Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Father Solje was speechless and looked towards the end of the street again.

Turning back, he said, "Let's go. Let's go to the temple to see the Pope first, and then come back to take a look."

Lai Gou'er nodded in agreement.

The two continued on their way.

The location of the temple was very conspicuous. This majestic city of the Holy City was backed by a small mountain.

From the moment they entered the city, the most eye-catching location was the Temple Mount at the rear of the city, with its densely packed buildings visible at a glance.

When the two arrived at the foot of Temple Mount, they immediately felt a sense of imposing manner coming towards them from below.

The mountain was not high, but coupled with the golden buildings on it, a sense of mystery and greatness arose spontaneously.

Lai Gou'er couldn't help but sigh. He considered himself to be well-informed.

The luxury of this Temple Mount was an eye-opener for him.

He had seen gilded buildings before, but the application of such a large area would require an uncountable amount of gold.

Father Solje was also obviously shocked. Looking at the many towering buildings, he was temporarily dazzled.

He murmured, "The temple... is this the temple?"

Lai Gou'er exclaimed, "Your long-awaited temple is truly extraordinary. Living in such a place, I think you can compare to the gods."

Father Solje came back to his senses, did not respond, and walked towards the steps at the foot of Temple Mount.

The position for ascending the steps was still guarded by two soldiers wearing bright silver armor, whose exquisite attire was a level above that of the city gate guards.

Father Solje had already taken out the Archbishop's letter of appointment in advance and handed it to the soldiers, then pulled Lai Gou'er to introduce themselves.

"The situation is as follows. Should the two of you let us in directly, or do you need to report it first?" Father Solje asked.

The soldiers did not speak, but looked at Father Solje and Lai Gou'er with a smile that was not a smile.

After more than ten seconds passed, there was no extra reaction.

Father Solje frowned: "Why don't you two speak?"

The soldiers still smiled.

Seeing this, Lai Gou'er pulled the priest aside, took out his money bag, pinched out two silver coins, and handed them to the soldiers.

The soldiers glanced at the silver coins and finally opened their mouths: "Which of you two needs to be reported?"

Damn, it costs extra to get in.

Lai Gou'er suddenly understood and took out two more silver coins and handed them over.

The soldiers showed a bright smile and gave Lai Gou'er an admiring look.

This out-of-towner seemed much more sensible, unlike that archbishop who came to be baptized, who was stupid and didn't know how to handle things!

"The archbishop can meet the Pope according to the procedure after being baptized, but this out-of-towner... where did you come from?" the soldier asked.

"Da Jing!"

"Oh, Da Jing. If your emperor comes to see the Pope, the Pope can meet him directly, but you... your status is too low, the Pope will not see you. You said you came to do business with other countries and wanted to communicate with the church in advance, then you should find the finance officer."

After taking the money, the soldiers spoke very responsibly.

The Emperor of Da Jing meeting the Pope?

Lai Gou'er was extremely disdainful in his heart. If they really met, the Pope would have to kneel. He didn't know if the church would agree.

"Then may I ask where I can find the finance officer?"

The soldiers puffed out their chests and, like robots, returned to their normal state of guarding.

Lai Gou'er took out another silver coin and handed it over again.

The soldier smiled and said, "He is also in the temple. I will help you report it and be back soon."

"....."

It's really rotten to the core. How can the church control so many countries with such corruption? It's really鬼见愁(ghost see worry)!

Lai Gou'er cursed in his heart and turned to look at Father Solje.

He saw Father Solje standing there blankly, motionless, as if his soul had left his body.

Lai Gou'er didn't pay attention. The moment he took out the silver coins, Father Solje had already lost his mind.

A huge sense of loss covered him from the top of his head.

He could understand the city guards taking money for personal gain, but the soldiers at the foot of Temple Mount were also like this, and they charged even more...

Seeing that he was not moving, Lai Gou'er pushed him.

Father Solje's legs softened and he squatted down, burying his head in his knees.

He sobbed non-stop: "Why is it like this!!!"

Lai Gou'er didn't know whether to laugh or cry and let him squat on the ground.

The priest was an extremely devout believer and had received church education since he was a child. He probably had woven many beautiful fantasies about the Holy City in his heart, and it was normal to be unable to bear the blow now.

But it's nothing. He will recover after seeing more. People can't always be so honest.

It is rare that this guy, who has been doing hard work at the bottom, can still maintain a pure heart....

Father Solje cried silently on the ground for a few minutes, then got up and wiped the corners of his eyes.

Lai Gou'er asked, "Are you okay?"

Father Solje nodded, his eyes firm: "I want to tell the Pope everything here. These people have been corrupted."

Lai Gou'er shook his head with pursed lips.

Hopeless... He is brainwashing himself. It's amazing that he can brainwash himself to this extent.

Before long, the soldier returned and said bluntly: "You two, I'm afraid you won't be able to see the Pope in a short time. The Pope is receiving a very important guest and will not have time for at least ten days. He will not see anyone else now, and the finance officer is the same. Come back next time."

Lai Gou'er frowned: "What do you mean at least ten days? Can't he spare any time in between?"

The soldier said: "You are lucky. I saw the High Judge, who said it himself. Since he said the Pope won't see you, then he definitely won't see you. Your affairs are trivial, and it doesn't matter if you wait."

Just as Lai Gou'er was about to ask again, Father Solje pulled him and said weakly: "Let's go. It doesn't matter if we wait for ten days. It's good to see more of the city."

Lai Gou'er pondered for a moment and stopped dwelling on it.

Okay, since we're here, we might as well gather some information in the city. Anyway, we plan to stay in the city for a few days after the negotiation.

"Then let's go find a place to stay."

"I want to go see the place you mentioned before."

"Where?"

"The place with the rats."

......

Following the original path back, the sky was gradually darkening.

Father Solje looked worried, and Lai Gou'er also remained silent.

After walking for a while, along the street that Lai Gou'er had pointed out at the time.

The two continued to go deeper.

Sure enough, as Lai Gou'er said, the deeper they went into this street, the more the level of the shops on both sides gradually decreased.

Until they reached the end, an extremely long wall, as if to divide the entire Holy City, stretched out before the two of them.

Father Solje touched the wall and looked at Lai Gou'er in confusion.

Lai Gou'er thought for a moment and said: "Walk along the wall. There must be people living behind the wall."

The two walked along the wall, and before long, they found a door-hole the size of a person, specially for people to enter and exit.

The two stood shoulder to shoulder after passing through the door-hole.

"This is..."

Father Solje's eyes became dull again.

Looking at the dilapidated houses and dirty streets in front of him, his mind went blank.

Behind him was the infinitely beautiful Holy City.

One side was paradise, the other side was hell, separated by only a wall....