New Gods of North America

The carriage drove smoothly and quietly, and finally Wayne was taken to a manor.

It can’t be called a “castle”, but the main building in the manor is also a huge brick and stone building that looks quite imposing.

The interior is spacious and open, with marble walls and floors, and a gorgeous golden hue as the base color.

There are all kinds of oil paintings and decorations that are incomprehensible but seem expensive. Patterns, paintings, and reliefs can be seen everywhere, even spreading from the walls to the entire ceiling.

Even the candlesticks are golden.

Chaplain Tywin and Roose Bolton were still dressed in their crisp black corset uniforms.

Several bishops were wearing "regular clothes" - no stoles or chasubles, mostly black monk robes with a white circle around the neck, and a sacred triangular emblem representing the Holy Spirit on their chests. But the belts around their waists and the small melon hats on their heads were both conspicuous red.

Wayne, dressed in secular clothes, felt a little out of place.

So when Wayne took his seat,

When he saw Captain Joffrey, who was also sitting at the end of the long table opposite him and dressed in secular clothes, he felt that his nostrils, which were used to look at people, seemed to become more friendly.

The dinner was not extravagant, with bread, wine, lamb,

But the presentation was exquisite and the side dishes were appropriate, such as the fresh figs cut in half on the side, which made "Wayne" in both lives feel quite fresh.

The big shots were eating and chatting casually.

Small characters like Wayne and Captain Joffrey consciously listened quietly and did not even dare to make any loud noise.

At this time, Bishop Corleone of the Virginia Diocese was casually chatting about a seemingly important internal topic in his slightly hoarse voice:

"There's a lot of fighting going on in the Old World right now. In order to win the support of the Holy See, the Franks and the Hans Federation are both pushing for the legalization of the Holy See's missionary work in America. Even the Kingdom of Windsor is now taking an ambiguous stance on this matter."

I wonder if the retired Bishop Ford is just pretending to be old and confused.

He glanced at Roose Bolton and asked:

"What's going on in Frankish Canada now? One moment it's a kingdom, the next it's a republic. It gives me a headache."

Roose Bolton bowed his head respectfully and responded, "The previous Frankish 'republic' has been overthrown, and it is currently a 'kingdom'. The king is their former Duke of Orleans."

The current bishop of Kankers Diocese, who looks to be in his forties and relatively young, nodded slightly to the Bishop of Prague:

"But he is just a puppet. According to the current situation in Frank, he will not be king for long. The 'Second Republic' may come soon."

Wayne silently cut the food on the plate into smaller pieces, pretending he couldn't hear.

Reverend Tywin seemed to be trying to bring the topic back to the topic. "Then what is the attitude of the other bishops in the church towards the Holy See's official and legal missionary work?"

Bishop Corleone answered casually, "The bishops in the northern states are half and half in agreement. As for the bishops in the southern states, it will probably depend on what the old continent decides."

"Freedom is the keynote of America after all. It is the freedom of believers to follow whichever church they like."

Reverend Tywin seemed to have a hint of something: "But getting too involved with the Old World doesn't seem to be in America's interest."

Bishop Ford didn't know who he was speaking for. "Now the trade of the southern states mainly depends on the old powers in the Old World. It is normal for them to care about their opinions."

"That makes sense," Reverend Tywin nodded, and turned his gaze to Captain Joffrey who was standing opposite Wayne. "Why don't we listen to the young man's opinion? Joffrey, what do you think?"

Wuhu.

Wayne was watching the fun from the sidelines, just like a classmate who was suddenly called upon by the teacher to answer a question during class.

Captain Joffrey was visibly stunned.

However, he didn't dare to talk about things like "North and South" or "interests", so he chose to answer the part about "belief":

"I think it's not a bad idea to allow the Holy See to legalize its missionary work in America. After all, the church has been in America for so many years, and the missionaries of the Holy See are now unable to compete with the church in the New World."

The Bishop of Prague of the diocese seemed dissatisfied with this answer. "There are only so many believers. Now that the Holy See has officially come in, aren't the believers who are being fought over the church supposed to belong to them?"

But Bishop Ford, who is related to Captain Joffrey, seems to think this answer is not bad:

"Although the church gained strength in America for a while after the War of Independence, we cannot always keep the Holy See out of the New World. The key is to see when to allow it, which will be more beneficial to the church."

"Indeed," Chaplain Tywin nodded.

Then he turned his gaze to Wayne, "Wayne, what do you think will be more beneficial to us?"

Forehead……

Wayne was also stunned for a moment. He didn't expect that he would be called out.

Captain Joffrey on the opposite side breathed a sigh of relief and showed an expression of "watching a good show".

Wayne's mind turned a little, "Why not introduce a bill and see if the Holy See is willing to do so."

"Issue a bill?" Bishop Prague of the diocese frowned. "Freedom of religion is written into the American Constitution. Although I don't want them to enter, a bill that clearly excludes the Holy See will not be passed."

That being said, you have never been soft-hearted when it comes to cracking down on cultists...

Even Inissa, a member of the Hunter Association, was hit.

Reverend Tywin seemed to be encouraging Wayne to continue, "What kind of bill would be beneficial to us?"

Wayne considered his words for a moment:

"Let's say a bill prohibiting discriminatory treatment. For example, it would stipulate that 'all' churches in America cannot have significantly more people or larger areas than those in the Old World. It also cannot prohibit the clergy of the Holy Spirit Church from joining the Holy See."

Several bigwigs seemed a little surprised by this answer.

Even Captain Joffrey sneered, "It's ridiculous. What good can such a bill do?"

"It's useful." Wayne looked at Captain Joffrey and explained:

"Including the land that has not yet been officially established as a state, the area of ​​America alone is larger than the several old powers in the Old World combined. Although the population is not as large as that of the United States at present, there is great potential for development.

"A bill prohibiting discrimination would seem very 'correct' no matter how you look at it, and it should be difficult to stop. According to the bill, the Holy See would need to set up many dioceses in America, and would need to appoint many cardinals of corresponding levels. Even some prestigious bishops of the Church of the Holy Spirit in the local area could potentially become local cardinals of the Holy See."

Captain Joffrey still seemed confused:

"Well, the number of cardinals belonging to the Holy See will increase as a result. So what? What's the point of doing this? Are you encouraging the clergy of the church to defect?"

You don’t know how to play Go…

Wayne glanced back at the bigwigs who were looking at him:

“According to the system of the Holy See, every cardinal has the right to participate in the election of the Pope.

"If there are enough cardinals from America, they will have a chance to be elected as the Pope of the Holy See in a secret election. Once elected as the Pope, his status is sacred and cannot be questioned. At that time, no matter what decree the Pope issues, it will be reasonable.

"Instead of shutting out the Holy See, we should try to make it our own, which is in the best interests of America. As for whether the Holy See is willing to take this risk, that is their own problem."

Tactical change is not new in modern society.

But it’s probably still a new way of playing in this era.

Bishop Corleone of Virginia Diocese's eyes seemed to light up for a moment.

His fingertips bounced silently on the thick tablecloth, and his eyes turned to Priest Tywin:

"This young man you brought seems to be quite good."

Although the other bigwigs may not agree with Wayne's views, they all seem to think that Wayne's ideas are quite interesting.

Reverend Tywin nodded in approval. "Of course, Wayne is probably the youngest elected sheriff I have ever seen. He is also a descendant of the April Grass and comes from a Puritan family. He is an upright and trustworthy local young man."

Then, Reverend Tywin seemed to start the conversation towards the real meat of the story:

"He recently helped us investigate a vicious case of counterfeiting currency. Luce has already led people to successfully destroy the secret den in River Bay Town today."