Super Righteous Player-Chapter 124 - 122 Successful Cliché_1

Annan Winter arrived at Frostwater Harbor,

was it because the Winter Duchy had made arrangements...

— or was it because he was being pursued and had nowhere else to go?

This would greatly influence the subsequent negotiations between Bishop Daryl and Annan.

"This crafty old man is quite the ghost..."

Annan clicked his tongue.

This gold-toothed fat man, who had lived for who knows how long and whose age was a mystery, seemed like a genial old fellow on the surface, but Annan knew all too well... that it was precisely these seemingly benign types who were the most difficult to deal with.

Of course.

The main reason was that Annan did not know what Bishop Daryl really wanted to do.

As long as he could ascertain his true intentions, that would be good enough.

For now, Bishop Daryl apparently had some request for Annan, but he did not know Annan’s background, nor what he was planning to do.

If Annan could learn of the other party’s hand, their positions would be reversed immediately—

"...Hmm."

Annan’s footsteps paused slightly, then continued as normal.

He had a plan.

Carrying freshly brewed tea and pastries, Annan returned to the bedroom.

Bishop Daryl was holding a silver metal pen, calculating something in a notebook.

Turning his head to see Annan enter, Bishop Daryl chuckled and slid the pen back into his pocket watch.

"Not having servants must be inconvenient, right?"

"Not at all."

Annan’s voice was cool as he spoke, his lips curving into a gentle smile, "I’m quite used to it."

As he spoke, he poured a cup of tea for both Bishop Daryl and himself and took out the cake tray to place on the table.

Annan spoke casually, "Fortunately, the Viscount’s house has everything that’s needed. Oh, right—these pastries are from yesterday, you don’t mind, do you?"

Saying so, Annan took out a soft, sticky cake and put it into his mouth.

Bishop Daryl hurriedly waved his hands with a smile, "As long as the lord himself doesn’t mind, of course there’s no problem. We commoners aren’t so delicate..."

"Can our esteemed Bishop really be counted as a commoner?"

Annan said with a beaming smile, sitting opposite Daryl, "I thought the Bishop’s living standards would be like those of the great nobles."

His smile was as pure, innocent, and pleasing as that of a child of the same age.

Bishop Daryl’s expression turned serious, "That is impossible.

"I’m not sure about other churches, but at least in ours, the clergy do not have personal savings."

Having said that, he paused for a moment.

Bishop Daryl suddenly realized that this was not something to be said at such a time...

If Annan truly succeeded to the position of a Grand Duke, it wouldn’t matter much. His money wasn’t in his personal possession anyway.

But now it was different.

Annan had come alone to the neighboring country. If he joined the church, it would mean he had to spend all his available funds...

For a son of the noble Duke, this was undoubtedly an unacceptable condition.

It was like the seller inadvertently undercutting their own price...

Therefore, Bishop Daryl fell silent for a while, then added:

"—But at the same time, we can use some simple methods to circumvent this ’Curse Binding’."

Saying so, the bald fat Bishop smiled and tapped his gold tooth, "This... can be considered a bit of spare change.

"Besides, since I use gold teeth, it’s only logical that I have some spare gold teeth stored at the church, right? After all, I am somewhat of a representative of the church, and it would not do to meet people with missing teeth, would it?"

Then, these gold teeth could be used as a trading currency...

Annan looked at this unremarkable fat man with some surprise.

This guy...

Was a genius.

The Silver Baron was far too lax with the clergy, wasn’t he?

No, that’s not right...

Annan quickly realized the issue at hand.

"Clergy cannot possess wealth," might not be intended to please the Silver Baron...

It was more like a form of "discipline."

On one hand, it was to remind these priests that their gods are watching over them; on the other hand, it was... for the commoners to see.

It was to let them know that "even priests must follow the rules."

...But that’s also true.

The gods of this world do not need believers to provide the power of faith... They just need priests to maintain their core rules.

This is more like the relationship between a boss and employees—especially in companies that are short-staffed and constantly hiring. The employees’ primary duty is to complete their assigned tasks first, followed by spreading the company culture...

So, the priests have little interest in preaching to outsiders.

However, in order to maintain the "compliance" of the people with the True God’s rules and to sustain the image and influence of the priests in the public eye, it is a necessary part of the equation.

How the priests are perceived and their attitude towards the rules directly influences the public’s perception of the divine.

It may even affect the level of recognition for the rules within the Church’s jurisdiction in various countries.

Over in Noah’s kingdom, the Silver Baron has chosen to employ "smiling service". He’s taken a soft-spoken approach, somewhat like saying "we can’t stockpile this product."

Then, the Churches and other nations must have completely different styles...

What kind of rules would be in place at my grandmother’s side?

Annan thought swiftly to himself.

He sighed softly, a trace of sympathy appearing on his face, "Forgive my bluntness... There really are some peculiar rules here with the Silver Baron."

Such ambiguous words, when heard for the first time, are almost never guarded against.

And bringing up topics that would invite others to voice their grievances is usually the easiest way to obtain hidden information. novelbuddy.cσ๓

True to expectations, the pudgy bishop laughed awkwardly and instinctively complained to Annan, "It’s certainly incomparable to your situation.

"Strictly speaking, we are just a bunch of business people here, even without armed forces of the Church. Unlike Winter, where they have an intelligence agency like the Hand of Winter to handle the dirty work, and the Duke also agrees to the formation of a defensive armed force for the Church... With that, many things don’t need to be talked through."

...Hmm?

Annan keenly picked up on a key piece of information.

He sighed inconspicuously, changing the subject to prevent Bishop Daryl from realizing, "It’s not wholly so...

"Bishop, are you familiar with our Winter Principality."

As he spoke, Annan’s expression grew serious.

A look of strictly business.

Seeing this, Bishop Daryl’s smile also faded slightly.

He pondered for a moment, then nodded slowly, "I would say I’m fairly familiar... I was, at least."

"This ’was’—to what extent are you referring?"

"A year and a half, truly. The last piece of news was from this past February."

Bishop Daryl smacked his lips, heaving a sigh, "Lord, your side has been in such chaos this year... I didn’t dare to cross the border anyway.

"I remember that you are of the Winter lineage, correct? Then you must have been involved... No, wait. When did you come to Frostwater Harbor again?"

"I’ve been here for a while now."

Annan leaned back slightly, his expression somewhat helpless, "What I know, I cannot tell... I’m saying this for your own good, Bishop."

"You don’t need to say too much, I understand."

The bishop shook his head, "The Duke’s assassination has far too many implications. I’m not trying to stir up trouble with my words... but Annan—by calling you by name, I mean to say, I don’t want this conversation to spread."

He no longer addressed Annan with honorifics.

His expression turned grave and serious:

"There’s definitely an issue with the upper echelons at Lady Coldblood’s side. I can’t say who exactly, nor how many, but there’s definitely a problem.

"You’re quite young, you might not be aware. If a member of the Righteous God Bloodline is assassinated, falls ill, or has an accident... the Orthodox Church is certain to be notified the moment you pass away.

"Their failure to arrive at the crime scene immediately means that in the process of receiving the notification, passing it to the notifying hall, and then informing the Hand of Winter—there’s at least one traitor."

Bishop Daryl spoke earnestly, "Truly, this isn’t something I should say, certainly not at this time. I’m telling you now, not because I’d like you to join us... I just don’t want you to go astray in your thinking.

"Having a gentle Duke like you for Winter Principality is a good thing for us all.

"The people of Noah cannot endure another meaningless war."

...So that’s how it is.

Annan nodded slowly, "I understand..."

He truly did understand.

After a moment of contemplation, Annan steered the conversation back, "Let’s put aside the bishop’s situation.

"But the matter of the nominal priest... I am indeed very interested.

"Concerning the Holy Light Imprints and the Transcendent abilities of our priests, I’m quite curious. Please enlighten me further."

Annan’s expression was humble, his tone gentle.