"Sextus, Your Majesty. I am the Archbishop of the Diocese of Epirus sent by His Majesty the Patriarch. In the future, he will manage all religious affairs of Epirus. ”

"Archbishop?" John didn't react for a moment.

One is the diocese of Epirus, which was never mentioned before Arius III. Before John's departure, Gregory III also told John that he must support all the activities of the Orthodox Church in Epirus. Unexpectedly, it has not been half a year, and I have made a new decision.

Second, taking 10,000 steps back, how could a patriarch, who was willing to spend so much of his income and property to establish a new diocese and build a new cathedral, give up the position of archbishop to a young man who did not look to be twenty years old?

John's suspicions were written all over his face.

"O Bishop of the Dioces...... You can't come empty-handed, can you? Sophia was still at the table enjoying her fillet. This dish prepared by Yustina herself made her condemn the craftsmanship of the chef in the palace more than once.

"Your Royal Highness Princess, this is the Diocesan Seal of His Patriarch's Tiara, and a letter from His Majesty Constantine. The diocese of Epirus was approved by the Council of Queens, and even by His Majesty Constantine himself at Hagia Sophia, and the treasury would also finance the construction of the cathedral. Sextus's voice was a little hoarse,"

“…… Epirus taxes are still in the rebuilding period, and we can provide a plot of land in Fort Combrigne large enough to aid in the construction of the cathedral, but we can't do anything financially. ”

The Orthodox Church still has some autonomy today, and the establishment of dioceses is one of them, because of the weakening of the empire and the invasion of the Ottomans, the control of the Church has weakened year by year, but the right to establish dioceses has always existed. The empire is expanding for the first time in a century, and the need for the Church to be faithful to the faith of the people is growing.

The church did not have any interference in the executive power, so establishing a diocese was a win-win deal for John. Religious unity would not only better maintain law and order in the Epirus region, but would also make it more difficult for pagan beliefs to penetrate.

And in the long run, the existence of the diocese of Epirus will have an impact on the faith in Albania, Serbia, and even Hungary. If the prestige of the Orthodox Church is thus on the rise, then Sophia's idea of a "paper crown" is really possible.

"That's enough, Your Majesty John. Thank you for your support of the church. The cathedral will be built on the site of the original monastery of Senturia. We will complete this work as quickly as possible, and before that, the Holy See will be temporarily erected in the old cathedral. Sextus bowed respectfully to John, "Then I won't disturb you and Her Highness the Princess's rest, and if you have anything religious to do, you can come to me in the church." ”

"Good ......"

……

"That's ...... Established a parish? Even if you open a gold mine, you shouldn't spend your money like this, right? Just now, John was a little dazed by the sudden appearance of Sextus, and after reminiscing about it, he realized that it was strange.

Cathedral, this is not a problem that can be solved by a few gold coins, this kind of long-term project often requires long-term financial support, and even a whole gold mine can support it. More luxurious cathedrals also require a large number of gold and silver ornaments, expensive frescoes, marble statues and other huge expenditures, and it is no exaggeration to say that the funds needed to build a cathedral can support the expenditure of at least five phoenix fleets.

"I wondered where my father got all this income. Patronage of the Venetians, taxes from Athens and the Morea, production in Constantinople...... Epirus still has a negative output, feeding the army fleet and the Athens Academy......"

"There's nothing to worry about, isn't it a good thing that the treasury has a balance? The cathedral is also harmless in the long run, anyway, the empire has no plans for large-scale religious reform in the short term, so it is good to go down with the patriarch to get it. ”

Sophia wasn't as sensitive as John. When the state apparatus is activated, it often produces more productivity than ordinary people can imagine, and the empire is likely to have a lot of hidden income.

"We are not Jinqi, it is impossible for the empire's finances to be so clear, don't worry, brother, the Imperial Council is still very trustworthy."

"I hope so......"

"Oh yes, brother, I have one good news and another good news, do you want to hear that first?"

“…… The second. ”

"We may soon have the Ottomans fully armed on the walls of Edirne." Sophia laughed.

"The complete arming of the walls of Edirne?" John was surprised, "I'm afraid this is the most confidential information among the Ottomans, right?" ”

A few days earlier, one of the most important forces of the rebels had been wiped out by him, and Ibrahim, one of the leaders of the rebels, had been beheaded by the commander of the Ottoman Sipahi cavalry. That commander was called Lycaon. ”

"The Ottomans would have been ruthless when they killed their own people...... But what does this have to do with Edirne's arming? ”

"Of course he will be ruthless, this Lycaon is the highest-ranking spy in the Ottoman army planted by the empire." Sophia smiled, "Muhammad made a seemingly correct decision in order to boost the morale of the army. ”

"Huh?"

The young Sultan not only maintained Lykaon's position as the supreme commander of the Sipahi cavalry, but even transferred Lykaon to the Sultan's guard, and was also responsible for the planning of the defense of the inner city of Edir. In the future, perhaps we will be able to see the Ottomans open their gates to welcome the king. ”

Muhammad put a knife in his heart. But......" John said with a little concern, "since Muhammad has given this Lykhaon such a high status, I am afraid that the corresponding benefits will not be less, how can we guarantee the absolute loyalty of this Lykaeon?" ”

"Rest assured, we naturally have our leverage to guarantee Lycaon's absolute loyalty to the Empire. Moreover, the fact that he has been able to get to where he is today has already proven his ability. In the future, when he returns to the empire, he will also be an excellent general. ”

"That's good...... By the way, what about the other piece of good news? ”

"The first batch, three guns in Urban, have already been loaded in the port of Piraeus, two to Constantinople, and another ...... We can give Muhammad a great surprise when necessary! ”