Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Karami immediately denied, "A rebel prince from Da Jing who fled overseas, what makes him think he can challenge the Church? Even if he's exceptionally talented and managed to control a small country in just a few years, how could a small country possibly stand against the Church?"

"I actually can't figure out that question either," Xiao Shuai said helplessly. "Maybe he's just a madman with an Eastern face."

"Anyway, I'm going back to talk to Dog Bro..."

"The food's here!" Before Karami could finish speaking, several figures in black cloaks arrived with platters and placed them on the table.

Xiao Shuai enthusiastically greeted, "Come on, let's eat and talk. I taught many of the chefs here how to cook, Da Jing style! This Spicy Fried Sea Cucumber is especially famous on Barin Street."

The dishes in front of them looked very appetizing, and Karami happily picked up a piece of sea cucumber and put it in his mouth.

A wonderful taste instantly spread, washing away the nausea from the large intestine earlier.

"Hey! You're right, it's fresh, crisp, and tender. This Spicy Fried Sea Cucumber is authentic!"

"That's right, this dish is troublesome to make. The sea cucumber has to be pounded hundreds, even thousands of times to achieve this crisp and tender texture."

"Hmm... Oh?!"

.....

"Father Solje, why are you the only one who returned? Did you hear about the Da Jing people causing a ruckus in Fika back then? Did they mistreat the missionary group?"

Inside the Fika Palace, the Archbishop and Duke Alvis were both present, their gazes fixed on Father Solje.

Back then, the Da Jing fleet made a scene at the execution ground, and they thought those people would never return.

Father Solje said guiltily, "I... I heard a little about it later, but the Da Jing treated us with courtesy. I was the only one who wanted to return; the others wanted to stay in Da Jing to continue... their missionary work."

Da Jing didn't make things difficult for the missionary group and even allowed them to preach?

The Archbishop was somewhat surprised and asked, "Preach? How many converts did you gain on this trip, and how many churches are there?"

Father Solje was silent.

How many converts did we gain... Negative 199.

Could he say that? Saying that would definitely get him killed here.

"Why aren't you speaking?"

"A church was built, but it's not finished yet, because we don't have money. The others are still working to earn money... so they don't have time to gain converts," Father Solje said timidly.

Archbishop Bolan was furious, "Preach my ass! Aren't they treating you like serfs! These damned Da Jing people, are you an idiot?"

"They help us find jobs, and we get paid, and there are various subsidies," Father Solje said aggrievedly.

"Shut up!" The Archbishop roared, trembling with anger, "Tell me, what are they planning to do this time? Did they send you to provoke us and declare war on the Church?"

"No, they just had misunderstandings with us due to cultural differences. Da Jing is a peace-loving country that wants to seek cooperation, so they came this time with goodwill," Father Solje said with difficulty. "The Da Jing fleet is at sea right now and can enter the port at any time. They asked me to communicate with you first, which is already full of sincerity."

The Archbishop said angrily, "A peace-loving country? They claim to be the number one power in the Far East, and that kind of country tells me they love peace? Do you think I haven't seen those unreasonable Easterners before?"

Recalling how he was kidnapped at sea, how that renegade forced him to talk about science and insulted the Pope, and was eventually thrown into the sea, he felt deeply humiliated.

Father Solje said in a low voice, "Archbishop, it really is a misunderstanding. From my observation, the officials of Da Jing are very cultured. Their officials admire superiors showing humility to subordinates; this is Eastern virtue."

The Archbishop was already laughing in anger, picking up the book in his hand and shoving it in front of the priest's eyes: "You're helping them so much, have you been bought off by them? Tell me in front of the Holy Father, what benefits did they give you?"

Father Solje felt a lump in his throat, instinctively wanting to lie, but seeing the pure faith before him, he finally gritted his teeth and said, "They gave me a small house... but I earned it through labor."

"Good, you really took a bribe! Instead of building a church, you thought about buying a house for yourself first."

"Solje, I didn't expect you to become a heretic after going out," the Archbishop squinted. "I will report this matter to the Church tomorrow, and wait for the punishment."

Father Solje's face was filled with great panic, and coupled with his guilt, he could only stammer, "I am not a heretic... I am not a heretic."

At this moment, Duke Alvis, who had been silent all along, suddenly said, "Archbishop, please calm your anger. Da Jing does have conflicts with our Church, but we can't refuse to see them when they take the initiative to show goodwill, can we?"

"See them, of course, we can see them," the Archbishop stared at Father Solje, "You go back and tell the Da Jing people to first send a high-ranking official to the church to confess, and then they can enter the port. I don't want to hear you speak anymore, get out!"

Hearing that the Archbishop had already issued an eviction order, Father Solje's face turned pale, and he left the palace dejectedly.

He didn't know how long he walked, but he actually walked back to the port, staring blankly at the sea.

A heretic... he actually became a heretic after returning. He was clearly the only one who didn't betray the faith. What would he explain when the Church sent people to investigate?

He did have a house in Da Jing, and it was given to him by Lord Fang...

If he had to lie about such a trivial matter as having a house overseas, then was he still considered a loyal believer?

If he didn't even have basic honesty, he might not even be considered human.

Then what qualifications would he have to preach to others in the future?

"Father, why are you here? Didn't you go home to see?" Just as he was lost, a hand patted him on the shoulder.

Father Solje turned around and saw Karami, forcing a smile.

"I was just wandering around. Why are you back too?"

"I was just about to go back."

Seeing his dispirited expression, Karami said seriously, "Did something happen? Did you fail to reach an agreement?"

"I went to see the Archbishop...." The priest recounted his previous experience, and his energy weakened even more.

After listening, Karami sighed helplessly, "They actually slandered you as a heretic? That's too much! Father, go home and rest first. Let's think of a way to resolve the matter as much as possible, because a real fight over face won't be good for anyone."

The priest nodded sadly, forcing himself to cheer up and said, "Thank you, then I'll go home first. I plan to see the Archbishop again tomorrow."

"You've worked hard, Father."

......

Inside the Brotherhood's hideout.

"You've told me everything?" Xiao Shuai asked after listening to Karami's retelling.

Karami said helplessly, "That's how things are. I didn't expect the priest to fail to accomplish the task and be slandered, so I wanted to ask if you have any ideas?"

Xiao Shuai stroked his chin, pondered for a long time, and then revealed a smile: "This matter is actually simple."

"How do you solve it?" Karami asked, overjoyed.

"Give me three hours, and I'll find someone to take care of the Archbishop."