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

"That's right. Kill those guys and the matter will be over!"

This time it was Ji Bochang's turn to agree with him, "Their leader Xu Shi is just a smart guy, he's no match for anyone if a fight breaks out...why don't I go?"

"As for the remaining people...if all of us Templars go out, will we still be afraid of them?"

"That's not the problem, okay?"

Lu Baiyan held his forehead helplessly, worrying about the IQ of these two funny guys, "The problem is that the royal family has chosen them now, and our status in the hearts of the people has been declining."

In his opinion, Xu Shi's success was due to the right time, right place and right people. Not only did he have more advanced technology, but more importantly, he seized the opportunity.

After returning from the expedition against Poseidon, there were actually some voices saying that "the Holy See was taking credit for the success". In addition, they were also involved in the Poseidon Stone incident later on. With all these combined punches, it would be a lie to say that they were not affected.

Ultimately, there must be some problems with the previous handling methods. Otherwise, with so many years of operation by the Holy See, how could the people switch to the opposite side so quickly... He couldn't help but think so with his narrow eyes, but of course he would not say this out loud, otherwise he would be attacked by everyone again.

He would never have the bad luck of doing this.

Moreover, he knew very well in his heart that it was Xu Shi who was behind all these things, and who put them in this embarrassing position step by step.

But there is no point in worrying about this now. If there was no response before, what can I do now?

As for the royal family, they obviously also smelled this sensitive atmosphere, so they decided to burn their boats, changed their previous attitude, and directly hooked up with Xu Shi, joining hands to suppress them.

This is a fundamental change - in the past, the royal family turned a blind eye to some extraordinary behaviors of the Vatican, such as cracking down on illegal gatherings, and let them do it, but now they are taking the lead. In this case, let alone whether Xu Shi can be eliminated, even if he is really eliminated, who can guarantee that the royal family will not follow suit?

Anyway, the routine is already here. In comparison, the royal family is the crux. What's the point of them doing this? To put it bluntly, it would probably be useful to solve Dongfang Xiao or directly overthrow the royal family.

But how could this be an easy task? Not to mention the heavyweight Cheng Gujian in front of them, the royal family itself was also very strong. If it really came to that, I'm afraid there would be bloodshed...

Thinking of this, Lu Baiyan felt more and more bitter. From his own point of view, he really wanted to have an in-depth discussion with Xu Shi. After all, until now, he was still very interested in the new things that the other party brought.

But he happened to be a member of the Vatican, and the feeling of being caught in the middle was really uncomfortable.

In a trance, Xu Shi's words rang in his ears again.

"Since you are so interested in our city-state, why not come to my side...you can also be one of them."

Make a change...?

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 272 Is this the gift you gave me? ! (Angry)

2023-09-23

To be honest, Lu Baiyan felt that he was a man with a firm stance. When facing Xu Shi's recruitment, he also said, "I am a Knight Templar first, and an ordinary person who is interested in your city-state secondly."

But he didn't know why, when he saw the current situation, he really couldn't control his mind and some very dangerous thoughts popped up.

Maybe it's because the influence of these outsiders is growing? The gap with the Holy See is also gradually widening - Squinting Eyes actually considers a wide range of things. At least in the current situation, we really can't continue to be arrogant just because the Holy See has a deep foundation.

His disappointment with his colleagues around him was genuine. Just listening to those speeches made him feel a little overwhelmed... Of course, not all of the eleven Knights Templar were as stupid as Ji Bochang and Pu Guochang, but it was a pity that they did not come to this meeting, but were carrying out missions throughout the empire.

As for Qin Yiyan, the nominal leader, in Lu Baiyan's opinion, she is a good person and her martial arts skills are impeccable. Apart from the Pope, she is the most powerful person in the Holy See...but her shortcomings are also obvious. She is not good at planning.

Therefore, in this situation, there was nothing she could do except shouting for quiet down to calm the situation. She still had to live in Bengbu.

"Bai Yan, your analysis does make sense."

When he was still living in Bengbu, the red-haired elder sister asked, "Analysis alone is not enough. Do you have any solution? Or even suggestions will do."

"There are still ways."

Lu Baiyan glanced at the other two funny guys, thought about it and spoke, "Now that Xu Shi's party has won the hearts of the people, what we have to do is naturally to take it back first."

"As for how to take it, it's not difficult... The Church already has a tradition of giving alms, but the amount is far behind that of the Cat Church. So we have to make up for it or even exceed the treatment they give. This is the most basic thing."

Qin Yiyan nodded. Not to mention comparing with others, the level of the Vatican's relief station has been visibly declining in recent years.

She vaguely remembered that when she was a nun as a child, the relief station was open only every three days, and the supplies distributed were milk and white bread, and sometimes even meat and vegetables.

Now there is only porridge and black bread, and the interval has been changed to once a week... As for what changes have taken place inside, it is difficult to say.

In the past, people had no choice, and poorer families certainly wouldn't be picky. But now there's the Holy Flame Cat Cult, and all kinds of supplies are sent out every day for free. In this case, who would come to the Vatican's relief station?

This is probably the reason why it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality. Now it really becomes a question of why eat bread when you can have cake...

And this happens to be the most effective means to rally the hearts of the people. The Holy See may not need to compensate the people for the loss of Poseidon Stones like the royal family and Xu Shi did, but this is originally a time-limited matter. It is impossible to give out money every day for ten years, right?

But giving alms is acceptable, as long as both parties maintain the same level, it will never go wrong.

"Secondly, we have to start from the perspective of the senior members of the royal family."

Lu Baiyan continued, "No matter what, after so many years, it's impossible for everyone to abandon us overnight. Most people are still hesitant."

"So we can try to make some moves on the princes and nobles, especially those who have believed in the Holy See for generations... We don't ask them to stand up and help us, but at least we won't let the royal family become united. If we can achieve this, it will be a good result."

I have to say that the squinting eyes were very sharp, and he pointed out the flaws in Xu Shi's plan very accurately.

The Holy Flame Cat Cult was able to spread so quickly because it took a grassroots approach, but the effect might not be so good in upper-level circles.

On the one hand, the upper echelons of the empire were not greatly affected by the Poseidon Stone transaction. Apart from the few special cases mentioned before, who really invested all their fortunes in the Poseidon Stone transaction, most people would not lose even their pants. Even if they had to compensate these people, it would certainly not be through the Holy Fire Cat Cult. The royal family naturally had other ways of dealing with it.

Secondly, as he said, the relationship between these people, or many families, and the Holy See is complicated.

The best example is his own Lu family, a hereditary marquisate. Although there is a Grand Duke Cheng Gujian to keep the family in check, the power of the family should not be underestimated. As for its inclination, it is definitely towards the Holy See, otherwise he would not have become this year's Knight Templar.

Deep-rooted ideas passed down from generation to generation will not disappear so quickly, so these people are the best targets to win over. Even if the royal family takes the lead in establishing the Holy Flame Cat Religion as the state religion, everyone may have to follow suit, but what everyone thinks in their hearts is not so absolute.

Just as when Dongfang Xiao read out the imperial edict, there were many voices of opposition in the court. Although they can no longer be heard now, it does not mean that the ministers have really changed their minds 100%. The biggest reason is that they do not want to be the first to stand out, or they are afraid of Cheng Gujian.

Winning them over is also a way of preparing for possible bad situations in the future.

However, this is something that the Holy Fire Cat Cult cannot do, for no other reason than that they have only appeared for too short a time.

Although the Holy See should not continue to be arrogant by relying on its profound foundation, it is undeniable that this is indeed one of their advantages.

"Makes sense."

Qin Yiyan agreed with this very much and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He finally heard some reliable opinions.

She has always been optimistic about Lu Baiyan. The fact is that before Xu Shi appeared, he was the one giving advice on many matters in the Holy See. It is no exaggeration to call him a think tank.

"That sounds good, but if we do that, the expenses will be..."

Park Guk-chang's voice also became much softer, but he still kept muttering.

"Money, money, money. All you care about is money!"

The voice was not loud, but it made Lu Baiyan explode. "When the Holy See is really brought down, you and your money will be buried together!"

"This is just a small part. Do you think that's all you need? Take your pig brain out of your heels and use it! Use it!"

His drastic reaction shocked everyone, even Qin Yiyan was no exception.

Because Mimiyan usually has a really good temper, no matter what he thinks, he basically always has a smile on his face. Frowning like he did just now is a very rare expression.

As for getting angry, let alone, after working together for so many years, this is the first time we have seen it, so we are so surprised.

But this also clearly illustrates how angry Lu Baiyan is now.

He was indeed angry now. He had not originally thought of fussing over the two ■■'s previous sarcasm. After all, they were all in the same boat... But now that he was giving advice here, these two ■■ were still as short-sighted as before!

There were some things he just didn't want to say openly. The fact was that given the special nature of this job, the Templars could make a lot of money besides their normal salary.

Among the eleven Knights Templar, at least half of them would use their positions to earn some extra income.

He has a wealthy family and a big business, so he doesn't care much about that little bit of money, but others may not be the same. The bastard in front of him is the best example.

But it's okay for you to do that normally, but why are you still worrying about this now?

Oh my god, who the hell am I working with?

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Xu Shi was truly amazing. Could there be such discordant voices in his team?

If not, that would be really enviable. If so, it would just show that his methods were very clever. After all, his defense was about to break through.

"...Okay, okay, Bai Yan, don't be angry."

Qin Yiyan curled his lips and acted as a peacemaker, "Didn't you just say that this is just the first step, what happens after that?"

It can be seen that she was a little uncomfortable with Lu Baiyan flipping the table, but it was just right that he had said everything he wanted to say, so it would be nice for her to play the good cop.

"What else can we do next? We will probably have to talk to the royal family again."

Mimi calmed down her emotions, but her tone was still unpleasant. "Or maybe we can talk to Xu Shi. He probably doesn't really want to fight us to the death when he does these things. If that's the case, then we can certainly talk."

Everyone remained noncommittal about this. If just doing these things could really eliminate the current decline of the Holy See, they wouldn't have to be so gloomy.

Not to mention that this is just a means of mending the stable door after the horse has bolted. To be honest, even if it was done, it would have already fallen behind. In addition, they cannot provide compensation to the people, so the effect may not be as optimistic as Lu Baiyan said.

"As long as we can find the node that balances everyone, the situation will naturally not remain deadlocked..."

Lu Baiyan continued, but got stuck halfway through his speech.

Others also reacted because this node was right in front of them.

When Xu Shi came to the Vatican before, although his attitude was very bad, the conditions he gave were very clear - let Qin Yiyan be his maid, and kill Luo Yu.

It is obvious that the latter is the result he wants, and the former is just a by-product.

This condition actually sounds good, sacrificing you for the benefit of the entire Vatican... But if they really do this, regardless of whether it will work, the status of the Vatican will definitely plummet.

If he killed his own people, especially those of high status like the Knights Templar, he would lose all face if the news got out.

If Xu Shi comes along and just takes the money but doesn't do anything, they will become complete clowns.

So, no matter what, they couldn't possibly do such a thing... Fortunately, Luo Yu wasn't here today, otherwise it would be awkward for a while.

But this seems to have led to a vicious circle. If the root problem is not solved, don't expect to reach a real agreement.

I can only say that Xu Shi is really petty... Of course, dealing with petty people is even more troublesome.

Thinking of this, everyone was helpless. Qin Yiyan sighed and looked at the statue behind him. "Your Highness, what do you think? Do you think Bai Yan's suggestion is okay?"

The question has to be asked, because the status of the Knights Templar is very delicate - they are a department jointly appointed by the royal family and the Holy See, and no matter whether they are crooked or not, it has been difficult for them to obtain the right to make decisions over the years, and this is the same for both sides.

The final decision will be made by the Saint and the Pope.

Her Highness the Saint seemed not to have heard and continued to pray devoutly before the statue.

"There's nothing wrong with his suggestion, I agree with it."

But what was rare was that the Pope slowly walked out from behind the scenes and said, "You should immediately take care of the relief station. The treatment should be higher than that of the royal family. We have fallen behind others. We must do better."

"His Holiness the Pope."

Everyone quickly knelt on one knee and saluted him. In fact, they rarely saw him in person in recent years. It was a rare sight to see him before the last expedition against the God of the Sea.

And he is indeed old - Qin Yiyan is the most qualified person to speak on this point. He grew up in the Vatican, and the Pope at that time was a capable middle-aged man. But now he is thin and even haggard, and he exudes the air of old age.

It’s hard to imagine that he and Cheng Gujian are of the same age... But this also proves one point very well, no matter how powerful the "Chosen One" is, they can't seem to escape the invasion of time.

"Get up."

The Pope nodded slightly, but his tone was a little stern, "As for talking to them...you should handle this matter in a proper manner. After all, this is not the only way we can go."

"You can't be afraid to act out of fear, understand?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone's eyes widened immediately - who couldn't understand the subtext? This was clearly saying that if things really became irreconcilable, he would agree to resort to force...

Of course, it is not wrong to say that it was a warning. The first words were a warning to Ji Pu and the other knights, while the second words were said to Lu Baiyan, implying that his approach was too soft.

"Yes."

Everyone responded in unison.

……

"The Holy See has finally taken action?"

Inside the mansion, Xu Shi was lying on a recliner in the yard, looking at the information handed to him and chuckled.

The intelligence was naturally given to him by Cheng Gujian - he didn't have to worry about anything in this regard. After so many years of open and covert fighting, it would be impossible for the two sides not to have spies on each other.

But he didn't care. Everything his buddies did was open, so what could they find out?

But it is still worth keeping track of the opponent's movements. Knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in every battle.

"What about you? What are your plans?"

Xia Ke'an appeared from behind him, put his head on his shoulder and asked.

"So you don't even call me daddy now?"

Xu Shi's expression was quite exaggerated, as if he had grown up with a daughter who was no longer close to him.