Lucky billion players, you've never seen one before / I can accumulate my own luck

"If that's the case, then there's no problem."

Du Ruo smiled and said, "Let's choose the player train. Also, I would appreciate it if Your Excellency could recommend some reputable hired players. It would be better if they were safer."

“Alright,” the saintess replied, “For the specifics, go to the place I mentioned and hand it over to my subordinates.”

She stood up, extended her right hand, and smiled, saying, "It's a pleasure doing business with you."

"Well, it's a pleasure to work with you."

Du Ruo shook hands with her.

……

After finalizing the deal, Du Ruo and the other three began to consider leaving.

Their money isn't in one person's possession; it needs to be pooled together.

Fan Xiao escorted them to the entrance of the manor.

As they parted, Du Ruo said to Fan Xiao with deep emotion, "The Holy Maiden... is even more beautiful than the rumors say."

“I agree,” Liu Xue chimed in, “She’s a thousand times more beautiful than Xiao Mo.”

"..." Mercury: "Can you stop comparing me all the time? Although she is indeed perfect and deserves the title of the jewel of Roman City."

Luo Hao then looked at Fan Xiao and asked, "Brother Fan, your relationship with the Holy Maiden seems to be more than just a simple matter?"

Upon hearing this, the other three also turned their gazes to Fan Xiao, seemingly very concerned about the issue.

Fan Xiao: "..."

Even the usually taciturn Luo Hao asked such a question... Fan Xiao's expression turned serious: "Apart from business dealings, you should not have any further contact with the Holy Maiden. She is very mysterious, and you cannot control her."

"I mean...aren't you being a bit stingy?"

Du Ruo couldn't help but retort, "We just met today, why are you so nervous? You... you don't actually have some kind of relationship with the Holy Maiden, do you?"

"I'm a little envious," Liu Xue said. "You're so lucky! How did you two meet?"

Mercury and Luo Hao also looked over seriously.

Fan Xiao frowned and reminded her, "Aren't you being a little too interested in the Holy Maiden's private affairs?"

Du Ruo said speechlessly, "Why are you still so stingy..."

“It’s not that I’m being stingy!” Fan Xiao said seriously. “You should all calm down and think about it carefully, and reorganize your thinking.”

"Uh……"

Seeing Fan Xiao's attitude, Du Ruo was stunned for a moment and carefully examined herself.

A moment later, he frowned and said, "It seems... we're paying a little too much attention?"

“I think so too,” Liu Xue said, frowning. “Why would I care so much about a woman, even if she’s a beautiful one?”

Mercury also began to examine himself.

Luo Hao remained silent.

Fan Xiao said to them, "I'll say it again: apart from necessary contact, don't have too much contact with the Holy Maiden in the future. She seems to have a... bewitching charm."

"You mean she's interfering with our minds?" Du Ruo asked seriously.

Fan Xiao shook his head: "She didn't interfere with us... or rather, she didn't actively interfere with us, I can guarantee that."

During the previous negotiations, he kept the random entrance to Fairy Tale Town open, overlapping the VIP room and the instance environment.

Yan Keke stood next to him, keeping a close eye on the saintess's every move.

The saint's emotions were positive, and she harbored no ill intentions.

Yan Keke's mental space did not receive any feedback about the attack.

Fan Xiao still trusted Yan Keke quite a bit.

After all, the little girl possessed the highest level of spiritual energy.

Her judgment is infallible.

"Okay, we'll be careful."

Du Ruo nodded, keeping Fan Xiao's reminder in mind.

Chapter 243 The Saintess's Secret

After parting ways with Du Ruo and the other three, Fan Xiao returned to the VIP room.

The saintess remained there, gracefully sipping her tea.

Seeing Fan Xiao return, she put down her teacup and asked, "Have they left?"

"Well, let's go."

"I didn't expect you to be from the 010 division... This division, in theory, should have been involved in the evolution game for a long time, but judging from your performance, you are clearly... well, a bunch of newbies."

The saintess said thoughtfully, "You should not be the first '010 Division'. The previous one may have had its number abolished for some reason, and you inherited this number."

"I've had similar speculations, but it's not important."

Fan Xiao sat back down, picked up his teacup, and said, "Thank you very much for your help this time, Miss Qiu."

"It's just a mutually beneficial arrangement, Xiao."

The saintess revealed a slightly mischievous expression, lightly brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and said, "You've already agreed to go on a date with me, this is your reward."

"I don't see myself as having that kind of value, and I can't understand why a D-level player could be so admired by Miss Shangqiu."

Fan Xiao began to belittle himself in an attempt to get information out of her, saying, "I wonder if Miss Qiu could enlighten me?"

"A person's value is not just their player level. It's not good to underestimate yourself like that, Xiao."

The saintess said gently, "And the reason, didn't I already tell you before? Let me say it again... You're a little naughty."

"Okay, I'll just assume that 'love at first sight' really exists."

Fan Xiao gave up on trying to get information out of her and asked, "When would Miss Qiu like to go on a date? I'd better prepare properly in advance."

"I prefer a natural, spontaneous, and simple date to a carefully planned one."

The saintess smiled gently and said, "There's no need to rush this. Our transaction is only halfway complete, isn't it? Let's wait until the goods are delivered before discussing it further."

"Of course, if you're in a hurry, I can adjust the time and satisfy your burning desire earlier."

"But remember to be gentle, okay? My body has been weak since I was a child."

"I'm in no hurry."

Fan Xiao pretended not to understand the saintess's hint and replied, "Everything is subject to Miss Qiu's schedule."

"How thoughtful of you, Xiao."

"It should."

"Hehe, it's time for me to leave."

The saintess stood up and said to Fan Xiao, "You don't mind seeing me off, do you?"

"of course."

Fan Xiao stood up and walked with the Holy Maiden toward the door of the VIP room.

Sakura followed without saying a word.

At the saint's request, Van Chau did not drive the sightseeing vehicle.

The three of them walked slowly through the courtyard toward the gate of the manor.

"Where is the Countess today?"

The saint's steps were graceful, as if she had undergone special etiquette training, and she looked pleasing to the eye.

“Teacher Tina goes to different places every day and is busy with different things,” Fan Xiao replied. “She’s probably still busy right now.”

Busy reading.

Afterwards, you'll probably be busy sightseeing, enjoying delicious food, and experiencing interesting customs in foreign lands.

Teacher Tina is working so hard—Fan Xiao couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

"Teacher?" the saintess asked, "Your relationship with the Countess is quite peculiar. Are you relatives and teacher at the same time...?"

"These two are not contradictory."

Fan Xiao said, "Compared to distant relatives with weak blood ties, I identify more with the current teacher-student relationship; it is more genuine."

"It seems my intuition was right," the saintess said with a smile. "For a countess of your age to have you respectfully call her 'teacher,' that's quite remarkable..."

"Why is Miss Qiu so concerned about the teacher? I've heard that you've visited Rice Manor many times."

Taking this opportunity, Fan Xiao asked the question that had been bothering him for a long time: "As a newly crowned earl, you have no real power base in Roman City and cannot represent the noble class. If we're talking about connections... you might have some connection with the royal family."

"Those who approach the teacher are simply hoping to get close to the royal family behind him."

"As the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Righteous Church, do you need to cultivate relationships with the royal family?"

This question is a kind of test.

Tina has connections to the royal family.

After all, the title of Earl of Christie was bestowed by the royal family.

Fan Xiao guessed that Tina probably threatened the royal family with the threat of "destroying the country" to get this identity to play with.

Alternatively, she might have acted more discreetly, posing no direct threat but instead offering the royal family certain benefits—perhaps material ones or some secret intelligence—in exchange for the title of Earl, which served as a disguise within Division 001.

In either case, it demonstrates that Tina's relationship with the royal family is very superficial.

However, apart from the two parties involved, no one else knew about this matter.

Therefore, to outsiders, the countess who "parachuted in" must be in complete cahoots with the royal family.

Their relationship was so close that he could casually bestow upon her the title of earl.

By winning over Tina, one could win over the royal family—this was what Van Chau had previously believed to be the saint's goal.

But after several encounters with the saintess, he increasingly felt that this woman was not simple.

Given her status as a saintess, she shouldn't be so concerned about Tina... or rather, so humble towards her.

Unless she recognized Tina's extraordinary nature and wanted to befriend her—better to befriend Tina than the royal family.

“Xiao, you have this question because you don’t understand the current situation in the church.”

The saint sighed softly, "The church has grown into a huge group with power that is both dispersed and concentrated."

"This statement is not contradictory. The term 'dispersion' refers to the complex internal structure of the church, which has many different types of leaders, both large and small."

"Concentration refers to the Pope. When the Pope appears, the Church becomes a one-man show under his control."

"Can the position of a pope really have such a great influence?"

Fan Xiao then expressed his doubts.

How prestigious was the position of the emperor in ancient times?

But an emperor doesn't just sit on the throne and stay there.

If one's abilities are insufficient and one's strength is weak, then those below will be a bunch of rebellious and treacherous officials, and the emperor's words will be less effective than those of his ministers.

Upon hearing Fan Xiao's question, the Holy Maiden did not answer immediately, but instead brought up a seemingly unrelated topic: "In Division 001, there is a famous theory of biological evolution—survival of the fittest, also known as the law of the jungle."

"This theory has been applied to social models by many people and has developed into a school of thought in sociology."

“Social Darwinism,” Vanshaw said, “that’s what we call it where we’re from, or just ‘Social Darwinism’.”

"Sheda...you probably don't believe in God, right?"

The saintess looked at Fan Xiao and said, "The situation of the church cannot be explained by the simple Social model."

“We believe in God, and the Pope holds the highest position under God.”

"Becoming the Pope means controlling the Church. However..."

She smiled and said, "This situation is indeed hard to understand for people without faith."

Tina once said that the god you believe in is a fake, a self-distortion of the true "god" by the first Roman—Fan Xiao thought to himself.