Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Duke Alvis stood by the window, a wine glass in his hand, a faint smile playing on his lips.

He was enjoying the scenery outside when, announced by a servant, Lai Gou'er, dressed in local attire, entered the room.

He cut to the chase, saying, "Duke, what important matter do you have for me today?"

Duke Alvis turned around, raised his glass slightly, and said, "Lord Lai, please have a seat. I've called you here today for a great piece of good news."

"Oh?" Lai Gou'er went straight to sit opposite him, where a wine glass filled with red wine had already been placed on the table.

Duke Alvis sat down, put down his glass, and pushed a document on the table in front of Lai Gou'er, smiling, "The Holy City has issued the letter of appointment for the Archbishop. From now on, our cooperation will be incredibly smooth. At least within Fika, the influence of the Holy See will no longer be an obstacle."

Lai Gou'er picked up the letter of appointment, surprised, "An Archbishop is a high position. Father Solje came from humble beginnings. Did you manage to make it happen in just a few months?"

Duke Alvis shook his head, "Of course, it wasn't that simple. I used quite a few connections to resolve it. Also, the cost of smoothing things over..."

"That's easy to say, naturally, you shouldn't bear it alone. Didn't my Da Jing's fleet just arrive this morning? This new batch of goods is naturally easy to negotiate.", Lai Gou'er said.

"Lord Lai is indeed straightforward!" Duke Alvis slapped the table and then sighed, "Speaking of which, it's lucky that things went so smoothly. You know, there are many people in Fika who want to compete for the position of Archbishop. Solje's weak foundation really made him uncompetitive."

"Who would have thought that his competitors would all be assassinated by the Brotherhood? It really saved me a lot of effort. Ah... if I hadn't seen you come from the East with my own eyes, I would have suspected that the Brotherhood was your people, haha."

"It's fate!" Lai Gou'er laughed and then asked, "Now that the Archbishop can be arranged, I wonder about the Cardinal and Grand Inquisitor titles..."

Duke Alvis didn't mince words and said in a low voice, "Below the Pope, as long as the price is high enough, they can all be bought! But for now, there's no need. Once the business expands in the future, it won't be too late to buy off a high-level official."

Lai Gou'er raised an eyebrow, "Has the Church become so corrupt?"

"Extremely corrupt." A hint of contempt flashed across Duke Alvis's face, "I dare say that even the most devout believers would harbor doubts after witnessing the decadence of the Holy City."

"But this is also a good thing. As long as we take care of the top, the rest will be smooth sailing, avoiding a lot of trouble."

Lai Gou'er nodded.

Duke Alvis asked, "I haven't seen you for a while, Lord Lai. What have you been busy with?"

"I haven't been busy with much. I've entrusted the fleet to my subordinates to manage. In my spare time, I read some books and translate some, which can be passed back to Da Jing in the future."

"Oh... it's a pity that I don't understand the language of Da Jing. Lord Lai is still so eager to learn despite your esteemed position. Your family must be very famous in Da Jing, right?"

Lai Gou'er shook his head, "Family? I came from a beggar's background, raised by beggars, without father or mother."

"Uh... without father or mother?" Duke Alvis's mind was a little confused, "A beggar?"

Lai Gou'er had dealt with him quite a bit, and his words and actions always seemed learned.

After living here for a while, he could even use local slang and allusions with ease.

He had even built some friendship through business during this time, assuming that the other party was also from a noble family.

He didn't expect... such a person to actually come from a beggar's background?

"Just a beggar who begged for food." Lai Gou'er said with a smile that was not a smile, "Duke, you won't look down on me just because I came from a beggar's background, will you?"

Duke Alvis regained his senses and paid his respects, "Absolutely not! Lord Lai's humble origins and achievements today will only make people admire you even more. How could I look down on you?"

"Only those petty nobles with shallow foundations would look down on someone like you. I'm just curious how you got to where you are today?"

Lai Gou'er recalled, "Speaking of which, it's all luck. I owe my current position to the support of Lord Fang Zheng Yi."

"Yesterday, I received a letter from Da Jing that he has now been granted the title of Marquis of Jianye by the imperial court."

"It can be said that he single-handedly promoted the Da Jing's overseas fleet and the trade between the East and the West."

"In that case, Lord Fang is a visionary and remarkable person. I wonder if I will have the opportunity to meet him in the future."

"I'm afraid there won't be such an opportunity." Lai Gou'er said, "He is now in a high position and too far away to go to sea. But if there's a chance, the Duke can visit my Da Jing."

After he finished speaking, he immediately asked, "I heard you mention some time ago that people from the East declared war on the Holy See. I wonder if there has been any result in this matter?"

Duke Alvis smiled faintly, "Your question is very timely. I just received news. The Pope led people over, but in just one month, both sides decided to negotiate peace, and now everything has returned to normal. The two cardinals who were killed at the beginning were personally sentenced by the Grand Inquisitor and expelled from the clergy."

"It can be seen that this person is incredibly powerful and has unfathomable abilities. I remember you asked me before if I had seen people from the East, but I can be sure it's not this person. If it's the person you're looking for, they couldn't possibly have such a foundation."

"By the way, what is the identity of the person you are looking for?"

Lai Gou'er said indifferently, "Just a casual question. He's an old friend of Lord Fang, not very important. It would be best if I could find him, but I'm just doing it as a favor."

"Alright, now that the letter of appointment has arrived, I'll go to Father Solje's place. It's been a while since I've seen him, so I'll congratulate him in person."

After Lai Gou'er finished speaking, he got up to leave.

Duke Alvis said, "Wait a moment, there's one more thing. Within a year of receiving the letter of appointment, he needs to personally meet the Pope in the Holy City. This is a rule, unavoidable. I think if you're interested, you can take this opportunity to meet the Pope together."

"There's such a thing?" Lai Gou'er pondered, "Alright, when he's ready, I'll go with him. I'd like to see what this Holy City looks like."

Duke Alvis smiled, "No problem, I'll arrange for someone to see you off then."

"It's time for dinner now. I'll have someone prepare it. Why don't you eat before you leave?"

Lai Gou'er stopped and nodded with a smile, "Alright, then I'll eat before I go."

Duke Alvis smiled, raised his glass, "I wish us a happy cooperation."

"Happy cooperation."

......