After taking a few steps forward, the archbishop asked somewhat nervously:
"May I ask, Your Excellency, the esteemed envoy of the Second Holy See, what brings you to this remote and impoverished region of Yiluo'en Province, having traversed mountains and valleys?"
Xilǐ'er looked down at him and said meaningfully:
Didn't the Messenger from Lotus Town tell you?
This shows dissatisfaction with someone tipping them off...
The archbishop's heart skipped a beat, but he still forced a smile and said:
"What does an ordinary priest know? He didn't intentionally reveal your whereabouts, sir. It's just that you've come to the Yiluo'en Province, and as the archbishop of this place, I naturally have to do my part as a host."
"That priest is just a commoner with some talent; he knows nothing about you except that you are about to arrive here."
"So please tell us, sir, why you've come here. That way, we can do our best to help you. What do you think?"
"That's true."
Xilǐ'er replied emotionlessly, then reached out and lightly patted Radish's right cheek. The warhorse immediately stopped in front of the city gate, in the center of the crowd.
He looked at the archbishop who was leading his horse, then glanced around at the equally grinning crowd, and loudly addressed the throng:
"We are envoys from the Second Holy See, entrusted with the trust of His Holiness the Son of God!"
"We are here to convey the will of Son of God and to proclaim the achievements of the Second Holy See over the past few months..."
In front of all the high-ranking Yiluo'en Province, Xilǐ'er recounted his stories of "defeating the Grand Duke," "reclaiming Klaf City," "transforming the Wilderness of Chaos," and "arriving in the Holy City for a pilgrimage soon," before looking sincerely at the Archbishop, who was still gripping the reins:
"That's all I have to say. Did you understand?"
Although the Yiluo'en Province is not on the periphery of the Theocracy, the presence of a mountain range makes it relatively isolated from information.
Even the archbishops had documents concerning the Second Holy See that were outdated news from one or two months ago.
Hearing about the Son of God's victory over the Grand Duke, his heart tightened even more.
This Son of God is growing too fast. If this news is true, then he is already a thoroughly advanced High Tier.
If that's the case, then what reason do I have to waver?
Keep in mind that the other side of the mountains is the Fitz Province of the Second Holy See, while the Holy City is thousands of miles away.
He understood the principle that distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. Even if he bet on the wrong horse this time, he could simply switch sides when the Holy City army counterattacked.
Thinking this through, he became even more determined, and looked up at Xilǐ'er with a surprised expression on his face:
"My lord, is this all your mission?"
"Certainly."
Xilǐ'er nodded earnestly, while the person in front of him wore a regretful expression:
"Isn't this task a bit too easy?"
His eyes darted to Xilǐ'er:
"I do have a way to multiply your achievements."
Tell me about it?
Xilǐ'er, equally eager, saw that he was already interested and said with a smile:
"Our Yiluo'en Province is located in a remote area and has never been valued by the Holy City, but aren't the believers of Yiluo'en Province also believers of the Tree Worship Church?"
The archbishop said with a face full of resentment:
"We have always strived for equal status with believers in other provinces, but one visit to the Holy City is enough to show that some members of the Tree Worship Church are always more equal than others."
"Oh, so you mean?"
The Archbishop of Yiluo'en Province loosened the reins and approached Xilǐ'er's warhorse, then performed a standard Tree Worship Church bow:
"I naturally know that it is better to offer help in times of need than to add to someone's good fortune. Since the Second Holy See's current territory consists of only two provinces and some Wilderness of Chaos with no output, I am willing to submit the entire province to the Second Holy See and become the third province under His Holiness the Son of God."
"As for those few in the Holy City, they are nothing but stubborn heretics. The Son of God will soon lead his army south, and I will certainly lead the Holy Crusaders of the Yiluo'en Province to join this just war!"
The archbishop's words were impassioned, and the others standing behind him immediately began gesticulating wildly, raising their fists, and roaring.
"Yes, the archbishop is right!"
"That's right, I've been annoyed with those guys from Holy City for a long time!"
"Long live the Son of God!"
"..."
Of course, not everyone followed the archbishop's lead. Xilǐ'er squinted and scanned the room, spotting a few people with slightly frightened expressions.
Some of these people were dressed in priestly robes, while others were dressed in Holy Crusaders ' uniforms, and their expressions all seemed to say, "What are you all doing? What are you all doing?"
This is not their fault; their orders were simply to come to the city gate and greet the messenger of the " Son of God."
The Theocracy is now a reality, with the two northern provinces now completely independent.
However, this is still an internal dispute within the Tree Worship Church, and it differs somewhat from wars between nations.
For example, regarding the messenger, since everyone believes in the Tree God, it wouldn't be unreasonable to meet him.
Unexpectedly, these guys already had a new plan in mind. The other party was just there to deliver a message and had no intention of surrendering at all.
Even so, their eagerness to hand over the Yiluo'en Province seems rather cowardly.
Now that things have come to this, saying flattering words will only attract the attention of the two envoys. It's better to just pretend nothing happened and blend into the background of the city walls.
Seeing everyone express their opinions, Xilǐ'er simply sat on his horse and remained silent.
Once the commotion subsided, he looked at the archbishop and asked:
"I haven't yet asked the archbishop's name."
Just call me Burns.
"Archbishop Burns, I think I understand—you're betting your entire fortune on the Second Holy See, am I right?"
The archbishop's smile froze for a moment, but he still smiled and said:
"The messenger's words are a bit too utilitarian. How can this be called betting? It's clearly abandoning darkness for light."
" The Second Holy See of Son of God Highness is still in its early stages and should need assistance. Although the Yiluo'en Province is a bit remote, its population is not small, at least larger than that of the Aduolin Province, where Son of God Highness started."
Hearing this, after a long silence, [Kunjinkao Tangtangtang] finally understood where the Archbishop of Burns ' confidence came from.
No matter what world you're in, you need a lot of manpower to cause trouble.
The characteristics of plants determined that the population size and density in the northern provinces were lower than those in the southern provinces.
If they could join the Second Holy See without bloodshed, then a large workforce in the Yiluo'en Province could be put to immediate use.
No one, especially a rebel leader who is short of manpower, would refuse such a thing.
No wonder he was so confident--
This isn't surrendering, this is them investing!