Me Too

That evening, the High Priest returned home and summoned his youngest son. He had many children, but he loved this youngest son the most because the two looked the most alike.

It's a bit strange, but the appearance of the children in front of the High Priest is somewhat different from his. This is not uncommon, though not unusual.

He did not investigate whether these sons were his own flesh and blood. The mothers of these children brought a lot of wealth, power and some intangible assets whose value could not be directly quantified when they married into the family.

He also received a lot of help when he and his brothers were vying for the position of High Priest, so he would pretend to be confused.

Only his youngest son resembled him the most. He couldn't quite explain the feeling, but at least that's how he felt, which is why he favored his youngest son.

The High Priest's youngest son was only seventeen years old. If it weren't for the girl who was pregnant out of wedlock and was too ashamed to face anyone, she would have drowned herself in the river. This seventeen-year-old boy would already be a father.

From the perspective of the Nagaril People, the young man was quite handsome. Unlike the local noblemen who were fat, he was slightly thin and looked very energetic.

"Father, you wanted to see me."

After removing his colorful bird feathers, various decorations, and wiping away the paint from his body, the High Priest revealed his true face.

This is an elderly man who looks somewhat frail. His face and arms are covered with tattoos, and his skin is somewhat sagging, making it impossible for the tattoos to express what they were meant to convey when they were pierced into his skin.

This also made the High Priest look somewhat frightening and disgusting.

"Do you know Lin Qi?" the High Priest asked, looking at his youngest son.

The young man nodded. "I know him. Everyone's been talking about him lately."

The High Priest nodded noncommittally. "In a couple of days, he will board a ship to leave Nagaril Bayer Federation. You will go with him, not to Li Ya, but to the Bayer Federation."

The High Priest originally intended to send his youngest son to the Amelia Province, where Gefra had gained 120 years of rule and was now engaged in large-scale development.

This was a great opportunity. The High Priest had originally planned to send his youngest son there with money to study and do business at the same time, and ideally, to become friends with local dignitaries—with his father, the High Priest, as a backdrop, people would be willing to befriend a young man.

Regardless of whether his youngest son will be able to return and inherit his position and power in the future, at least this is a way out. He has even thought that if conditions permit, he will also establish a religion in the Amelia Region.

The ideological conflict between the locals and the Gefra people meant they needed a "mediator" to reconcile the differences, and this was a good opportunity. His youngest son had also made many preparations for this.

But unexpectedly, one sentence from Lin Qi changed his mind—religious freedom, freedom of belief.

Gefra was a monarchical state where missionary work required permission. Only with the ruler's consent could missionary work be carried out to a limited extent, unlike Federal.

If the Federal were truly that free, he could have easily made his youngest son a High Priest Federal; that would have been the real solution.

It's much better to be rich, advanced, developed, and safe than to be a local tyrant in this place.

"But I heard that Lin Qi rejected Mr. Preton's offer of kindness..."

The High Priest frowned, his voice stern. "Remember, you are a child of the Nagaril People, not Preton's child. Do not speak for him, nor fear him."

His attitude largely represents the current anxieties and resentments of the Nagaril ruling class, whose younger generation is becoming increasingly externalized under the influence of these outsiders.

Some of them couldn't even speak fluent Nagaril, but spoke the International Common Language as fluently as their mother tongue.

Their attitude towards life and society is quite unlike that of the locals, which is worrying. I worry that one day their descendants will suddenly transform from Nagaril People into "foreigners".

The High Priest felt a sudden, inexplicable irritation. "That's settled then. You're going there to study and see the environment. Lin Qi told me they have a very free approach to religion and belief. If possible..."

The youngest son, who had initially been expressionless, showed a hint of surprise on his face, but it quickly turned into a look of delight.

He was actually more interested in religion than in doing business.

Born into such a family, he was influenced by what he saw and heard, and he knew very well that sometimes money can't do things, but God can!

The news that the High Priest had sent his youngest son away with Lin Qi quickly spread through certain channels. When Mr. Preton learned of this, he simply smiled indifferently. He didn't take it to heart and, out of respect for the High Priest, instructed his men not to make things difficult for him at sea.

Even the Provincial Governor's children wouldn't dare utter such nonsense as "you can't leave without paying money." With the High Priest involved, unless their father confronted them head-on, no one would dare stop Lin Qi from leaving the country.

If the actions of a minor individual trigger a new clash between political and religious authority, it would be a loss for the entire society.

The matter seemed to have settled down, and a few days later, Lin Qi, along with a ship full of goods and a young man who was yearning for the outside world and was away from his father's sight for the first time, embarked on his return journey to the Bayer Federation.

"Why are there so many people?" The Federal citizens who had just disembarked from the cruise ship looked at the reporters holding cameras and video cameras in the harbor with some surprise. They asked each other if some foreign head of state or political figure was coming to visit again.

As the Federal becomes more involved in international affairs, state visits have become more frequent and normal.

With a new player at the table, the veteran players are eager to find out what this new friend is thinking and if there are any projects they can collaborate on.

In previous years, state visits were rare, occurring only once every few years. During this period, they became a regular occurrence. The Prime Minister of Gefra had barely left when the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Leningrad arrived, accompanied by a long list of diplomatic agendas.

This was a novel sight for the people of the Federal, and it also increased national cohesion and confidence.

In the words of the president in his televised address, "We are becoming more involved in international decision-making, we are becoming more critical, our position is rising, and the great rejuvenation of the Federal is just around the corner..." It certainly sounds inspiring.

Although the current economic situation remains dire, it is no longer as hopeless as it once was. The emergence of some international orders has allowed some factories to resume operations, which are all positive signs and have made people realize the importance of integrating into the International Community.

Of course, all of this further proves the error of the "escapism" approach. The Former President is currently under investigation, and it is said that the Federal National Security Committee of Bayer Federation intends to prosecute Former President for "dereliction of duty" and "endangering National Security."

The rapid and dramatic changes were so overwhelming that when people disembarked and saw these journalists, their first thought was that foreign dignitaries had arrived.

Some people linger at the harbor, wanting to feel the pulse of the times up close, but they are destined to be disappointed, though they may not necessarily suffer any loss—this sentence is quite peculiar.

As an inconspicuous small to medium-sized Cargo Ship slowly approached the port, the reporters instantly erupted in excitement, and onlookers also rushed forward to push their way in.

What they first saw were some large cages being brought down from the Cargo Ship. Reporters' cameras began flashing wildly, and people kept exclaiming in surprise, wondering, "What the hell is that?" "Is that a lion?" a fashionable woman wearing a sun hat, a blue dress, and carrying a handbag asked uncertainly. "Its fur is so beautiful, it sparkles in the sunlight!"

Her male companion was somewhat uncertain, saying, "A lion's mane is much thicker than this one, and looking at its stripes, I think it might be a leopard."

"I've seen leopards, and leopards don't have that kind of fur!" the fashionable lady immediately offered a different opinion.

The man was about to argue, but seeing the woman's unwavering determination and realizing he had just ended a month-long period of abstinence, he immediately backed down, "You're right, darling!"

The woman smiled very elegantly, "I knew I was right!"

More and more things were being unloaded from the ship, things rarely seen in the Federal, including furniture made of Crimson Blood Wood —even the children had come with Lin Qi, so cutting down some worthless trees was just a matter of a word, right? People were talking about where these things came from, who they belonged to, and why there were so many reporters.

Meanwhile, the owner of these items was on the deck of the Cargo Ship.

"I can feel it, Lin Qi ..." The seventeen-year-old boy had developed a good relationship with Lin Qi after three days together. He was now leaning on the ship's railing, tilting his head slightly back, and taking deep breaths.

The air quickly filled his lungs, making his somewhat thin body appear slightly swollen. "This is the taste of freedom. I never imagined that it could taste so sweet here!"

He turned around and looked at Lin Qi with some surprise. There was no stench in the air that was so persistent that it required a sachet to cover it up. Perhaps there was no other smell besides the fishy smell, but for a boy who was going abroad for the first time, this was already a pleasant surprise.

"I told you, this is the best place in the world, you will love it!" Lin Qi's smile was always infectious, and since he was not much older than the boy, it was easy for the boy to agree with his point of view.

"I think so too, Lin Qi!"