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

……

After a while, at the cathedral.

Compared to the previous small meeting, this one was much grander – in addition to all eleven Knights Templar being present, many priests and clergy who held real power in the Papacy, and even nuns from almshouses across the country, were also in attendance.

The once empty church was now packed with people; anyone who didn't know better would have thought it was some kind of unprecedented religious assembly.

The presiding person was no longer the pure and innocent Holy Maiden, but the Pope himself, who had long lived behind the scenes.

The old pope also changed into the highest-level attire, which softened his aged appearance and gave him a more vigorous look.

"Everyone."

The old pope spoke slowly, "You probably already know why I have summoned you here today."

"Yes."

The crowd responded in unison. Many of them were leaders of other churches stationed in other cities and were not allowed to enter the main city without orders.

Therefore, the reason for summoning them was naturally written on the letter.

The Papacy's position has been threatened! It could even be described as a severe blow!

Being away from the main city doesn't mean I'm not paying attention to what's happening there. Many observant people actually knew a long time ago that a group of outsiders from overseas have been making a lot of big moves here recently. They've not only made a fortune by buying and selling Poseidon Stones, but they've also bypassed the Papacy and the Royal Family to establish direct contact and create a new sect.

If it were only the former, then these out-of-town managers would at most feel a little regretful—many people had already sensed the considerable profits behind the Poseidon Stone trade, but unfortunately, when they were also preparing to enter the market and make their mark on their own turf, the flame had already been extinguished, and the opportunity to make money naturally vanished.

In terms of finances, churches in other cities are generally self-sufficient, and the main church will only provide assistance in special circumstances... Although it is generally impossible for them to lose money, missing such an opportunity would be a pity for anyone.

but.

If it's the latter, the situation is quite different.

First of all, the current state religion of the Hualan Empire is the Holy Fire Cat Cult, which makes them appear as unorthodox and illegitimate.

This trend was not as easy to stop as the Sea God Stone trade. Amidst various rumors, these churches in other regions also suffered a certain blow. Some neighboring counties even began to build churches for the Cat Cult. After all, with the support of the royal family, the expansion speed was much faster than everyone imagined.

Including the measures previously taken by the Vatican to counterbalance the Cat Cult, these measures will inevitably be implemented in other regions—otherwise, they would just be a superficial project, and focusing on one aspect at the expense of another would only backfire.

To be fair, compared to the main city, it is the poor people in the surrounding counties who suffer more.

While this operation salvaged some of the Vatican's reputation, it was the self-sufficient priests and clergy who suffered. The funds and supplies for helping the people naturally had to come from their own pockets, increasing expenses several times over. It would be a lie to say they weren't resistant.

Compared to the days when one could easily make a fortune by casually handing out a few measly gifts or simply displaying indulgences, few people are truly willing to do something so laborious and time-consuming.

"We all know, those despicable barbarians from out of town have really gone too far!"

Some hot-tempered individuals couldn't contain themselves any longer and immediately stepped forward to declare, "His Holiness the Pope wants us to purge heretics? I'll be the first to step forward!"

"Me too!" "Same here!" "Hey hey hey!"

Seeing the atmosphere instantly become lively, Lu Baiyan rolled his eyes inwardly.

He didn't know what to say... Everyone knew that most of these people's motivations were probably no longer about "serving the gods," but were simply so agitated because Xu Shi's actions had damaged their own interests.

But this is probably also the brilliance of the Vatican: it binds people together with spirit and faith, but often uses tangible benefits to motivate them. It is a win-win situation, and the effect is not bad.

"Everyone, please be patient."

The old pope stood in the center of the platform and gently pressed his hand down. "I know how you all feel, but heretics are cunning and now they are involved with the royal family. One move can have far-reaching consequences. We must not act rashly."

"So what does His Holiness intend to do?"

Some people were thinking to themselves, "He's just a few outsiders. With so many of us, we could drown him with a single spit from each of us..." But faced with the highest authority of the Holy See, they wouldn't be so impulsive as to disobey his words.

"Find its weakness and defeat it in one blow."

The old pope said slowly, "Jingchuan, tell me your discovery."

"Yes."

A man in a black robe and black armor, whose entire body was covered except for his eyes, stepped forward from the stage.

This is Han Jingchuan in person. Just like his abilities, you can tell at a glance that he is an intelligence worker.

“These days I have been deploying eye worms near Xu Shi’s residence to monitor his movements.”

His voice was deep and hoarse. "In terms of actions alone, he basically only goes to the Cat Cult's church and the palace. In many cases, he doesn't even go to the church. He leaves most of the management to his subordinates."

"Speak the key."

Park Guk-chang urged.

"..."

Han Jingchuan was helpless, but too lazy to argue with him. "The point is, I seem to have discovered that he has developed a rift with one of his wives, which has led to a very bad atmosphere between them now."

This may sound like gossip, but no one will take it lightly—a small leak can sink a great ship, and sometimes a minor problem can be fatal.

"Is it possible that this is all an act?"

Someone couldn't help but ask.

"It cannot be ruled out, but it is very likely to be true."

Han Jingchuan pondered, "His wife was swallowed by the Sea God. I heard that although she gained some opportunities afterward, the 'divine punishment' she suffered was not light. Judging from their conversations these past few days, it was because the 'divine punishment' eroded her spirit that her personality changed so drastically."

They refer to the complications of their superpowers as "divine punishment."

"If that's the case, then it's indeed valuable intelligence."

The other person nodded slightly. It is said that to fight external enemies, one must first secure internal stability. Often, internal discord and rifts are the beginning of defeat.

"So, what does His Holiness the Pope mean..."

"Try to stimulate it further."

The Pope said in a deep voice, "It seems that Xu Shi has been hiding this matter all along, obviously not wanting it to affect other things. But if we can take advantage of this, when he loses his composure and is unable to attend to one thing at a time, that will be the best opportunity to defeat him in one fell swoop."

"Of course, considering the royal family factor, this alone is not enough; at best, it is just a trigger."

He added, “That is why I have summoned you all here. You, including yourselves, command the most elite warriors of the Papacy. Once the heretics are eliminated and the court is cleansed, the glory of the Papacy will surely be restored.”

Is this the start of a full-blown war...? Lu Baiyan's heart pounded with apprehension. Clearly, His Holiness the Pope's target was not only Xu Shi, but also the ever-growing royal family.

This can be considered to nip the problem in the bud. Otherwise, simply eliminating one side would be useless. Today there can be a cat cult, tomorrow there can be a dog cult. The root cause lies in the royal family's fear of the Papacy. It's no longer about checking and balancing, but about one side having to be eliminated.

If successful, perhaps the Papacy will eventually completely rule the Hualan Empire? At most, they'll just be installing a puppet who's friendly to the Papacy.

Others were naturally aware of this and were quite supportive of it.

To be fair, very few people within the Papacy system are truly loyal to the royal family—even the Knights Templar were completely eradicated, so the state of the priests and nuns they trained themselves is self-evident.

and so.

The final answer was just one sentence.

"Sweep away heresy and restore the glory of the Holy See!"

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 284 This time I'm not falling for it!

2023-10-06

It is our inescapable duty to restore the glory of the Holy See!

The atmosphere inside the church was one of unprecedented fervor.

This seems to be the atmosphere that should exist here—for the people of the Papacy, the Divine Lord, the Pope, and the saints are the greatest of all things.

In comparison, other authorities are of course insignificant. What is the royal family? They should have been overthrown long ago, so that God's grace could be spread over this land alone.

Furthermore, the order to attack Xu Shi was exactly what many people wanted, making the scene seem more chaotic than any previous week.

Not only these outsiders, but even the Templars on the stage were the same.

The eleven Templar Knights were divided into factions, and there were quite a few radicals who opposed Xu Shi. Naturally, they were overjoyed to hear that things had developed as they had expected.

Take Park Guk-chang, for example... They've had enough of Xu Shi's anger these past few days and are just hoping he dies soon.

Of course, if we're talking about who hates Xu Shi the most, then it's definitely Luo Yu who deserves the title.

From Lu Baiyan's perspective, it was quite obvious that he was excited—his fists were clenched tightly, his eyes were bright, and he wanted to kill him as soon as possible, if not devour him alive.

This is really... The squinting eyes were a little helpless. He used to think this kid was very interesting, so he had considered getting to know him better. A passionate young man is fun, after all.

But ever since Xu Shi appeared, the other party has changed a bit. He is easily angered, paranoid, and even a little crazy, and his thoughts are written all over his face... To be honest, Lu Baiyan thinks this is a bit ugly, and it makes him more and more disappointed in Luo Yu. Ugly people are very boring.

But on second thought, it seems that the conflict between Xu Shi and the Vatican started with Luo Yu.

To be honest, these could all be considered reasons why the situation has become what it is today.

Moreover, it must be said that after this period of trials and tribulations, Luo Yu has made some progress—not only in terms of strength, but also in terms of his personality, which has become much more composed.

At least he didn't join the crowd in making a ruckus—frankly speaking, shouting loudly now is useless; only those who laugh last laugh best.

Thinking of this, Lu Baiyan couldn't help but glance at Qin Yiyan standing next to the Holy Maiden, wanting to see her reaction.

The red-haired older sister's reaction was quite interesting; she wasn't exactly happy or disappointed, but rather showed a sense of relief and ease.

For her, Xu Shi's appearance was clearly not a good thing, as it disrupted the original order of the Hualan Empire. As a staunch supporter of the Holy See, her idea was naturally to get everything back on track.

However, she wasn't actually that averse to Xu Shi herself—their feud wasn't deep, just verbal provocations.

Qin Yiyan herself didn't care about this. She would never be so angry that she couldn't eat for the rest of her life just because the other party said, "You come and be my maid." If anything, she was the one who started it first... To her, this was nothing like a deep-seated hatred.

On the contrary, in a sense, she did not deny that Xu Shi's appearance had also brought many positive effects. As the Knight Commander of the Templar Order, she knew better than anyone the internal problems of the Holy See. The long period of comfort had fostered a lot of filth that went against the doctrine, and any one of them made her heartbroken.

Unfortunately, she was just a henchman. Although she held a high position, she had little decision-making power. At most, she could only offer suggestions. However, under Xu Shi's provocation, many problems were forcibly improved.

For example, giving alms to the masses and helping the poor. But for something more distant, it probably involves the actions of the Papacy during the war against the Sea God, which chilled her to the bone. They were timid and hesitant in the face of real danger, yet eager to take the spoils of victory that did not belong to them. This even made her doubt herself at one point. When did the Papacy become like this?

Fortunately, everything is moving in a positive direction now, whether it's genuine or not, and she is also very clear that if the Vatican can really win this battle to turn things around, the cohesion that has been dwindling day by day will be regained.

Then... let's do it this way, end it sooner, and the world will be at peace.

At this moment, the red-haired older sister showed an unprecedented calm and relief—she was just a sharp blade and didn't want to think too much about other complicated matters.

"..."

Such subtle actions could not escape the eyes of someone with narrowed eyes, and he also found it difficult to judge whether Qin Yiyan's idea was right or wrong.

He actually respected and admired his boss, after all, compared to others, her personality was quite pure. These days, there aren't many people who are still foolishly following doctrines and rules.

Calling her foolish wouldn't be an exaggeration, but it was also a product of her environment—Qin Yiyan grew up in the Holy See from a young age, and after becoming a Knight Templar, she mainly served the Holy Maiden and protected her safety. In other words, the Holy See was her everything.