After all, the Orthodox Church is the state religion, and the status of its clergy is still relatively high.
Facing Sophia, who claimed to be the chief deacon, the reception staff was very enthusiastic and took us to see the entire ship except the confidential cabin.
After Sofia prayed for the cruiser and the sailors on board, it was already getting dark when she walked out of the port.
"So you took me to visit the warship as an excuse today, but you actually wanted me to make concessions?"
I looked at Sofia, who was sitting in the passenger seat, a little distracted: "Actually, I'm curious, is your Holy See really so short of money? You really rack your brains to save some money."
"I'm only doing what I should do."
She stretched out her hand in front of me: "Do you still have your cigarettes?"
"There just happen to be two last ones left, one for each of us."
I put the cigarette in her hand and after she put it in her mouth, I took out the lighter and lit it for her.
Seeing her silently smoking a cigarette, looking very worried, she couldn't help but say: "Although this is quite pretentious, I still want to say that you are upset."
"There is chaos, but it's not because of you."
"You know it's not because of me. Don't worry, I'm not that narcissistic."
Feeling quite cold, I flicked the remaining half of my cigarette out the window and turned on the heater to the maximum: "If the Holy See pays this money, how will your grandfather, or your Patriarch, punish Sher?"
Guy and his family?”
Sofia suddenly stopped smoking and turned to look at me.
"Hey, hey, drive carefully and don't look at me, just watch the road."
I put my hand against her face and forced her head away: "What's wrong? Is it because you don't pay attention while driving? Didn't you study subject one when you took the driver's license test?"
She didn't answer, and her voice sounded a little unsure: "Why do you ask?"
"Because your acting skills are not good enough."
I stared at Sophia's eyes in the rearview mirror: "Actually, you are quite kind. As a saint of the Holy See, you said what you just said, whether it was sincere or not, it impressed me.
But this is not the reason for you to tolerate and accommodate me. I know that I went too far and took advantage of you and touched your thigh. You didn't say it, but I could see from your eyes that you would still be disgusted.
You even tried to use yourself as a bargaining chip in exchange for me to persuade Zhuoyi to give in. Otherwise, you wouldn't have gone back to the room to change clothes when I was deliberately belittling you and saying you were worthless.
But think about it carefully, this huge country, the Holy See with a long history, can't even afford one billion US dollars, but it has to exchange it for the dignity of a saint, let alone the granddaughter of the Patriarch. Isn't this ridiculous?
If this is really the case, then there is no need for your Holy See to exist and you should disperse as soon as possible."
I said a lot in succession, but she didn't refute. I just saw her eyes dodge through the rearview mirror.
So I continued: "The only reason why you can make such a sacrifice and win my concession at all costs is that Sergey.
You like him very much, right? When he left last night, I could see that the contradiction and the complicated emotions of loss in your eyes were not pretended, so I am very curious. If I refuse to give in, let the Holy See replace the Pushkin family.
What kind of punishment will Sergey receive for advancing this money?”
Sophia was silent.
She never answered my questions and drove quietly.
It wasn't until she drove into the underground parking lot and turned off the engine that she let out a long sigh as if resigned to her fate: "The enemy is currently facing us. Grandpa will not punish Sergei, but he must explain the use of the money to the Grand Council.
Once the collusion with heretics is confirmed, the entire Pushkin family will be purged. Sergei, as the heir, will naturally bear the brunt. Not only will his position in the Holy See be in doubt, but his life may not be saved.
Actually, I’m really surprised. I didn’t expect you to see through it so quickly. Maybe this is fate. The Pushkin family did something wrong and God doesn’t want them to escape punishment.”
I didn't agree with her words at all: "You can't help but believe in God. It's better to believe in me. Whether the Pushkin family can escape punishment is just a matter of my words, isn't it?"
Sofia's eyes suddenly brightened: "What do you mean..."
"It's boring, I just said it casually, don't make random associations."
I directly shattered her hopes: "This is not charity. I can't sell out the interests of myself and my friends just because you tell a good story.
But for the sake of your white thighs, I will try to lower the price as much as possible. Whether it can be lowered to what the Pushkin family can afford depends on your sincerity."
Sophia may have thought wrongly.
She came up and asked me: "Didn't you say I'm not worth that much money?"
"I'm not letting you use yourself as a bargaining chip. You don't really think I'm interested in sleeping with you, do you?"
I looked at Sofia with a not-so-serious look: "You said that you are willing to make this kind of sacrifice for Sergei, so why not become a saint and marry him?"
"I said that the two families have always been at odds. Even if I wanted to, my grandfather and father would not agree."
She was still arrogant: "And I don't really like Sergey that much, I just had a lot of contact with him when I was young. He was very good to me and would protect me in front of outsiders. He treats me as his sister and I naturally have to protect him."
I didn’t quite believe her statement, but I didn’t express my opinion: “No, is this inexplicable family rule so important?”
"Yes, for the benefit of the family, individuals can be sacrificed."
I really don’t understand her brain circuit, and I don’t want to argue anymore: “Okay, your bottom line has been so low, then I will make it clear.
I won’t embarrass you. Tell me as much of the secrets you know as possible without endangering your Holy See. Once I’m satisfied, I’ll go find Zhuo Yi to help you find a suitable price.”
Sophia hesitated and looked at me suspiciously: "I know Zhuo Yi is not willing to withdraw from the Far East, so do you think I will believe that you will not threaten the Holy See with these secrets?
In other words, we are about to withdraw from the Far East, why are you still asking about the secrets of the Holy See?"
I was a little disdainful when she said this: "Whatever, you are not that loyal to God and the Holy See anyway, so why do you care about these things? Just pretend to be confused and tell me everything you know, Sergey
Whether you live or die depends on your thoughts, so think about it carefully."
Sofia blushed: "I stress again, I am absolutely loyal to God and have no intention of betraying the Holy See."
"Then you still agree to sleep with me? Isn't this an act of blasphemy against God and betrayal of the Holy See?"
"I admit that this is wrong, but it is definitely not a betrayal."
She seemed ashamed to speak, biting her lip and hesitated for a long time, before she made up her mind and told me: "The saint must be a virgin, so even if I agree to your request, I won't go too far, but will use other methods...
"
"Okay, stop talking. If you keep talking for a while, it will be tough."
I opened the car door and stepped out with one leg: "I think highly of you. You are really good at taking advantage of the oracles and teachings. Come on, it's too uncomfortable in the car. Let's chat slowly after we get back."