my pokemon player.

The silver fork made a tiny clinking sound as it collided with the porcelain plate. Sanjis nonchalantly poked the steak on the plate, causing dark red juice to splash onto the table and seep into the oak wood grain.

With a faint smile on his face, he muttered to himself, "My father is very good at judging people. I have been obsessed with conspiracy and calculation in recent years. I am no longer a lion."

"But so what? Rather than being a weak lion, I'd rather be a fox who is good at planning. This is what I'm good at, and I won't change it easily."

"It's a pity that the fox has left such a bad impression on people that even my loyal confidants think that I can't possibly inherit the throne of the Lion King, not to mention my other subordinates."

"In their opinion, how could a fox become the lion king? I am only here to go through the motions in this war to demonstrate the fairness of the selection of the successor."

"I'm afraid my mother thinks the same way, otherwise she wouldn't be so blatantly partial and let the Qilin family strongly support my stupid brother."

"So I had to suppress my nausea and act out this scene, pretending to have come to my senses, putting on a lion's skin and pretending to be a lion."

Sanjis threw down his cutlery and looked at the steak cut into pieces on the plate, his smile becoming increasingly cold.

"Although this scene is disgusting to perform, the effect should be good. My troops will no longer pretend to obey, and they love a real lion very much."

"Besides, as a member of the Qilin Family, Baron Walder will definitely report my performance to the family. After the Qilin Family learns the news, they will also tell my mother."

"If my mother knows, it means my beloved father will know soon too. I am so lucky to be able to change so many people's views of me after performing this play."

"I hope that my words can make them feel guilty and prompt them to give me more support. After all, I am their obedient yet unloved biological son!"

Just as he finished speaking, a frivolous voice came from the shadows of the banquet hall.

"Master Sanjis, aren't you afraid that these words will be heard by others?"

Sanjis listened to this sudden voice, his expression remained calm:
"If you can't even notice that someone is eavesdropping on me, then I have to consider whether you are qualified to cooperate with me."

"Besides, my monsters are always guarding outside the banquet hall. I won't let in a single Rada except you."

The voice was not annoyed, but chuckled and said, "Oh? Am I the only one who can hear Mr. Sanjis's true thoughts? Then I am truly honored!"

Along with these words, a figure in a black robe walked out and sat in Wald's seat.

He looked at the barely touched steak and smacked his lips, "Tsk tsk tsk, you nobles still love to waste food as always~"

"It would be a shame to throw away such a good steak, Master Sanjis, may I have some?"

Sanjis looked at the sincere man in black robe and said with interest:

"Whatever you want, if you don't mind."

"How could I dislike it? If this steak was put in a year of food shortage, I don't know how many people would risk their lives to fight for it. Their blood would make this steak even more delicious."

The man in black robe spoke with a bit of excitement, then he picked up his knife and fork and began to enjoy the food without any hesitation.

Sanjis carefully examined the black-robed man whom he had just met and found that he did not know him well enough.

Perhaps it was not wise to decide to cooperate in such a hurry, but he had no other choice.

Having lost the support of the Chamber of Commerce, he has fallen behind in the competition for succession.

Although he put on a good show, he wanted to change the perception of his father and the people around him.

But the image he has accumulated over the years cannot be easily changed by acting in a play, and he will not treat others as fools.

The most important thing is that Sanjis did not expect that his father would choose his successor in the form of war. How can a fox fight a lion head-on? Isn't this like hitting a rock with an egg?

Knowing that he had no talent for war, Sangis could only seek help from outside forces. However, as he had just said, among the six Iron Guard families, Sangis could not find a family that fully supported him.

You have to know that his stupid brother has the Buffalo family's sworn support, which undoubtedly hit Sanjis hard.

Just then, the black-robed man named Garcia came to him and wanted to discuss cooperation with him.

Sanjis, who has been dealing with other forces for many years, naturally knows Garcia's identity. If people knew that he was in contact and cooperating with the Shadow Church, he would be completely finished.

However, just as Sanjis was about to reject Garcia, something the other party said made him hesitate.

"Master Sanjis, do you know why I chose you instead of the other two masters?"

"Because your reputation has been ruined. Even I have heard what Marquis Cross said about you."

"Do you think you, with your notoriety, can compete with the other two young masters? This war is your only chance to turn things around!"

"If you can win this war, you may have a chance to inherit the Flame Lion family, but if you lose, no matter who inherits the Lion King throne, your fate will not be good."

"So what do you have to worry about? You were able to cooperate with the Chamber of Commerce before, so why can't you cooperate with our Shadow Church now?"

"You may think that our Shadow Church is notorious, but this is actually an advantage for you. Anyway, we will not sign any contract. We will only reach a verbal cooperation and each of us will get what we need."

"Even if our cooperation is discovered, in the absence of evidence, you only need to insist that we did not cooperate. You don't have to worry about us using this matter to threaten you, because no one will believe what the Shadow Church says."

In the end, Sanjis was persuaded by Garcia and reached a verbal cooperation with the other party.

There was no other way. He really couldn't find any other help, so he could only take the risk and rely on the power of the Shadow Church.

And what Garcia said made sense. No one would have thought of it, nor could anyone confirm his cooperation with the Shadow Church.

It will be difficult for the Shadow Church to use this matter to threaten him in the future, so the question is, why should the Shadow Church cooperate with him?
Thinking of this, Sanjis asked Garcia, who was cutting the steak vigorously:

"Garcia, can you really cooperate with me on behalf of the Shadow Church?"

Garcia forked up a piece of steak, stuffed it into his mouth and chewed it, saying, "Where is the leather representative of the Yingying Church?"

Sanjis said with disgust: "Can you please swallow the food in your mouth before you speak!"

Garcia nodded repeatedly, chewed a few bites quickly, and then swallowed the steak.

But he stuffed too much steak into his mouth and couldn't swallow it all at once, and he kept beating his chest in anxiety.

Seeing this, Sanjis' mouth twitched slightly, and he began to wonder if he had been deceived. Was this idiot really a member of the Shadow Church? Could he be a liar?

But he is indeed very strong, and all his subordinates are elite soldiers. He doesn't seem like a liar.

Could it be that all the members of the Shadow Church are psychopaths like him?

Sanjis shook his head and stopped thinking about it. "There are drinks on the table." He said helplessly.

Upon hearing this, Garcia quickly picked up the crystal glass on the table and drank it all in one gulp, only then did he swallow the steak in his throat.

He took a long breath, patted his chest and said, "I was scared to death. I thought I would be choked to death."

"Even though choking to death is similar to my previous dream of dying from eating too much, it's still a bit embarrassing if it gets out."

"Thank you very much for your help!" Garcia turned and smiled at Sanjis.

Looking at Garcia's playful face, Sang Jiston felt a headache.

He rubbed his forehead and said, "Stop talking nonsense, you haven't answered my question yet!"

"I answered. Oh, yes, you didn't hear it clearly. I meant that I am not qualified to represent the Shadow Church~" Garcia said with a smile.

Sanjis frowned: "Are you kidding me?"

Without waiting for Garcia to respond, he continued, "No, that's unlikely. Are you representing the cadres of the Shadow Church?"

Garcia clapped his hands and said, "Mr. Sanjis is really smart. I am the deacon just appointed by Guardian Ram~"

"You should know the position of the guardian in the Shadow Church, right?"

Sanjis nodded slightly, then glanced at Garcia as if he had thought of something:
"You were just appointed as a deacon? This means that you were not a deacon when you came to me. Are you using the credit of your cooperation with me to climb up the ladder?"

Garcia scratched his head embarrassedly when he heard this: "Oh, I let it slip by accident. Will Mr. Sanjis be angry?"

For some reason, Sanjis felt a little awkward when he heard this. He tried to control his expression and said:
"Why should I be angry? You can have it both ways because it's your own ability. It also proves your ability. I don't want to cooperate with a loser."

"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Sanjis. It makes me shy~" Garcia covered her face shyly.

Sanjis clenched his fist silently and forcibly changed the subject:

"No wonder you refused to tell us the conditions for cooperation. It turns out you haven't reported this to Dharma Protector Ram yet."

"Now you can always tell me the content and conditions of the cooperation, right?"

Garcia swallowed the last piece of steak, picked up the bread, wiped the sauce on the plate, and replied:

"Of course, the reason why Dharma Protector Ram agreed to cooperate with you so readily is because we have a common enemy."

"That Viscount Ryan caused our Shadow Church to suffer heavy losses. Not only did we lose the base in Guanhai City, but we also killed a deacon."

"But then again, if he hadn't killed Deacon Sarco, I wouldn't have had the chance to get promoted, so I still have to thank him. What do you say I should write him a thank-you letter?"

Garcia was eager to ask Sanjis's opinion, but as soon as he looked up, he was met with Sanjis's death stare.

He immediately said sincerely: "Ahem, I've strayed off topic. In fact, the content of our cooperation is very simple. We will provide you with the best possible help in the war."

"For example, they may send members to harass the opposing troops and collect intelligence for you. Or they may do something shady for you. You cannot attack civilians, but we in the Shadow Church can!"

Sanjis questioned: "If you do it directly, won't it expose the relationship between us?"

"It shouldn't happen. We are usually very low-key in our actions~" Garcia said confidently.

Sanjis had a mocking smile on his face, staring at the black robe on Garcia and said:

"You guys are all wearing black robes and walking around in broad daylight. How can that be considered low-key?"

"Well, it's a habit." Garcia showed an embarrassed expression, and then comforted Sanjis.

"But you don't have to worry. Didn't I just say that our Shadow Church and Ryan are mortal enemies? It's normal for us to attack his territory."

"Even if someone really suspects it, they have no evidence. Not everyone can be as unscrupulous as us in the Shadow Church. Aren't you nobles the most rule-abiding?"

Sangis snorted coldly: "That Viscount Ryan is not a law-abiding noble. If he knew that you appeared on the battlefield, he would definitely focus on Wetland Town. Then..."

"Alright, alright, you just want to lower the price." Garcia waved his hands impatiently.

"First of all, this problem is easy to solve. I just need to send church members to the other two battlefields."

"They will only think that our Shadow Church is taking advantage of the situation and will most likely not doubt the relationship between you and me."

"Of course, we won't help your elder brother and younger brother. Instead, we will cause them some trouble to buy you more time."

Garcia stuffed the bread covered with sauce into his mouth and said with a satisfied look:

"Secondly, our conditions are also very simple. You only need to do two things."

"First thing." He took out a black crystal and placed it on the table.

"During the war, you must carry this stone to the battlefield. If you do not want to go to the battlefield, let your men carry it."

Sanjis's eyes were attracted by the black crystal on the table. He asked hesitantly:

"This is Black Crystal?"

Garcia nodded slightly: "Mr. Sanjis is indeed well-informed. This is Black Crystal."

Sanjis asked in confusion: "I have never seen such a large black crystal in the black market. What is the difference between it and ordinary black crystal?"

"Sorry, this is a secret of our church. I can't tell you unless you join our church." Garcia showed a serious expression for the first time.

Sanjis raised his eyebrows but did not ask any further questions. He did not want to be too deeply involved with the Shadow Church.

"Second, we know that you have made a lot of friends in recent years. Although your intelligence network is not as good as that of the Business Association, you are still well-informed."

"So we want you to help find the trace of a magical beast. This shouldn't be difficult for you." Garcia smiled again.

Sanjis said calmly: "It's not difficult to find ordinary monsters, but Moltres is different."

Garcia's eyes suddenly widened: "How did you know we were looking for Moltres?!"

Sanjis couldn't help but give Garcia a cold look: "Has anyone ever told you that your acting is bad?" (End of this chapter)