Alien Knights

This is destined to be a frustrating negotiation.

Sitting on one side of the long table, Todd glanced at the empty seats beside him, and then at the opposite side, where church personnel with unkind faces were full. He scratched the back of his head and thought.

Originally, both Huggins and Karin proposed to travel together, but Todd still rejected them.

In the final analysis, the appearance of these two people is not suitable for the negotiation with the church.

Besides, negotiating things like this is not a group fight, and the saying that there are many people has an advantage is completely untenable.

"I don't seem to see Father Paul?"

Todd asked first.

A man wearing a short white deacon robe said in a contemptuous tone: "Brother Paul has more important affairs in the church, and his time is more precious than you can imagine."

The bastard!

There must be a limit to being arrogant!

calm down.

Thanks to the invincible face that I developed in front of leaders and students during my university days. Todd's heart was full of evil, but his face was kind.

He looked at the people on the opposite side, rolled his eyes, and opened his mouth and said, "So that's how it is. I can fully understand it. Father Paul has a high position and authority. Naturally, you don't need to trouble him when you talk to a little monk like me. It's just a hard work for everyone here."

As soon as this remark came out, everyone in the church had different expressions.

Some people remembered something, and their expressions were not angry; some people had serious expressions and began to whisper; some people, such as the deacon who spoke just now, looked complacent and exactly like that.

Carefully paying attention to the changes on the other side, Todd put a smile on the corner of his mouth.

What I said just now may not sound like a problem at first, but it is a test of status.

From this point of view, the church members participating in the negotiations are by no means "monolithic".

They also belong to various small camps in the church, perhaps the bishop's confidants, or the deacons' allies.

Before this negotiation even started, Father Paul made a huge mistake.

He is the person in charge assigned by the bishop, but he forgot that he is not the highest holy rank member of this team. In other words, he was on the same level as many people in the church visiting group.

If he can be more modest and prudent, and coordinate the internal relationship of the team, maybe he can live in peace. But he did a stupid thing. In order to show his status, he deliberately absent from this negotiation, and instead assigned others to take over as the leader ordered his subordinates.

This is disrespect for colleagues and a sign of extreme arrogance.

Todd remembered that in the past, in order to apply for scientific research funding, he accompanied the dean of the department in a low voice, and when he went to eat with leading officials, let alone whether to attend such things, he even paid attention to the position where the wine glass should be lowered when toasting.

This kind of sophistication may seem unimportant, but once it is mentioned, it can always arouse the darkness deep in the heart.

"Everyone, although I am a monk, I still have some contact with the church. I once attended Bishop Fabian's blessing mass. I was very impressed by the bishop's study of the Holy Word and his insights into theology."

As soon as these words were uttered, the expressions of everyone in the church changed again.

The group of deacons who spoke first had no expression on their faces, as if the matter had nothing to do with them; the other group looked happy and concerned, and some even responded in a low voice.

Secretly noting people's faces, Todd smiled and stretched out his hands: "Everyone, let's talk."

Negotiations continued from the afternoon to the evening, from the warm sky to the dawn of the moon.

When it was time for dinner in the evening, the original intention of the church members was to invite Todd to have dinner. Meals are just some ordinary marching dishes, such as vegetable stew, boiled beans, ham and bread, and the drink is sour pomegranate juice stored in the camp.

What they never expected was that Todd would spend a lot of money to find someone to buy a large amount of red wine and food from a nearby village and send them to the church camp.

A supper turned into a booze in the end.

Todd, who was attacking around with a wine glass, faintly found the feeling of his previous life. The proper compliments on his lips, the courteous and thoughtful movements of his body, and the atmosphere that exploded at the right time pushed the whole banquet to climaxes one after another.

People's laughter and praise can be faintly heard even if they are several kilometers away.

In the corner of the camp, Walton, a short and fat man, held a barbecue in one hand and a wine glass in the other. He walked up to Captain Alfonso, raised his chin, and motioned the latter to look at the fellow who was at the banquet not far away, and asked in a low voice, "Are we outdated or has the world changed? When did the ascetic monks become like this?"

The Iron Knight didn't speak, his eyes were fixed on the figure in the field, he put his hand on his chin, and stroked it gently.

The result of this negotiation was naturally a happy one for both the guest of honor.

After confirming that the monks in the monastery ignored his life and death, Todd betrayed his "landlord" very simply. Not only did he tell the church a lot of first-hand information about the monastery, but he also offered to fully cooperate with the church and promise to enter the Abbey of San Sidro.

Under the influence of alcohol and flattery, the church side provided Todd with many privileges: within the Silver Ring Diocese, the right to recruit troops from the apologists and exorcists, the right to operate church franchised goods, the right to pass tax-free in secular countries, and most importantly - the exclusive right to operate Muxi Harbor.

Walking out of the church camp, I looked back at the banquet that was still full of voices and laughter.

With a flushed face, Todd tightened the several authorization documents in his arms, hiccupped for a long time, and secretly smiled in his heart.

"How can you be able to play with the sophistication of the world and the wine table culture inherited by the ancestors for five thousand years?" ! 』

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Three days later, Silver Ring City, Holy Branch Cathedral.

Bishop Fabian sat on a Roman chair, looking at the two reports in front of him with both irony and laughter.

One came from Father Paul. In the report, Todd was described as a brazen, rude and ignorant pseudo-monk. There was a very harsh comment in the text, "Use the power of the Father to cover up the crime of greed."

Another report came from an aide of the bishop.

Todd is described as a church-minded, learned brother, devout, humble and courteous, and should be won over to the church.

People who participated in the same negotiation gave two very different reports, and even the bishop began to wonder if someone had made a mistake.

Fortunately, in these two reports, there is still agreement on one point: Todd is a key figure in order to bring San Sidro Abbey into the embrace of the church, and the other party is very willing to cooperate with the church.

Bishop Fabian turned his attention to another document at hand, a letter of complaint. The content was that some people in the church visiting group accused Father Paul of being arrogant and slackening his work.

Taking off his crystal glasses, the bishop rubbed his temples, with only one question in mind.

What happened at the Abbey of San Sidro?