Miss Wang Weina, even your cousin won't do!

What was supposed to be a serious late-night loot-sharing meeting was inexplicably ruined by Wayne, leaving Vina with nothing but a sigh.

It can only be said that Wayne is simply her nemesis. No matter where he is, his personality, his behavior, or even where his bottom line is, he knows it all perfectly well. He keeps teetering on the edge of danger, yet she can't bring herself to hate him. She's truly amazed by him.

Vina rolled her eyes: "We're allies, your money is my money. Besides, would you have gotten this money without my cooperation?"

Vina opened the box, glanced at it casually, then forced herself to look away and look at Wayne.

"So much money, Laterano just gave it to you like that? Are they idiots?"

"They are certainly not fools; on the contrary, they are very clever."

Wayne smiled slightly.

“If I have even the slightest dissatisfaction or prejudice against you, this money could become the trigger for a conflict between us, you know?”

Vina tilted her head, puzzled. Wayne explained:

"Five hundred thousand Lateran gold coins. If I have ulterior motives, this money is enough for me to recruit soldiers and build a sizable army. If I have no ulterior motives, or if I'm a bit incompetent and the army I build isn't strong enough, they can subtly reveal the existence of this money to you."

Wayne's eyes narrowed, and he said seriously:

“Vina, let me ask you, can a monarch tolerate a potential threat to his throne possessing such a large sum of money and growing into such a powerful destabilizing force?”

Without hesitation, Vina shook her head as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Even someone with a tailball would know that this is absolutely impossible. How can one tolerate another sleeping soundly beside one's bed? Even if Vina hadn't received an education in imperial politics, she could at least understand this to some extent.

"So I brought the money back."

Wayne suddenly changed his tone and said with a smile.

Vina was taken aback by the sudden words, then smiled helplessly but also with relief.

He understood what Wayne meant; Wayne was demonstrating the weight of their trust through his actions.

He was probably worried that he had gone against the agreed-upon script at the last minute, which was a sign that he had become disloyal.

Vina smiled and gestured to Wayne that he was overthinking things.

"So what exactly is this money going to be used for?"

“We’ll just produce and sell it ourselves,” Wayne said, pursing his lips. “Tomorrow, we’ll have someone take this money and buy the land for those churches and monasteries.”

A wicked smile reappeared on his lips:

"We'll buy from anyone willing to sell, no matter the price. We won't spend a single penny ourselves. As for those who don't want to sell, I don't need to teach you how, right? Just let your friends handle it; you're the professionals."

Friends?

Vina was a little confused for a moment, but she quickly came to her senses.

Wien was referring to Indra and the others.

Are they professionals?

Vina gave a wry smile.

They do seem to be professionals.

After all, they're a gang.

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Royal Pirates

Lentinium East District, 8:00 am.

The priest Broca of St. John's Church was waiting at the door right on time, opening the church doors with a perfect second.

On any other day, a long line of believers would have formed outside the church, waiting for Broca to open the doors and enter for their morning prayers.

But everything changed after Victoria was crowned the new queen.

The once thriving church was subjected to relentless attacks from the pervasive imperial power. Construction was halted on roads leading to the church, obstructing believers, while events and celebrations were held in remote locations to attract crowds. In short, the church's long-standing membership dwindled to less than 10%.

Half of this share was taken by the Anglican Church, which undermined the Church's influence.

Broca suffered in silence. A steadfast priest, a devout believer, she cared little for money or power, only wishing to alleviate the suffering and sorrow of her followers. Therefore, even though the Anglican Church had opened a church opposite hers, drawing away his beloved congregation, he harbored no resentment.

As the scriptures say, he only needs to follow her path and do her work; the rest will naturally be protected by God.

The church doors slowly opened, and to his surprise, the entrance wasn't deserted. A girl with long gray hair and a defiant expression stood before the doors, seemingly waiting for him.

"Are you a believer?"

Broca thought to himself, feeling a surge of surprise.

The Anglican Church across the street offers a free nutritious breakfast during morning prayers. Most believers, tempted by the cheap price, choose to go to the Anglican Church for prayers during morning prayers. Therefore, although there are still some believers in my own St. John's Church, they only come in the afternoon.

There are actually people who come here to pray in the morning?

Broca was initially skeptical, but then smiled with relief. Finally, to Indra's surprise, he took her hand by the shoulder, guided her around, and extended his hand towards the Anglican Church, offering a gentle and sincere suggestion:

“Child, if you would like to do morning prayers, you can go to the Anglican Church across the street. They will provide free breakfast. If you would like, you can come back to me after breakfast and tell me about your troubles. I would be happy to help you solve them.”

Indra was stunned, somewhat dumbfounded.

Wait, what's going on?

A Lateran pastor actually suggested that I go to an Anglican church for morning prayers?

Indra's first thought was that this man was probably a fool, unaware that the Anglican Church was now the mortal enemy of the Lateran Catholic Church. But looking at Broca's sincere smile, she wavered somewhat.

She really seems to think that way.

That's strange.

Indra's purpose in coming to the church was not to pray, but to gather intelligence—more precisely, to find out the true value of faith held by these few "stubborn holdouts" who refused to submit to Anglican rule. She and her Glasgow Gang companions split up, and she chose to go to St. John's Church in the morning because she had learned of St. John's current predicament and believed that offering prayers at this critical time would earn her the trust of the church's leader.

What? You think I, Indra, couldn't possibly come up with such an operation?

Haha, I think you look down on me, Indra! Of course I can't think of that, but Sister Vina can. I'll just carry it out, that's how it's always been done!

Leave the brains to the big sister and Gawain, all I need to do is systematically smash the enemy's brains!

But she clearly encountered an outlier in the very first step of her plan.

I've only ever heard of churches scrambling for believers, never of them driving believers away, or even driving them towards the enemy. Are you sure you're not a spy planted in the church by Sister Vina?

Seeing Indra standing still, Broca remained calm and asked softly:

"What's wrong?"

"No...I'm just curious, why can't I pray here?"

“Because our church is poor, we can’t provide you with breakfast,” Broca said, glancing at Indra.

“You’re from the working-class district of East Londinium, aren’t you? That’s where this kind of wild style of dressing is popular. Coming here so early, I think you probably haven’t had breakfast yet, so I suggest you go there.”

Broca thought for a moment and added:

"Actually, if you're worried that the Anglican doctrines don't suit your needs, there's no need to worry. Although some of them are quite treasonous, I have indeed read the Anglican canon, and much of its content... is actually similar to the Lateran canon, only with some strict religious rules and rituals removed. For someone like you, the less restrictive doctrines should be more suitable. So, go with peace of mind; the Lord will forgive your disrespect."

"What makes you say that?" Indra asked, frowning. She had a vague feeling that she might not be able to complete her mission this time.

Broca pondered for a moment, then spoke:

"Because the Lord leads people to good, but not all good comes from the Lord. The church is the shadow of the Lord on earth, but the Lord is not the church. So it doesn't matter where you pray, who you pray to, or how you pray."

"As long as you have faith in your heart, faith in the Lord, and faith in goodness, you can receive the Lord's forgiveness, right?"

As she spoke, she blinked her bright eyes.

"Of course, if you'd like to do your morning prayers here, I can prepare it for you right away."

Indra shook his head, waved his hand, and took a small step back:

"No need. I feel I have already achieved my goal."

"Purpose?" Broca frowned in confusion.

But Indra did not explain; instead, he turned around and said as he walked away:

"Yes, we'll have a chance to meet again, Sister."

..........

Evening, the reception room of the Iron Palace in Londinium.

Wayne leaned against the Big Ben model, listening as Indra and the others reported the day's events to Vina.

They were all gang members in the Londinium slum, many of whom were once Vina's underlings. Even the Londinium city officials were not as skilled as them in using tactics such as "indirectly inquiring," "asking about prices," "bargaining," and "forced buying and selling."

“The price the bishop of St. Mark’s Basilica values ​​most is not losing his status and wealth as a priest.”

"The bishop of Andros Cathedral wants money that will allow him to live out his retirement."

"The priests of the Church of Gronica want to save several orphanages under the church's name. According to the investigation, those orphanages seem to have been relying on the church's funding to exist. The priests of the Church of Gronica are unwilling to give in, all for the sake of the children in the orphanages."

Vina listened to each answer and then gave her response.

"According to intelligence, the priest at St. Mark's Basilica is one of the churches that amasses the most wealth. We'll offer him a price: one thousand gold coins, regardless of his status. If he refuses, we'll use force."

"The bishop of Andros Cathedral seems to be over eighty years old. His resume is fine, but since he wants to retire, why not stop recruiting? Give him money and let him retire peacefully."

"Gronica's problem was our oversight. I will immediately arrange for the municipal official to contact the orphanage and inquire again. We can offer some additional compensation and try to recruit those priests."

After Vina finished speaking, she looked at Indra, who had remained silent, with a puzzled expression and asked:

"What happened? Indra, you're not usually this sullen. Is St. John's Church a difficult place to deal with?"

Indra took a deep breath, nodded somewhat reluctantly, and replied:

Sister Broca of St. John's Church didn't care about money, power, or even the differences between the Anglican Church and the Lateran Church. She didn't oppose the Anglican canon and even studied it. She believed that the Church was the shadow of God, but God was not the Church...

"She argued that elaborate rituals and regulations are not necessary, and that faith can bring salvation as long as one is devout enough."

"I don't think there's any possibility of peacefully persuading her to give up the church."

Vina frowned deeply, nodded, and looked at Wayne beside her.

Wayne straightened up with interest, walked to the sofa, sat down, and said:

"Leave this person to me."

Salvation is possible through faith...

Why does this sentence sound so familiar?