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

I'll submit the leave slip tomorrow.

A relative I wasn't close to passed away back home. I attended the funeral today, chanting Buddhist prayers and circumambulating the altar until almost 10 PM. I just got back from the funeral home and arrived at the hotel to rest. There's no computer in the hotel, and I'm too tired to type on my phone anymore. I'm so sleepy. I'll take the day off. I'll try to come back early tomorrow to update; I'll make up for this chapter then.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Finding Help

Wayne has seen his share of ups and downs, and he naturally has a deep understanding of the many people on Terra.

When dealing with good people, one should offer gifts and cultivate relationships. This is why Wayne wanted to build good relationships with Inspector Chan, Swire, and the others beforehand.

When dealing with bad guys, one should use weapons and strategies, and if necessary, one should stop at nothing to eliminate them completely and leave no future troubles. Therefore, Wayne did not rashly seek out Talulah, who was probably wandering in the northern ice plains of Ursus, because he did not yet have the confidence to kill the immortal black serpent in one blow.

However, Wayne never had a good way to deal with a nun with such strong faith.

Broca, the nun and head of St. John's Cathedral, shared the same name as a certain Syracuse chainsaw-wielding man that Wayne remembered, but they were completely different people. Her faith was pure and unwavering; she had no interest in money, power, status, or any of the mundane things that Wayne could promise. Such people were the most troublesome because being without desires meant being invincible.

But as a human being, could Sister Broca truly be completely without desires?

That's impossible, of course. If such a person really existed, she would either live a long and secluded life in the mountains, never appearing in Wayne's sight, or she would flash across the sky like a shooting star and then be quickly swallowed up by the darkness of this land, naturally posing no threat to Wayne.

But Broca is neither of those. She has been a nun in St. John's Cathedral for almost ten years, growing from a child to a mature woman. She is neither without desires nor fleeting, which means that she must have a desire that sustains her life.

What could this desire be?

Once this secret is found, removing this most intractable thorn in the side of religious reformation, and even bringing her to one's own ends, will be a piece of cake.

Theoretically speaking, Wayne shouldn't be able to find this loophole. Broca is rooted in faith, and what has sustained her to this point must also be related to faith, while Wayne...

Unfortunately, whether in his past life or now, Wayne Bruce has never had anything to do with the word "faith".

But knowledge is acquired at different times, and expertise is specialized. Just because he doesn't understand doesn't mean others don't, and just because others don't understand doesn't mean no one in the world will understand. Wayne's goal isn't to be Zhang Liang, but Liu Bang.

Lentinium, 125 Rue des Embassies, Saints Hotel.

Embassy Street is an embassy district specially built by the Victorian royal family for the countries of Terra. It is also the most special place in the city of Londinium, where land is extremely valuable, apart from the core area "Londinium Financial City". Here, the traditional Celtic buildings and iconic clock towers of Londinium have disappeared. In their place are Ursus-style bastions and embassies, government offices and mansions in the style of the Great Yan, Gothic buildings in the style of Kazdel, and Sargon-style... um... earthen houses?

Okay, let's shift our focus away from the Sargon chieftains who have just entered the civilized world. In this Terran version of "global village" that combines commerce and politics, the Saint's Inn No. 125 is undoubtedly a rather inconspicuous place.

The Saints Hotel, despite its name being very much in the Lateran style, actually has no connection whatsoever with the Lateran Embassy just two blocks away, at least not openly.

The inn was run by a Sakota businessman who had left his hometown. It catered to Lateran people who came to Victoria but were not used to the raw food, customs and lifestyle of Victoria. Sometimes it also catered to tourists who wanted to experience the Lateran way of life. The inn was always busy, whether it was the off-season or the peak season, but there was nothing suspicious about it.

But as the saying goes, a mountain is not famous because of its height, but because of the immortals who dwell there; water is not sacred because of its depth, but because of the dragons that inhabit it. The hotel itself may not have any problems, but the people staying there may not.

Take, for example, the person Wayne is about to meet.

"Please contact Miss Mostima in room 666 for me."

He pulled a Lateran gold coin from his pocket, smiled, and pushed it in front of the hotel receptionist. Wayne's friendly smile and generous gesture immediately won over the Filin lady at the reception desk.

Miss Felin winked at Wayne, pushed the Lateran gold coin back, and said:

"Sorry, we only accept Victoria's people, whether it's gold coins or people."

"Well....."

Felin smiled charmingly, picked up the landline receiver on the table, and dialed the internal line for room 666: "Hello, is this Ms. Mostima from room 666? This is the hotel front desk. A gentleman claims to be your friend and wants to see you. May I ask..."

There was a brief response from the other end of the phone. After a moment, Phil put down the receiver and looked at Wayne, saying:

"Miss Mostima wants you to go directly upstairs to her; it's the third room on the right on the sixth floor."

...........

"Bang bang."

He knocked on the door, and with a soft beep, the electronic lock opened automatically, allowing Wayne to enter.

Mostima was dressed in a black priest's robe and appeared to be performing evening prayers. The loose black robe did not detract from her beauty at all, but instead added to her otherworldly holiness. The Lateran Bible in her hand looked a little wrinkled, as if it had been frequently turned over. Her other hand tightly gripped the cross, the gold leaf on it had faded a bit, revealing the silver inside.

With her eyes closed, she murmured incantations. Even as Wayne entered the living room, she remained unmoved, gently reciting a prayer before slowly opening her eyes to reveal deep, calm pupils. She blinked and looked at Wayne with a hint of relief.

"Your Highness Wayne, is there something you wish to say to His Holiness the Pope that you have summoned me here today?"

Mostima took off his heavy priest's robe, put on his usual jacket and vest, sat on the sofa to Wayne's left, and asked.

Although she was ordered to stay in Lontinim to monitor Vayne's every move, in reality, as a suppressed Sarkaz, she could neither enter the palace nor see Vayne. Her so-called surveillance was merely superficial intelligence gathering.

She had initially thought that, given Wayne's royal status, it was unlikely he would spend all his time with her, a Sarkaz. However, to her surprise, Wayne seemed to have a special kind of trust in her. He would not only visit her at the inn frequently, but even took her along on his way to Landon Abbey, always bringing her unusual gifts. Over time, Mostima's wariness of Wayne lessened.

Moreover, although she had inexplicably become familiar with Wayne, this might not be a bad thing. After all, this meant she wouldn't have to rack her brains every month to write her report to the Pope on the current situation like a child writing an essay, relying entirely on her imagination.

If you just write down everything Wayne did for her this month, what he gave her, where he took her, what she ate, and what she drank, you'll have enough words.

Mostima didn't think too much about Wayne's visit today. She just asked a businesslike question and then started to wonder what Wayne had brought her this time.

Is it the green octopus head statue sitting on a golden toilet that we talked about last time, or the theological texts excavated from the Miscatornik ruins in Colombia that we talked about the time before last?

But unexpectedly, Wayne nodded solemnly, a troubled expression on his face, and asked the bewildered Mostima:

“Little Mo, you know me. My sister has been stirring up this Anglican Church thing lately, trying to replace our Lateran Church.”

“After much thought, I realized this was very disadvantageous for Lateran, so I secretly arranged for people to bribe the priests of the Anglican Church. But some of them actually thought talking about money was vulgar and instead talked to me about faith.”

“I’m a worldly person. I understand when you talk to me about money, but I don’t understand when you talk to me about how devout I am. Tell me, what should I do in this situation?”

Mostima raised an eyebrow in confusion, then looked interested and leaned closer, saying:

"Explain in detail."

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Let them fight it themselves

"hiss--"

After hearing Wayne's account, Mostima gasped.

Incredible, incredible.

They believe that God is the ultimate truth, and the church is merely God's shadow. They think that as long as one believes in God, one can be saved even without going through the church?

This idea, how should I put it, is quite outrageous, yet it has its own rationality. For a moment, Mostima couldn't even find a suitable way to refute it.

Mostima did not consider herself a devout person. Since becoming one of the fallen angels, she had wavered more than once in her belief in the omniscient and omnipotent God as described by the church.

If God is truly omniscient and omnipotent, then why does He need to listen to believers' prayers through the church and forgive their sins through the Pope?

But if God is not omniscient and omnipotent, can He really know everything in the world, ascend good people to heaven, banish evil people to hell, forgive the sins of believers, and build a holy heavenly kingdom?

If he can, then why do fallen angels like Mostima himself still exist? If he can't, then what right does he have to demand that everyone unconditionally believe in him?

Broca's question, seemingly just an explanation of personal faith, undoubtedly points to the core of the relationship between God and man—whether the existence of the church is justified, and the essence of the church—an institution that uses God as a political tool to achieve its own secular goals.

If these things are exposed, the church will not only fall from its pedestal, but it may not even be able to remain God's shadow anymore. It will transform from God's shadow on earth into the largest blasphemous organization on earth.

After all, nothing is more blasphemous than treating God as a tool.

Mostima looked at Wayne thoughtfully, feeling both shocked and relieved.

Fortunately, Wayne only took the pastor's words as stubborn sophistry, and fortunately he did not think about it more deeply, nor did he reveal the matter to Vina.

Mostima couldn't even imagine the potential danger and blow it would bring to the entire church if he revealed this issue to Vina, and thus the Anglican Church, which had proposed the "religious reformation" and established the Anglican Church that had brought immense trouble to Lateran, came to know about it.

This is not limited to Victoria alone. Once this problem and its underlying nature are exposed and brought to the forefront, the Lateran Church will face a barrage of questions from all over Terra. At that time, not only will its power be greatly weakened, but a second or third "Anglican Church" will emerge, using the banner of Protestantism to spread the flames of religious reform throughout Terra.

By then, the Lateran Church will be completely finished.

Noticing Mostima's somewhat stiff expression, Wayne couldn't help but feel a little amused.

He certainly recognized Mostima. After all, Mostima wasn't like the heavily armored mudstone. If she hadn't conjured up several rock colossi during the final dispersal of the nobles at the end of the coronation ceremony, Wayne might not have recognized her at all. Mostima was highly recognizable; her Sarkaz horns, dim halo, and tattered wings made her instantly recognizable even if they met for the first time on Terra.

However, just because Wayne knows Mostima doesn't mean Wayne understands Mostima. Unlike Ms. Wang Weina, who wears her heart on her sleeve and reveals her background in her operator file, and Mudrock, who has her own individual story collection and special events and a very complete character design, Mostima's true identity and purpose have always been shrouded in an unbreakable fog, from her first appearance in Exusiai's voice lines to her first appearance in the Law of Roar, and then to the end of Roaring Light, when she visited Wei Yanwu as the Pope's envoy.

She outwardly claims to be a messenger, but in reality, she was once a member of the Lateran combat squad.

She claimed to have killed Exusiai's sister and betrayed Laterano, but in reality, she was the Pope's messenger. Just when Wei Yanwu was determined to launch a Terra version of the "Xuanwu Gate Incident," she coincidentally appeared at Lungmen.

Her identity was never simple, so Wayne had never treated her with the same relaxed vigilance he had shown Vina. This time, Wayne's choice to ask Mostima this question instead of leaving a message for Urbino was a small test.

To test her stance, is she as carefree and easygoing as she appears in the "Arknights storyline" that Wayne knows, or is she burdened with worries and has other secrets?

The result was as he expected.

Mostima's frozen expression upon hearing the slogan "justification by faith" speaks volumes. It at least proves that her first thought wasn't to help herself, the "recipient of help," solve the problem, but rather to consider the impact Lateran would suffer in this situation.

She is clearly loyal to Lateran.

After confirming his suspicions and feeling relieved, Wayne couldn't help but feel a little wistful.

Indeed, everyone on Terra has their own story, their own beliefs, and their own goals.

Vina, valuing the bond with him, decisively and boldly bestows upon himself the title of prince. Mudrock, grateful for the gold coin and for his kind heart, helps him and spares no effort to create a mudrock colossus to support him. Mostima is the same; behind her seemingly carefree figure lies only a looser chain.

However, it is precisely because of this that they are living, breathing people on this land, whose thoughts and actions change with time, place, events, and relationships, rather than pawns that some people believe can be easily manipulated and controlled as long as they know the plot.

Wayne pursed his lips almost imperceptibly, suppressing the melancholy in his heart. Every life in Terra had locked its heart away for various reasons, and Wayne wasn't so arrogant as to think that he could raise their favorability to the highest level and break down their defenses simply by sending them gifts for a few days, like in a third-rate visual novel.

Right now, Mostima's first thought is Laterano, but one day in the future, Wayne will make her think of herself first!

This is his goal as a time traveler! To save the tragedy, to lust after his two-dimensional waifu, to be a saintly hypocrite, and to be simple and genuine!

Wayne paused, looking at Mostima's pensive profile, and asked:

"Xiao Mo, what's wrong? Even you can't do anything about it?"

"Ah... no, it's not."

Mostima snapped out of his reverie, waved his hand, and suddenly asked:

"Can you tell me who said those words? Besides you, is there anyone else who knows them?"

Wayne looked puzzled, but still shook his head and said:

"The one who said this was Sister Broca, from the St. John's Cathedral in the eastern district of Londinium, Anglican Church. Besides me, only my subordinates who deliver the money know this. What's wrong?"

Mostima nodded, thought for a moment, and replied:

"It's nothing, this problem is easily solved, leave it to me. You can go back with peace of mind. Oh, and remember to tell your men not to leak this matter, otherwise..."

Otherwise, the Lateran Church will face serious problems, right?

Wayne smiled inwardly, but nodded in agreement on his face:

"Of course, if others knew about this, I would be executed by that usurper."