in writing and haven’t communicated with everyone, so I’ll be a bit chatty today.

Some readers have mentioned that the pacing is slow and the updates too few.

As an author, I’ve always been writing according to a pre-planned outline, not deliberately slowing down the progress or changing the pace.

The stock market is a major plot, interwoven with many subplots.

But these subplots aren’t pointless; some are related to the later main storyline, and I’m almost finished writing them.

About the updates...I’m working part-time, and 6,000 words a day is really the limit.

Lastly, thank you all for your support. I will complete the story I want to tell.

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