"That sounds alright, but doing it that way, in terms of expenses..."

Park Guk-chang's voice also became much quieter, but he still kept muttering to himself.

"Money, money, money! All you ever think about is money!"

The voice wasn't loud, but it really got Lu Baiyan into a frenzy: "When the Vatican is truly defeated, you and your money can go to your coffin!"

"This is only a tiny part. You think this is enough? Take your pig brain out of your heels and use it! Use it!"

His violent reaction startled everyone, including Qin Yiyan.

Because squinty-eyed people usually have a really good temper. No matter what they think in their hearts, they are almost always smiling. A furrowed brow like that just now is a very rare expression.

As for getting angry, that's another story. After working together for so many years, this is the first time we've ever seen anyone do it, which is why we were so surprised.

However, this also clearly demonstrates just how angry Lu Baiyan is right now.

He was indeed angry. He hadn't even thought about arguing with the two men's sarcastic remarks before, since they were all in the same boat... But now that he was here offering advice, the two men were still just as short-sighted!

There are some things he just doesn't want to say outright, but the truth is that, given the special nature of their work, Templar Knights can make a lot of extra money in addition to their regular salary.

At least half of the eleven Templar Knights would use their positions to earn extra income.

He himself is wealthy and doesn't care much about that little bit of money, but others might not be. This bastard in front of him is the best example.

But it's one thing if you usually do *that*, but why are you still worrying about these things now?

Good heavens, who am I working with?

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Xu Shi was really amazing. Could there be such discordant voices in his team?

If he doesn't have it, that would be incredibly enviable; if he does, it only proves his skill is exceptional, since I'm already on the verge of losing my guard.

"...Alright, alright, Bai Yan, don't be angry."

Qin Yiyan pouted and acted as a peacemaker, "Didn't you just say this was only the first step? What's next?"

It was clear that she was a little uncomfortable with Lu Baiyan flipping the table, but that was fine, he had said everything he wanted to say, so it wouldn't hurt for her to play the good cop.

"What can we do after that? We'll probably have to talk to the royal family again."

Squinting eyes calmed her emotions, but her tone was still not very friendly. "Or you could talk to Xu Shi. He probably doesn't really want to fight us to the death. If that's the case, then of course we can talk."

Everyone was noncommittal about this. If doing these things could really reverse the current decline of the Papacy, they wouldn't be so worried.

Not to mention that this is just a stopgap measure. To be honest, even if it is done, it is already too late. In addition, they cannot provide compensation to the people, so the effect is probably not as optimistic as Lu Baiyan said.

"As long as we can find that point where everyone is at a balance, the situation will naturally not remain deadlocked indefinitely..."

Lu Baiyan continued, but then stopped midway through his sentence.

The others also realized it, because this point was right in front of them.

When Xu Shi came to the Vatican before, although his attitude was very bad, the conditions he gave were very clear - to make Qin Yiyan his maid, and to kill Luo Yu.

It's quite obvious that the latter is the result he wants, and the former is just a side effect.

This condition sounds acceptable—sacrificing one person for the benefit of the entire Papacy… But if they actually did this, regardless of whether it would be effective, the Papacy's status would undoubtedly plummet.

Killing one's own people, especially those of high status like the Templars, would be a huge disgrace if word got out.

If they happen to take money and do nothing again, then they'll become complete clowns.

So, no matter what, they couldn't possibly do such a thing... It's a good thing Luo Yu isn't here today, otherwise it would be awkward for quite a while now.

But this seems to create a vicious cycle; without addressing the root cause, there's no hope of reaching a real agreement.

All I can say is that Xu Shi is really petty... Of course, dealing with petty people is even more of a headache.

Thinking of this, everyone couldn't help but feel helpless. Qin Yiyan sighed and looked at the statue behind them, "Your Highness, what do you think? Do you think Bai Yan's suggestion is acceptable?"

The question still needs to be asked, because the Knights Templar's position is very delicate—they are a department jointly appointed by the royal family and the Papacy. Regardless of whether they are aligned with the monarchy or not, they have had a hard time obtaining decision-making power over the years, and it's the same for both sides.

Ultimately, the decision rests with the saint and the pope.

Her Highness seemed not to hear, and continued to pray devoutly before the statue.

"His suggestion is fine, I agree."

But what was remarkable was that the Pope slowly stepped out from behind the scenes and said, "You must take care of the relief station immediately. The treatment should be better than that of the royal family. We have already fallen behind, and we cannot fail to do better."

"His Holiness the Pope."

Everyone hurriedly knelt on one knee and bowed to him. In fact, they had rarely seen him in person in recent years. It was rare to see him even once before the last expedition against the sea god.

And he has indeed aged—Qin Yiyan is the most qualified to speak on this point. He grew up in the Papacy, where the Pope was a capable middle-aged man, but now he is somewhat thin and even withered, constantly exuding an aura of old age.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!