A Conspiracy in Plain Sight, Impossible to Avoid / You're Truly a Terrible Father!

Without Iberia support, Lateran's international influence has plummeted, and it will soon be sitting at the same table as Siracusa.

Small countries have no voice.

Therefore, he absolutely could not fire the first shot, especially since he didn't know what the guy in front of him was planning.

Even if Evangelista were actually killed tonight, the Lateran officials dared not say much after learning the truth.

Moral condemnation is one thing, but do they really dare to send troops?

So the boy drew closer, but Evangelista could only feign composure.

"Let's chat in the living room. Also, don't use cactus for egg tarts; I suggest adding more sugar."

"Is it possible that you ate it before I even started adding the sugar?"

Evangelista was quite easygoing; seeing someone's furrowed brow actually made him feel quite pleased.

Huang Cao stared at the egg tarts on the cooking table with some difficulty.

Damn it!

I should have let this guy finish making the desserts before launching a surprise attack.

Oh well, consider it retribution for scaring him earlier.

While someone went to the living room, Evangelista quickly made himself a cup of coffee, forcing himself to calm down.

A few minutes later, he composed himself and walked into the living room, standing and speaking to Master Huang, trying to make himself appear more dignified.

"I wonder what brings Mr. Huang here today? If it is a diplomatic matter, please allow me to contact the Lateran Ministry of Foreign Affairs now."

"To be precise, I came here to avoid meeting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After all, as you know, Utopia doesn't have a Ministry of Foreign Affairs at all. My diplomats and your Ministry of Foreign Affairs are always throwing garbage at each other; it's practically a chat room."

Evangelista felt somewhat embarrassed listening to Master Huang's complaints.

The art of survival for small countries lies in this: those who can play the game of Tai Chi all play the game of Tai Chi to get away with it.

"So I'm here to issue an ultimatum, giving you a chance to join Utopia. Of course, I must eradicate some of Lateran's religious beliefs and render them harmless, and replace all religious administrators with Utopians."

"As you know, this is extremely unreasonable of you. No country would agree to your request, let alone Lateran."

Evangelista replied seriously, firmly rejecting Master Huang's proposal.

Not receiving the expected answer, Huang Cao continued:

"In that case, there's no need for us to continue communicating. Utopia's actions towards Lateran will not be as mild as before."

"Iberia will also be incorporated into Utopia as one of its provinces in a few years, but even with a new dynasty, some scores still need to be settled. I am not some benevolent monarch."

Huang Cao took out the treaty he had shown Andon earlier from his spatial storage. The Pope in front of him recognized the handwriting on it.

"I imagine you have a copy of this treaty, but whether it's in a museum or burned... I don't care. After all, plenty of Lateran and Iberia people who witnessed the signing of this treaty decades ago are still alive."

"I have to settle this score now, or Lateran won't have an easy time. Whether you lose money or some land is up to you. I don't want your interest. I want all your country's foreign trade revenue... the revenue from the first 20 to 15 years, converted into gold coins and sent to Utopia."

Then Huang Cao took out a piece of paper and a pen from his spatial storage and wrote a number on it, "I don't need much, just this amount."

Evangelista looked at the numbers on the paper and almost spat out a mouthful of blood, but he couldn't refute them.

Although the demands are indeed substantial, enough to plunge Lateran into a financial crisis for one or two years.

Moreover, the other party chose to use Pure Gold for the transaction, fully taking inflation into account.

But Lateran's reputation is already ruined; it can't be easily repaired.

If we lose money at this point, it would be a double loss.

Even if compensation is given, the Iberia won't remember Lateran's kindness, after all, decades have passed.

Don't ask the Pope why he's thinking about this; he was shameless first, so why not just accept the loss?

That's because transactions between countries don't require any sense of propriety; sometimes, defaulting on a debt is just a matter of words.

Therefore, even if you're going to lose money, you have to think about whether this loss will bring any positive returns.

Chapter 559 An Open Scheme, Inescapable

"We can't afford that money."

Evangelista chose to feign death and play dumb, something he had already seen through many years ago.

The man before me conquered a country by first igniting its internal conflicts, and then leading his troops in under the banner of humanitarianism.

Apart from Gaul, it is rare for them to launch wars of annexation without prior notice.

This is certainly a good method, but Lateran is a wealthy and powerful country, and on this land, only Utopia has a higher quality of life than its own country.

There are absolutely no domestic conflicts!

"If you can't produce it, I'll have to make a big fuss about it internationally. And you know how sought-after Utopia's products are in your country, right? Think about the excellent plant Seed that Utopia provides; no matter how much you ban them, many of them are still circulating privately."

Huang Cao's strategy has been successful.

Evangelista was as if his vital point had been grabbed, and he couldn't utter a word.

Under the influence of Utopia, the living conditions in Lateran at this time are no less than, and perhaps even better than, those in the original storyline.

Lateran used to have a custom of saving food, but that's completely gone now; people even throw away egg tarts after eating one.

Evangelista calculated that without the Seed of Utopia, Lateran's future food production would be reduced by at least half.

In reality, Huang Cao secretly controls almost all the country's arable land, and can freely adjust its annual yield even without Seed.

It could even render most of the land barren, regardless of whether the Seed provided by Utopia are planted.

However, Master Huang hasn't reminded that old man Evangelista that now is not the time to reveal his hand.

After meeting Andon, his plan to conquer Lateran through non-violent means was also in progress; he had plenty of time to slowly wear them down.

But what about you? You're in a dangerous situation. Can you really lead Lateran to fight against the vast Utopia?

Huang Cao never doubted anyone's wisdom, and the Pope before him was quite capable; at least his virtue matched his position.

Even when faced with a utopia of "demonic" origin, they would swallow their pride and import high-yield Seed.

If it weren't for religious reasons, Huang Cao would be quite happy to be this kid's friend.

"As the highest authority in this country, you wield immense power. Secretly amassing wealth and sending it to Utopia shouldn't be difficult for you. Do you really want me to publicize it extensively? The damage to reputation and faith that would be inflicted couldn't be compensated for with money alone."

Success is due to faith, and so is its influence.

As a religious country, the consequences of a challenge to faith are extremely terrifying.

That's why successive popes have used various excuses to cover up Lateran's breach of contract, all in order to save face for themselves.

However, Lateran, having lost Iberia's support, had long since lost its international influence.

Today, international public opinion is entirely in the hands of utopia.

Therefore, Lateran has always been passive, afraid that someone would take the initiative to tear off this fig leaf.

Now, someone has arrived with scissors.

"Okay, I will make the compensation, but it must be done through international bulk trade, and I will publicize this action."

Evangelista knew he had jumped into a fire pit.

However, if the compensation is obtained through private channels, then it becomes meaningless.

So this guy just dug himself a hole, because no one saw it, which means there's no one to protect him. What if the other party takes the money and then doesn't do anything? That would be terrible.

But if we actively and publicly promote it, wouldn't that be like tearing away our own fig leaf?

After much deliberation, Evangelista decided to take on the villain himself.

Iberia can give up now; no amount of amends can erase the resentment of this country for the mistakes it made by breaking its promises.

But at least it leaves Utopia with no reason to cause trouble, since this was a promise made by Master Huang, Evangelista will do his best to promote this when making compensation.

"Okay, I don't care, as long as you pay."

Huang Cao was a little disappointed because the old man didn't fall for the trap, but he had still achieved his goal.

Doing so would imply that Lateran is indeed a treacherous country, further damaging its international reputation.

This will undoubtedly cause great turmoil among the Lateran people. At this time, Andon, sent by the Huang Cao, will play a role, taking in most of the Lateran people whose hearts are broken, and attempting to gradually gain control of the domestic discourse.

Once the wound is opened, Utopia can use this opportunity to achieve its goals.

This was a completely open and aboveboard scheme.

If Evangelista refuses to pay compensation, the lives of the people in the country will be affected, and his international reputation will plummet under the influence of utopia, which will also impact his faith.

If compensation is awarded, it will be a very large expenditure in terms of funding, and the Lateran government will have to tighten its belt for at least a long time to come.

At the same time, it also exposed its own long-standing hypocrisy and impacted domestic beliefs. But at least it showed remorse. When most Lateran people have psychological and moral burdens, they can find a reason to barely get by.

"Mr. Huang, I knew you wouldn't bring anything good with you coming here tonight."

Evangelista sat on the sofa, biting into a sugar-free cactus tart, finally looking relaxed.

In fact, to prevent Lateran from being corrupted by utopia, he had carefully studied almost all of the young man's actions over the past two hundred years.

The conclusion drawn is that if the other party wants to let you go, they will likely do so for a while and won't make things too difficult for you.

Huang Cao indeed had no further plans, intending to leave everything to the future Andon and time.

"Sigh, what can we do when we're on different sides? If you're still alive when Lateran joins Utopia in the future, I might still be your boss."

"That would be a truly hellish sight; hopefully, it won't happen."

Is it really impossible for it to happen?

Evangelista had no doubt that Lateran would be completely annexed in the future, and he even asked the mainframe that lay dormant underground.

Countless calculations have yielded the same result: Lateran's integration into Utopia is an established fact.

But the pope still wanted to insist, which is the constraint that religion imposes on its believers.

Even the Pope, who is second only to the Pope, is influenced by faith.

"Then goodbye. I hope that Utopia and Lateran will have a beautiful stage in the future, free from bloodshed, and that we will eventually eliminate all barriers." Huang Cao waved and left.

"Barriers between people cannot be eliminated, even if they share the same beliefs."

Watching the Huang Cao recede into the distance, Evangelista sighed deeply.

What will the future hold? What will become of Lateran?

We'll only know for sure later.

Chapter 560 You're such a terrible father!

"By the way, where does Arturo live? I don't think she told me before we parted. Oh well, I'll just have to find it myself."

Huang Cao snapped his fingers, and the plant spores scattered throughout the Lateran Holy City instantly began to move, transmitting all the collected information into his mind.

More than 90% of Lateran's land is now planted with utopian vegetation, and even though the exterior looks exactly the same as before, the core within has long since undergone an imperceptible change.

The differences can only be seen under a very advanced microscope, and even then, the differences may not be noticeable.

Biological development in this era was not very advanced, and the mechanisms of most plants were not explored in great detail.

Dangerous animals are everywhere on this land, but dangerous plants are rare.

After some searching, the plants under Huang Cao's command compiled Arturo's pheromones into understandable information and sent it to their master.

"Arturo's house is located on the edge of the city center, so it's relatively quiet, but let's go there tomorrow morning."

It's getting late, and it would be impolite to disturb you abruptly.

Although it's unclear what this angel wants him to do, it shouldn't be anything bad.

Utopia has a very tall building in the capital of Lateran, which naturally has its own exclusive rest area.

It was the dead of night at Arturo's house.

"You're back."

The man named Marcelo looked at the girl in front of him without the slightest surprise in his eyes.

"Can't I come back?"