Chapter 657 What are they dragging their feet for?
"How's it going, Gaia? Have the negotiations made any progress?"
Zoe asked lazily as she lay on the cushioned bench and looked up at Gaia who had just returned.
She was only wearing some simple underwear. Next to her, a mechanical construct that was slightly taller than an ordinary person was busy.
Its head is a slightly crude barrel, but there is no torso below it, but rather a series of slender, segmented mechanical arms.
At this moment, five or six arms were busy on Zoe's back, some tapping gently, some kneading slowly, actually doing a massage.
Gaia glanced at her companion who was sighing comfortably, but her expression was not very good.
"Their overall attitude was actually okay. They were willing to share their technology, but I always felt they were a bit unreliable and kept fussing over various details."
"Isn't that a good thing? At least we can achieve our goal. It's better to quibble over details than to make no progress at all, right?"
"The point is, this is too ridiculous." Gaia threw herself into the sofa in a depressed mood. She was not tall and the cushions of the sofa were extremely soft, so she almost sank into it.
"I've been going through the technical details with them for three days now, all useless stuff, like how to anoint with holy oil, how to pronounce prayers, and oh, the thirty-six massage modes of your massage robot."
"That's right. A little further to the left, right? That's right there. Isn't that good? This massage robot is really good."
"It's pretty good, but you can't take it back." Gaia sneered. "This robot is also a sacred object of the Mechanical Temple. We can only exchange its usage method - then you can go back with the thirty-six modes and imagine yourself getting a massage!"
"Then why not just not do it?"
"You can't refuse it either. If you want their technology, you have to take away all these messy accessories: maintenance methods, prayer procedures, etc."
"Sounds like they're trying to get a high price with a bundle deal."
"this."
Gaia frowned on the sofa.
She had originally thought so. To be honest, Castel didn't mind paying a high price. Anyway, those steam rifles were just sitting in the warehouse and were idle.
But after a few days of negotiations, Gaia noticed something was wrong.
She always felt that the Mechanical Temple was a little strange.
They didn't seem to be in a hurry to trade - this was not surprising. She could even understand the Mechanical Templar's more bureaucratic style. After all, this church was known for its extreme conservatism, and it would be difficult to get some technology from them.
But their attitude was too good.
Gaia's eyes fell on the massage machine next to Zoe. At this moment, it was using a robotic arm to carefully turn Zoe over and continue the massage process.
This massage machine is called a holy object by the temple. According to the attitude of the mechanical priests that Gaia has come into contact with recently, it should be enshrined in a shrine and worshiped.
The room where these people live is also the Gear Sanctuary of the Mechanical Temple, the most central area of the temple.
Generally speaking, only the most distinguished guests would enjoy these treatments, but they were just here to do business.
Apart from these, Gaia also felt a sense of disconnection regarding the Mechanical Temple itself.
"Do you feel something's amiss? These people from the Mechanical Temple are a bit too easy to talk to. They agreed to the technology we asked for straight away, but now we're haggling over all the details."
Zoe raised her head and her eyes became clearer: "You mean..."
"I feel like they're stalling for time!" Gaia jumped off the sofa and paced around the room.
"But what's the point of delaying? Is the Empire also preparing for war with us? That doesn't make sense. Delaying us won't affect Castel's preparations."
"I have a different opinion," Zoe thought for a moment and whispered, "You should have noticed that Erwin has been away for the past few days."
Gaia's eyes flashed.
"He's been out and about the whole time. Although his activities are limited to the Upper Rhine, he's still managed to gather some information. It all seems to be related to the Queen."
"Beatrice?"
"Yes, she mentioned in her letter that she would meet us. It seems that she is not just talking. She is already setting up things outside. It is said that there will be a banquet, and we should be invited to attend."
"Is this just a coincidence? A banquet set up specially for us? I don't think Castel should be so important to the Holy See. And it doesn't make sense that it was prepared so long in advance." Gaia pulled her hair in distress.
Zoe licked her lips, stood up, and approached Gaia. She stood on tiptoe and whispered in her ear, "Have you read Nini's newspaper? It is said that Beatrice has a crush on our Lord."
Gaia's expression was very interesting for a moment. She sighed, "You're not taking this seriously, are you? The report even said the prince was actually a woman. Nini dares to write anything. Do you dare to believe everything she says?"
"No, no." Zoe smiled awkwardly and took a few steps back. "I just said that. It suddenly occurred to me. Don't take it seriously."
"Forget it. We've achieved our goal anyway. If the technologies promised by the Mechanical Temple are genuine, they'll allow Castel to make significant breakthroughs in his research. Let's just argue about it. It'll just be a case of good things coming to pass."
Gaia sighed and sank back into the sofa.
Zoe changed her clothes and went to attend the class of the Gear Sage. Although she still couldn't understand much of what he was saying, it could still be of some use occasionally.
After all, you won't be able to hear it if you leave here.
Gaia sat alone on the sofa. After an unknown amount of time, a muffled voice came from inside the cushion.
"That's not right. This actually makes sense. Could it be that the Pope really has a crush on the Lord?"
Beatrice breathed a sigh of relief and stood up, but she stumbled and almost fell.
She quickly sat back in the armchair, took a few deep breaths, and the dizziness gradually subsided.
"Controlling other [bodies] does have its side effects. I'm a little uncomfortable controlling my own body now. I wonder if becoming a [Named One] will make it any easier."
When Beatrice mentioned the word "Named Person", a hint of excitement flashed in her eyes.
"It will be soon, very soon. Once the banquet preparations are complete, the ceremony can begin. According to the book, this is the final step to becoming the Named One!"
Thinking of this, she suppressed her dizziness, opened the door and walked out.
Hela was standing outside the door. Beatrice patted her cheek happily and walked out humming a song.
"Ever since I've controlled Hela according to the methods in the book, my range of activities in the church has become increasingly larger. I just need to be patient for a while longer, and I'll be free soon!"
(End of this chapter)
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