"So you never even considered cooperating with the Vatican, right?"

Stepping out of the Vatican's gates, Xie Qingyan was both amused and exasperated.

If she still can't see that this bad man is just playing with people, then she's wasted all these years... Anyway, I know you won't dare to touch a hair on my head, so what can you do if I shit and piss on your heads?

Let's ride it!

Of course, even in the best of times, one shouldn't be reckless. If Xu Shi really said something like, "Let your saintess be my velvet ball," you'd see if they could withstand the pressure and just beat you up... The Vatican reacted quite strongly to even asking for a name, let alone such a request that would be considered extremely disrespectful to them.

But if it were killing Luo Yu or making Qin Yiyan a maid, it wouldn't seem so excessive—mainly because of Xu Shi's character; if he were to say it, no one would really think there's anything wrong with it.

As for the outcome, Xu Shi and his party naturally left the Papacy in a very unhurried manner.

"uh-huh."

When asked about his fiancée, Xu Shi remained noncommittal, but in a good mood, he grabbed Pan Ling, who was hiding behind him, and said, "Don't be a ghost. I'm going to give you a pop quiz."

"Um?"

"If they really agree to my request, what should we do next?"

"Ah, this..."

The foolish apprentice was lost in thought, but he reacted quickly upon hearing this.

"If the Vatican would actually grant such an outrageous request just because of a stranger like Master, it would only prove that they are unscrupulous in their methods."

Xiaoling frowned and analyzed, "There's no benefit in cooperating with someone like that. If they can betray even their own people, what chance do they have over business partners?"

"continue."

Xu Shi's face lit up with joy. He hadn't paid much attention to her lately, but it was obvious that her skill level had improved a lot. It seemed that his silly apprentice had learned a lot and grown a lot from the Sea God Stone incident.

"But since the other party has already made that gesture, if we reject it on the spot, we will only be the ones who suffer."

Pan Ling nodded and continued, "If it were me, I would choose to temporarily reach a cooperation agreement, release some benefits within my control, and then choose an opportune moment to strike and break away."

"So this is the apprentice you taught."

Xie Qingyan grumbled, "The more I look at you, the more I feel like you're all cut from the same mold..."

Indeed, it seems that Xu Shi himself only feels gratified, but for her, it's more shocking—to be honest, if it were that dog woman herself, she would probably give a similar answer.

But don't forget, it's only been a few months since Pan Ling became Xu Shi's apprentice.

This is a remarkable achievement, considering the relatively short timeframe involved, given the significant progress or change it has made.

Thinking back to when we first met, she was like an innocent little flower, but now you've completely turned her into a cunning and ruthless person...

Well done, Mr. Xu. (Read in a monotone tone)

"Thank you for the compliment, Master's wife."

The silly apprentice accepted the criticism without changing her expression, and it was clear that she was quite satisfied with it.

So, this is probably what the saying "one who is near ink gets stained black" means, right?

"It would be better if you exaggerated your tone a bit more."

Xu Shi laughed, flicked his fingers together, and playfully tapped his apprentice's forehead, "Your Master Xie is not one to give compliments, so don't dampen her enthusiasm."

"...Stop fooling around, Master."

Pan Ling rubbed her forehead, her tone tinged with grievance, "I have another question I'd like to ask you."

Some silly kids finally realized, belatedly, that their master's childlike side was far stronger than they had imagined. How come they can never see him being serious? And could you please stop flicking his forehead? It'll make him stupid…

"Ask away."

"What I want to ask is, Master, what is your own attitude towards cooperating with the Vatican?"

Xiaoling said seriously, "Because in my opinion, in any case, reaching a cooperation agreement with both the Papacy and the Royal Family at the same time is a better option."

Why would you think that?

Xu Shi raised an eyebrow and asked with interest.

"Because this maximizes our interests, doesn't it?"

Pan Ling explained, "Simultaneously reaching cooperation with both the Vatican and the Royal Family means that we can better check and balance these two parties in the future."

"For example, differences in attitude and treatment, such as appropriately ignoring one party, will force them to lower their standards if they want to keep up, and we can gain more benefits from this, right?"

"On the contrary, if we only choose one side, there will be no competition between partners... It might even lead to the party that failed to cooperate completely breaking ties with us. Would that be a good thing for us?"

“But Master, you didn’t do that… Are you worried that the Vatican is just being hypocritical? But since they have already lowered their stance, it actually means that they are willing to make concessions, so there shouldn’t be any more concerns about that.”

This is what she finds most strange. Now is clearly the best time, but Xu Shi has made the wrong choice. In fact, she thinks it is the worst choice.

Was it something that wasn't considered? Pan Ling didn't think so. How could her master be completely unaware of something she could figure out herself?

In her view, the only possible explanation is that, just as Xu Shi said, he was so petty that he would rather give up benefits for a moment's pleasure... but this is completely different from his master's personality.

Even though she had the shortest contact with Xu Shi, she could clearly sense that Xu Shi was not someone whose choices were swayed by personal feelings. Even if he really intended to sabotage the Vatican, he wouldn't do something like this... His so-called lack of seriousness was just a protective facade. Anyone who actually believed that was a fool.

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