harleyscars Page 137
Page 137
“That’s right, it’s Pope Brad!” With his hand on the table, Tonks looked up, his eyes revealing a reverence second only to that for Mino:
"With my husband's appalling resume, it's absolutely impossible for him to make it to the end. So instead of improving himself, we should seek outside help, that is, rely on someone powerful!"
"Therefore, we now need a great figure who is most popular, respected, and beloved among the common people—to speak for the vulgar, disgraceful, and filthy Duke Moss! In other words, to say good things!!!"
"Can these two things even be put together?!"
Jenny was slightly shocked.
"Look!" Tang Ke nodded with great satisfaction:
"If even you are so shocked, then you can foresee how well the next endorsement will be done! This is what you call a contrast!"
Tang Ke clenched his fists excitedly, his heart surging with emotion. Now, this selection of nobles was no longer just about changing his father's ideology, but also about proving that anything is possible!
Duke Moss may become a great nobleman admired by all, and the Mino hero may rise again from the Demon King's castle, which has been through countless hardships. His dream of bringing equality and well-being to every commoner... is not impossible!
Mino the Hero is right. Those who believe in miracles are themselves as remarkable as miracles!
"But...Tonker, how are you going to convince Pope Brad to speak for Duke Moss?" Jenny asked weakly, looking at the innocent-looking Tonker.
"Hmm." Tang Ke's imposing aura suddenly subsided, his expression turned serious, and he lowered his head to ponder, "This is indeed a problem."
"So you haven't even thought about it yet?!" Jenny's eyes widened in surprise.
“Don’t worry, Jenny.” Tonks pressed his palms together, his eyes blazing with a fire. “I believe that Pope Brad will understand and support our actions!”
"After all, he possesses a sacred body that appears only once in a millennium, and is the iron-blooded pope deeply loved by his people. In my heart, he is second only to the hero Mino, the most admirable figure!!!"
“Uh, what’s so special about the last one?” Jenny couldn’t understand.
"In short, Pope Brad is a Holy Body of Artifacts, a Holy Body of Artifacts who walks across the continent!"
Tom's eyes lit up as he looked at Jenny: "Do you know what this means?"
"Does that mean... His Holiness the Pope might be made entirely of instruments?" Jenny asked cautiously.
"What nonsense are you talking about?!" Tang Ke was stunned and could only patiently explain to Jenny.
The sacred body of the artifact might be a vague, somewhat sacred concept among ordinary people, but as the second son of the Duke and a former candidate for hero, Tunk had already been able to access detailed knowledge of this system, which leans towards the Holy Church.
"Only a being as benevolent as Pope Brad, who treats all humanity equally, can possess a Sacred Body capable of drawing upon the power of sacred artifacts! Such a being is a saint, truly deserving of the title of Saint!"
"But... if that's the case, wouldn't a complete villain who doesn't care about human life also be able to possess a sacred body made of artifacts...?"
"Those are two different things!"
Tang Ke shook his head: "We are facing Pope Brad of the Holy Church, a noble human being who devoted himself to humanity to the point of death!"
Thinking of this, a hint of anticipation appeared in Tom's eyes: "I think there will definitely be a lot of resonance between me and Pope Brad!!!"
"I'm ready for that!"
After rummaging around in his pocket for a while, Tang Ke pulled out a heavy bag, which made a series of loud noises when he shook it gently.
"What is this?" Jenny asked curiously.
"Of course, it's a token of my appreciation for Pope Brad!" Tonk patted his chest, beaming with pride. "He'll definitely be moved by my sincere intentions!"
"So your so-called resonance is bribery?!" Jenny exclaimed in shock.
This is so incredibly tacky!!!
……
"The silver cross is almost finished..."
Brad touched the shrunken little bag, a hint of urgency in his eyes.
The Holy Church is really something... they only accumulated ten years' worth of silver crosses in stock, they have no sense of vigilance at all.
After checking his physical condition, Brad inexplicably felt an urge to slap himself a few times.
If he hadn't wanted to return to the capital and devour the Heart of Ice, he could have easily given up half of his human body ten years ago and gained a lifespan almost as long as that of a sacred artifact in a semi-mechanical form!
As a result, not only has the source of the artifact that he painstakingly accumulated ten years ago returned to the embrace of the Holy Church, but even the half of his body that he had originally modified is being continuously poisoned by the effects of the poison... and it seems that he will soon be unable to suppress it.
"This can't go on any longer," Brad murmured.
"It seems the only solution is for Prince Ota to convene a roundtable meeting and try to find a solution... There's still a chance, as long as, as long as we can activate that weapon!"
Brad took out the last silver cross, gazed at it for a long time in the sunlight, and then, somewhat reluctantly, carefully broke it in half, tossing one half into his mouth and chewing it lightly.
In reality, a gold cross is the best for restoring health among common metals, but in the doctrines of the Holy Church, silver is the most sacred symbol... However, only those in the know understand that it is because silver is cheaper.
Therefore, even if one reaches the position of priest or archbishop in a holy church, the most one can receive is a silver cross.
He has now completely looted the goods, which is already a serious theft for the Holy Church. If it weren't for his weakened health, Archbishop Hope would probably have called the Royal Knights to catch the thief.
"Humph."
Brad snorted in dissatisfaction, and somewhat guiltily tucked the evidence deeper into his clothes:
"How can you call it stealing when it's a family matter?"
Chapter 188 Why did the Pope bow so respectfully at first and then become obsequious?
Footsteps approached step by step along the red-carpeted corridor.
“Your Holiness the Pope,” Hope’s voice came from behind.
Brad quickly chewed a few more times, swallowed the silver cross, and made a loud swallowing sound.
But soon, Brad's eyes widened as the undigested crucifix got stuck in his throat like a fishbone. He made a hoarse sound and coughed violently, his face turning red.
"Ahem! Ahem! Ahem!"
"Your Holiness the Pope!" Hope was so frightened that his face turned pale. He quickly approached and helped his Pope regain his strength. It took a long time for the Pope to calm down.
Hope's worry deepened. He hadn't expected that Pope Brad would still be so weak after drinking the medicinal soup, showing no signs of improvement whatsoever... Hope was even considering whether to invite the herbalist Turner over to prepare a custom-made potion for Pope Brad.
"Your Holiness, are you alright? Would you like me to brew you some more medicinal soup...?"
"No!!!" Brad's eyes widened instantly. "I don't need them! I don't need those herbs at all!!!"
"I'm perfectly fine!!!"
Hope shook his head inwardly, knowing that even a saint like Pope Brad was not immune to the stubbornness of an old man, and that he could only proceed slowly.
"By the way, Your Holiness the Pope." Standing next to Pope Brad, Hope hesitated for a moment before finally speaking:
"Two sons of nobles wish to visit you. Would you be able to receive them?"
Hope carefully observed Pope Brad's expression.
If they were just ordinary nobles, it wouldn't matter. Even if the nobles themselves came to visit, they wouldn't be able to see Pope Brad in this situation... But the nobles behind those two were almost royalty, so Hope had no choice but to leave the decision to Pope Brad.
“Visit me? Why?” Brad frowned.
"One of the visitors was the adopted son of Grand Duke Thanaus, and the other was the second son of Duke Moss... As for the reason, both of them are currently campaigning for the 'Greatest Noble of the Year' award for their respective noble families."
Hope frankly stated that Pope Brad had only recently returned to the Holy Church and was unaware of the situation in the capital.
After his explanation, Brad immediately came to his senses, a hint of disgust flashing in his eyes: "For a selection, even the Holy Church has come knocking on our door, these nobles..."
Hope nodded in agreement: "They probably all want to use Your Holiness's return as an opportunity to promote their reputation and increase their chances of winning the election."
"How absurd!" Brad scoffed.
"Whether they are commoners or nobles, what do they mean to me? They actually want me to do this meaningless thing for them and make them leave!"
Hope's eyes showed admiration; only Pope Brad could utter such upright and unyielding words, instantly revealing the confidence of the Holy Church. Hope's tone became equally firm:
“You’re right. We’ve been too lenient with those nobles, making them think that our Holy Church is easy to talk to.”
"So what if they brought a lot of expensive gifts? How laughable! His Holiness the Pope is not someone who can be satisfied with just a little gold and silver. I'll have them..."
"Let them in!!!"
"???"
Hope almost couldn't believe her ears, turning her head in disbelief to see Pope Brad's gratified expression:
"This is the first time in days that someone has come to visit this old man, Hope. You can't be so mercenary... How could you turn away such enthusiastic visitors! This is not in accordance with the teachings of the Goddess!!!"
"But, but Your Holiness the Pope!" Hope's mouth gradually opened wide. He searched through the goddess's teachings in his mind, but he could not find any reason to explain the Pope's change in attitude.
"Alright, I know what I'm doing. Hurry up and bring those gifts... oh, I mean the visitors, to their door."
Brad urged, watching Hope's departing figure with an excited gleam in his eyes.
I almost forgot... he also has the title of Pope of the Holy Church!
Although the funds inside the Holy Church are difficult to access and would be easily discovered by Hope and other high-ranking officials, now that they're back in the capital, there are plenty of opportunities to make money!
This is a great opportunity right now. As long as I collect "advertising fees" from every nobleman who participates in the election, I won't have to worry about running out of silver crosses to eat!
A sense of clarity washed over him, and as Brad looked at the gentle, blond-haired young man who appeared alongside Archbishop Hope, his gaze softened instantly.
"Your Holiness, please introduce yourself."
Dane gave Brad a standard noble salute, a gentle smile on his face: "I am the adopted son of Grand Duke Thanaus, Dane. I heard you are not in good health, so I came to visit you on behalf of the Grand Duke."
Looking at Brad's kind face, Dane felt secretly excited and a little smug... This was the affability brought by the Grand Duke's adopted son and himself. Even the legendary Iron-Blooded Pope couldn't help but show such a favorable look towards him.
“Dane, I know you.” Brad smiled and nodded, but his gaze gradually shifted to the boxes that his men were carrying up.
As expected of a gift from the Grand Duke of the Kingdom, it was quite generous, and Brad's smile grew even wider.
He originally thought he had some principles and couldn't ruin his image of fairness and selflessness, but after seeing these boxes of condolence gifts, he decided to... lower his standards a little!
"You've come here to ask me to promote Thanaus's achievements, haven't you? This Grand Duke of the Kingdom is far too modest... With his accomplishments, he'd probably have secured his place as the Noble of the Year long ago. He's arguably the most benevolent and selfless person among the nobles."
With a gentle expression, Brad got straight to the point.
"What the Grand Duke is more concerned about is Pope Brad's health."
Dane was slightly pleased to hear that Pope Brad had not directly refused, and quickly said, "These gifts of comfort were carefully prepared for you by the Grand Duke, and are sure to provide you with the necessary nourishment."
Brad nodded with increasing satisfaction. Dane was impeccable in both manners and etiquette, and he didn't make any direct demands.
In this way, he could put aside his last concern. Upon hearing the word "nourish," Brad became even more eager. He was open to anything, and no matter what kind of gold or silver treasures they were, they could be directly devoured by the essence of the "decaying artifact," completely erasing the medicinal power in his body and stabilizing his condition!
“Good boy, what have you prepared for me?” Brad asked kindly.
Dane knew the deal was done, breathed a slight sigh of relief, and with a broad smile ordered his men to open the boxes one by one.