Outside the holy city.
Lai Gou'er and Father Solger rode in the same carriage, sitting in the open-air vestibule and looking at the scenery around them.
There were several horse-drawn carriages following behind him, which were the entourage, carrying supplies and other travel expenses.
Looking at the town that was gradually getting bigger in the distance, Lai Gou'er sighed, "We're finally here. It's really not easy to come here."
As early as a month ago, Father Solger had agreed with him to go to the Holy City to be baptized in person by the Pope.
Lai Gou'er took the opportunity to meet with the Pope to discuss trade.
After all, Dajing's business will expand in the future, and if it continues to expand to other countries, it will need to deal with the Vatican.
In this case, it would be better to get it right the first time and discuss matters openly. It would be best if we could get some kind of contract or something, which would save us a lot of trouble.
After all, the Pope has much more power than the Emperor.
The journey was quite complicated. From Feka to the holy city, one had to take a boat through the Hamra Strait and then through the Kingdom of Hiero to reach the holy city.
After seeing the prosperous town in Hiero and having some brief dealings with the locals, the two of them rushed to the Holy City without stopping.
Father Solger also looked expectant. "Yes, this is my first time in the Holy City. I never thought I would have the opportunity to meet the Pope in person. I heard that there are countless statues on the Temple Mount, and golden light will shine when the sun rises. Now I finally have the opportunity to see it."
Lai Gou'er looked around, thought carefully, and asked, "I think the Holy City is not too far from the sea. Is there no port? Why do we have to go through such a long detour and reach the Holy City by land through Hero?"
Soljie said, "There is a port, but it is only for the Pope to travel. Others must go by road to come to the Holy City. The Holy City is surrounded by other countries, and the sea area of the port is also the sea area of Hero, so we can't come by ship."
Lai Gou'er raised his eyebrows, but did not comment. He asked, "Once you meet the Pope, you will be completely at ease as the Archbishop. I can't call you Father anymore. This is a rare opportunity. Have you thought about what to say to the Pope?"
Father Soljie smiled and said, "Just call me Father. I'm used to it..." He paused and his face suddenly became solemn. "When I meet the Pope, I will report the situation of the Feka Church to him in detail. It would be best if the Holy See could reduce some of the private 'donations'. I hope there will be some improvement in the future."
After saying this, Father Soljie closed his eyes and began to meditate.
Since he received the commission and became the archbishop, he has been in charge of the church in Feka.
The process was a bit dreamy. He had not yet realized that he was an archbishop, but many affairs in the city still needed someone to be responsible.
So on the one hand, he continued to walk among the people and perform his duties as a priest as usual, and on the other hand, he began to take over high-level affairs.
You won’t know until you see it, and you’ll be shocked when you see it.
The church's income reached an astonishing level... a considerable portion of which came from the people's 'donations'.
The expenditure is even more staggering. Apart from the portion contributed to the Holy See, the remaining 70% is used for various church matters, and 30% is used for the expenses of church personnel.
The income gap between the lower and upper classes is staggering, with the maximum difference reaching ten times, not to mention that the upper class also enjoys reimbursement and many other privileges in life.
After a lengthy study, he determined that about half of the spending was wasteful or unnecessary.
He saw the difficult living conditions of the lower classes, so he immediately decided to cut business expenses and high-level personnel expenses, and return the money to the poor believers.
The lower classes naturally cheered and gave strong support.
But the decision was met with strong opposition from the church's upper echelons, not surprisingly...
But his luck has always been good. The two senior officials who took the lead in opposing were hacked to death in the street the next day. They were cut into more than 20 pieces and thrown in the city square. After that, no one dared to stand up again... Things went surprisingly smoothly!
But it was not a solution to continue like this. The Brotherhood was becoming more and more rampant, and there was no telling when the knife would fall on him.
What's even worse is that some people in the church now think that he has an affair with the fraternity. This is unacceptable!
He was honest and open and allowed anyone to investigate him, which cleared his suspicion.
The Brotherhood is quite powerful... We have to ask the Pope to send a few capable men to Feka to eliminate them.
Lai Gouer saw that he had his eyes closed and asked, "Father, what are you thinking about?"
Father Soljie opened his eyes and sighed, "I was thinking about the Brotherhood. This time I plan to ask for some help from the Holy City to go to Feka to find out the Brotherhood members... After investigating for so long, the Brotherhood members still haven't been found. In fact, I have always suspected... There is a traitor in the church!"
Lai Gouer shrugged his shoulders, pursed his lips and looked straight ahead.
Good man, you doubt yourself. If you didn't tell me honestly every time you make an arrest, the brotherhood wouldn't be so smooth.
Poor honest priest, I wonder if he will have a mental breakdown when he finds out the truth...
The carriage traveled for more than twenty minutes and finally arrived at the foot of the holy city.
The majestic city stands tall and is magnificent!
Lai Gou'er squinted his eyes and looked towards the doorway, constantly calculating in his mind.
The construction of the Holy City is truly amazing... Just looking at the city wall, it must be nearly six feet thick, which is absolutely impregnable!
In Dajing, it is difficult to find a city wall of this size.
Moreover, people kept coming in and out of the city gate, and their clothes were extremely luxurious.
He has been in Feka for quite some time. Although each country in the West has its own style, generally speaking, the clothing aesthetics of the neighboring countries are not much different.
He could tell at a glance the quality of the clothes a person wore and what social class he represented.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It’s even more exciting later!
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