The Grand Duke of Gujian's tone remained calm, but it sent a chill down Steward Chen's spine.
As a close advisor who had served the other party for many years, he was able to discern the subtle changes in Cheng Gujian's tone of voice.
Now, it's clear that the other party is somewhat displeased, and this displeasure naturally stems from his question.
Cheng Gujian's answer also seemed to be a reminder that he might be overstepping his bounds.
Given this situation, Steward Chen naturally dared not say anything more, but he couldn't help but wonder why his reminder, which was made out of concern, had instead displeased the Duke.
He has always been careful in his words and actions over the years, but this time he was truly baffled.
"...If you really have the time and inclination, then go and keep an eye on the movements of the Vatican."
Cheng Gujian didn't give him time to think. He stood up and ordered, "Suppressing them again and again, who knows what those bastards will do... Tell me immediately if anything happens."
"yes."
Butler Chen felt as if he had been granted a pardon, bowed deeply, and hurriedly left.
Watching his retreating figure, the Ancient Sword Grand Duke simply shook his head, then unconsciously tapped the table with his fingers, softly murmuring Xu Shi's name.
"Brother Xu... ha."
...
Cheng Gujian was absolutely right; the Vatican is truly in complete chaos right now.
"Damn it, we've been scammed!"
The burly Ji Bochang was furious. "This despicable outsider has some nerve! How dare he?!"
"No wonder he acted so strangely towards us that day... It seems he was already planning to break ties with us back then?"
Park Guk-chang echoed, his face even more somber than usual, "Not to mention that the royal family has also expressed their support... What exactly are they planning?"
These two were never exactly conciliatory, so naturally they couldn't remain calm in the face of this situation.
Or perhaps even if they were truly pro-peaceful, after being so mocked, they could no longer side with Xu Shi—just as Xu Shi himself said, this was something that threatened their status and even their living space, and there was no room for negotiation on such an irreconcilable bottom line.
Don't assume that the Vatican is powerful and influential. The fact is that they have never been granted the status of a "state religion" until now. At least, there has never been an official decree granting it that status. Now that the Holy Fire Cat Cult has taken its place, they have nominally become a civilian organization.
Oh no, I've become a stand-in?
If their status remains the same as before, no one will really care whether they are official or not—people from the Papacy are already superior just by standing there, and whether they are official or not doesn't need the royal family's recognition at all.
And the royal family has indeed never done that... Now that I think about it, perhaps this is a backdoor that successive monarchs have tacitly left for themselves? If a situation like this really occurred, many things would become much more convenient.
The only official one is the Knights Templar, an organization personally appointed by the royal family to serve as a link "to establish contact with the Papacy".
Unfortunately, the Knights themselves don't seem to realize this, and their allegiances have long since shifted.
At this moment, they just feel they can't stand it anymore, they simply can't stand it anymore, and their fists are hardening as a result.
Of course, there were still relatively rational voices, such as Lu Baiyan with squinty eyes.
"That's probably why he didn't agree to our cooperation request, right?"
A wry smile played on his lips. "So it seems he's actually quite honest? At least he wasn't being hypocritical, otherwise we'd be in even more trouble..."
"Go to hell, Lu Baiyan, who are you on?"
Ji Bochang roared, "You've always been full of bad ideas, what do you mean by saying this now?"
"You didn't already have other plans when you picked him up, did you? Were you already preparing a way out for yourself?"
"I'm just stating the facts..."
Lu Baiyan spread his hands, "If you really doubt me, then I have nothing to say."
"Okay, stop arguing."
Qin Yiyan coldly stopped their argument, "What's the use of just making a mess of things? You should think about what to do next."
As the leader of this group, she was also extremely frustrated—she had been loyal to the Holy See since childhood, so she was naturally not happy to be in this situation.
Who could have imagined that in just a few months, an outsider could turn this place upside down? Unfortunately, she herself was not good at planning and couldn't think of any good solutions for the time being.
She had originally planned to call on others to brainstorm ideas, but unexpectedly, they started fighting amongst themselves, which gave her even more of a headache. It was her limit to refrain from hitting anyone.
Her words still carried weight, and the attendees immediately fell silent.
"In my opinion, we can't go on like this any longer."
Park Guk-chang frowned. "Facts have shown that our constant concessions will only embolden these barbarians from other places... We might as well be more decisive."
"That's right, killing those people will settle this matter once and for all!"
This time it was Ji Bochang's turn to agree with him, "Their leader, Xu Shi, is all talk and no action. He's no match for anyone in a real fight... Why don't I go?"
"As for the rest of them... With all of us Templar Knights mobilized, are we afraid of them?"
"That's not the problem, okay?"
Lu Baiyan sighed and rubbed his forehead, worried about the intelligence of these two clowns. "The problem is that the royal family has now chosen them, and our standing in the public's eyes has been declining."
In his view, Xu Shineng's rise to power was truly a combination of favorable timing, location, and people. He not only possessed more advanced technology, but more importantly, he seized the right opportunity.
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