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

Kal'tsit remained silent for a moment, then asked in return:

"What does Princess Theresa mean?"

“I think we can share the ruins with His Highness Wayne. Share them with Victoria.”

"But in that case, we might get much less."

“But if we don’t do this, we might end up with nothing if we get targeted,” Theresa said.

Kazdel's situation is indeed much better than before, but everyone understands that this is under the protection of Victoria.

If Victoria were to abandon Kazdel, Theresa didn't believe they could completely excavate the ruins with Kazdel's remaining strength. More likely, various other nations in Rembiton would target them, attempting to plunder and seize their resources.

Bullying Kazdel and the demon race is politically correct, and no one will feel guilty about it.

"You're right."

Kal'tsit had to admit,

"But have you discussed this matter with the Military Council and Theresis?"

“...Not yet,” Theresa said.

Kal'tsit sighed. "Then I suggest you sound out Theresis first. If you want to return to the Military Council, you'll have to respect their opinions."

“You’re right.” Theresa nodded helplessly. This feeling of being constrained was very uncomfortable, but it was a problem that a leader had to consider. Wasn’t the reason that Wayne hadn’t been able to officially announce their relationship to the outside world yet also because of the extremely negative public opinion surrounding Sarkaz?

"Kal'tsit, how long will it take you to arrive?" Theresa asked.

“About three days?” Kal'tsit asked.

Chapter 101 Are all Sakotas like this?

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Wayne arrived on time at the teahouse private room that Urbino had reserved in advance.

Urbino stood guard at the door, and as soon as Wayne stepped into the teahouse, he greeted him warmly:

"Your Highness Wayne, come this way. This is our private room."

Urbino proudly stepped aside, making way for the entrance, his expression one of anticipation for praise.

Wayne was quite surprised that his instructor had become so clever and knew to book rooms. But the thought of a grown man giving him a pleading, praise-seeking look made Wayne feel nauseous and want to vomit.

“Bishop Urbino, please don’t joke around.”

He extended his hand, shook hands with Urbino, and asked,

"Where is that mysterious, important figure you mentioned?"

Urbino bowed respectfully towards the door and said:

"She's inside. Her Highness has been waiting for you for a long time."

Wayne's heart skipped a beat.

Your Highness?

The person who came to Lungmen this time was the saintess of Lateran.

Surprisingly, yet upon closer examination, it seems to make perfect sense. Mostima had already analyzed it: the gold pendant symbolized the Pope's presence, and the bronze pendant symbolized the cardinal's power. The pure silver pendant, naturally positioned between the cardinal and the Pope, represented the unique "Saint" of Lateran.

However, he had to admit that Wayne had absolutely no idea that the person he would meet today would be the saintess whom Mostima called "Michael." Wayne was confident that he wasn't affected by the saintess's lack of presence with her Originium Arts; he simply hadn't expected that Wei Yanwu would be worth the Lateran saintess making a special trip for him.

Why is Lateran so concerned about the affairs of Yan Kingdom? Do they really want to proselytize in Great Yan?

Wayne shook his head, unsure whether to judge those Sarkaz as either overly trusting or simply seeking death.

Are they in such a hurry to send their own gods to the Great Yan's god-slaying blade?

Composing himself, Wayne gave a formulaic smile and pushed open the door to enter.

Michael did not sit in the chair; she stood by the window, the bright sunlight shining on her stunning face and flowing robes, giving her a momentary air of a celestial being ascending to heaven in broad daylight.

But when she heard Wayne push the door open and turned to look at her, her ethereal beauty was tinged with an irresistible allure, making one almost unable to resist the urge to grab her face and roughly squeeze it.

Wayne coughed lightly, interrupting her natural, almost unfeigned smile as she turned around.

Little imp, are you really a Sarkaz?

Why are they so different from the Sakorta people I remember?

Wayne has seen quite a few Sarkaz. Among the unfamiliar ones are the fully armed musketeers with their faces buried in their helmets, and among the more familiar ones are the lively and adorable Exusiai, Mostima who turned offensive after her asceticism was lifted, and Ambriel and Fantine who are only known by name but never seen.

But he had never seen a Sakorta like Michael, who was a blend of holiness and allure, and who was more like a fallen angel than Mostima, a real fallen angel.

Wayne assured her that with Michael's looks and demeanor, if she were in a cultivation world, she'd be the template for a cult's saintess—the kind who could bewitch everyone with her every move. Putting her as a saintess in a proper religion like Laterano would be a complete waste of her talent.

Silently feeling sorry for Michael, Wayne withdrew his gaze from Michael and bowed politely, saying:

"Hello, Your Highness."

Michael placed his hands, clad in white gloves with gold trim, on his lower abdomen and returned the greeting with poise and elegance:

“Nice to meet you, Your Highness. I have often heard of you in the Papal Palace.”

"That can't be a good reputation," Wayne joked nonchalantly. Unless everyone in Lateran was an idiot, probably no one would promote him in the Papal Palace.

Except for Urbino, who was too clever for his own good. He was so clever that he knew he had to play dumb and drag the entire Papacy down to the same level of stupidity so that he could rise through the ranks by playing dumb to the best of his ability.

Urbino, a master of feigning ignorance.

Michael's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

What's going on? Why is Wayne showing such approval to Urbino, and... such great approval at that?

From the moment Wayne entered the room, Michael made no attempt to conceal his abilities, locking onto Wayne and beginning to probe his mind and secrets.

But as expected of a prince of Victoria, Wayne carried items or treasures that could counter mental Originium Arts. Even with her abilities, she couldn't completely break through the defenses of these items, and could only vaguely see some light emanating from the giant psychic sphere disguised as a blazing sun.

For example, all sorts of emotions and thoughts.

For example, just now, Wayne's evaluation of Urbino was both sarcastic and approving.

Michael couldn't see Wayne's specific thoughts, but she could roughly read his emotions. Just as ancient humans couldn't understand the structure of the sun, yet could still feel its warmth.

Michael's opinion of Wayne rose a few points.

He actually thought of the mental-type Originium Arts and carried counter-items specifically designed to counter mental-type abilities, preventing his own abilities from being used effectively. This level of caution and meticulousness alone is enough to prove that he is not some so-called good-for-nothing.

Wayne has a lot on his mind.

However, Michael wasn't worried about how effective Wayne's counter items would be.

Her mental strength had long surpassed the limits of any registered Originium Arts artist currently existing in the field, and the counter-magic items they had developed and produced would have extremely limited effect on her. If she were to focus even slightly, it wouldn't be long—at most ten minutes—Michael was confident that he could break through this defense and directly peer into Wayne's mind.

At that time, no matter how skilled you are at intrigue, you will have no secrets from me. Then, I will guide you according to plan, making you a true "good-hearted" Lateran believer.

Thinking of this, Michael's lips curled into a confident smile again.

Wayne tilted his head in confusion.

He didn't quite understand. He had just come in and exchanged greetings with her. What was this Saintess Michael thinking? Why was she frowning one moment and relaxing the next, looking disdainful one moment and grinning foolishly the next?

Are all Laterans so badly characterized?

Or is it just that Her Highness's symptoms are more severe?

Wayne thought about Exusiai's outgoing nature and Mostima's asceticism, Ambriel's laziness and Fantine's autism.

Yeah, I guess that's how people in Sarkaz are.

but.....

Wayne scratched his head.

What's causing this itchy feeling on my head? Are there mosquitoes around?

Chapter 102 I haven't told the story of making the demon bark like a dog for ten minutes.

“Your Highness Wayne, Bishop Urbino has already briefed me on some aspects of your situation.”

Michael sat in his seat, his hands supporting his head, looking like a girl next door chatting with a strange older brother.

Wien was quite curious about how Urbino introduced himself, so he asked:

“It’s been more than half a year since the Bishop of Urbino last saw me. Now that time has passed, as the saying goes, ‘a scholar should be looked at with new eyes after three days of separation.’ I’m quite curious about how he introduced me. Why don’t you tell me?”

Michael smiled politely, but was speechless inside.

I was just being polite. Urbino didn't say anything about you to me. Everything I know was read from mind; how could I possibly share it? If I did, wouldn't today's negotiations fall apart?

Besides, why would anyone care about this? Why do you like hearing other people's opinions of you? Are you some kind of narcissist?

Seeing Wayne's seemingly genuinely interested expression, Michael checked the still unresponsive mental barrier, and could only purse his lips, saying in a way that pleased Wayne:

"Everyone trusts Your Highness Wayne and deeply sympathizes with your plight. They all express their willingness to help you, their loyal ally of Laterano."

Wayne's expression twisted subtly for a moment.

He almost lost his composure.

He knew Michael was lying to him, not just because of his feeling, but also because when he met Urbino at the hot pot table three days ago, Wayne had almost gotten information from him about Laterano's attitude towards him.

Apart from Urbino, who was still fiercely defending Vine, the College of Cardinals almost unanimously believed that Vine was a traitor. If His Holiness the Pope hadn't hesitated to declare Vine a traitor, he might have already been discussed and excommunicated by the cardinals.

Yes, Wayne also holds a church membership. Normally, Protestants who join the Church of Jesus should be excommunicated by the Lateran Church, but his situation is special. Lateran believes Wayne is a spy infiltrated within the Anglican Church. The Anglican Church, in turn, venerates Vina as the representative of God's authority on earth, and Wayne, as a member of the royal family and holding the title of a chosen one, is technically considered a half-saint.

After all this complicated and messy affair, the final result was that Lateran didn't excommunicate him, and Victoria had no objection to Wayne's status. Wayne, a true founder of Anglicanism, was still a registered monk in Lateran—truly a devoted son of God.

In this situation, Miss Michael was still able to make up lies to deceive herself without batting an eye; it seems she's not just a pretty face.

They're all seasoned veterans.

Coupled with the inexplicable feeling of being watched and itchy that always lingered around him, Wayne became increasingly convinced that Mostima was right.

This woman is interesting. She's worth watching.

While Wayne was trying to suppress his laughter, Miss Michael didn't stop showering him with compliments.

She sensed it; Wayne was in high spirits. In the display of his mental energy, the mass disguised as the sun was in a warm hue and very active, indicating that he was indeed very happy.

Michael scoffed inwardly. What a megalomaniac! He's completely swayed by praise and flattery. But that's fine. As a future pope, he needs to build his own team. Urbino is a talented individual, but unfortunately, he was betrayed by a narcissistic guy like Wayne. Now their interests are intertwined, and a single misstep could be disastrous. If he does Urbino a favor now, helping him resolve this problem with Wayne, or even turning that problem into a real achievement, he'll have no trouble getting Urbino's favor.