Splash!
At sea, aboard the Iron Anvil flagship as it sailed steadily onward, in the captain's cabin...
At the meeting table, under John's scrutinizing gaze...
Lucius slowly drew an old parchment scroll from his robes and laid it on the table. Then he smiled at John. "Governor, this is a copy of the Faoken Diocese Establishment Permit issued by the Church."
As Lucius unrolled the document, its contents came into full view:
1. Authorization to establish a third-tier diocese in Faoken, staffed by one priest and no more than twenty monks.
2. The Faoken Diocese shall enjoy standard autonomy, but its annual budget, personnel appointments, and major ceremonies must still be reported to the central Church.
There were six clauses in all, each drawn from a standard Church template, with no obvious traps.
Before John could even point out the wording that might cause ambiguity, Lucius raised it himself. "Governor John, I believe I should explain some of the terms in the permit in detail."
"For example, the 'right to manage Church property' mentioned here. Under the new regulations the Church issued last year, the branch church's real estate remains Church property, and its day-to-day maintenance falls to the diocese. But His Majesty's Faoken Autonomy Ordinance takes precedence over this right. The branch church's property and income will therefore be taxed under local Faoken law, rather than bypassing you and going straight to Church headquarters."
"As for the 'armed defenders of the faith' in this clause, it does not mean the usual Templar Order. It refers to a guard unit of no more than ten people, responsible only for the church's everyday security and prohibited from carrying military weapons."
"And here—"
Lucius explained each point to John with meticulous care. He looked less like a priest of the Church than