Pope Pilduca II tilted his head, he savored the blonde boy's words thoughtfully, and he admitted that the other party had a good point, because things can indeed be converted between the two opposites of "good" and "bad", and besides, this matter has not yet reached the final showdown, and there is still buffer time in it, so it is completely possible to put it aside and spend more time thinking about it, thinking about the right countermeasures, properly handling this matter, and making it as beneficial as possible to yourself. [Full text reading.]

After calming down, he silently pondered something in his seat, and then said with some sighs: "It's not that God didn't give us a chance, it's just that we were stupid and didn't grasp it." ”

"The prologue to the second chapter of the Revelation of Light," said the blond boy, smiling as he stood beside the Pope, "You have always been full of confidence, why do I feel your depression?"

"I'm still unwilling. The Pope sighed and said with some melancholy: " I have devoted my life to restoring the glory of the Holy See, trying to sprinkle the light of the Staff of the Sun on every land on the continent and reunite thousands of faithful under the glory of the Cross Banner, but since Sedaon I have not only faced resistance from within, but also encountered those external destructions, and this time I can be said to have missed an important link in the Thieves' Guild, but this time, our plan to encourage the believers to go to Bethlehem was stillborn, and the Thieves' Guild once again led to our failure。 ”

He smiled bitterly and said, "I'm wondering, is it because the Lord doesn't give me a chance and refuses to favor me?"

"I don't agree with you," said the blond boy, who sat casually on the steps in front of the Pope's chair, touching his chin and his eyes sparkling, "The reason why we didn't take advantage of those opportunities is only because there are still omissions and flaws in the plan. The result of not being well arranged. ”

The Pope looked a little tired, and he said, "But if it weren't for the accidental raid of the Evil Thieves, this plan would have been successfully implemented," he shook his head, "This is not something I can control." ”

The blonde boy's eyes were strange, and he was full of persistence and excitement to explore the truth, "Attacking Sin City is such a big deal, it is definitely not something that can be done in a short period of time, full preparation, detailed information. Precise planning, proper organization, and proper manpower are all indispensable, and I have never been able to understand who has so much energy to raze Sin City, I think. It's not your luck. Rather, we are fighting against a powerful opponent hidden behind the scenes, and without guarding against him, your failure is also excusable and traceable. ”

The Pope's expression moved, and he said, "Is that him?"

The blonde boy stood up, patted the dust off his robe, and smiled. "I'm not very sure, but I definitely have an inseparable connection with him, well, I want to have a good fight with him." ”

The Pope was silent for a moment, and said, "The old fellow wants to see him." Surely he was trying to pull him into his camp, do you think he'll agree?"

The blonde boy pondered for a moment, then said, "I thought that even if I agreed, I would exchange certain conditions. ”

"Oh, what could it be?" the Pope's face was a little nervous.

The blonde boy smiled, "It's okay, we'll always know, and we can also secretly promise more favorable conditions, if we really can't," he smiled slightly, and said, "Don't we still have that card in our hand?"

"You mean......" The Pope's eyes widened slightly. Then he nodded. sighed: "It's really time to use it." ”

To the east of the holy land of Nasario, there is a remote canyon. It is only half a day's journey from the Holy See, and the perennial fog that has not dispersed has shrouded this place in phantom and mystery.

In the depths of the valley are the caverns carved out of the hard walls, inhabited by clergy who had held high positions in the Holy See, who had abandoned their lives of ease and prosperity in favor of being ascetic ascetics, dedicating their spirits and souls to the gods.

"Canyon of Confession," said Archbishop Andunes, looking up at the rough stone walls and bare cliffs, "one day, I will come here too." ”

Next to him, Luo Lan felt the amazing elemental fluctuations coming from which caves, and his heart was slightly cold, but he didn't expect that the Holy See was still hiding an unknown force here.

"It's right ahead, my lord is waiting for you, and I'm not going to go," Bishop Andunes pointed to the only building in front of him that could be considered a house.

It was a house made of mud, with only a thick layer of hay on it, and it looked extremely rudimentary, and it was in a very dense fog, but it felt extremely dry and hot, as if there was an invisible force that had dried all the water in it.

At the door of the house stood a thin old man, whose face had been left deep by the repeated carvings of the years, dressed in a very cleanly washed linen white robe, his gray hair combed back, and a white wooden staff in his dead tree-like hand, and he stood there with a majestic expression, as if everything around him was prostrate at his feet.

After seeing Luo Lan, he squinted his eyes slightly, swung his cane in his hand, knocked on a broken stone pillar in front of him and said, "Come, sit down." ”

Luo Lan nodded, and then sat down firmly on the stone pillar, although he knew the true identity of this old man, there was no unnatural and cramped reaction.

The old man also sat down, without any roundabout arguments, and he said bluntly: "I came to you because I wanted to negotiate a deal with you. ”

Luo Lan nodded and asked rhetorically, "What about the conditions?"

"Don't worry, you may not know the danger you are facing now," the old man cut him off, and said in a loud voice that contained tension, "what you have done in Bethlehem, we old fellows actually know. ”

"Really?" Luo Lan smiled slightly and said, "I didn't intend to hide it. ”

"Hehe, Lan Dan and I have mentioned you a few times, yes, your luck has always been good, but you must know that it is only because there are not many people who pay attention to you. It's not strong enough, but you have blatantly violated the rules set by the Holy See for thousands of years, which has made you the center of attention," the old man snorted, pointed at him, and said, "Maybe you don't know the danger you are facing, although there are frequent wars in the Central Continent now, but several powerful countries have not participated in the war so far, and the powerful diocese has hardly moved, do you know what they are waiting for?"

Luo Lan's brows furrowed slightly.

The old man looked at Luo Lan. Now they only lack an excuse, and if I give them this excuse, your diocese will not be saved. ”

Luo Lan smiled faintly and said, "Really?"

The old man glanced at Luo Lan and said, "I know that under your management, Bethlehem has a lot of troops and its strength is also strong, but you are also very clear about the strength of several major dioceses. Before you finish digesting the inner power. Can you contend with them? More importantly, the big bait of controlling the free city-states and the passage of inland trade is also worth the risk to your parish, am I right?"

Luo Lan understood the meaning of this sentence very well, most of the prosperity of Beiseleng was caused by land trade routes, so that he could fundamentally curb and control the free city-states, but once a war with the central continent started, not only would the trade routes be blocked. It would also shake the foundation of his faith that was not yet fully secured, and crucially, only one year had passed since his original two-year preparation time, and he needed at least another year, which was clear to anyone with a discerning eye. That's why he's here.

He was trying to buy time.

"I can give you this time!" the old man waved his hand very boldly and said, "I just want to tell you that I know very well what Bethlehem needs and fears, so please also consider the quid pro quo I propose next calmly and rationally to see if it is worth it." ”

The old man didn't wait for Luo Lan to speak, and continued, "You may have felt it. The Council of the Dead has been active lately. That's because their confrontation with the Celestial God Cult in the Western Continent has gained the upper hand, and one of the three elders of the Council, Di Sha Luoman, has returned to the Central Continent. This is a difficult man to deal with, and even the chief monk Maihadi who was sent to deal with him has fallen. ”

Luo Lan showed a slightly surprised expression, Brother Maihadi's strength in the Monks Guild was enough to rank in the top five, and he would actually die in the confrontation with the Council of the Dead?

The old man snorted coldly: "Among the four chief monks of our Holy See, although the position of Midler after his death was filled by you, but the poor performance of Dean Lance and Morgowards in the battle of the dragon slayer disappointed everyone too much, and the death of Mehdi in battle made it even worse, and now, only you can continue the prestige of our Holy See in the Monks' Order." ”

Luo Lan pondered for a moment and said, "You mean that you need me to help the Holy See regain its honor in the Monks and gain a firm foothold?"

"Yes, if you agree, I can give you a year and a half for the diocese of Bethlehem," the old man emphasized domineeringly, "The Holy See has ordered!"

A year and a half? Luo Lan fell into deep thought.

"As for Pilka," the old man smiled coldly, "although he hides a lot of small actions from me, and I can usually pretend that I don't see it, but this time, I won't let him drag you back, he has wasted too many opportunities for me to give him." ”

Luo Lan shook his head and said, "You should know that if this is a full-scale war with the Council of the Dead......

"Don't worry, you don't have to worry about this matter, I will take care of everything for you, you can mobilize all the materials and personnel that the Holy See can use in the monks' meeting, and I have only one condition, kill Shaloman," the old man looked at Luo Lan with sharp eyes and said, "Can you do it?"

Luo Lan did not shy away from meeting the old man's gaze and smiled: "Since it is the guarantee of the previous Pope Sidi, then what else do I have to worry about?"

"Good!" Siddirue stood up, pointed at Luo Lan with his staff, nodded and said, "Young man, by the way, what you did in Bethlehem was something I wanted to do for many years but did not dare to do, but you did, and it is very likely to succeed, I am very pleased. ”

Luo Lan sighed and said, "Actually, you personally approve of my move in Beiseleng, right?"

Siddi'er blinked his eyes slyly and said, "That's not wrong at all, but young man, you have already promised me, and now it's too late to regret it." ”