Outside the Holy City.
Lai Gouer and Father Solje rode in the same carriage, sitting in the open-air front room of the carriage, looking at the surrounding scenery.
There were several carriages following behind, which were the entourage, carrying supplies and other entanglements.
Looking at the gradually growing town in the distance, Lai Gouer sighed: "We're finally here. It's not easy to come here."
As early as a month ago, Father Solje had discussed with him to go to the Holy City to be baptized by the Pope in person.
Lai Gouer took the opportunity to meet with the Pope to discuss trade.
After all, Dajing's business will continue to expand in the future, and if it continues to expand to other countries, it will need to deal with the Holy See.
In this case, it is better to get it right at once and discuss the matters openly and honestly. It is best to get a deed or something, which can also save a lot of trouble.
After all, the Pope spoke much more powerfully than the Emperor.
This journey took a lot of twists and turns. From Feka to the Holy City, you need to take a boat through the Strait of Hamra, and then pass through the Kingdom of Hero to reach the Holy City.
After seeing the prosperous town in Shiloh and making some brief contacts there, the two of them rushed to the Holy City without stopping.
Father Solje also expressed his expectations: "Yes, it is my first time to come to the Holy City. I never expected that I would have the opportunity to meet the Pope in person. I heard that there are countless statues of gods on the Temple Mount, and when the sun rises, there will be golden light. Now, finally I’ll have a chance to meet you.”
Lai Gouer looked around, thought carefully, and asked: "I think the Holy City is not too far from the sea. Isn't there a port? Why do we have to go in such a long circle and go to the Holy City via the Hieroland Road?" city."
Solje said: "There is a port, but it is only for the Pope to travel. Others must pass by the road to get 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 Hiro, so we cannot come by boat. of."
Lai Gouer raised his eyebrows without comment, and then asked: "You, the Archbishop, will be completely at ease once you meet the Pope. I won't be able to call you Father in the future. This is a rare opportunity. Have you thought about what to say when you meet the Pope?" ?"
Father Sorjie smiled: "You should call me Father, you're used to it..." After saying this, he paused, and his expression suddenly became serious. "When I met the Pope, I naturally reported to him in detail the situation of the Feka Church. After all, it would be best if the Holy See could reduce some private 'donations', and I hope things can change in the future."
After saying that, Father Solje closed his eyes and meditated.
After he received the commission and became archbishop, he had to single-handedly manage the church in Feka.
The process was a bit dreamy. He had not yet realized that he would become an archbishop, but someone still needed to be responsible for many affairs in the city.
So on the one hand, he continued to perform his duties as a priest among the people as usual, and on the other hand, he began to take over high-level affairs.
You don’t know this by looking at it, but you’ll be shocked when you see it.
The church's income has reached an astonishing level...people's 'donations' account for a considerable part of it.
And the expenditure is even more astonishing. In addition to the part that is contributed to the Holy See, the remaining 70% of the expenditure is used for various church matters, and 30% is used for the expenditure of church personnel.
The income gap between the lower class and the upper class is also staggering, with the difference reaching up to ten times. Not to mention that the upper class also has reimbursement and many privileges in life.
After long research, he determined that about half of the expenditures were wasteful or unnecessary.
He saw the plight of the lower class in life, so he immediately decided to reduce administrative expenditures and return the personnel expenditures of high-level people to poor believers.
Naturally, the lower levels encouraged and cheered and showed their support.
But after making a decision, it was no surprise that I encountered strong opposition from the middle and upper levels of the church...
However, he had always been lucky. The two senior officials who led the opposition were hacked to death in the street the next day. The two of them were reduced to more than 20 pieces and dumped in the municipal square. After that, no one dared to stand up anymore. .. Everything went surprisingly smoothly!
But it's not an option if this continues. The Brotherhood is getting more and more rampant now, and there's no guarantee that the knife will fall on him one day.
What's even more outrageous is that some people in the church now think that he is having an affair with the brothers. This is unacceptable!
He was fair and aboveboard, and allowed people to investigate at will, and only then were suspicions cleared.
The Brotherhood is quite capable... We need to ask the Pope to send a few capable men to Feka to get rid of them.
Seeing that he had his eyes closed, Lai Gouer asked, "Father, what are you thinking about?"
Father Solje opened his eyes and sighed: "I was thinking about the Brotherhood. This time I am going to ask a few helpers from the Holy City to go to Feka to find out the people from the Brotherhood... After searching for a long time, the people from the Brotherhood It still hasn’t been found out. In fact, I have always suspected...that there is a traitor in the church!"
Lai Gouer shrugged, pursed his lips and looked straight ahead.
Good guy, you doubt yourself. If you hadn't told me honestly every time there was an arrest, how could the Brotherhood be so smooth?
Poor honest priest, I don't know if he will have a mental breakdown the day he finds out the truth...
The carriage drove for more than twenty minutes and finally arrived at the foot of the Holy City.
The majestic city stands tall and magnificent!
Lai Gouer squinted his eyes and looked towards the doorway, constantly calculating in his mind.
The construction of the Holy City is really unbelievable... just look at the city wall which is nearly six feet thick, it is definitely considered impregnable!
In Dajing, city walls of this size are also difficult to find.
Moreover, people were constantly coming in and out of the city gate, and their clothes were all extremely luxurious.
He came to Feka not long ago. Although every country in the West has its own customs, generally speaking, the clothing aesthetics of the bordering countries are not much different.
He could tell at a glance whether the clothes a person was wearing were good or bad, and what class they represented.
Based on this first impression, I am afraid that the financial resources of the Holy City are far beyond imagination!
Father Solje didn't think much about it. His chest rose and fell slightly, and he looked up at the city wall, his eyes full of hope.
Holy city! The hometown in my dreams has finally arrived!
The two dismounted and led the carriage to the city gate.
People around him frequently looked at Lai Gouer, a strange oriental face.
Until the carriage is ready to enter the city.
Two guards in silver armor holding long spears blocked their way.
Without waiting for the guard to ask questions, Father Sorje hurriedly explained: "We came from Feka. I am the newly appointed archbishop by the Pope. I came to the Holy City to be baptized this time."
After saying that, he immediately took out the letter of appointment and handed it over.
The guard took the commission and glanced at it, then raised his chin towards Lai Gouer.
Father Sorje hurriedly said: "This is a guest from a great Eastern country and also my friend. He came here to see the Pope."
The guard looked Lai Gouer up and down and nodded.
There are a lot of people coming and going in the Holy City. Although this person is of a different race and looks a bit unusual, there is nothing strange about him.
One of the guards stretched out his hand and said: "The entrance fee is one silver coin per person. You will pay as much as there are people in your convoy."
Father Solje was stunned for a moment and questioned: "How can we collect money in this holy city? Will loyal believers be stopped outside the city because they have no money?"
The two guards looked at each other and were both happy.
"This is a rule! If you don't have money, you can't enter. Will you pay or not?"
Seeing the frivolous expressions of the two of them, Father Solje was furious: "This is unreasonable! You are simply taking advantage of this opportunity to make money! I am the Archbishop, and I will definitely sue you when I meet the Pope!"
The grins of the two guards widened, "Okay! You can go to the Pope to file a complaint, but you still can't get in without money. Do you want to pay or not?"
"I won't surrender, and I also want to enter this city. What can you do to me?" Solje was furious.
I was excited to arrive at the Holy City, but it turned out that the door had not yet been opened. It was really disappointing.
The beauty of the first impression was ruined.
Hearing this, the two guards straightened up, poked the gun barrels on the ground, and said in a bad tone: "Then don't go in, go and stay aside, don't get in the way."
"How dare you!"
Seeing Father Sorjie's angry look, one of the guards bent down and approached Father Sorjie with a joking look on his face.
"Steamed buns, aren't you convinced?"
...
