This question was actually easy to answer. The simplest approach was to respond with a joke, since the High Priest had asked it jokingly.
However, in that brief instant, Fudeng first reviewed his recent work, screening for possible oversights to see whether any vulnerable spot corresponded to the High Priest's joke.
Sometimes, when a superior wanted to warn you without openly falling out, he would do it through a joke like this. If you failed to understand and correct yourself in that first stage, more direct criticism awaited you.
Of course, perhaps he was overthinking it, and the High Priest was merely joking. But the question was, who dared not think enough?
At Fudeng's level, very, very few people could frighten him anymore. Yet as their numbers dwindled, the fear they inspired only deepened.
After a moment of rapid thought, Fudeng replied:
"Rest assured, I'll keep a close eye on the Divine Temple. They should be searching harder than anyone."
Fudeng diverted the subject. The High Priest had asked about someone like "his younger self," while Fudeng was referring to a successor.
The conflict between the High Priest and the Divine Temple had long been a semi-public matter. But Norton's forcefulness, along with that "identity" behind him, forced the Divine Temple to yield to him time and again.
Moreover, although the Order Temple had inherited the negative traits of an aloof power outside Church Headquarters, just like the "divine temples" of other churches, it was at least willing to consider the bigger picture.
Thus, their struggle probably would not erupt in full while Norton remained in office. The Divine Temple had already shifted its attention primarily toward candidates for the next High Priest.
They would grit their teeth and accept this one. But they could not allow another "Norton" to