Black Knight From Blue Star

“It is a pleasure to meet you too, His Majesty the Pope.”

Hadi bent down slightly and made a noble salute.

　　Although the status of the Pope is very noble, it is not much higher than that of Lord France.

 Essentially, Hardy and he are characters of the same level.

 So Hadi does not need to kneel down.

 There were still several gray robes standing under the Pope's seat.

These are the combatants of the Temple of Light, both as protectors of high-ranking figures and as members of the Inquisition.

Their eyes were cold, as if there was no emotion in their eyes.

The Pope waved gently: "Child, come here! Let me take a good look at you."

Hardy frowned. He looked up at the old man in the high seat. He looked kind, but the method was not simple.

 Use your age advantage to overwhelm others as soon as you get there.

 Just treating Hardy as a child, this kind of off-the-table trick is actually very useful to a certain extent.

Hardy smiled and said: "No need, I will use the power of darkness. It is better not to get too close to your old man, so as not to cause unnecessary accidents."

When the Pope heard this, he laughed twice more. His eyes when he looked at Hardy changed slightly.

“I wonder why Mr. Hardy came to our Temple of Light this time?”

Hadi smiled and said: "Actually, it's not a big deal. I just came to see the sanctity of the Temple of Light and gain some knowledge."

 “Didn’t come with a political mission?”

Hadi nodded and said: "There are some. For example, the temples of light in various places can charge cheaper when treating patients, especially poor people."

The Light Cult's healing ability is already the strongest among all sects, and is even more powerful than the natural healing magic of the elves.

 But the problem is that the fees are very expensive.

The magical skill of regenerating a broken arm costs at least one gold coin.

If it is more serious and a matter of life and death, a life-saving quick treatment will start at fifty silver coins, and subsequent treatments will cost money all the time.

 It is almost impossible to save a life without spending five or six gold coins.

 But among ordinary people, there are a few who can afford five or six gold coins.

“I understand what Mr. Hardy means.” The pope asked with a smile: “Then how much do you think the price should be lowered?”

“At least you can’t bring down the whole family just to cure a disease.”

The Pope looked at Hardy with a smile. His eyes gradually became strange, and then an incomprehensible expression appeared on his face.

 He couldn't understand Hardy's thoughts.

"Sir Hardy, I personally cannot understand or agree with you. Why did you come up with this idea?"

Hardy stared at the pope’s eyes that had become a little cloudy due to old age: “If there is something that I can’t understand, I can explain it to you, old man.”

After hesitating for a while, the Pope said: "For example, why should poor people afford life-threatening treatment?"

"God loves the world, isn't this one of the teachings of the God of Light?" The Pope nodded: "It is true, but God loves the world does not mean that we believers must be like God and have such noble sentiments. The goddess does not need to eat or drink, She does not need housing. She is in the kingdom of God, free from disasters and diseases, without cares or selfish desires. Of course she can love everyone in the world fairly, but we can't... We live in this world, with all kinds of emotions and desires, and have relatives to take care of. , I have my own ideals that I need to realize, and which ones don’t require money?”

Hardy looked at the Pope with some surprise. He did not expect that the other party could actually say such a thing.

“But the fees charged by pastors are too high.”

"Is it high?" The Pope still smiled: "Maybe it is high, but I have a question for Mr. Hardy, do we clergy deserve to be poor?"

Before Hardy could speak, the Pope continued: "We treat people's diseases, drive away evil from the world, and soothe their souls. We have done good things. Don't we deserve to be rich? Don't we deserve to live a life of food and clothing?"

 The pope’s voice is gentle, but his words are extremely sharp.

“I remember the goddess said in her teachings that those who believe in light should be diligent, frugal and poor in order to maintain a positive spirit.”

The Pope shook his head. He took a book on the table on the left hand side and gently threw it down: "Sir Hardy, you have seen the pirated light doctrine. That is fake. This is the real thing." ”

Hadi took the book of Light God’s Teachings and turned the book to a certain page.

 Because he often prays in front of the goddess statue in his bedroom and recites the teachings of the Goddess of Light. In fact, he has completely memorized the teachings of the Goddess of Light.

 The teachings in this paragraph have become: Those who believe in the light should diligently recite the teachings to correct their spirit.

Hadi closed the book and said with a strange and troubled expression: "Have you deleted the goddess's teachings that have been handed down?"

“No, we won’t do that.” The Pope said with a smile: “This is a doctrine passed down by the Holy See hundreds of years ago. What you see, Mr. Hardy, may be a crude version made by outsiders.”

Hadi shook his head helplessly and handed out the book in his hand. Immediately, a man in gray robe came up and took the 'doctrine' away.

“Okay, let’s not talk about this matter. Since you don’t want to, Pope, forget it.”

The Pope looked into Hardy's eyes and sighed slightly: "Your Excellency Hardy, it seems that you are still not convinced, so let me put it another way."

Hardy looked at each other strangely.

“Do you admit that life is a very precious thing?”

Hardy nodded.

"So why does the cost of saving such a precious thing have to be very cheap?" The Pope put his hands on the left and right sides of the seat and looked down at Hardy grandly: "If one or two silver coins can save a thing, Life, is it that human life is not valuable, or is it that pastors who have learned to save people are not worth it?”

 The Pope speaks softly and slowly, but his words are extremely sharp.

 But this is sophistry.

Hardy shook his head and said: "I have always believed that those who save people should be rewarded. But... this must be moderate. Spiritual self-satisfaction is more important than money. If the ideal in the Pope's mind, you and all the bright faiths If you can only measure whether you are worth it by how much money you make, then I believe that businessmen are nobler beings than you.”

There was silence in the hall for a moment, and then the people in gray robes looked at Hadi, with anger bursting out of their originally emotionless eyes.

The Pope looked at Hadi intently for a while, and then he smiled helplessly: "As expected of the young man who was favored by the goddess, your debating ability is much better than mine."

 Then he stood up and said: "In that case, let me give you an answer. I can't do this."

"Why?"

 “Because I have three months left before I leave office!”

With a strange expression on his face, the Pope looked at Hardy with a half-smile: "Just because I also want to reduce the charges for treating patients in all temples." (End of this chapter)