As her discussion with the Archbishop deepened, Angel discovered, to her dismay, that it would be difficult to take possession of Sevillea's factories and land in a reasonable, legal, and safe manner. Even the villas in Backlund had become something of a hot potato.
Although they had become "Irene Watson's" assets through proper procedures and only awaited her revealing her identity to complete the handover, that identity itself was connected to the Great Smog. The moment she appeared, she would inevitably attract the attention of the Church of Storms, the Church of Steam, and the military. Even the Demoness Sect and the Aurora Order might come knocking.
If Angel continued using the identity of "Christine Teresa," however, she would have no connection whatsoever to those businesses and parcels of land, much less any legitimate way to take possession of them.
In the end, she could only accept Anthony's proposed compromise: sell all those assets to the Church of the Evernight Goddess in Irene's name. In return, the Church would pay the corresponding sum in gold pounds to Irene Watson—in other words, Angel.
"After taxes and the related fees, I'll actually get less than 110,000 pounds..."
Angel muttered, pained by the loss of a tenth of her proceeds before she had even received them.
Besides, the Church has done me a huge favor here. I ought to show my appreciation... Looking into Anthony's deep eyes, an idea struck her, and she said:
"I'll donate whatever exceeds 100,000 pounds to the Church, to cover, um, repairs to the old churches in the East Borough."
She had initially intended to suggest renovating Saint Samuel Cathedral, but countless believers were already competing to donate to the largest cathedral in Backlund, and indeed all of Loen. It underwent renovations and improvements every year and hardly