It doesn't matter what the lord is.

"The Lord City Lord's judgment is basically the same as Miss Thirteen's. She has already considered this possibility in advance, so she has been heading to the front line since the day before yesterday. We have to fight, but with a bunch of Yunyang princes watching from behind, the Yunyang lord will definitely not send out all his troops. We have spent so much effort to win over the Yunyang princes, and this is actually our purpose."

Hearing that Fang Shisan had gone to the front again, Lid sighed softly, but this was Fang Shisan's characteristic. If she was left behind to rest at this time, she would definitely not be willing. This was the first time in her life that she had commanded a war of this scale, and it was natural for her to want to prepare early to ensure that nothing could go wrong.

Last time, the Lord of Yunyang led a large army to rescue the Prince of Yunyang, but was stopped by Lide alone. But judging from the situation at that time, the army under the Lord of Yunyang was still quite combat-capable. Many of those troops were veterans who had participated in the suppression of the rebellion of the Lord of Cangzhou. They were experienced in the battlefield and very good at fighting. Moreover, the Yunyang Guards and the personal guests of the Lord of Yunyang were not just for show. When it came to the life and death of the Yunyang Territory, they would definitely do their best.

Suddenly, more and more people came in and out of the City Lord's Mansion.

One day, Shuang suddenly came to Lid and said with a complicated expression:

"Lord City Lord, someone wants to see you."

Lid was looking at the documents on the table. He looked up and asked:

"Who?"

Shuang lowered his head and said:

"It is not clear what force they are. We have never dealt with them before. They... call themselves the Church of the Abyss."

9. The giant underwater beast

Lid paused holding the pen, then smiled meaningfully, gently twisted the pen, and asked Shuang:

"How did they get in?"

Shuang took a deep breath, lowered his head, and answered in a trembling voice:

"I don't know..."

Cold sweat dripped down her face. In fact, the Anbu of Yuxi City did not find these suspicious people at all. It was not until they came to the door that they realized something was wrong. What channels did the other party take, what did the other party want to do, how many people were hiding in the dark... Frost had no clue at all.

Although he had tried his best to spread the forces at hand to investigate, Shuang had already felt that the opponent's influence in the dark was completely not on the same level as his own. Yuxi City had been cleaned up many times so far, and many of the spies buried deep in other places had been killed quietly, but this was the first time he encountered such a tough opponent.

She felt that it was her dereliction of duty, so when she reported it to Lid, she felt extremely guilty, fearing that Lid would blame her.

But Lid was not angry. Shuang was a secret guard. Even the secret guards in Lingwu could not prevent the infiltration of the Abyss Church. The Lord of Lingwu had to personally mobilize the Sun Guards to intercept at the border. It would be strange if Shuang could stop the Abyss Church. This organization is probably older than the Kingdom of Eternal Heaven. Only one of the twelve cardinals of the Pontifical Council went to Lingwu, and Lingwu was in turmoil. It can be said that the Abyss Church itself is an ancient monster lurking under the water.

Lid said:

"Let them in. How many people are there in total?"

Shuang didn't dare to look up and replied:

"Two. A man and a woman."

Lid put the pen in his hand on the table and said:

"Well, I won't blame you for anything this time, because the Abyss Church is indeed a very tough opponent. But you have to think about how to defend against them next. I'll give you a month. If you can't come up with a practical and effective plan after a month, I'll tell you my method. Go down first. The current focus is still on Yunyang's movements. There is no room for error there."

Shuang knelt on one knee, bowed deeply, and said:

"Yes."

Then he stood up and left. When he closed the door, he took a deep breath, wiped the sweat off his face, and returned to his usual appearance. There were two cloaked men standing outside the City Lord's Mansion. Shuang didn't want to show his weakness in front of them, so he just said "The City Lord agrees to see you" when he left the house, then pointed them to the way and went back to his secret residence.

The two cloaked men looked at each other and stepped into the City Lord's Mansion.

In the meeting room, two cloaked men walked in. One stood at the door and looked at Lid, while the other went to close the door.

Then, the two of them took off their cloaks together.

The one who just closed the door was a middle-aged man with one eye blind, and the other was a mature woman with wavy wine-red hair. The former was about 45 years old, and the latter was about 30 years old, but looked younger.

The woman had a gentle smile on her face, and she looked at Lid and said:

"Excuse me, Lord City Lord."

She walked forward, placed a box of exquisite pastries on the table, and said with a smile:

"I brought some gifts as an apology. I heard that you are very particular about food, so when you came, I asked our girl who is good at cooking to prepare some desserts. I wonder if they are to your taste."

Reed glanced at the desserts on the table. They were indeed very exquisite and could be seen to be made by a famous chef.

I don’t know if my clothes will burst after eating it.

He also smiled and said:

"No, you're welcome. I don't know who you two are, and what do you want from me?"

The woman returned to her original position and spoke softly:

"My name is Shi Yuan, the bishop of the Laity Council. This is Sean, the bishop of the Justice and Peace Council."

Lid frowned slightly. He knew that the two names were probably fake, and even the age, appearance and voice of the two people couldn't be real. But he didn't care, nodded, and signaled the two people present to continue.

Shi Yuan bowed slightly to him, then asked softly:

"My Lord City Lord has a lot of things to do every day, so I will not beat around the bush and ask you directly. The Abyss Church is divided into twelve councils, and the bishop of the New Gospel Promotion Council unfortunately passed away during the resurrection plan of Clenus. I wonder if my Lord City Lord is willing to put his name here and take up... the vacant bishop position?"

Reed looked into her eyes.

The reason why Lid thought her looks were fake was largely because her appearance did not match her eyes. Those eyes were like spring water, not the kind of breathtaking beauty, but a kind of charm that melted people's defenses. Coupled with that non-aggressive voice, it gave people the feeling of a soft and beautiful woman, making people want to get close to her.

However, this did not have a very good effect on Lid.

He sat on the chair, changed to a more comfortable position, crossed his legs and asked:

"Why are you looking for me?"

Lid's attitude seemed to make the other bishop Sean a little dissatisfied. The gray-haired man stepped forward, with a strong aura. He wrapped his fists with bandages, looking like a fighter, with his taut muscles full of strength. However, Shi Yuan stretched out her hand in advance and stopped him calmly, still smiling and saying to Lid:

"Because according to our observation, the city lord is qualified to sit in this position."

Reed looked at her with a half-smile.

Shi Yuan said gently:

"We, the twelve bishops, serve the Twelve Pillars of Kungu. I believe the city lord has already guessed that the New Gospel Promotion Council serves the Pillar of Eternal Life, Clenus."

The smile on Reed's face slowly faded, and a sharp light flashed in his eyes.

He opened his mouth and said slowly:

"In that case, you shouldn't come to see me. You should go find that woman in Lingwu. The one you are loyal to, and the one who serves that person, are all in Lingwu, not in Yuxi City."

His voice was quiet, with a hint of coldness.

Shi Yuan didn't care. She took a step forward. The dark cloak couldn't cover her plump figure, and her chest was shaking. Whether in appearance or temperament, her tolerance was unparalleled. Even though the atmosphere around her gradually became tense, she still didn't have any hostility:

"I know. But after repeated discussions, we in the Abyss Church still believe that it would be the best choice for us to have the Lord of the City take up this position. Although you have personally destroyed our plan, we in the Abyss Church are more concerned about the future. From the current perspective, you are not only capable enough to take up this position, but you are also one of the two people closest to Lord Clenus."

Shi Yuan smiled with her eyebrows curved.

Seeing that smile, Li De finally believed that there really was a saying that the land of gentleness was the grave of heroes.

Shi Yuan bowed and said respectfully to Li De:

"I heard that you have been preparing for Yunyang's affairs recently. In fact, it doesn't have to be so troublesome. If you agree, in less than half a month, I can put the head of Lord Yunyang on the table in front of you."

10. Missionary Permission

Lid narrowed his eyes, looked at Shi Yuan's harmless appearance, and asked with a smile:

"The Abyss Church is really good at this. Lord Yunyang also has your people around him? It seems that what Lord Lingwu said is right. You really are as omnipresent as cockroaches."

Shi Yuan was about to speak, but Sean beside her spoke first, saying in a cold voice:

"Lord City Lord, you'd better pay attention to your attitude when speaking. Don't think that just because you have killed a member of the upper three tribes by chance, you are qualified to be above our Abyss Church. It is much easier for us to kill you than to kill Lord Yunyang."

Reed smiled slightly, and then his expression suddenly turned cold.

He raised his hand, waved it as if to shoo away a fly, and said to the two people in front of him:

"Then there's nothing to discuss. You can try it. I'll live in this mansion and won't go anywhere. There have been many people who want to kill me recently, so a few more won't hurt."

The atmosphere suddenly became tense, Sean stopped looking at Lid and started looking around. He could feel that there were people protecting Lid's safety inside and outside the house, assassins, swordsmen, and even Sean had a vague feeling of being locked by magic. But he didn't care, the only real opponent here was Lid sitting on the chair.

Sean clenched his fists, his aura suddenly surged, wanting to make those idiots outside retreat. Unfortunately, not only did no one retreat, but the feeling of being stared at became more and more intense. Sean was very clear that if he made any move at this time, someone would break in through the door, the window, or even the roof, and a fight was bound to break out today.

At this moment, Shi Yuan coughed lightly, and her delicate and soft hand gently rested on Sean's arm. At that moment, Sean's whole body trembled violently, and his aura dissipated completely.

Reed looked at Shi Yuan with interest. He vaguely felt that Sean's momentum was broken in an instant.

If this is the case, this woman's strength is quite terrifying.

Xien's realm should be the middle of the ninth level, but it seems that there are some other means, and the strength cannot be judged simply by the realm. Shi Yuan's realm is difficult to judge. There is no sense of hostility from her. She is like an ordinary sister next door, without any threat.

Even now, she still maintained a gentle smile and said to Lid:

"My Lord City Lord, please forgive me for making a fool of myself. We from the Abyss Church are not here today to fight or cause trouble. We just want to meet the Lord City Lord. After all, I am also very interested in humans who can kill the upper three tribes... Even if the Lord City Lord refuses our invitation, it doesn't matter. Although it's a pity, we will look for other options."

She bowed slightly to Reed and said:

"It's just that I hope the Lord City Lord understands. Humans need faith after all. This faith may be the Old God now, but it may become Kungu or the Void in the future. The Lord City Lord may have some prejudice against our Abyss Church, thinking that we are trying to manipulate the situation in this world by taking advantage of the rare goods. But in fact, we are just acting for our own beliefs."

Shi Yuan's tone was very sincere and she didn't seem to be pretending.

The bishop of the New Gospel Promotion Council died in Lingwu, and it is said that he died with his sister. He first sacrificed his sister with a knife, and then cut open his abdomen, took out his heart and liver and turned them into blood soul. Ordinary conspirators can't do this. Most of the conspiracies they perform are for their own benefit, which is fundamentally different from the action logic of the Abyss Church.

Lid sighed softly and said seriously:

"Ms. Shi Yuan, I can understand your determination to give up everything for your faith, but I cannot accept the philosophy of the Abyss Church, let alone promote it in Yuxi City as the city lord. I do advocate that Yuxi City can have a variety of cultures, and even some evil people in the eyes of the world can settle down in Yuxi City. But there is a big premise - I need to be responsible for our people first, for their personal safety and mental health. The philosophy of the Abyss Church is too extreme, and I cannot set this example."

Shi Yuan covered her mouth and chuckled, saying:

"Others only care about how much money they can get from them, but the city lord thinks about their food, clothing, housing, transportation, and spiritual life. In my opinion, this is already very remarkable. However, according to what the city lord said..."

Lid shrugged his shoulders:

"Let me be frank. If you want to preach, it's your business. As long as the doctrine and missionary plan you submit can be approved by our chief minister of internal affairs, you can obtain the qualification to preach in Yuxi City. Of course, you have to pay taxes normally, and it's your own business to attract as many believers as possible, but you can't use any means that violate the law, and you can't encourage them to do anything dangerous. If you want to build a church or temple, you need to apply in advance. Pay the land fee, construction fee, property management fee, etc. according to the relevant price. Any sect that comes to Yuxi City will do things this way, and it's up to you whether to comply or not."

This time it was Shi Yuan's turn to ask with a little surprise:

"That is to say, although you do not intend to join our Abyss Church, you do not object to our preaching here? You even allow us to build temples and churches here?"

Reed replied calmly:

"Why do you object? Or if I object, will you give up the market in Yuxi City and stop doing tricks behind the scenes? Rather than letting you sneak around and infiltrate in the dark, it is better to directly grant you the qualifications to come out in the open. The old gods are not my fathers, and I don't need to call on everyone to believe in them. But there is one thing, I can't join you, and neither can the officials of Yuxi City, big or small, for the reason that you should know better than me."

Shi Yuan thought about it for a moment and then nodded.

Most people, rather than illusory beliefs, still respect tangible power more. If power and faith are mixed together, it will either lead to the dictatorship of a certain sect or cause factional disputes among officials, which will be a very troublesome matter for Yuxi City.

Shi Yuan bowed to Lid again and said happily:

"It seems that I will have to bother the city lord again in the future. The Abyss Church officially withdraws the previous invitation. The documents on missionary work will be submitted to the Prime Minister soon. If Yuxi City really allows our people to preach as the city lord said, then on behalf of the twelve noble pillar gods of Kungu, I would like to thank the city lord for his kindness."

Reed smiled and didn't comment.

He didn't care about Kungu's favor. He had killed one of the twelve pillars with his own hands. The reason why he allowed the Abyss Church to preach was only because it would bring more benefits than disadvantages to the current Yuxi City.

Shi Yuan and Sean put on their cloaks again and left the meeting room contentedly.

As soon as he walked out of the door, Sean's sight turned to the right. A blonde maid put her hands on the hilt of a sword and looked at him coldly. The red and white sword energy around her was surging, and there was a faint sound of wind and thunder.

It was not until Sean's figure disappeared at the gate of the City Lord's Mansion that she loosened her hand on the sword, picked up the osmanthus porridge on the stone table, and gave it to the young master who was reviewing documents to replenish his body.

11. Dark Action

What Reed didn't know was that the two visitors from the Abyss Church left the City Lord's Mansion and disappeared into the darkness again.

While walking on the deserted alley, Shi Yuan smiled and said to the man who called himself Sean:

"Just now, you talked too much."

Sean whispered:

"But he actually dared to disrespect you..."

Although in front of Lid, Shi Yuan claimed to be the bishop of the Laity Council and introduced Sean as the bishop of the Justice and Peace Council, and the two had equal positions. But judging from the attitude of the two people speaking, Shi Yuan's status was obviously higher. Seeing the man beside him clenching his fist with an indignant look, Shi Yuan chuckled and said:

"It doesn't matter. We'll need him a lot in the future, so let's keep him alive for now. We've been dormant in the dark for so long, there's no need to get into unnecessary trouble. You see, Yunyang is a typical negative example. Every time he gets humiliated, he wants to get back at his enemies, but he ends up getting deeper and deeper into trouble."

Sean whispered:

"The church is not Yunyang."

Shi Yuan said calmly:

"So we have to be more careful and not become the next Yunyang. We have already lost the Lingwu move. We lost a bishop and Lord Clenus was also killed. This is a shame that the church has not experienced in hundreds of years. Now I have to personally take charge of the situation. My idea is very simple. The best way to deal with people like Lid is to recruit them, the second best is to cooperate with them, and the third best is to ignore them. The worst option is assassination. If you are sure, you can try it. Of course, if you fail, I can only kill all 7,000 believers in the Justice and Peace Council to appease his emotions and restore the situation to its current state."

Sean gritted his teeth, was silent for a moment, and then said: