Petty underlings were the hardest to deal with

Kronos might not have noticed the change in his expression at first, but the silence over this period, and the somewhat suppressed tone he was now giving him the impression that something was wrong with Nosk Kronos.

So he told the truth directly, "There was a service that Archbishop Horamick presided over personally. That was the first time I met the Archbishop, and out of curiosity, I asked him a few more questions. Captain Ikanser told me that you are the Archbishop's adopted son, and that the Archbishop is fully recommending you to become the next Archbishop."

Kronos's words completely betrayed Ikanser. Nosk hates it when people talk about his relationship with Horamick, and he hates it even more when people talk about Horamick. This Captain of the Machinery Hivemind has committed both of these offenses.

"Ikanser!" Nosk muttered several times, then said, "I've got it."

At this moment, Ikanser was lying in wait at a location outside the city. The Machinery Hivemind had a mission today, which was why it sent Nosk to contact Kronos; otherwise, it should have been sent by him.

While he was intently keeping watch, Ikanser suddenly shivered, as if he were being watched by something. He thought his target had appeared, so he quickly gestured for everyone to be alert.

As a result, everyone was on edge for half an hour, but they didn't see even a shadow of a person.

"That's strange. If it didn't appear, what was that feeling just now?" Ikanser asked, puzzled.

After firmly memorizing Ikanser, Nosk looked at Kronos and asked, "I came here to know if your family can help the church?"

Kronos replied without hesitation, "Of course. Without the Church's help, I wouldn't have been able to advance to this level so smoothly. If you need anything, please feel free to ask within my permission."

These lines were naturally memorized beforehand, to the point where one could recite them fluently from beginning to end, all so that these people wouldn't notice anything amiss.

Sure enough, Nosk smiled with satisfaction after hearing this.

He continued, "The Archbishop wants to know if your father intends to re-enter the House of Lords. You should know that your family has always had a seat, but no one goes; it's tantamount to abstaining."

As the most powerful Marquis in the military since the founding of the Kingdom, the Argel Family naturally had a seat in the House of Lords, although that seat had been vacant for three hundred years.

Kronos hadn't expected Nosk to bring this up. After considering it for a moment, he said, "I can ask him, but I don't have high hopes."

"My father went back to Midseashire this time to prepare for his promotion. If he succeeds, he probably won't return to Backlund. You know, it's safer there."

In fact, Marquis Argel had not yet made a choice, but Kronos had no choice but to offer these reasons as a pretext, without giving a definitive answer, leaving room for maneuver.

Nosk is not Ikanser; he has always been by Horamick's side, so he definitely knows more than Ikanser. Therefore, he knows some things about the Argel Family and how Kronos's grandfather "died".

After hearing Kronos's explanation, he nodded and then asked, "Could you help us put someone in the House of Commons?"

What Kronos could deduce, the Church of Steam and Machinery naturally also judged, and they also believed it was a good opportunity to insert a few people into the House of Commons.

However, the same problem remains: the Church of Steam and Machinery has a lot of influence among Factory owners and workers, but it is basically a political vacuum. Even if there are plans in this area, it is difficult to find someone to carry them out.

So these people searched and searched, and finally found their way to Kronos.

Kronos was completely exasperated. These people were giving him way too much credit, even pushing people into the House of Commons. He had to find connections just to get someone into a government agency, let alone Member of Parliament.

"Bishop Nosk, this is really beyond my capabilities. I have absolutely no connections in this area, so I can't help you at all."

At this point, Kronos even hoped that the Church of Steam and Machinery would ask him for some money, just to buy peace of mind.

Unfortunately, the Church of Steam and Machinery was also very wealthy.

"Aren't you on good terms with the Negan?"

Now, Nosk has finally revealed his main objective.

Yes, it's not easy to push someone into the ranks of Member of Parliament, especially when the Royal Family is at its most vigilant. The only possible route is probably through the Negan.

Kronos had a fairly good relationship with Philip, Duke Negan wasn't averse to contacting him, but Kronos wasn't stupid; would he really owe such a huge favor for the sake of the Church of Steam and Machinery?

This Nosk is clearly here to get Gloves; he comes in asking for help right away and never mentions paying anything.

If the Church of Steam and Machinery were truly generous and offered a Demigod- level Sealed Artifact, perhaps Kronos would dare to give it his all. But this attempt to Gloves is best avoided.

"Bishop Nosk, I have a decent relationship with Philip, the son of Duke Negan, but I've only met Duke Negan once. I feel that Philip alone can't make this decision."

"Besides, I haven't seen Philip in a long time, and I don't know where he went. This means I don't even have a chance to contact Duke Negan, which is really putting me in a difficult position."

Nosk's expression remained unchanged as he listened to Kronos's words, but Kronos could clearly sense that the man was unhappy.

So he tentatively continued, "How about we have Archbishop Horamick go see Duke Negan? I think Duke Negan is a pretty easy person to talk to, and he probably won't refuse out of respect for the Archbishop."

But the bishop of Nosk remained unchanged, simply staring at Kronos.

Left with no other option, Kronos could only bite the bullet and say, "Bishop Nosk, you made me do what you decided yourself, and this really won't do."

Upon hearing this, Nosk's gaze shifted slightly, becoming sharper, a change that Kronos also noticed.

Kronos cursed inwardly, surprised that there were so many self-important idiots in the Steam Church.

In fact, this statement has been recorded in family history.

The Church of Steam and Machinery's willingness to protect the Argel Family was a decision made by the God of Steam and Machinery. However, this god only gradually became more benevolent after Emperor Roselle promoted the Industrial Revolution. Therefore, many matters concerning the Argel Family were decided by the Archbishop of the Loen Kingdom.

It wasn't Horamick before; that Archbishop was one of the first missionaries sent to the Loen Kingdom, which was then called the Church of Artisans.

Because the god of steam and machinery only became a god at the end of the Fourth Epoch, and his condition was extremely poor after becoming a god, the other churches did not really think highly of him.

This led to a precarious state for the Church of Artisans at the time. In order to consolidate his power, the Archbishop resorted to countless insidious methods, including the repeated persecution of the Argel Family.

The Church of Steam and Machinery had gradually gained a foothold and no longer needed these underhanded methods, but somehow this Archbishop's way of doing things was perpetuated.

The Archbishop are frequently replaced, but the staff below them remain the same. They have become accustomed to making things difficult for the Argel Family, and this habit has been preserved.

The Argel Family was merely a family that had produced Demigod. After the Church of Steam and Machinery established itself, the affairs of this family could no longer bother the Archbishop, so this method of setting traps and suppressing them continued.

It's impossible for the successive Archbishop to be completely unaware, but they didn't care and even occasionally protected their own, which ultimately drove the Argel Family to desperation.

After summarizing the situation, the Argel Family roughly understood the reason for this: it's the so-called "It's easier to see the King of Hell than to deal with his underlings."

Now Kronos is facing just such a "little devil," and the church's mission is clearly not to have Kronos help him win the position of Member of Parliament.

However, he assumed that a Marquis could definitely accomplish the task, so he took it upon himself to force Kronos to accept it.

If Kronos succeeded, then it would naturally be Nosk's achievement.

If he fails to complete it, it wasn't his task anyway, so what does it have to do with him? It doesn't affect anything.

However, he didn't expect Kronos to point this out directly, which annoyed him and made him want to Punishment Kronos to vent his anger.

When Kronos saw the anger in Nosk's eyes, he tensed up.

It's fine to put on a smiling face; after all, the difference between home and the Church of Steam and Machinery is just too great.

However, if Nosk dares to fight him, Kronos will definitely not surrender easily.

What a coincidence! The Mystic Pouch contained the "Fruits of Labor" I'd accumulated over the past week, and I was wearing the Sealed Artifact 2-081 that I'd just acquired through a trade. The carriage behind me also contained the "Bright Light War Blade," the "Distortion Gauntlet," and the "Hat of Order."

Kronos had never felt so at ease. Not to mention the Paragon Pathway that wasn't known for its combat prowess, even the Shepherd, who was hailed as the strongest Sequence 5 below Demigod, Kronos wouldn't hesitate to give it a try.

The only troublesome thing is that this is Archbishop Horamick's "adopted son," and he will definitely go back to complain after being injured.

Thinking about this, Kronos touched the 2-081 on his finger and then made a decision.

"If you're going to fight, then go all out!"