vatican, bishop's residence of St. Peter's Church.

The current Pope Francis was sitting next to him, and a few white men in suits and ties were having a serious conversation at this time.

However, the content of this conversation has nothing to do with religion.

What they are discussing is a geopolitical issue that should not be paid attention to by the transcendent theocracy.

"... As I said, vatican has been in an opposition with China before. Although the cooperation agreement a few years ago achieved certain results, in fact, until now, the bishops in China have not been appointed."

"Reversely, your power has expanded rapidly in the South Island and has gained considerable rewards. Continuing to support their independence is actually a natural benefit to you."

"You also know that if the South Island really returns to China, then the originally free land will be restricted by the law that "is not allowed to preach in public places". I think you can't accept this, right?"

After hearing the man's words, Francis nodded slightly and replied ambiguously:

"The glory of the Lord must be sprinkled on every land."

The man smiled and continued:

"His Majesty the Pope--or, in this subject, I should call you Mr. Francis."

"The issue we are discussing now is a matter of the real interests of vaticans. The reason why you can enjoy your current transcendent status is actually because of religious orthodoxy."

"It is extremely important to maintain this orthodox status and to continuously ensure influence."

"In fact, this crisis in the South Island is not just an economic crisis, a social crisis, or a religious crisis."

"You also know that because of the deterioration of the environment on the island, there have been a large number of voices such as 'The Lord cannot save people, and socialism can save people' among believers."

"In addition, churches in various places have generally reported that the number of people participating in baptism has dropped sharply, the number of people participating in the baptism fluctuates violently, and the frequency of believers attending the worship service has decreased, etc. If it is not controlled, we have reason to believe that the South Island will become the first truly ‘dereligious’ area of ​​this era.”

"I don't need to say anything about this. I guess you know it, right?"

After listening to the man's words, Francis nodded slowly, and his expression changed subtly at this moment.

It seemed as if he was no longer the sacred pope, but the king who truly planned and managed the empire.

Yes, the Holy Sees all over the country the lands he enfeoffed, and as the king of these lands, he must plan for his people.

As the man said, the crisis in the South Island is far less simple than the seemingly apparent. If it cannot be properly handled, under the butterfly effect, not only the South Island, but even the situation in China, which has been working hard for many years, will collapse.

The Holy See has not known how much effort and resources it has invested to make its power sprout on that land. Although it is only in some remote areas and only has some influence among some elderly groups, it is at least a good start.

But the current situation is that because of a problem that seems to be completely unwilling to do, this small bud is about to face a major crisis.

Therefore, the Holy See must react, and it must react itself.

Thinking of this, he spoke:

"As for me personally, I sincerely thank you for your reminder; as a servant of the Lord, I appreciate your loyalty to the Lord."

"Now, what I want to ask is, from your suggestion, how should we find the lost lamb for the Lord?"

The man opposite looked at his face, but there was no trace of piety in his eyes, and he just said in a slightly frivolous tone:

"The loss of the lamb does not necessarily mean that it is confusing by the demon, it may also be that there is no grass... Do you agree with this?"

"agree."

Francis nodded and replied.

"So, the first thing we need to do to get this lamb back on the right track is also very simple: we have to give them grass."

"We must provide them with necessary and sufficient assistance through the Holy See, especially for the people in the difficulties of the lower class."

"It is important to note that we are not only in the believers, but in no way, but in all."

“Aid all those in need without discrimination and unconditional assistance.”

Hearing this, Francis' expression changed slightly and he said with emotion:

"This will be a great gift, and the Lord's grace will come to that land like never before."

"Yes, this is a huge opportunity for the Holy See, and everyone will witness the glory of the Lord."

“The glory of the Lord will shine on you too——— on the people who help each other.”

"No, we're just making suggestions..."

Francis was stunned for a moment. He looked into the man's eyes and asked in confusion:

"Didn't you pay for it?"

“……..at the moment, not.”

The man paused for a moment and continued to explain:

"For some reason, we cannot have financial transactions with any sensitive affairs or sensitive objects now, so the funds this time must be raised by you."

"---Of course, we won't let the Holy See suffer. After 3 years, we will pay the entire fee in one lump sum, plus interest."

"Mr. Francis, we have experienced countless cooperations. I think the trust between us should be unbreakable. Now that we make such a request, you should not refuse?"

Francis looked into the man's eyes, hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded.

Seeing his reaction, the man continued happily:

"You can fully trust our promises, and if you don't, we can sign a non-public document, or I can swear to the Lord before you."

“……It’s better to sign a document.”

“This is the best.”

After saying that, the man took out the documents he had prepared long ago and handed them to Francis, and then continued:

“Aid is just our first plan, and I need you to do another thing.”

"What's the matter?"

"We need you to speak out internationally, accuse China of its economic and cultural attack on the South Island, and call on all Catholic countries to support or directly support the South Island."

“This support can be economic, religious, or even…military.”

"In addition, I need you to make a global visit. The list of countries you visited has been listed here. You just need to travel according to the itinerary."

Francis looked at the long list of countries on the thin piece of paper and fell into deep thought for a moment.

In fact, such visits were not unfamiliar to him. When he was just a bishop, he once walked among various countries that believed in the Lord on behalf of the Holy See. This can be said to be an extremely normal "work".

However, the countries on the list this time made him feel a little nervous.

Because they are all countries that are closely related to the South Island.

Is it really a wise choice to appear on the territory of those countries even though we know that China has launched its final charge against the South Island?

These countries include not only members of the Five Eyes Alliance and the Hundred-August Member States, but also some countries that are poor and small enough to be almost ignored by the world.

And they have only one thing in common: their position is biased towards the South Island, whether it is open or non-public.

Seeing Francis' hesitant look, the man comforted:

"You can rest assured about security issues. Every country you go to will do its best to ensure your safety, not to mention that they will never dare to do anything to you."

"Once you have a problem, it's a declaration of war with the entire Western world."

Hearing the man's words, Francis took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind.

After a moment of pause, he asked:

“What can we get?”

The man smiled slightly and replied:

"It's all written in the agreement. Believe me, you absolutely cannot refuse such conditions."

Francis opened the agreement and read it carefully for a moment. After 10 minutes, he stretched out his hand.

"Then, I wish us a happy cooperation?"

Francis spoke.

"May the Lord bless us!"

The man answered devoutly.

....

Half an hour later, the man left the Pope Palace. After getting in the car, the assistant beside him asked in confusion:

"Mr. John, I remember you were a devout Catholic, but it seems that you acted before him..."

"It's not that religious, right?"

"Yes."

The assistant nodded.

"I can explain this to you, but I have a question to ask you first."

"Do you know why in the games and animations of the islanders, the Holy See is always a villain?"

The assistant was stunned. He didn't expect his boss to raise such a nonsensical and irrelevant question.

After thinking for a moment, he replied tentatively:
To be continued...