It's the cyber age now, and you're still playing traditional villains?

"Hello."

Xu Shi had seen this man before. He was the skinny knight who fought against the God of the Sea. If I remembered correctly, his ability was related to ice?

This person lives up to his name, but I still need to complain about it. After all, you are not a pretty girl, and it would be inappropriate to have ice-related abilities, you know?

As for the others, there was nothing special about them, and it seemed that not all the Knights Templar were here. There were a total of eleven knights, but it seemed that only a little over half of them were present.

There are also two old acquaintances, one is Qin Yiyan, who had long been labeled by Xu Shi as a big fool and no brains, and the other is of course the cute little Luo Yu.

But he also noticed that there was an unusually powerful energy fluctuation in the hall.

Following the direction I looked, I saw a half-open door. Upon closer inspection, I saw a shadowy figure behind it.

This should be the supreme leader of the Holy See, the old Pope, whom Cheng Gujian mentioned?

Well, you leaked it behind the scenes too... But that's not what he needs to be concerned about.

Such a secretive situation still requires some straightforward words to get straight to the point.

"I wonder why you all came to me here?"

"Of course it's to negotiate terms, Mr. Xu."

He didn't expect that the answer from the Saint Lady on the stage would be even more straightforward.

"I wonder what price you need to cooperate with our Holy See?"

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 263 Come on, come on, kill me with a knife

2023-09-13

Compared to the royal family who had to say a few polite words, the Vatican's attitude towards Xu Shi was obviously more straightforward and rude. They wanted cooperation and poaching, otherwise why would they come to you?

But I can't say that I haven't said a single polite word. Does the casual chat with Lu Baiyan on the way here count?

When you think about it this way, regardless of his personal inclinations, he is a very capable person.

Besides, the Vatican actually gives people the feeling that they are a bit anxious, otherwise they would not have blocked the palace gate to invite people. It seems that they are not just being aggressive, but more like they are desperate and trying all kinds of methods... If you are slow, you will have slower steps one by one. If you don't hurry up, it will be too late.

"In that case, how about starting with introducing yourself?"

Xu Shi understood, but still said slowly, "I now know the names of the knights. Each of them is very distinctive... What about Her Highness the Saint?"

I have to say it, it's been so long and he doesn't even know the other person's name. How can he still say he is sincere?

If you fail, try again!

But as soon as he said this, he found that everyone in the Holy See suddenly looked at him, with strange expressions in their eyes.

The atmosphere suddenly became a little anxious, and others around Xu Shi also became nervous.

Shen Qin and Ye Shanshan, who were in charge of the protection, instantly entered a fighting stance.

Ok?

Xu Shi was a little surprised when he saw this. What was going on?

"Mr. Xu doesn't know."

In the end, it was Lu Baiyan who spoke first, "Her Royal Highness is Her Royal Highness, there is no other name."

"..."

Xu Shi was speechless. This was not a big problem. Why make such a fuss?

This seems to be the usual practice of religious institutions. For example, for nominal leaders such as saints and popes, the names are really not important. They just need to have the title. For example, the saint in front of us is definitely not the first generation, but the previous generation must have been just a "saint", without any other fancy things.

People won't delve into this question, and if you really ask, they might think it's disrespectful. Maybe he might be the first person to ask this question in a long time.

In addition, he was a sinister person to begin with, so it was understandable that an unintentional question would cause such a mess.

But some people are not aware of this and would add, "Oh, that sounds quite pitiful."

If the situation was tense just now, these words completely ignited the powder keg.

"rude!"

The stupid girl with wavy red hair glared over fiercely, "Outlander, watch your words!"

Qin Yiyan had a straightforward personality to begin with. He was not very happy when he heard his questions just now. Now with this sentence, if he didn't remember why he invited Xu Shi here, he might have drawn the sword from his back.

"what are you up to?"

Shen Qin's reaction was even more intense than hers. She even grasped the dagger at her waist in her hand, as if she was just waiting for her brother's order to make a river of blood flow here.

She doesn't care what the attitude of the people in the Vatican is. Even if her brother says you are trash, garbage and scum, you have to listen obediently!

Lu Baiyan on the side didn't dare to say anything at all. "Brother, what are you doing?"

I was able to help you explain it just now, but now I can’t even speak for you. If he says it out loud, he should be labeled as a crooked butt...

"Okay, Knight Commander Qin, put away your sword."

But surprisingly, the saint who was being talked about was as calm as ever. "Mr. Xu is new here, so it's normal that he is not familiar with the rules of the Holy See. I think this is unintentional, right?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty the Saint, for understanding. It's my fault, it's my fault. I want to apologize to you."

Xu Shi waved his hands innocently and said, “In my opinion, you are very pitiful.”

Anyway, in his opinion, "no name but only a title" is not a good thing. It is easy to think of those cyborgs in Night Sin City who only have numbers... For example, the little stand-in Lin Xing that he used before, wasn't it like this before?

I almost forgot her number... 1557 or 2800?

Or maybe it was 3-0APWL... well, that's getting off topic.

He also hurriedly stopped his good sister beside him, "Don't be so startled. How can you use weapons in such a holy place?"

That's right. Even if I reshaped her soul, I didn't mean to take away her previous name and replace it with a number, right?

You are so inhumane! (Shock)

But having said that, Xu Shi only told her to stop verbally. Instead, he quietly pressed down Xie Qingyan's hand on the other side, signaling her to be more careful.

Anyway, he felt that the energy in the other person's body tended to overflow... Be careful, lady, the fox's tail, oh no, the tentacles are about to be exposed.

In fact, the dog woman's current combat power cannot be ignored. The combination of "copy" and "invalidation aura" will never be bad as long as it is used properly. As long as she can learn to digest and use the copied abilities in a short period of time, she can easily cause a devastating blow to the opponent without even having to master it.

But it can be seen that her current mood is indeed unstable. She was not so impulsive before...

Xie Qingyan slapped his hand angrily, wasn't it you who stabbed him?Are you here to pretend to be a guest now?

The impulse did not affect her thinking. She had already seen that Xu Shi did it purely on purpose.

When someone comes to talk to you about something, it can be seen that they are sincere in telling the truth, but you are here to talk about it by using their name?

If this doesn't mess with people's mentality, then nothing can.

But these are actually some little tricks in the so-called negotiation. When the other party is a little anxious, it is not a bad thing to nudge them to continue in a similar state. The party that is not calm is destined to make more mistakes, not to mention that the initiative is in their hands.

But even if we know, what can we do? We still have to find a way to ensure his safety... Who made this weak and helpless man always like to dance on the edge of a knife, really not considering that the other side will jump over the wall when it is desperate?

Alas, this guy is a real worry. (Sigh)

"It doesn't matter, let's continue to negotiate the terms."

The saintly lady blinked, folded her hands under her navel and continued.

"That depends on how you want to cooperate."

Xu Shi put away the mischievous look on his face, cleared his throat and said seriously, "Different requests naturally require different prices."

"Our requests are not complicated."

The Saint responded, "I know that you were on good terms with the royal family before, and you will definitely provide assistance to the main city's economy this time... Our situations are somewhat similar, so I don't ask for the same treatment from you, but I also hope that you can lend a helping hand."

"Secondly, your arrival has brought a lot of new technologies and equipment. We also hope to cooperate in this area, communicate with each other, and learn from each other."

"that's it?"

"that's it."

The saint nodded slightly, and light seemed to be emanating from her body.

Xu Shi blinked. These requirements can actually be summed up in four words.

Treat equally.

It can be seen that the Vatican's attempt to win him over is not to be discussed for the time being, but to what extent it is out of respect for him as a person, or the value he brings, but there must be a prerequisite.

That is not to fall behind the royal family.

This is also in line with their usual thinking. Even if the chips in Xu Shi's hand are worthless to the Hualan Empire, they must have what the royal family has - to put it bluntly, even the increase or decrease of a believer may make them nervous, let alone Xu Shi, who is an uncertain number full of unknowns.

As for how the other party had previously disrupted the empire's economic market... this is no longer a question that needs to be discussed, or argued about right and wrong. Things have already happened, and no amount of talking will help.

All in all, for the Holy See, which has always maintained an arrogant attitude, its current stance can be considered very humble, and the demands it puts forward are not excessive.

and so.

"These requirements are indeed not difficult. If I ask for too high a price, it would seem like I'm taking advantage of someone else's misfortune."

Xu Shi thought about it seriously, and then gave a serious reply, "If that's the case, I only have two small conditions."

"Mr. Xu, please speak."

His attitude surprised everyone. They originally thought that since you are now deeply cooperating with the royal family, you have to take advantage of them... Are you so easy to talk to?

But before they could be happy, the conditions offered by Xu Shi dumbfounded them.

"First, I am currently lacking a strong guard."

Xu Shi looked around and then extended a finger. "So, during our cooperation, I hope to borrow Knight Commander Qin Yiyan to serve as my personal maid."

!

"What did you say?!"

The silly red-haired girl's eyes widened when she heard that, and her collarbone rose and fell in anger.

What the hell kind of request is this?

Not to mention her status as the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, even if she was just an ordinary nun with nothing, given the image she presented in front of everyone, she would never agree to such conditions!

In particular, her impression of Xu Shi was definitely not good - if Lu Baiyan was a friendly person, then she should be considered a conservative. Putting aside any previous disagreements between Xu Shi and Luo Yu, she herself had a psychological aversion to outsiders.

Not to mention that she knew that she had conflicts with Xu Shi before, so this was purely revenge, okay? !

She had previously thought that the Vatican's actions were not very good, but that was directed at its own people. Her attitude toward Xu Shi remained the same as before.

"Well, as you probably know, I have a big problem with a certain gentleman present here."

Xu Shicai ignored her anger and continued talking leisurely.

"Cut off his head and let me kick it like a ball. If you can agree to this, not only will Night Sin City be equal to the Vatican Royal Family, but we will be the best partners from now on."

"Xu Shi, you bastard!"

Little Luo Yu, who had said nothing from beginning to end, also lost control of himself when he heard these words. He instantly became furious and was ready to fight him to the death.

"Your Highness, please do not listen to his nonsense!"

To be honest, he has been enduring it since Xu Shi came in... God knows how uncomfortable he felt after hearing that Xu Shi was not dead. How lucky is this person to survive being eaten by the Poseidon?

Not to mention that after that, everyone in the Holy See began to pay more and more attention to him. Even the Affinity faction often used him to make an issue. The standard saying is "If you were not so impulsive at the time, how could we be so passive?"

This is not only an accusation, but also a threat to his current status - he, Luo Yu, is not at the bottom of the Knights Templar. Due to age and seniority issues, those who were suppressed by him are naturally dissatisfied with him. Of course, when you find an opportunity, you have to hit it hard.

Of course, it doesn't mean that no one speaks for him, such as Qin Yiyan and several other good Templars... But no matter what, he is pushed to the forefront. Who can bear it every day?

He can't do it anyway.

It was difficult for him to make any rebuttal, so he could only let everyone make the decision and ask them to come and discuss it later.

Now the other party is humiliating him so obviously... He deserves to die!

Also, there is another concern behind his big reaction, which is that he is really worried that he will be used as a bargaining chip.

Because his position in the sequence is not good, he is stuck here, unable to move up or down... If it were Qin Yiyan, most people would speak up for her, but if it were him, Luo Yu, the same might not be true.

There may be many people who hope he will die. For the sake of the Holy See, what's the harm in making a sacrifice?

"Yiyan, Luo Yu, calm down."

Fortunately, the saint also spoke at this time, and her tone was a bit colder, "Mr. Xu, your request... seems not simple, and it is not very acceptable to us."