Retracting his tyrannical right hand, Todd's face was more serious than ever before.
The mastermind behind the slave trade, colluding with the church, is actually His Highness the Prince of Holy Guard City? And this person is also the liberal leader whom the Kingdom of Muxi is fully supporting?!
Crouching down, looking at the unconscious church deacon on the ground, Todd ripped the silver cross from his neck and stuffed it into his pocket.
"Keep an eye on him, don't let him die, he's still useful to me." Todd pushed open the door, walked into the passageway of the cabin, opened his soul space, and began to summon the officials of Twilight City.
Cumberland, Emerson, Terence, Joe... a group of people appeared in the research institute's conference room, but a problem arose when they tried to summon Mary and Dion.
No matter how much Todd tried to unleash his power, Mary and Dion remained unresponsive.
Todd quickly asked the others, "Has there been any news from the mission to Holy Guard City recently?"
Emerson replied, "Your Majesty, the last letter from the mission was a week ago. What happened?"
Todd was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. If the soul space summoned someone and there was no response, the worst possibility was that the person was already dead.
"Any new developments in Holy Guard City?"
Cumberland said in a deep voice, "The Church has proposed to the nobles of Holy Guard City several times that the refugees be resettled in batches. Some will be accepted by the Kingdom of Muxi, and some will be provided with relief by the Church. As a result, the number of Holy Guard City refugees gathering on the border is increasing."
Terence added, “The Church could have easily dealt with all the refugees by having each of the kingdoms within its diocese help settle a few families; but Muxi City is different. We can’t do what they do in terms of food, shelter, or security. Because of our delay in accepting refugees, the Church has been attacking us with excuses such as ‘disregarding our brothers,’ ‘selfish nouveau riche,’ and ‘corrupt people who violate the doctrine,’ and has gained considerable public support.”
Todd flew into a rage and slammed his fist heavily on the table, startling everyone present.
Todd retrieved the church's slave trading ledgers and images from his memory and transmitted them to each person's computer. A collective gasp followed, and soon the room was filled with shouts and curses.
"These bastards should all go to hell!"
"A bunch of demons in holy robes!"
"They actually sold their believers to heretics; the church is rotten to the core!"
Todd turned to Emerson: "What are our chances of winning if we break with the church now?"
"break?!"
Emerson was taken aback. He wondered why the king was in such a hurry to confront the church.
"The odds of winning are slim. The Church's religious status among all dioceses is currently unshakeable. If we were to confront them head-on, all the kingdoms that believe in the Father Church would send troops to jointly besiege us with just a word from the Pope."
"What if I make all these ledgers and those witnesses public?"
Emerson thought about it carefully for a while, and finally shook his head and said, "These pieces of evidence may arouse suspicion among the kings under the Church's rule, but they are not enough to shake the foundation of the Church."
Listening to Emerson's analysis, Todd sighed softly: "If we want to take action against the church, do we really have to start from the religious roots?"
“Your Majesty, may I ask a question? You seem very concerned about the situation in Holy Guard City.” Emerson looked at Todd and asked in a low voice, “Is it related to the Church’s slave trade?”
After much deliberation, Todd finally told Emerson about the church deacon's confession.
Upon hearing this news, the latter's expression changed drastically: "You mean, the liberals in Holy Guard City might also have defected to the Church?!"
Todd pondered for a moment: "I'm not sure if the Church has completely taken control of the situation, but one thing is certain: the Twilight City delegation is currently in a very dangerous position. Therefore, I want the Twilight Knights to march to the border and put pressure on Holy Guard City, forcing them to treat the delegation with caution..."
“This is not a good idea!” Emerson quickly stopped Todd’s idea: “If we send the kingdom’s army to the border, the church will definitely seize the opportunity to use this as a pretext to win over the opposition forces in Holy Guard City.
Todd was getting anxious: "What about the kingdom's delegation? Are we just going to leave them like this?!"
Emerson looked at the king and gently shook his head: "Your Majesty, I understand your feelings, but this matter cannot be resolved by force; it can only be addressed through diplomacy. We can send another mission, or contact friendly forces within Holy Guard City..."
Todd paid no attention to what Emerson said afterward; his heart was filled with regret and self-blame.
Both Dion and Marie were members of his handpicked delegation, and in a sense, he himself pushed them into a desperate situation.
At the same time, he understood that Emerson's words made perfect sense. With the Church currently at its peak, launching a war rashly would be the most foolish thing to do. Only through internal division and expanding influence could the Kingdom of Muxi acquire strength comparable to the Church.
However, he simply couldn't ignore the Xicheng delegation...
what to do?
What should we do?!
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" Emerson's shouts startled Todd from his reverie.
"What's wrong?"
"I just asked you, how is the war in the North going?"
Todd then realized that he had not yet informed the officials of Twilight City of the great victory in the North.
With a wave of his arm, the battle scene of Gugu City was displayed in 3D projection in the center of the conference room.
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