Chapter 316

"Of course, I'm going to the manor to complete the task the Pope assigned me."

"Then I'll go with you!"

"No need, you can stay here..." Helen paused, then suddenly remembered that Lista was there, which might better attract Adele and the others' attention and prevent them from disturbing her. "Alright, you can come with me too. This matter is very important. The Pope personally instructed that you should not let anyone else disturb my conversation with Ryan."

"No problem!"

Lista smiled confidently.

See, Helen still believes in him.

Chapter 198 Helen: I will use myself as a bargaining chip!

"Miss Helen, what brings you here again?"

At the entrance to the manor, Sesia, who had just returned from doing business outside, ran into Helen and Lista.

Sesia harbored considerable hostility towards Miss Helen.

This stems from a loyal rider's code of conduct!

Her intuition told her that Helen seemed to have ulterior motives towards Prince Rider. As the Empress's guardian knight, she not only had to protect Empress Prince's personal safety on behalf of the Prince, but also his chastity!

"Hello, Miss Sesia."

Helen smiled and nodded.

She knew that Ryan and Sesia had a good relationship, and if she wanted to win Ryan over, she would inevitably have to deal with Sesia in the future.

"I've come to see Mr. Rider to discuss cooperation between the two churches."

"We've talked so many times, and we're still not done?" Sesia asked suspiciously. "Miss Helen, are you here to negotiate, or are you using negotiations as a pretext for something else?"

Lista, who was next to Helen, immediately perked up her ears.

He wanted to know the answer to that question too.

They've talked about this several times, each time for two hours. Shouldn't things be settled by now?

Isn't it just about cooperation and joint planning? The most crucial point is simply the distribution of benefits; does it really need to be discussed repeatedly?

"Well... if Mr. Rider didn't tell you, I can't really reveal it." Helen still had a smile on her face. "It concerns our future, so we naturally have to be careful. Besides, the situation is constantly changing, isn't it?"

"Oh."

Sesia said nothing and turned to walk into the manor.

Helen followed closely behind. When they entered the courtyard, Adele and the witch K, who had been chatting and drinking tea together, were no longer there. A maid came over and told them that Rider was preparing dinner.

Sesia walked towards the restaurant quite naturally, while Helen stayed where she was, letting the maid go ahead to inform them.

Lista frowned and said, "Helen, it's so late. Why don't we go back first and come back tomorrow?"

Everyone's already eaten. After eating, shouldn't they rest? They'll relax and go to sleep, or perhaps they'll be practicing meditation. Who talks about work so late at night?

"If you want to go back, then go back."

Helen thought it would be better at night; if she hadn't been worried about disrupting her plans, she wouldn't have agreed to Lista come along.

After all, it was her first time doing something like this, and having someone with her would give her peace of mind—although she absolutely didn't want Lista to know about it.

"If you're not going back, what am I supposed to do going back alone? I promised the Pope I would protect you." Lista shook his head. He wasn't going back. It was already late; what if the people in the manor tried to harm Helen if he went back?

Although there is a suspected Eighth Tier Supernatural Being, his strength is not weak, and he can still send out a message at a crucial moment.

After waiting a while, the maid returned and told Helen to go to the dining room to eat together.

But it didn't say Lista should come along.

"I came with Helen, why can't I go in?!" Lista roared. "I'm the Grand Master of the Holy Knights!"

The maid calmly replied, "I'm sorry, Rider Ryder only allowed Miss Helen to enter."

Now everyone in the manor has been replaced by loyalists of the Primal Church. Each person is reflected as a star in the Misty Space, making betrayal virtually impossible. Even if you were the captain, or even Cardinal Bishop, you wouldn't be allowed to betray them without orders.

Lista, you wait here.

Helen Road.

"Alright, Helen, be careful. If there are any problems, tell me immediately. Don't be afraid with me here." Lista said, glancing indifferently at the maid.

"It's fine."

Helen was still thinking about how to use the incense burner later. As for having a meal, what could possibly happen? Even if something did happen... maybe it would be better?

Well, let's just take it one step at a time.

This way.

Ryan was in a good mood after just advancing to the fifth rank through the fragments.

After absorbing the Advancement Fragment, his strength immediately broke through. Not only that, but due to the accumulation of faith during this period, he was almost able to break through to the peak of the fifth rank.

It has to be said that the power of faith is really useful, but it's a pity that he's too stuck by the Advancement Fragment. Otherwise, if he focused on the church, he was confident that he could break through to the seventh rank in just a few months.

However, news has also arrived from the next location, the Sun God. The Witch K visited it once a long time ago, but due to the changes in the Chaos Space, she needs some time to pinpoint the exact location.

If there are no unforeseen circumstances, it should be located in the Northern Continent, specifically within the Augustus Empire. Unfortunately, there's still no news from Vainay. It seems the main temple is indeed not so easy to find.

Speaking of which, Ryan had entered the Temple of Desire once back in the Kingdom of Lotte. At the time, he hadn't considered the possibility of it being related to Advancement Fragment. Since even the Temple of the God of Death had fragments, could the Temple of Desire also have them?

It seems I need to find some time to go back to the territory; I've also been missing Amabena's grandmother.

Thinking this, Helen, dressed in a milky-white robe, walked over.

"Miss Helen, please have a seat, the food is just right."

Ryan smiled warmly.

"Mr. Rider," Helen greeted him, glancing at Sesia at the table. She felt a little sorry that Adele wasn't there; otherwise, her good friend could have helped look after her.

She went over and sat down, not rushing to say anything, but quietly enjoying her dinner.

Halfway through, Sesia suddenly spoke up, "What does Miss Helen want to talk about? You can say it now."

Helen smiled, "No rush, Mr. Rider is still eating."

Sesia looked at Ryan, who gestured for her to hold on and eat first.

Sesia frowned slightly and could only continue eating.

Actually, she wanted Helen to finish her conversation and leave as soon as possible, because according to custom, tonight was the day she would 'train' with Ryan, so that she could greatly improve in the future.

Who would have thought that upon returning, they would see Helen? No wonder she hadn't been in a good mood earlier; anyone would be upset if their strength-boosting process was interrupted.

About ten minutes later, dinner was finally over.

By this time, it was getting dark outside.

Ryan wiped his mouth with a napkin, then glanced at Helen. He knew perfectly well why she was in such a hurry to come over; after all, his first wife, Lin Qi, was coming soon, and Helen, being from the Pope Faction, was definitely eager to finalize their cooperation.

His goal was to make Sylvia anxious. According to Witch K's deduction, Sylvia is currently on the path to becoming a god, and in order for the Rhea Continent to become a god, it must receive a blessing.

They can either become Outer Gods or a true god.

Ryan wasn't entirely clear on the Outer Gods' situation yet, but the True Gods were all bestowed by Balshatt, so the Primal Church was Sylvia's only option at the moment.

Since he hadn't met Sylvia yet, Ryan didn't know anything about her. However, he was determined to win her over eventually, otherwise he would have to kill her and then find a way to put his first wife Lin Qi, on the papacy.

However, that would also create a Cardinal Bishop faction, and since Ryan's foundation at Gate of Janus is too shallow, this path is clearly not easy to take.

In short, the plan is to first use Balshatt's existence to lure Sylvia. Once she has something to ask for, things will be much easier. Once Sylvia's faith gradually shifts to the point where she can reflect stars in the Misty Space, Ryan can then pull her into the Misty Space to do his thing.

The great Creator has done you a disservice; that's your honor!

As for favors, ha~ let me see your loyalty first.

If all else fails, just do it a few more times. Use the big part to cultivate accounts and the small part to govern the country; this approach is definitely not wrong.

"Mr. Rider, I would like to speak with you privately. This time I have brought the Pope's will, and it is of great importance, so..." Helen paused here.

If Sesia were present, her plan would be impossible to carry out.

"Alright, let's go to my room then. I happen to have something I'd like to show Miss Helen."

Helen was taken aback, thinking, "Going to the room? Is there really such a good thing?"

Sesia was also taken aback, her expression turning strange. What important thing could she possibly need to go to a room to check so late at night?

"If Miss Helen is unwilling, then go..."

"I can do it," Helen nodded quickly. "The Pope also gave me some things."

Ryan was also stunned. "What a coincidence?"

What's going on? Did the Pope give Helen something to deal with him? Should we have Adele keep an eye on him, just in case?

He had a purpose in sending Helen to the room. To win over Sylvia, he first had to win over Helen. Only if something went wrong with Helen would Sylvia be willing to take action herself.

Turning Helen to the side was obviously impossible. For someone like Helen, who had believed in Janus since childhood, persuading her to defect was harder than climbing to heaven. So Ryan thought of his long-unused magic weapon— the Pot of Greed.

With a little planning, you could stage an attack by a Desire Cultists, and then it would be perfectly reasonable for a lone man and woman to be doing something like that in a room, wouldn't it?

Ryan was initially worried that Helen wouldn't agree.

Now it's all good. Even if there's a conspiracy, there's no need to worry. Let Adele keep an eye on things, and if anything unexpected happens, let Witch K take action. Even if Sylvia has all her tricks up her sleeve, she can't possibly be a match for Witch K if she doesn't come.

With that thought, Ryan felt relieved. He told Sesia to attend to Lista, implying that the green-haired turtle shouldn't bother them.

Although Sesia was somewhat reluctant, Ryan was dealing with an important matter, and going to the room might not be what she thought. She could ask him carefully later. If it really was something to do 'afterwards,' there was nothing she could do about it. After all, Her Majesty Kachina had instructed her to obey Ryan's every command Your Majesty traveling.

"Why are you the only one who came out? Where is Helen?"

In the hall, Lista, who was still waiting, frowned and asked when he saw Sesia coming over.

"She and Rider have something to discuss," Sesia said calmly. "Your Miss Helen is quite cunning, always choosing late at night to call someone in for serious business. But you've miscalculated; Rider isn't that kind of person."

Lista's eyes flashed sharply. "What nonsense are you spouting? Helen came with the Pope's will to discuss serious matters! If you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll make you regret it!"

"Heh~ So the Pope sent her over in the middle of the night?"

Sesia isn't afraid of Lista.

Although she had only recently advanced to the seventh rank, her cultivation level had stabilized quite well through training with Ryan.

Besides, this is the original territory. How dare you, a paladin of Gate of Janus, act so presumptuously?

Lista certainly didn't dare; he could only glare fiercely at Sesia before walking aside to sit down and wait.

There's only one outcome if a fight breaks out: they'll be wiped out, and the news will reach headquarters and the Pope.

It doesn't matter if he dies, but Helen absolutely cannot be harmed, so he won't go after Ryan unless absolutely necessary.

On the other side.

Ryan realized that something seemed amiss.

Based on the previous plot development, Helen should have talked to him about the cooperation plan between Gate of Janus and the Primal Church. Now that Port of Misi has been captured, the next step should be to continue the attack on Lorient, gradually chipping away at its territory.

The Gate of Janus has mobilized a considerable force this time, openly confronting other church powers. Given their never-abandoning-a-loss mentality, they should at least be making demands by now.

Helen didn't say anything, but came in and took out an incense burner-like object, saying it was a relic that could calm the mind and help people meditate.

This left Ryan, who was about to pull out the Pot of Greed and say the same thing, feeling awkward. He could only wait until another time to say it.

"Lord Ryan," Helen suddenly changed the subject, saying, "The Pope knows that the Saintess is coming to the Southern Continent."

"Oh?" Ryan chuckled. "No wonder Miss Helen's visit this time was a little different from before. And then, did the Pope say anything?"

"The Pope said that cooperating with the Saintess is not a good choice. We can give her everything she can, and we can also give her things she can't. Moreover, the Pope is already trying to remove the Saintess from her position. Once Lin Qi loses her status as the Saintess, she will have no power in the Gate of Janus."

Damn it, that bastard Sylvia actually dared to make a move on my first wife.

Ryan gave a nonchalant "oh," then shook his head. "That's the Pope's business. You should know that Lin Qi and I have known each other for a long time. Of course, Miss Helen is also a friend of mine, but I promised Lin Qi that we'd talk about it when she arrives."

Helen said calmly, "Saintess Lin Qi, she wants to use this opportunity to help the Church win the battle for faith in the Southern Continent, thereby improving her status within the Church. Moreover, once she takes charge of the strategy in the Southern Continent, all the people trained here will stand on her side."

Ryan chuckled, "I don't know what she's thinking, I only know that I helped her, and she can help me in return. That's called mutual help between friends."

Believe it or not, Ryan did have that idea.

The Gate of Gate of Janus is too stable now. The Saintess Faction was able to develop because of the help of the Cardinal Bishop faction, but the latter is also a wolf in sheep's clothing. They just wanted to use Lin Qi to suppress Sylvia's power.

If Lin Qi develops too quickly, Cardinal Bishop Karls will definitely turn against her.