In this cyberpunk era, why are you still playing the traditional villain?

Cheng Gujian's answer also seemed to be a reminder that he might be overstepping his bounds.

Given this situation, Steward Chen naturally dared not say anything more, but he couldn't help but wonder why his reminder, which was made out of concern, had instead displeased the Duke.

He has always been careful in his words and actions over the years, but this time he was truly baffled.

"...If you really have the time and inclination, then go and keep an eye on the movements of the Vatican."

Cheng Gujian didn't give him time to think. He stood up and ordered, "Suppressing them again and again, who knows what those bastards will do... Tell me immediately if anything happens."

"Yes."

Butler Chen felt as if he had been granted a pardon, bowed deeply, and hurriedly left.

Watching his retreating figure, the Ancient Sword Grand Duke simply shook his head, then unconsciously tapped the table with his fingers, softly murmuring Xu Shi's name.

"Brother Xu... ha."

……

Cheng Gujian was absolutely right; the Vatican is truly in complete chaos right now.

"Damn it, we've been scammed!"

The burly Ji Bochang was furious. "This despicable outsider has some nerve! How dare he?!"

"No wonder he acted so strangely towards us that day... It seems he was already planning to break ties with us back then?"

Park Guk-chang echoed, his face even more somber than usual, "Not to mention that the royal family has also expressed their support... What exactly are they planning?"

These two were never exactly conciliatory, so naturally they couldn't remain calm in the face of this situation.

Or perhaps even if they were truly pro-peaceful, after being so mocked, they could no longer side with Xu Shi—just as Xu Shi himself said, this was something that threatened their status and even their living space, and there was no room for negotiation on such an irreconcilable bottom line.

Don't assume that the Vatican is powerful and influential. The fact is that they have never been granted the status of a "state religion" until now. At least, there has never been an official decree granting it that status. Now that the Holy Fire Cat Cult has taken its place, they have nominally become a civilian organization.

Oh no, I became a substitute?

If their status remains the same as before, no one will really care whether they are official or not—people from the Papacy are already superior just by standing there, and whether they are official or not doesn't need the royal family's recognition at all.

And the royal family has indeed never done that... Now that I think about it, perhaps this is a backdoor that successive monarchs have tacitly left for themselves? If a situation like this really occurred, many things would become much more convenient.

The only official one is the Knights Templar, an organization personally appointed by the royal family to serve as a link "to establish contact with the Papacy".

Unfortunately, the Knights themselves don't seem to realize this, and their allegiances have long since shifted.

At this moment, they just feel they can't stand it anymore, they simply can't stand it anymore, and their fists are hardening as a result.

Of course, there were still relatively rational voices, such as Lu Baiyan with squinty eyes.

"That's probably why he didn't agree to our cooperation request, right?"

A wry smile played on his lips. "So it seems he's actually quite honest? At least he wasn't being hypocritical, otherwise we'd be in even more trouble..."

"Go to hell, Lu Baiyan, who are you on?"

Ji Bochang roared, "You've always been full of bad ideas, what do you mean by saying this now?"

"You didn't already have other plans when you picked him up, did you? Were you already preparing a way out for yourself?"

"I'm just stating the facts..."

Lu Baiyan spread his hands, "If you really doubt me, then I have nothing to say."

"Okay, stop arguing."

Qin Yiyan coldly stopped their argument, "What's the use of just making a mess of things? You should think about what to do next."

As the leader of this group, she was also extremely frustrated—she had been loyal to the Holy See since childhood, so she was naturally not happy to be in this situation.

Who could have imagined that in just a few months, an outsider could turn this place upside down? Unfortunately, she herself was not good at planning and couldn't think of any good solutions for the time being.

She had originally planned to call on others to brainstorm ideas, but unexpectedly, they started fighting amongst themselves, which gave her even more of a headache. It was her limit to refrain from hitting anyone.

Her words still carried weight, and the attendees immediately fell silent.

"In my opinion, we can't go on like this any longer."

Park Guk-chang frowned. "Facts have shown that our constant concessions will only embolden these barbarians from other places... We might as well be more decisive."

"That's right, killing those people will settle this matter once and for all!"

This time it was Ji Bochang's turn to agree with him, "Their leader, Xu Shi, is all talk and no action. He's no match for anyone in a real fight... Why don't I go?"

"As for the rest of them... With all of us Templar Knights mobilized, are we afraid of them?"

"That's not the problem, okay?"

Lu Baiyan sighed and rubbed his forehead, worried about the intelligence of these two clowns. "The problem is that the royal family has now chosen them, and our standing in the public's eyes has been declining."

In his view, Xu Shineng's rise to power was truly a combination of favorable timing, location, and people. He not only possessed more advanced technology, but more importantly, he seized the right opportunity.

After the defeat of Poseidon, there were some voices claiming that the Vatican had taken credit. In addition, they were also involved in the Poseidon Stone incident. With such a series of actions, it would be a lie to say that they were not affected.

Ultimately, the problem lies in the previous handling of the situation. Otherwise, with the Vatican's many years of management, how could the people have switched sides so quickly? He couldn't help but think this to himself, but of course he wouldn't say it aloud, or he would be attacked by the crowd again.

He's not going to mess with this bad luck.

Moreover, he was well aware that Xu Shi was behind all of this, gradually putting them in this awkward position.

It's pointless to dwell on this now. What's the point of looking for past grievances when there was no reaction before?

As for the royal family, they clearly sensed this sensitive situation, which is why they took a desperate gamble, changed their previous attitude, and directly joined forces with Xu Shi to suppress them.

This is a fundamental change—in the past, the royal family would turn a blind eye to some of the Vatican's outrageous behavior, such as cracking down on illegal gatherings, and let them do as they pleased. Now, however, they are directly taking the lead in turning against the Vatican. Under such circumstances, let alone whether Xu Shi can be eliminated, even if he is eliminated, who can guarantee that the royal family will not follow suit?

The established tactics are already laid out here. In comparison, the royal family is the real problem. So what's the point of all this? To put it bluntly, dealing with Dongfang Xiao, or even just overthrowing the royal family, would probably be more effective.

But this is no easy task. Not to mention the formidable Cheng Gujian, the royal family itself possesses immense resources. If things really come to that, it could lead to rivers of blood...

Thinking this, Lu Baiyan felt increasingly bitter. From his own perspective, he really wanted to have a deeper discussion with Xu Shi, since he was still very interested in the novelties that Xu Shi had brought.

But he happens to be a member of the Vatican, and this feeling of being caught in the middle is really unpleasant.

In a daze, he heard Xu Shi's words again.

“Since you are so interested in our city-state, why don’t you come to my side… you could be one of them.”

To make changes...?

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 272 Is this the gift you gave me?! (Furious)

2023-09-23

To be honest, Lu Baiyan considered himself a person with a firm stance. When Xu Shi tried to recruit him, he said, "I am first and foremost a Templar Knight, and only secondly an ordinary person who is interested in your city-state."

But for some reason, seeing the current situation, he really couldn't control himself and some very dangerous thoughts popped into his head.

Perhaps it's because these outsiders are having a growing influence? The gap between them and the Papacy is widening little by little—Squinty Eyes is actually considering a wide range of factors. At least in the current situation, they really can't rely on the Papacy's deep foundation to continue being arrogant.

He was genuinely disappointed in his colleagues; just listening to their speeches made him feel a bit like he was in Bengbu... Of course, not all eleven Templar Knights were as dim-witted as Ji Bochang and Park Guochang, but it was a pity they didn't attend the meeting; instead, they were carrying out missions throughout the Empire.

As for Qin Yiyan, the nominal leader, in Lu Baiyan's opinion, she was a good person, and her martial arts skills were undeniable; besides the Pope, she was the most powerful in the Holy See... but her shortcomings were also obvious; she was not good at strategizing.

So, in this situation, there's nothing she can do except shout for quiet to calm things down; she can still live in Bengbu as usual.

"Baiyan, your analysis makes sense."

While he was still living in Bengbu, the red-haired older sister asked, "Analysis alone won't work. Do you have any ideas? Or suggestions would be appreciated."

"There are still ways."

Lu Baiyan glanced at the other two lively characters, thought for a moment and then spoke up, "Now that Xu Shiyi has won the hearts of the people, what we need to do is naturally to win him back first."

"As for how to seize it, that's not difficult... The Vatican has a tradition of giving alms and relief, but it's not on the same level as the Cat Church. So we have to make up for or even exceed the treatment they offer. That's the most basic thing."

Qin Yiyan nodded. Not to mention compared to others, the level of the Vatican's relief stations has been visibly declining in recent years.

She vaguely remembered that when she was a nun as a child, the relief station was open every three days, and the food provided was milk and white bread, and sometimes even meat and vegetables.

Now all that's left is thin porridge and black bread, and the interval has been changed to once a week... As for what changes have occurred inside, it's hard to say.

In the past, people had no choice, and poorer families certainly wouldn't be picky. But now that the Holy Fire Cat Church has emerged, all kinds of supplies are being sent out every day as if they were free. In this case, who would still come to the Church's relief stations?

This is probably the meaning of the saying "it's hard to go from extravagance to frugality." Now it really becomes a case of "why eat bread when you can eat cake..."

And this happens to be the most effective way to win over the people. The Papacy may not need to compensate the people for the loss of those Poseidon Stones like the royal family and Xu Shi did, but this is a time-limited matter. It is impossible to give money every day for ten years, right?

But giving alms is acceptable, as long as both parties maintain the same level of generosity, there can be no mistake.

"Secondly, we need to start by targeting the upper echelons of the royal family."

Lu Baiyan continued, "No matter what, after so many years, it's impossible for everyone to abandon us overnight; most people are still undecided."

"So we can try to work on the nobility, especially those who have been believers in the Papacy for generations... We don't expect them to stand up for us, but at least we can prevent the royal family from becoming united. If we can achieve that, it will be a good result."

It must be said that the squinty-eyed man's insight was quite sharp, pointing out the shortcomings in Xu Shi's plan incisively.

The Holy Fire Cat Cult was able to spread so quickly because it took a grassroots approach, but its effectiveness in upper-level circles may not have been as good.

On the one hand, the upper echelons of the empire were not significantly affected by the Poseidon Stone trade. Apart from a few special cases mentioned earlier, who actually invested their entire fortune in the Poseidon Stone, most people did not lose so much that they had to pawn their pants. And even if these people were to be compensated, it would not be through the Holy Fire Cat Cult; the royal family would naturally have other ways to handle the situation.

Secondly, as he said, these people, or rather many families, have a complex and intertwined relationship with the Vatican.

The best example is his own family, the Lu family, a hereditary marquisate. Although they have a Grand Duke like Cheng Gujian to keep them in check, their family power is not to be underestimated. As for their inclinations, they are definitely biased towards the Papacy, otherwise he would not have become a Templar Knight in this generation.

Deeply ingrained ideas passed down through generations won't disappear so quickly, making these people the best targets for winning over. Even if the royal family takes the lead in declaring the establishment of the Sacred Fire Cat Cult as the state religion, everyone may have to follow suit, but what they truly think in their hearts is not so absolute.

Just as when Dongfang Xiao read out the imperial edict, there were many dissenting voices in the court. Although they are no longer heard now, it does not mean that all the officials have truly changed their minds. The biggest reason is that they do not want to be the first to speak out, or that they are afraid of Cheng Gujian.

Winning them over is also a way of preparing for potential problems in the future.

This is something that the Holy Fire Cat Cult cannot do, for no other reason than that it has only existed for a very short time.

While the Vatican should not continue to be arrogant based on its deep-rooted heritage, it is undeniable that this is indeed one of its advantages.

"Makes sense."

Qin Yiyan wholeheartedly agreed and secretly breathed a sigh of relief, finally hearing some reliable advice.

She had always thought highly of Lu Baiyan. In fact, before Xu Shi appeared, he was the one who gave advice on many things in the Vatican, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a strategist.

"That sounds alright, but doing it that way, in terms of expenses..."

Park Guk-chang's voice also became much quieter, but he still kept muttering to himself.