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(Today's update is here ~)
Chapter 288 "Who's Going to Steal Whose Skin?"
Maximos naturally understood the meaning behind Du Wei's words.
Although this bishop also has a benevolent and noble appearance, he wears old robes and lives a simple life. But according to Du Wei's thinking, the more this type of person is, the more complicated they are! Either he's a real saint, or he's plotting something big!
Du Wei has never believed in the existence of saints in this world … But what about Mayuba? Glorified to the extreme in the scriptures, he's one of the founders of the Shrines. Now that he knows Mayuba's true face, I'm afraid no one would believe it!
This Maximos is nothing more than a politician in the Shrines.
Maximos knows that if he wants to get Du Wei's support and make the Duke bet on him, then what he needs to do now is to show his strength and find a way to let the other side understand that betting on him will yield great returns.
"Duke." Pondering for a moment, Maximos slowly said: "I believe you should have a certain understanding of the rules of succession to the position of Pope in the Shrines."
"Yes." Du Wei nods: "According to the rules of the Shrines, you should also be one of the successors. However, I want to say, after all, there are a total of eight archbishops, you may not necessarily be the final victor. "
"Almighty God above." Maximos has a compassionate look on his face: "It's not that I, Maximos, am greedy for power, but I am determined to dedicate my life to God, to the Shrines. I absolutely cannot tolerate those bastards from the Xieni faction defiling the Shrines! Their actions will only bring shame to the Shrines. "
Du Wei's face is expressionless, waiting for the bishop to continue.
"The conflict between the Xieni faction and our Mosa faction has been going on for a long time. In this generation's struggle, especially in the past two years, their actions have become more and more excessive. Out of the eight major dioceses on the continent, the Xieni Faction had taken over five of them. Although our Mosa faction only controls three parishes, but in terms of political achievements, we are far ahead of them. Over the years, they advocated severe torture to establish the dignity of the church and took drastic measures against heresy. Six years ago, in a case in the Southeast Parish, they burned six people to death in the name of purifying heretics. Three years ago, in a parish in the southwest, they hanged a noble for the crime of offending the gods. These methods were too intense and had already caused dissatisfaction in many aspects. In particular, the hanging of a noble three years ago was seen by the nobles of the empire as a form of demonstration against them. There was always some friction between the Xieni faction and the Empire's officials. For example, a few years ago, because of the tax problem in the south, the Xieni faction criticized the Empire's tax policy. They blamed the Empire's tax policy for being too heavy, which caused the people to pay most of their income to the Empire's official tax, which caused their religious tax and contribution tax to drop sharply. These actions made the relationship between the Xieni faction and the Empire's Royal family and the Empire's officials tense. Moreover, the Xieni faction's doctrine of 'divine right above all' is naturally disliked by the Royal family. "
"Of course," Du Wei shrugs his shoulders: "I don't know much about what you just said, but I have heard about it."
"Although our Mosa faction has only controlled three parishes over the years, it is only a minority. But our reputation within the Shrines has always been much higher than that of the Xieni faction. Especially in the elders' group, we have the majority of support. But speaking of which, two years ago, an incident brought us a huge blow. If not for that incident, I'm afraid our Mosa faction wouldn't be in such an awkward situation now. "
Speaking up to here, Maximos sighed and looked at Du Wei: "Duke, you must have heard of the name 'Hussain', right?"
Du Wei's heart fiercely jumped, his face showing a surprised expression: "Hussain, of course I have heard of him. He is the Shrines' most wanted criminal! The continent's most powerful genius, Knight, later betrayed the Shrines, right? "
"It is indeed Hussain … Alas, because of him, our Mosa faction was implicated a lot. It can be said that because of Hussain's betrayal, the Mosa faction's strength suffered a great loss. Originally, His Majesty Pope was very supportive of our Mosa faction, but because of this matter … "
"What does Hussain have to do with you?" Du Wei asked.
Maximos smiled bitterly: "Duke, Hussain became a Knight of the Holy Order at such a young age. He became one of the three leaders of the Holy Order, the most powerful armed force under the Shrines. Such qualifications, in addition to his own outstanding talent, young and promising, there are other reasons." Pausing for a moment, he slowly said: "Hussain … He came from our North Central Diocese, and from his background, he belongs to the Mosa faction."
Du Wei had never heard of this before. Although Hussain has always been by his side, this cold man seems to regard the betrayal of the Shrines as the greatest pain in his life. He is rarely willing to talk about his life in the Shrines. Since he doesn't talk about it, Du Wei also rarely asks.
"Hussain came from the diocese under my jurisdiction. When he was very young, he was selected to be trained in the Holy Order. Speaking of which, step by step, he walked to the position of Great Knight. In the process, of course, we Mosa faction supported him. After all … "Maximos smiled bitterly:" Although for a thousand years, the elders have always maintained a neutral position, but the Holy Order is no longer under the influence of the Black Mountain faction. Everyone knows that to control power, one must first control military force. The Holy Order is the most powerful force in the Church. For hundreds of years, whether it is us or the Xieni faction, we have been doing our best to infiltrate the Holy Order.
After all, the Knight Order is different from the elders. The Black Mountain faction controls the seats of the elders, making it difficult for others to infiltrate. To enter the elders' group, one must first be nominated by the Pope, and then the elders' group will vote on whether to accept or not. The Black Mountain faction is very united. If an outsider wants to get a seat in the elders' group, they must first not be able to pass through their voting. But the Knight Order is different. Every Knight is selected and trained from a young age. And we only need to select some talented children from our own diocese and send them in. According to the rules of the Shrines, no one can stop us. As long as the youngsters we select are really talented and become God Paladin, no one can say anything. Moreover, because of the agreement between the Empire and the Shrines a few hundred years ago, the Holy Order cannot be stationed in the Empire. Only a small part of the Holy Order can be kept in the Shrines. The majority of the Holy Order is scattered in the various dioceses to guard the local churches. In this way, the Holy Order will inevitably be influenced by the local churches, and it will be difficult to maintain a complete neutrality. After hundreds of years, although the Holy Order cannot be said to be completely infiltrated, but there will always be a few high ranking Knight representatives. For example, the seventh level Knight they sent to assassinate me this time. "
Maximos sighed: "Speaking of Hussain, he is indeed the most talented of the group of youngsters we selected. He quickly stood out in the North Central Diocese and became the most talented one. Then he ranked first in the selection competition and entered the Knight Order headquarters in the Shrines of the Empire to undergo strict training. After that, he skyrocketed. Our Mosa faction regarded him as the hope of our faction!
The original two Knight leaders of the Holy Order are loyal to the Pope and belong to the Black Mountain faction. If a Mosa person can become a Knight leader, then we will be able to suppress the Xieni faction in the struggle for the Holy Order! The result … You know, Hussain suddenly caused a big disaster and was personally ordered by His Majesty the Pope to hunt him down. Because of this matter, the Xieni faction wantonly attacked the Mosa faction from the Shrines, and our situation was very passive. Most importantly, because of Hussain's rebellion, the Pope was extremely angry and personally ordered a purge within the Holy Order. The Xieni faction took the opportunity to suppress us, and in the process of the purge, the God Paladin of the Mosa faction suffered a great loss. That was not all … What made us even more helpless was that in the process of hunting down Hussain … "
Du Wei heard this and paid special attention.
"In the process of hunting down Hussain, at that time, the head of the tribunal, Lord Murray, personally led the team, and there were also several eighth level Paladin who participated in the hunt. But … To tell you the truth, the head of the tribunal, Lord Murray, was also a core figure of our Mosa faction, and among the God Paladin that participated in the hunt, for example, the eighth level Knight Geoffrey, several sixth level knights, and seventh level knights were all cultivated by our Mosa faction for many years … In the end, in the process of hunting down Hussain, Lord Murray died, and Geoffrey and the others were also sacrificed, causing our strength to suffer a great loss. The Xieni faction took the opportunity to promote their people to become the new head of the tribunal, and in this way, the important position of the head of the tribunal within the Shrines became their people … "
Du Wei nodded.
In the process of hunting down Hussain, Du Wei knew that a head of the tribunal of the Shrines died. As for the several Paladin that died, one of them was indeed a guy named Geoffrey. This Geoffrey also had a great relationship with Du Wei. Du Wei found Geoffrey's grave in the snow and saw the will and diary left behind by the dead God Paladin. Only then did he understand what happened. And Geoffrey was also the God Paladin that drove away the green hat when Gandorf first "molested" Mrs. Lister.
These things, he already knew, so it seems this Maximos should be telling the truth.
"Respected Bishop." Du Wei smiled: "I believe what you said is the truth … … But I don't understand. If what you said to me is true, then you and your Mosa faction should be in a very dangerous situation inside the Shrines. In the struggle against the Xieni faction, you should be at a disadvantage. In such a case, do you think that as a smart investor, you should place your bet on a faction that is about to fall? Oh, please forgive my wording, but if you can't explain the doubts in my heart, I'm afraid I can't make a decision. "
Maximos, on the contrary, smiled and looked into Du Wei's eyes: "You are a smart man, Duke! I have no doubt about this. I think I have a reason to persuade you because of two reasons. First, smart people know that it's easy to add flowers to a brocade, but it's often the most touching thing to do. At this time, if you choose to support the Mosa faction, then they will be your most loyal friend in the future! Of course, this is only a small part of the reason. I believe you will be tempted by the second point I'm about to say. The second point … … Think about it, if the Xieni faction is really going to win, then why would they be so anxious to openly ambush me on the road? Once the failure is exposed, it will inevitably cause an uproar. But they still chose to take the risk because they are aware of the danger! Because as long as I reach the capital, I can reverse the whole situation! "
Du Wei couldn't help but nod.
Indeed, the more extreme the measures the Xieni faction took to kill Maximos, the more anxious they were, the more it showed that they were afraid of Maximos returning to the capital!
"Do you have any chips in your hands to turn defeat into victory?" Du Wei smiled.
"There is a little bit." Maximos smiled: "But please forgive me, this is related to the top secret of the Shrines, so I can't say it."
Du Wei was silent.
After carefully calculating for a while, he finally sat up straight and whispered: "How much do you want me to bet?"
Maximos smiled: "Duke, I know you are not a believer, so I think … … If I have the opportunity to personally preside over your baptism ceremony, it would be my greatest honor!"
Du Wei laughed out loud: "Dear Bishop, you're trying to hit on my head!"
Indeed, Du Wei is a Duke who is in charge of all the military and political power in a province. He is also a famous magician of the empire. Ignoring his real strength, the general opinion is that because of his outstanding performance on the day of the coup, this young Duke has already been regarded as a top powerhouse in the continent!
Such a person, as a Duke, has real power in his hands, is deeply trusted by the royal family, and has extraordinary personal strength. But he is not a believer of the Shrines!! If at this time, someone can persuade him to join the church … …
Such a merit is far greater than spreading the faith of ten thousand ordinary people!!
As a Bishop, the main responsibility is to preach the teachings and make more people believe in the Shrines. This is also an important standard of merit. But no matter how many ordinary people you get to join the church, it is far from comparable to pulling in a prominent figure! And Du Wei … … in the continent, besides the Prince Regent, who is more popular than him?
Du Wei did not immediately agree, but continued to ask: "And?"
"I heard that in your territory, the attitude towards the Shrines is not very friendly." Maximos smiled: "I think there is no need to talk about the previous matter. In the future, I will personally send some clergy to your territory to preach the teachings. Your Excellency the Duke, my request is that you should show a friendly attitude towards our Mo Sa Faction's teaching staff. "
"Haha! Do you want to include my Desa Province into your parish? "Du Wei laughed out loud.
"That is exactly the case." Maximos did not hide and simply said: "According to the practice of the Shrines, for a virgin land that has not yet been developed, whoever can make achievements there first, that land will be included in their diocese. Before, the clergy in your territory were just some small characters sent by the imperial capital. So in the future, I will directly send people from my North Central Diocese … … "
"But you have to understand one thing, Desa Province is barren and not rich. My people do not have much money to pay the religious tax and contribution tax. "Du Wei frowned.
"In order to express my friendship, I am willing to exempt Desa Province from the religious tax for three years. As the Archbishop of the diocese, I still have this authority, and after three years, if … … "Maximos smiled:" Of course, this is just an assumption. If I can sit in that position, this tax exemption will be extended. "
"Hmm." Du Wei nodded: "Well, you want me to join the church, and then agree to let your people preach in my territory, officially including my territory in your diocese … … What else? You should have more requests. "
Maximos smiled lightly: "Your Excellency Duke, you see, I am not an insatiable old man. My request is not too much, if you can promise me these two things, I am already very grateful. Of course … … if you are generous, I only need to add a small additional request, a very small request. "
"Say it."
Maximos' eyes flashed: "According to the decree of the Shrines, the Holy Order stationed in the diocese is under the control of the local Archbishop. The local diocese is obligated to provide fresh blood for the Holy Order every year. Although … … the Holy Order is directly loyal to the Pope. But after all, an army stationed in a place for a long time will not remain pure. So, I think I can do my best to control the Holy Order in my diocese. But … … I still need more. Hmm … … I mean, when the time is right, if I encounter a great difficulty or crisis, I will need the help of your army. "
Du Wei frowned: "Are you crazy? According to all the decrees, no other army is allowed to interfere with any disputes within the Shrines! You want the Empire to be involved in the internal affairs of the Shrines? In that case … … "
"No, no, no, no, you still don't understand what I mean. What I mean is … … if there is any emergency or 'special' situation, I think I can give you a name." Maximos smiled: "For example, let one of your troops wear the armor of the Holy Order and get the name 'Holy Order'. What do you think? "
Du Wei was really shocked this time.
"You … … Sir Maximos, are you sure you want to do this? This method is far beyond the boundary! "Du Wei reminded.
"Beyond the boundary?" Maximos' old face showed a trace of determination: "The Xieni faction dares to openly declare chaos and try to kill a bishop without the permission of the Pope. Is this not beyond the boundary?"
"But you don't have this authority." Du Wei shook his head: "You are only a local bishop. The establishment of the Holy Order must be ordered by the Pope himself! The local bishop can only control the existing Holy Order, but can't establish a new one! Your Excellency, even if you give me this name, it is still illegal. "
"Your Excellency, that is why I said it is a 'special' time." Maximos faintly said: "What I mean is, if one day in the future I succeed to that position, but the Paladins under my command aren't enough to suppress the dissatisfied Xieni faction, then I will need more power! Then, as the 'Pope', I will have the authority to immediately establish a new Holy Order! "
Du Wei took a deep breath. He suddenly felt that this seemingly gentle old man in front of him has guts beyond the ordinary!
He immediately laughed out loud: "Of course! If it is the Pope's order, then it is legal. If I were to become a believer and receive the orders of the Pope, I would also be unwilling to pass on my responsibility and would naturally serve. "
The two looked at each other and laughed for a while before Du Wei stopped laughing and straightened his face: "Your Eminence, you have made your request … … Then, what I want to ask is, in this investment, if you win in the end, what can I gain? Hehe! Don't make empty promises of gaining your friendship. I am a very vulgar person, what I want is some real benefits! "
"You have already gained benefits." Maximos smiled faintly: "Your Excellency, think about it, if you have a Holy Order under your command … … then your situation in the Northwest will greatly improve! I know, your biggest enemy right now should be Rugaard, right? Then, one day in the future, when your army goes to war with the enemy, the enemy will be surprised to find that your army is flying the banner of the Holy Knights! At that time, if they make a move against you, it is the same as making an enemy of the Shrines! Fighting against the Holy Order is the same as declaring war against the Shrines! I think … … such a benefit can no longer be measured by money or other conditions. "
"I need a guarantee from you." Du Wei said.
"I accept." Maximos smiled: "If I become the Pope, then you, the Duke of the Tulip Family, will receive the Holy Badge personally awarded by the Pope! With such a badge, you will have a high status within the Shrines! At that time, your will is equal to the will of the Shrines! Being your enemy is the same as being the enemy of the Shrines! This is my final promise. "
Very good!
Du Wei suddenly laughed maliciously in his heart!
Hanging the banner of the Holy Order on his cavalry division, how cool would that be! It's the same as wearing a holy robe! Only I can hit you, but you can't hit me! Otherwise, you will be declaring war against the great Holy Shrines!
Inside the room, the two smiled at each other, each with their own ulterior motives.
After dinner, Du Wei politely sent the bishop back to rest. Then he immediately went to find the chief guard.
"Immediately take a small boat and go ashore! Then immediately return to Loulan City. Do not delay the journey! " Du-Wei looked at this loyal guard captain and said in a deep voice: "You go back and find Knight Rodriguez. Tell him that I underestimated him before I set out for this trip back to the capital. Now that the capital is facing a great change, I need strong support! Hmm, pass on my order. Have Knight Rodriguez immediately come to the capital! "
Old Smoke accepted the order and went out. Back in the room, QQ looked at Du Wei and sighed: "You have to be careful. Doing business with the Shrines is undoubtedly like asking a tiger for its skin!"
Du Wei laughed: "Asking a tiger for its skin? Hehe, then let's see if it's them who's asking for my skin or me who's asking for theirs! "
Under the starry night sky, the boat went all the way down the river. The closer they got to the capital, the more excited Du Wei became.
Originally, he thought that nothing big would happen on this trip back to the capital. But now it seems that the last time he returned, there was a palace coup. And this time … … Is he going to experience a coup d 'état from the Shrines?
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