There are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests.

This is a phrase often on the lips of some political traffickers and businessmen, and Hathaway often summed it up in his previous life...... 'If you have milk, you are a mother'.

But Hathaway never imagined that she would be part of the political bargain when she said that, and although she had all kinds of reasons to hate, there was only one reason for compromise - she did not have the strength to confront the world's traditions.

Alan. Stephen agreed very happily, beyond Hathaway's imagination...... It was as if he had already prepared for this meeting.

Cecia. Hughes was very cautious about this meeting. Bishop Stephen is also a veteran powerhouse, and she is really worried that the other party will take this opportunity to kill her lordship...... Maybe he won't be able to escape afterwards, but in terms of cost performance, as long as he kills Hathaway, Alain. Even if Stephen died, the benefits would outweigh the disadvantages for the church. What about Stephen's own interests...... It depends on how devotion he is to the church.

It wasn't the first time Hathaway had faced the Bishop, but this time, she could speak to him as an equal...... Thinking about the difficulties she faced when she first came into this world, Hathaway felt like a dream.

"Long time no see, Master Stephen." Hathaway greeted with a smile.

"yes, long time no see."

Alan. Stephen looked at the young and familiar face in front of him, thinking of the girl who had entered Heidelberg for the first time years ago, "I still remember the first time you entered Heidelberg. At that time, many nobles took you as a joke, but this year, most of their families have disappeared, and you have become the controller of Ortiga, and the Bell family can have an outstanding person like you, which is enough to make those noble families look away, I really don't know what they are still tossing in the Southern Will Federation? You know, there is an accurate assessment that your father is just a mediocre man of talent, maybe he is good at finances? But it doesn't change much of the essence. And the only thing he is proud of is having a son like you, but unfortunately he doesn't seem to realize it. ”

Hathaway felt Alain for the first time. Stephen is so aggressive and sharp, this old guy always gives her a fickle feeling, making it difficult for her to find the other party's psychological weakness...... It's not surprising when you think about it. The Bishop himself is a master of psychological warfare. How could she see the flaws?

"I feel the same way. But I don't want to belittle my own father. ”

Hathaway smiled faintly. did not refute the other party's somewhat provocative words: "I also know that no matter what I do, I will not be able to sever my blood ties with the Bell family." But I have to make one thing clear, in these turbulent times, the path they have taken is completely different from the path I have taken. There is no influence on each other. ”

Alan. Stephen raised his eyebrows slightly unnoticed, this lord's comprehension ability was really fast enough, and he felt his meaning almost at the same time as his words came out.

"Very well, Lord Hathaway, do you mean the current Ordgar by the Turbulent Era of Change?"

"Not exactly."

"Oh? I would like to hear about it. ”

"Bishop Stephen, do you think the Moleka Empire, as well as Sri Lanka and the Kingdom of Odin, will be left alone? And what about the Southern Ocean and the middle and upper reaches of the Mandi Nile? ”

Hathaway and Alain. Stephen's gaze met in the air.

"Lord Hathaway, please forgive me for being dull, I haven't paid attention to what you mean."

"Then let's look at it from another angle." Hathaway shrugged, "Do you think I can rule the entire Blue Ocean Continent?" ”

"It's impossible."

Alan. Stephen replied patiently and politely, he didn't want to answer such a ridiculous child's play, he didn't believe that the other party would be arrogant to such an extent, but he believed that the other party had other intentions.

"Why?"

"The diversity of races, cultures, histories, and customs determines that the world will never belong to one person"

"Very good, can the Natural Church cover the entire Blue Ocean Continent?"

Alan. Stephen hesitated for a moment before responding cautiously: "It can be done theoretically, but the complexity and changeability of the actual situation makes this only theoretical, but the Church of Nature can take nature anywhere it can reach, as long as the people need it, the brilliance of the goddess is everywhere." ”

"Hehe, Bishop Stephen, I don't want to argue with you about that. What you are saying is just the wish of the natural church a thousand years ago, in fact, you and I both know that it is impossible and unrealistic, especially in this special period, what do you think of the future of the natural church? Notice that the new doctrine of the natural church is not completely divorced from the natural church, but in fact we all know that it is independent of the natural church, and no one can destroy it. ”

"Lord Hathaway, what do you mean by that?"

"Bishop Stephen, I would like to remind you that this time of turmoil and change has arrived, and that the idea of dominating or controlling the world with a single intention is ridiculous to you and me. But are we all just going to do nothing to face all these changes? No, I thought we could make a difference and make our ideals go hand in hand. ”

"Well, that's interesting, please continue." Alan. Stephen's face was thoughtful.

Some people may not admit it, but the natural church has indeed reached a situation where it is not broken. The rise of Protestants is a testament to this, and if the Church of Nature fails to learn its lessons, I believe that there will be groups like Protestants who will separate from the Church of Nature, and I believe that Bishop Stephen will not think that I am alarmist. ”

"Hmm, Lord Hathaway is thinking about our natural church, is he feeling the pressure of the growing influence of the Protestant believers in Otiga?" Alan. Stephen smiled faintly, not angry.

"A little. But it's not exactly them, naturally the church has declined dramatically, giving opportunities to other religious forces, and retreating too quickly can have many negative effects, and I don't want to see that. Hathaway admitted.

"It's amazing, I remember Lord Hathaway would have been happy to see the Church of Nature weaken, right?" Alan. Stephen raised an eyebrow in feigned surprise.

"Religion is not the same as secular, which is why I don't like the power of religion to be too strong, but faith is free. To rule a country or region, there can only be one voice, but as a ruler. To hear different voices. That's why I advocate for religious freedom, but this 'freedom' must have a degree that goes beyond that line, whether it's for religion. Or secular. will have a strong impact. Balance these two forces. It's my responsibility as the lord of Otiga. ”

"Really? Can I understand that Lord Hathaway intends to renounce his faith for the sake of worldly status? "Alain. Stephen smiled lightly, he didn't believe that anyone would abandon their faith for the sake of shallow worldly power.

"If your Excellency is to understand it this way. I'm not against it either. Hathaway avoided answering directly.

"I need an accurate answer from Lord Hathaway." Alan. Stephen is pressing step by step, this is a matter of principle, and it cannot be avoided.

"Well, Your Lord, can we leave this issue aside for a while? In my opinion, even if the contradictions between us on this issue are irreconcilable, I think there are other aspects where we can find common ground, and even some form of cooperation. ”

"Does Lord Hathaway intend to support the restoration of our Nature Church in Otiga? What should you do about other religions? ”

"This is my business, I don't need to worry about it, I can support the normal status of the Natural Church in Otiga, but in exchange, the Natural Church must no longer take any action hostile to Otiga, I don't think this request is too much."

"Lord Hathaway, is this the balance you want to play?" Alan. A cold light flashed in Stephen's eyes, "Be careful if the shelf falls and hurts you." ”

"Oh, Lord Bishop, I know what kind of game I can afford."

Hathaway smiled faintly, "The world is huge, why do you have to be confined to one corner?" Look further and you'll see that there's a lot of good stuff around. ”

Alan. Stephen couldn't help but laugh dumbly, it was really funny that a young man actually pretended to be a philosopher in front of him to enlighten himself.

"Lord Hathaway, please tell me what you really think, I have a lot of patience, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to waste it on the study of language and vocabulary."

"Lord Bishop, in fact, my thoughts are not so complicated, I just want to get a calm Otiga, that's all."

Hathaway's eyes were very calm, and she looked at Alain calmly. Stephen, "The disappearance of the Church of Nature in Otiga is not in my immediate interest, and I cannot tolerate it being too strong, and I hope that everything is within my control." ”

"The conditions you just put forward are not satisfactory to me, the Kingdom of Odin will soon become your close ally, and our concessions in the Kingdom of Odin are only exchanged for a little meaningless promise from you in Otiga, which is not fair." When it comes to secular matters, Alain. Stephen immediately became even more savvy than a businessman.

"What does the Bishop mean—" Hathaway smiled slightly, her eyes inquiring.

"Nan Dayang, I need your substantial support from Nan Dayang, I believe that the people of that region want to see a glimmer of natural light, and we will not hesitate to spread the glory of the goddess on that barren land......

For Alain. Stephen's way of exchanging benefits for Chiguoguo, but still using high-sounding words to cover up his shame, made Hathaway scoff, but this is the habit of these hypocrites, just adapt to it.

"Oh, Bishop, what can I do for you?" Hathaway originally wanted to give the other party a thumbs up, but she didn't have that cheekiness, so she had to ask bluntly.

"We can start with Bristol, can't we? I think that's fertile ground that we'd all love to see. "Alain. A mysterious and subtle smile flashed across Stephen's face.

Hathaway's eyebrows twitched slightly, this old guy's vision of the city government actually exceeded his expectations, I thought he was a god stick, but I didn't expect that this old guy's ambition was not smaller than his own.

Seeming to be aware of Hathaway's doubts and hesitation, Alain. Stephen smiled: "Lord Hathaway, it seems that I need to remind you that Lord Wei Ning'an is not as conservative as you think, those islands are a primitive virgin land that has yet to be developed in their eyes, and they can see what we can see." And I also thought that a piece of frozen rock might not be able to open with one drill, but if there were two more, then maybe the situation would be different, and it might be a win-win situation. ”

Hathaway had to admit that she was moved by this guy's wonderful words.

Alan. Stephen could see it, and Wei Ning'an could certainly see it, the speed at which the new church's forces were expanding had already worried everyone, and if Nan Dayang allowed his expansion, he might bring more trouble to himself, and he absolutely could not tolerate this phenomenon happening.

It is undeniable that he also has a certain inexplicable peep mentality towards the Southern Ocean, of course, not in the territory, but economic interests can also be grabbed through certain channels.

Look at Alain. With Stephen's back gone, Hathaway fell into deep thought, although for the time being with Alain. Stephen reached an agreement of intent, but that was up to Alain. Stephen went back to coordinate, and as for whether the Natural Church could approve it, it depended on the strength of his coordination.

Hathaway was not sure, but she believed that if the top leaders of the Natural Church were not only fanatical religious promoters, but also wise politicians, they should know that the current Natural Church could no longer withstand the throes of splitting, and the separation of Protestant believers had almost taken away a considerable part of the elite of the Natural Church. They are faithful executors of the doctrine of the faith, and they largely determine the rise and fall of a denomination.

Wei Ning'an has been dormant for decades, and it is this subtle style that has allowed him to grow quietly after the papal retreat, otherwise even if he could survive, he would never have gained such a strong power all at once.

Now the development of the new believers of the Church of Nature has endangered their own status, and those who have achieved great things should be informal, as long as the means are hidden and clever enough, in order to achieve the goal to the greatest extent, Hathaway does not want to openly suppress them for the time being, after all, the early cooperation is quite helpful to both sides, and it is most appropriate to introduce competitors and balance them at the right time, which is good for all aspects. (To be continued.) )