Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Father Solje couldn't help but stagger back two steps, his heart already filled with anger.

Just as he was about to step forward and rage, Lai Gou'er, who had been observing from behind, rushed ahead of him.

With a gentle smile on his face, he unfastened his purse from his waist, took out a handful of silver coins, and handed them over: "Sir, is this enough?"

The guard straightened up, his eyes filled with surprise.

Well, well! This guy is quite sensible, much better than that so-called Grand Bishop.

The guard took the coins and, without making things difficult, stepped aside to let the convoy pass.

He even mocked Father Solje: "Next time, watch your words. Don't think that the Grand Bishop's name will work in Holy City."

Father Solje was so angry that he was about to explode, wanting to curse, but Lai Gou'er covered his mouth and pulled him into the city.

Once inside the city, he released him, and Lai Gou'er said helplessly: "Father, you are just too straightforward and honest. Sooner or later, you will suffer a great loss! Why waste time with two small fries? We are here to do serious business."

If it weren't for him always protecting him from behind, Father's way of doing things would have gotten him killed long ago.

But he is kind and a good person; Lai Gou'er admires him.

If a good person hadn't taken him in back then, he would have been fed to wild dogs long ago.

Father Solje's face was uncertain, and he gritted his teeth and said: "You... how could you give him money? The Holy City would never charge an entrance fee. It's obvious they saw our convoy and wanted to extort us! These two bastards are ruining the reputation of the Holy City!"

Lai Gou'er sighed: "What reputation? Haven't you seen how ruthless the Church of Fika is when it comes to collecting money?"

"If a tree doesn't grow well, it's mostly because there's a problem with the roots. Will the Holy City change just because it's called the Holy City? I advise you to think it over and not think of it as too beautiful."

"People are all the same. If management isn't good, they're all like this. Even the Pope has to take a dump, doesn't he? I've seen this kind of rotten thing many times before."

"The Holy City is different from Fika!" Father Solje's face was flushed, and he felt somewhat speechless.

Lai Gou'er ignored him, shading his eyes with his hand as he looked around.

The streets were crowded with people, and the surrounding buildings were luxurious, exuding extravagance everywhere.

"Wow! I thought the church in Fika was already good, but I didn't expect the churches here to be even better. The Western architects are truly ingenious. Someday, you can help me find some good craftsmen, and I'll bring them back to Dajing."

"I'm not a trafficker," Father Solje said, speechless and in a bad mood.

Looking at the surrounding prosperity, he felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

Suddenly, Lai Gou'er patted him hard on the shoulder and said casually: "We're already inside, why are you still wearing such a long face? This city is pretty good; Taoyuan County isn't this extravagant. Shall we take a stroll before seeing the Pope?"

Father Solje nodded silently.

The two of them led the convoy behind them and strolled around the city.

For more than an hour, Lai Gou'er enthusiastically inspected everything, and whenever he saw something novel, he would directly pay for it if it was a small item, and if it was a large item, he would take out a small notebook and record it.

The priest looked unhappy, and although he was also looking around, he seemed uninterested in the glamorous world.

Halfway through, Lai Gou'er bought two pancakes from somewhere, ate half of one, and handed the other to Father Solje, saying: "Father, are you still hung up on that little matter of entering the city? It's just a toll, is it worth it?"

Father Solje took the pancake and shook his head: "No, the Holy City is much better than I imagined, but I don't seem to have seen any poor people."

"Poor people?" Lai Gou'er twitched his lips, "What do you want to find poor people for?"

Father Solje raised his head and recalled: "I used to be a city beautician in Taoyuan County..."

"Wait, what's that?"

"A street sweeper," Solje said calmly, continuing, "Taoyuan County is the best city I've ever seen, but after spending a long time with those sweepers, I also learned about the situation in Taoyuan County."

"In fact, Taoyuan County looks wealthy, but there are still many poor people. Of course, wealth and poverty are relative. The poor people in Taoyuan County actually live quite well. But we've walked around the Holy City and haven't even seen a single poor person. Everyone is very well-off. Don't you think that's strange?"

"I think whether a city is good or not should depend on what the bottom level is like."

"Not seeing them doesn't mean they don't exist. What's so strange about that? If you want to find poor people, right? Just follow that road all the way to the end, and you should be able to see them," Lai Gou'er pointed casually.

Father Solje turned around, looked in the direction he was pointing, and saw a scene of prosperity, and asked doubtfully: "How do you know?"

Lai Gou'er said faintly: "I can tell where the rats in the city live at a glance."

"Really?" Father Solje obviously didn't believe it.

"I've been begging for more than ten years, can I be wrong?!" Lai Gou'er said proudly, "Although the style and goods of the shops along this street are completely different from those in Dajing, it's the decoration along this street that reveals that kind of atmosphere. I can tell at a glance that the end of the street must be a gathering place for poor ghosts!"

Father Solje was immediately shocked and took two steps back, pointing at Lai Gou'er and stammering: "You, you... aren't you a nobleman? When did you become a beggar?"

Lai Gou'er touched his chin and wondered: "I've been begging since I was a child, why do you all think I'm a nobleman?"

Father Solje murmured: "I can't tell... your conversation and demeanor don't seem like a beggar. I always thought you were from a noble family..."

Lai Gou'er smiled: "Father, you're too attached to appearances!"

"But I've never met my biological parents, so it's possible that the blood of a wolf flows in this wild dog's body, right?"

.....