Dealing with it
Fortunately, Kronos managed to control his smile, which allowed Ikanser to continue speaking.
"So, Archbishop Horamick's task for me is roughly this: to take complete control of the entire Research Center. In return, we will develop this Research Center into Scientific Holy Land for the entire Loen Kingdom and the entire Northern Continent."
Seeing Icons's righteous and awe-inspiring Ikanser, Kronos truly regretted not being Seer Pathway; otherwise, with the Clown's enhancement, he should have been able to better control his smile.
"I believe that both the Royal Family and the Argel Family would like our Loen Kingdom to become stronger, so our Church of Steam and Machinery should rightfully take the lead in this Scientific Holy Land."
Seeing that Ikanser had even resorted to moral blackmail, Kronos knew he couldn't let him continue, or he would really lose control of the situation.
So Kronos quickly said, "That's for sure. When it comes to science and technology, who can compare with the Church of Steam and Machinery? I completely agree with what Archbishop Horamick said. Such a Scientific Holy Land should indeed be controlled by professionals."
"Alright, I will make this proposal clearly to the Higher Education Committee at the next preparatory meeting. How can we allow those dirty politicians to interfere in such a Sacred Land of science? If they don't agree, our Argel Family would rather not continue with this plan."
When it comes to being sarcastic and eccentric, how could Kronos possibly be inferior to Ikanser? Upon hearing this, the smile on Ikanser's face froze instantly.
He exaggerated so much entirely to make it easier to negotiate terms.
Lu Xun once said, "If you say this room is too dark and we need to open a window here, everyone will definitely not agree. But if you advocate tearing down the roof, they will come to mediate and agree to open a window." (This is indeed what Lu Xun said, from "Silent China")
There is no such quote from Lu Xun in this world, but Ikanser clearly understands this principle well, so he took exaggeration to the extreme as soon as he opened his mouth.
But it's just a little trick; once you tell the truth, no one will fall for it.
For someone like Kronos, who has been exposed to the internet, how could such a trap possibly work on him?
So Kronos immediately exclaimed, "Ah, yes, yes, yes!", completely affirming Ikanser's statement, even going so far as to threaten to flip the Table.
Seeing Ikanser's constantly twitching lips, Kronos was certain that the Captain of the Machinery Hivemind was no match for his acting skills; he couldn't even hold back at this level.
Seeing that Kronos was about to continue, Ikanser quickly interrupted him.
"Brother Kronos, you can't say that. While it's best if the Scientific Holy Land is in our hands, it can still benefit this country even without us, so you can't say something so extreme."
Hearing Ikanser contradict himself like this, Kronos suppressed his laughter and gave Ikanser a bewildered look, staring at him blankly.
Kronos's acting skills might actually be quite good. Ikanser doesn't know whether the person in front of him has seen through all his tricks and is countering them accordingly, or whether he's just genuinely naive and has incredible luck, avoiding falling into any traps.
Ikanser continued, "Actually, I also feel that Archbishop Horamick's viewpoint is a bit impractical. Although he aims to create Scientific Holy Land and for the scientific development of all humanity, it is, after all, an investment, and you should be considered in the long run."
Seeing that Kronos still looked confused and showed no intention of playing the straight man, Ikanser had no choice but to continue the story himself.
"Look, if we don't want ownership of this Research Center, but just send some Clergy to work there and help teach your students, I think that would be a win-win situation."
Kronos hadn't expected to get the truth out of this feigned ignorance, but he genuinely hadn't anticipated Ikanser saying such a thing. In Kronos's judgment, it really did come close to the truth.
These words reminded Kronos Consciousness the true purpose of the Church of Steam and Machinery.
The Church of Steam and Machinery is probably the wealthiest of all the True God Churches. Whether it's research Patent or the production of Beyonder Item, the profits are considerable, so it's highly unlikely that they would be interested in the profits from this Research Center.
Kronos had initially assumed that the Church of Steam and Machinery, like him, coveted this influence, but Ikanser's words made Kronos Consciousness that the Church of Steam and Machinery didn't care about such things at all.
The Church of Steam and Machinery was actually looking for talent. Those who could enter the Research Center Research Center through the reorganized Backlund Technical University were all talents in the scientific field.
Such talent is a perfect fit for the Church of Steam and Machinery. A few Potion could easily propel them to Sequence 7 or even Sequence 6. This is practically a gold mine for the Church of Steam and Machinery.
If one day, talents cultivated through the nation's universities enter Research Center and become Fanatic of the Church of Steam and Machinery, then the Argel Family will surely be wiped out on that day.
Thinking about this, Kronos's back was already damp with cold sweat.
However, on the surface, Kronos kept nodding, as if he particularly agreed with Ikanser's point of view.
"So, as I said, the Church of Steam and Machinery has no ill intentions. We don't want anything from this Research Center. We're not interested in its reputation, or even its publicity. We'll just provide you with some free tutoring courses."
"If one day the Loen Kingdom becomes stronger, I hope someone will remember the contributions our church has made to this country."
Kronos managed to coax Ikanser into escaping by feigning ignorance.
After making numerous promises, including one to help the Church of Steam and Machinery promote this "good deed," Kronos finally boarded his carriage to return home.
On the carriage, Kronos pondered how to break this deadlock.
The Church of Steam and Machinery's move was quite ruthless. If Kronos hadn't figured it out and had truthfully conveyed the Church of Steam and Machinery's idea to the Higher Education Committee, there was a very high chance that they would have agreed.
Those who don't understand the world of the Beyonder probably really can't see the purpose of the Church of Steam and Machinery.
Kronos also couldn't explain to each member of the Backlund Technical College Reorganization Group that it was not only unrealistic, but also risked clashing with the Church of Steam and Machinery.
The Church of Steam and Machinery clearly had a perfectly legitimate and open scheme, yet it still used several underhanded tactics at the beginning, all to make Kronos take the blame. Kronos can now understand the hardships his predecessors endured when they were fighting against the Church of Steam and Machinery.
Even after arriving at his own home, Kronos still couldn't come up with a suitable method to carry out the plan.
After the carriage arrived home, Kronos instructed the Servants not to disturb him, and then went straight into his room.
These days, Kronos still maintains a lot of contact with the Midseashire, but it's mostly through Telegraph.
Some trivial, unimportant matters wouldn't warrant bothering the Messenger Lady.
But for today's matter, the Messenger Lady must make the trip.
Kronos quickly explained everything, including his initial idea for the Project, the subsequent changes, and some of his speculations.
After writing it, Kronos summoned Messenger Lady to deliver his letter.
The most obvious advantage of Messenger over Telegraph is its speed; with the speed of Kronos's Messenger, the Message could be delivered to Marquis Argel in the blink of an eye.
However, the situation is less certain with Telegraph, as there is even a possibility of the Message being lost.
Kronos waited anxiously for less than half an hour when a crack suddenly appeared before him, and a letter floated out and landed in front of Kronos.
Kronos eagerly opened the letter and read it carefully.
From the outset, the Marquis Argel directly affirmed Kronos's idea, believing that increasing influence was a suitable approach for the Argel Family's development.
It was later stated that such a high-impact Project was indeed not suitable for Kronos to manage at this stage, as Kronos lacked management experience and could easily lose sight of the bigger picture. Therefore, other new ideas should be put on hold for the time being, with the focus on this Research Center.
Only then did Marquis Argel bring up the matter of the Church of Steam and Machinery.
Marquis Argel hadn't expected Kronos to Consciousness the true purpose of the Church of Steam and Machinery, but he also believed that Kronos's judgment was very accurate; the Church of Steam and Machinery wanted to strengthen its power through the Research Center.
However, the Marquis Argel believed that this matter was easily resolved. The Argel Family was not capable of dealing with a True God Churches, but there were other forces that could.
The Church of Steam and Machinery Church of Steam and Machinery's main missionary areas are the Republic of Intis and the Loen Kingdom, but it does not hold the highest position in either country.
In the Republic of Intis, the largest church is the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun, while in the Loen Kingdom, the Church of Evernight and the Church of Storms are both superior to the Church of Steam and Machinery.
The Church of Steam and Machinery Church of Steam and Machinery had the largest missionary reach because it was neutral on gender issues and, due to the need for more labor in industrial development, consistently cooperated with the Church of the Goddess to encourage women to work outside the home, advocating for them to learn more skills and engage in more labor, thus complementing each other's strengths.
Moreover, the veneration of technology and labor means money, so the Church of Steam and Machinery naturally has a wider audience than other churches.