One day in the spring of 1710, the Imperial Palace of Sylvinia.

"Pope Frandia, His Majesty Palladia Chiaramonti II has arrived!"

The royal officer's staff slammed on the marble floor, and a calm voice echoed every corner of the room.

In order to welcome the religious leader of the continent, the high-ranking officials of the Sylvinian Empire have been waiting here for a long time.

The emperor did not attend the event because of his old age and infirmity, and it was Prince Franz Habsberg who was surrounded by everyone.

Due to the crushing defeat of the Great Prince Rudolph in the New World, he himself was also captured.

Prince Franz had the last laugh, winning the protracted struggle for power.

A week earlier, his father, Maximilian Habsberg, had struggled to sit up from his sickbed and personally conferred the crown prince on Franz.

Due to the long-term weakening of the old emperor's health and serious illness, the affairs of the state were almost entirely entrusted to the crown prince Franz, who was in fact already the monarch of the empire, but the coronation had not yet been held.

Tall, muscular royal salutes pushed open the door, and musicians raised their arms, holding gilded trumpets, played a welcome tune.

The delegation of the Papal States walked slowly into the hall on the red carpet.

Contrary to the stereotypes of the past, the pope in a holy white robe is not an old man with a kind face, but a young man with a strong body.

Originally a member of the Templar Order of the Papal States, Palladia II was not only a staunch in his faith, translated many classical religious texts, but also endured the test of blood and fire to exterminate the pagans in the Papal States in the most brutal way.

He is the youngest pope in hundreds of years and, without a doubt, the most ambitious.

He was not like his uncle, the old Pope, who did not have a bloated body with a big belly, his muscles and muscles were knotted, the veins on the backs of his hands bulged, his blue eyes were bright, and his body exuded an abundance of energy, as if he was about to explode at any moment.

The crown prince stepped forward and shook hands with the Pope, "Thank you for responding to the invitation of our country, Your Majesty, your presence has brought this palace to life, and hundreds of thousands of Church worshippers have taken to the streets of the capital to welcome you, and they are looking forward to your blessing, Your Majesty." ”

"I saw them in the carriage, and I was impressed by the enthusiasm of the believers of your country, and I thank the royal family of your country for their strong support for our Templar Church, and dare to ask your father, His Majesty Emperor Maximian, how is his health?"

"Hey......" Prince Franz sighed exaggeratedly, putting on a sad look: "My father's gout is getting worse and worse, his toes are swollen five times the size of an ordinary person, like a melon, the flesh and blood are cracked, and he will scream in pain at the slightest touch, so he can't come to greet you, please understand." ”

"With all due respect, your father was a great exterminator in his youth, persecuting many priests and priests, and if he had become more religious, and sincerely prayed to the idol for blessings, those painful diseases would have been easily eradicated."

These provocative words made many of the surrounding Sylvinian ministers dissatisfied, and they even spoke disrespectful words to the old emperor, and they glared angrily at the young pope, because they knew that the crown prince and the pope had a good relationship, and no one dared to say anything.

Palladia II observed the other party's expression, Prince Franz smiled and nodded, and did not say anything about it, the pope was obviously very satisfied, and he changed his words: I heard that you plan to build fifteen churches all over the country? ”

"Yes, the faithful don't have enough places for worship and vespers, I certainly don't want them to be exposed to the sun and rain outside, fifteen churches are still far from enough, and when the raw materials for the construction are imported, there will be 10 churches, 12 monasteries, and 7 nuns in the second phase."

"This is all your great achievement, Your Majesty, since you took over the government in full swing, the Templar Church in your country has flourished, and the gods will see this, and I am grateful as God's spokesman."

"Where, thanks to your support, I can sit on the throne of the crown prince, please here, our ministers are waiting to meet you."

After the guests of honor were seated, they exchanged pleasantries in the conference hall, after which Prince Rudolph led the Pope into a smaller conference room for a one-on-one private meeting.

Prince Rudolph closed the heavy wooden door, "The sound insulation here is excellent, and the guards outside are my henchmen, you can speak freely, Your Majesty the Pope." ”

Hearing this, Palladia II removed the shelf of the religious leader and appeared much more relaxed: "I heard that your brother Rudolph has returned? ”

"Haha, you know, my stupid brother rushed to the New World to command the colonial army in order to get military merits, and what happened? It turned out to be a stupid idea! He was completely annihilated by the Valstas, and even himself was captured. ”

"That's bad luck." The Pope laughed.

"Then, Valstad Empress Sarantos demanded 100,000 dinars as a ransom for Rudolph.

My father was very angry at this, thinking that the other party's asking price was too cheap to match the value of the prince of Sylvinia, and he felt that he had lost face, so he sent someone to send the other party a work of art worth 1 million dinars, and took my brother Rudolph back. ”

"Your father is still very good-looking."

"That's not it, he was a good-looking person when he was young, and he gets even worse when he gets old!" Speaking of this, Prince Franz suddenly became quite excited, and involuntarily clenched his fists: "But this time my brother is completely finished, in my country, from the small people in the market to the princes and nobles, everyone is laughing at him, God really has eyes, let him personally experience my original situation!" It's so relieving! ”

Compared with the spittle of the prince, Palladia II was more calm: "Although your brother Rudolph suffered a heavy setback, he is backed by the Knights State, after all, he is the son-in-law of Grand Master Alfred, and even I have to give him face." ”

He stretched up his arms, thought about it carefully, and then said in a sincere tone: "You must not underestimate the enemy, before you really inherit the throne, you must not take it lightly, I will continue to encourage the people in your country to support you, with your father's current physical condition, he should not modify the choice of the crown prince, as long as you don't make stupid mistakes, you can be crowned emperor in peace." ”

"Don't worry, I'll be careful."

Palladia II put down his glass: "Let's talk about other threats, now that you and the Varstas are still at war, I would like to know what you think." ”