Sitting on one side of the long table, Todd looked at the empty seats next to him, and then at the opposite side, where there were many church members with unkind expressions sitting there. He touched the bridge of his nose and thought this way.
Originally, both Huggins and Karin proposed to accompany them, but the monk still rejected them. In the end, neither of them were suitable for the negotiations with the church.
Besides, negotiation is not a group fight, and the idea that more people have an advantage is totally untenable.
"I don't think I saw Father Paul?"
Todd asked first.
A man wearing a short white deacon's robe said in a contemptuous tone: "Brother Paul has more important matters in the church, and his time is more precious than you think."
This bastard!
There must be a limit to being arrogant!
Calm down.
Thanks to the invincible face he developed when facing leaders and students during his college years. Todd's heart was full of evil, but his face was kind. He looked at the people opposite, rolled his eyes, and said: "So that's it, I can definitely do it."
Understand, Father Paul has a high position, so it’s natural that he doesn’t need to do anything to talk to a little monk like me, but it’s just a big thank you to everyone here.”
As soon as these words came out, everyone in the church had different expressions.
Some people remembered something and looked unhappy; some people had solemn expressions and began to whisper to each other; and some people, such as the deacon who just spoke, looked very proud, and that was exactly what they looked like.
Paying careful attention to the changes on the other side, a smile appeared on Todd's lips.
What I just said may not sound problematic at first, but it is actually a test of status.
From this point of view, the church members participating in the negotiations are by no means a "monolith".
They also belong to various small camps in the church. They may be close associates of the bishop or allies of the deacons.
Before this negotiation even started, Father Paul made a huge mistake. He was the person in charge assigned by the bishop, but he forgot that he was not the highest holy person in the team. In other words, he and the church visited
Many people in the group have equal relationships. If he could be more modest and prudent and coordinate the internal relationships of the team, maybe everything would be fine. But he did a stupid thing. In order to show his status, he deliberately absented himself.
This negotiation was like a leader giving instructions to his subordinates, assigning others to take over.
This is disrespectful to colleagues and a sign of extreme arrogance.
Todd remembered that in the past, in order to apply for scientific research funds, he had groveled with the department chair. When he went to have a meal with the leading officials, not to mention whether he would attend such a thing, there were even details on how the wine glass should be lowered when toasting.
of particularity.
This kind of human sophistication may not seem important, but once it is mentioned, it can always arouse the darkness deep in people's hearts.
"Everyone, although I am a monk, I still have some contact with the church. I once attended Bishop Fabian's blessing mass. I was very impressed by the bishop's study of the holy word and his theological insights."
As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of everyone in the church changed again.
The group of deacons who spoke first had expressionless faces, as if the matter had nothing to do with them; the other group of people, however, looked cheerful and concerned, and some even whispered in agreement.
Secretly taking note of people's faces, Todd smiled and stretched out his hands: "Fellow church members, let's talk."
The negotiations lasted from afternoon to evening, from the warm sun in the sky to the dawn of the moon.
When it came to dinner in the evening, everyone in the church wanted to invite Todd to dinner. The meal was just some ordinary marching dishes, such as stewed vegetable soup, boiled beans, and ham bread, and the drink was sour pomegranate stored in the camp.
juice.
What they never expected was that Todd would spend a lot of money and find someone to buy a large amount of red wine and delicious food from nearby villages and deliver them to the church camp.
A dinner turned into a banquet.
Todd, who was going around with a wine glass, vaguely found the feeling of his previous life. The right compliments on his lips, the polite and considerate movements of his body, and the atmosphere that exploded at the right time pushed the entire banquet to one climax after another. People
His laughter and praise could be faintly heard even from miles away.
In the corner of the camp, Walton, a short and fat man, held a barbecue in one hand and a wine glass in the other. He walked up to the captain Alfonso, raised his chin, and motioned for him to look at the monks who were enjoying themselves at the banquet not far away, and asked in a low voice.
Said: "Are we out of date or has the world changed? When did the pure-minded monks become like this?"
The Iron Masked Knight did not speak, staring at the gray-robed figure in the field. He put his hand on his chin and rubbed it gently.
The result of this negotiation was naturally a happy one for both the host and the guest.
The church obtained a lot of first-hand information from Todd, and also obtained his promise to fully cooperate with the church and enter the San Sidro Monastery.
Todd obtained the following powers from the church: within the Yinhuan Diocese, the right to recruit soldiers for the apologetic and exorcist group, the right to operate the church's licensed merchandise, the right to pass duty-free in secular countries, and most importantly - the rights to Muxi Harbor
Exclusive operating rights.
After walking out of the church camp, I looked back at the banquet, which was still bustling with people and filled with laughter.
Todd, whose face was flushed, tightened several authorization documents in his arms, let out a long wine burp, and secretly smiled in his heart: "How can the worldly customs and wine table culture inherited by our ancestors for five thousand years be the same as yours?"
Can you play around?!』
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Three days later, Silver Ring City, St. Ke's Cathedral.
Bishop Fabian sat on a Roman chair, looking at the two reports in front of him with a smile on his face.
One report came from Father Paul. The report described Monk Todd as a pseudo-monk who was full of copper odor, rude and ignorant. There was a very harsh comment in the text, "Leverage the power of the Father to cover up the sin of greed."
Another report came from a close associate of the bishop. Todd was described as a church-loving, learned brother, pious, humble and courteous, and attempts should be made to win him over to the church.
People who participated in the same negotiation gave two completely different reporting documents. Even the bishop began to wonder if someone had made a mistake. Fortunately, in the two reports, one thing was still agreed upon: in order to
The Abbey of San Sidro fell into the arms of the Church, Todd was a key figure, and the other party was very willing to cooperate with the Church.
Bishop Fabian turned his attention to another document at hand, a complaint letter. The content was that someone in the church visiting group accused Father Paul of being arrogant and passive in his work.
Taking off his crystal glasses, the bishop rubbed his temples, with only one question in his mind.