Yes, Madam Prime Minister

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“You seem to have a strong opinion about ‘freedom’ and ‘fairness’,” Ronan said.

The Pope finished his cup of black tea in one gulp, did not deny it, but stood up and said, "Let's go, I'll take you somewhere."

Ronan followed the Pope and arrived at a small village nestled in a valley.

"This place is inhabited by a monster called the White Worm. This monster affects the soil. Some of the peas grown here become as hard as rocks, while a small portion are fragrant, soft, and delicious. They are peas specially supplied to the Holy See."

"The whole village makes a living from these peas."

The Pope introduced Ronan and led him into the village.

The pope was dressed simply, but made no attempt to disguise himself. The villagers seemed to recognize him, but they simply removed their hats and bowed in respect. Clearly, the villagers knew and respected him, not the pope he was.

In this era, ordinary people would be as fanatical as if they had seen a god when they saw the Pope, and would prostrate themselves at his feet.

The village is very small, with only one main road running through the middle, which is a dirt road.

The Pope led Ronan a few steps, turned a corner, and came to a house. It was very noisy inside even in broad daylight, and the smell of smoke could be smelled from outside.

Once inside, Ronan saw that there were seven or eight tables, all of which were occupied, with some people standing as well.

These people were playing cards, using beans that the Pope had mentioned, which were similar to stones, as the game was called Dou Dizhu, a game "invented" by Ronan.

"It actually got here?" Ronan said in surprise.

The Pope said, "I brought this little game you invented here."

"Should I be honored to have your attention?"

Chapter 574 Joyful Beans: People Supervise Officials; Only Third Parties Can Supervise.

The Pope did not respond to Ronan's words.

Ronan didn't say anything more, he just watched the people in the room play cards.

The basic rules are similar to Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game), and the gameplay is similar to a certain Happy Dou Dizhu game. Each round requires a certain number of beans to be paid before starting. Some tables play small rounds, with only a few or a dozen beans going back and forth, while others play big rounds, with dozens or even hundreds of beans going in one hand.

If you use a scale to weigh it, you can't count it.

Moreover, when Ronan was walking along the main road of the village earlier, he saw several houses with a similar style to this one, so it is very likely that there are even bigger gambling dens in this village.

You can only play at the big table if you win enough beans at the small table.

After a while, the Pope told Ronan to leave.

The two left the village and traveled outside. The Pope asked Ronan, "Have you understood?"

“What do you want me to understand?” Ronan countered.

The Pope smiled and began to explain, “This game started out very fairly. I had everyone given the same number of beans. But as time went on, things changed. Every time a game started, you had to pay a small amount of beans. For those with few beans, this might be one-tenth or even one-fifth, but for those with many beans, it was only one-hundredth or one-thousandth. Moreover, if someone with many beans went to a lower-level game, given the relatively stable win-loss probability over the long term, they could easily take advantage of their larger bean pool and consistently beat those with fewer beans. Meanwhile, someone with fewer beans, even if they managed to accumulate a certain number through skill, might lose it all in one game at a higher-level game.”

"Are these people who have accumulated their skills step by step inferior to anyone else? No, they are just a step behind and it is already difficult for them to defeat capital with their own strength, and it is becoming increasingly difficult."

"I have people give out beans to everyone every day so that all the villagers can participate in the game."

“These beans are a byproduct of planting, and their production increases year after year. However, the vast majority of the beans in this village are now concentrated in the hands of a few people, and this is unlikely to change.”

“And these people, at the beginning, had no different things from everyone else.”

"Furthermore, I do not allow cheating, nor do I allow exchanging money for beans. This is the result of a completely fair game."

"This game won't cause any serious problems in the village because it's just a game, and the beans are always available. I can also ban the game at any time."

"But what would happen if the same freedom and fairness were applied to a nation or society? I think the Marquis of Rhein knows better than I do."

Clap clap clap, Ronan clapped his hands and said, “Sociologist, economist, or politician, Mr. Pope, if you were to retire one day, it wouldn’t be difficult for you to become the prime minister of some country. You are right, the plague of greed will eventually spread throughout the entire Western Continent, and urbanized and industrialized countries need markets from other countries to support them. One day, the whole world will not be able to satisfy the greed of a small group of people.”

"One day, a war that is many times more brutal than the wars that have just ended will come."

"So, what exactly do you want to do? I think your unrealistic statements at the beginning were just empty talk. Now, you can tell me your thoughts."

Ronan stopped joking and beating around the bush.

"The people supervise the bureaucrats."

The Pope said something that shocked Ronan beyond words.

"Ah, this..." For a moment, Ronan didn't know what to say.

"It sounds a bit unrealistic, doesn't it?" The Pope wasn't surprised by Ronan's reaction. "In fact, in Wieland and the Kingdom of Fas, there are already institutions that supervise the government and restrain capital. But in the end, these are all officially established. Whether it's the parliament, the congress, or even the secret service, they are all made up of powerful figures, wealthy businessmen, or priests, or they are simply part of the bureaucracy themselves. Can they supervise themselves? Can they represent the people? Absolutely not."

"These people are the most greedy group. Expecting them to curb the endless desires of the country and society is the most unrealistic thing ever."

"Supervisory bodies should be institutions where the people are the masters of the country."

Ronan let out a long sigh of relief. "To be more specific, everyone talks about justice, but the key is how to achieve it."

“Only a third-party organization that is established with the assistance of the church, without the participation of the clergy themselves, and whose members are entirely ordinary people’s representatives, can truly play a supervisory role.”

"That's what the Pope said."

He finally revealed his vision.

"Such an organization doesn't seek personal gain, and it's not corrupt or degenerate?" Ronan asked rhetorically.

“Of course not,” the Pope said. True to his background as a member of a top-tier wealthy family, he was truly pragmatic. “After all, a person’s willingness to exert themselves is driven by nothing more than fame, fortune, and faith. But the value of any institution lies not in the fact that its members are highly problematic, but in whether it can fulfill its functions. The parishioners’ representatives, of course, seek fame and power, but they still have faith, even if it’s fake, because their base is made up of ordinary parishioners like themselves, and their internal discipline comes from the virtues in the canon.”

"If the church assists in establishing such an organization, then such an organization will not be a national or local organization, but an international organization."

Before they knew it, the two had returned to the stone table where they had started. Ronan sat down and said, “In that case, why don’t you conduct it in Venaia? As the Pope, you are capable of carrying it out in Venaia, at least setting up a few pilot projects would be no problem for you.”

“Doing such a thing will inevitably bring turmoil at first and lead to a decline in the domestic economy. It will take a long time before it can really produce results. At present, all the countries in the Western Continent are engaged in fierce competition, and no one wants their national strength to be diminished in the slightest.”

"That's what the Pope said."

He's a businessman after all; he sees things very clearly.

“In the end, it’s all just empty talk, isn’t it?” Ronan said.

“Yes and no,” the Pope said. “So, I just hope that you can allow the Kingdom of Fass to retain some of the old church’s influence, because the Protestant church cannot do such a thing. The Protestant church is something that caters to the greedy. Only the old church can help the people establish such an organization.”

Ronan chuckled lightly, "Ha, forgive my intrusion, but do you know what the biggest problem with the Church is? The Church does not tolerate questioning, and the system is just a tool. Since it is a tool, it can be discarded and changed at any time. The same applies to the oversight body you desire."

"Can't the church change? Hasn't the church already changed? If it can't change here, can't the old churches in other places change? What is the basic demand of the priests? It's more believers. So, as long as they bring more believers, they don't care. They are essentially no different from those wicked and shameless merchants, only they sell different things."

Chapter 575 It's Worth a Try, Crown Offered, Past History

"Such a supervisory body makes it easier for them to sell things called faith and virtue, but at the same time, it can also play a supervisory role, and that's enough."

The Pope added.

Back then, his family used their vast wealth to bribe high-ranking church officials, pushing him, who did not want to become pope, into the position.

Initially, he wanted to implement some reforms because, having been a priest since childhood, he was very clear about the corruption within the church.

However, he failed because the people who taught were even more corrupt and shameless than these despicable merchants.

He couldn't overcome shamelessness with morality, and eventually, he realized something.

His reforms cannot be based on the principles of doctrine and virtue; they can only be based on fame and profit.

"Other countries might not work, but the Kingdom of Fas, with its farmers' associations and trade unions, might be able to, especially in the south. The old Catholics there have endured round after round of resistance; those who were merely opportunists within have long since betrayed them, leaving only the most steadfast believers. They are even more Puritanical than those so-called Protestant Puritans."

At this point, the Pope had fully expressed his thoughts.

After all this talk, it boils down to one thing: he wants to conduct a pilot program in the southern part of the Kingdom of Phos.

He hoped that this pilot program would be successful, and that the Old Church would be reformed, eventually allowing it to take a different stance, standing on the side of the people, and become part of the Western Continent again, instead of gradually declining as it is now.

Ronan fell silent, lost in thought.

After thinking for a long time, Ronan said, "We can give it a try."

He agreed, not because he was optimistic about the plan; deep down, he felt it was likely to fail.

However, such a plan does not require much investment from the Kingdom of Fas. Moreover, the core economic area of ​​the Kingdom of Fas has now shifted to the western coast and the north centered on the capital. Problems in the south will not have a significant impact, and if problems do occur, they can be eliminated at any time to quickly stop the losses.

Furthermore, such a plan is, after all, an attempt by the people to supervise the bureaucracy. So what if it fails? We can still learn some lessons from it.

"Whether this plan succeeds or fails, if one day you can break into Venaya and get here, perhaps I can crown your wife."

"That's what the Pope said."

This condition was only given after Ronan agreed, rather than being proposed at the beginning of the deal.

He was a businessman, but a businessman whose moral character far surpassed that of those others.

"Is it worth it?" Ronan asked.

At this moment, Ronan's attitude also changed, because the man in front of him was someone who was willing to give everything for his ideals.

If he were to crown Ambrina, he would be forever nailed to the pillar of shame in church history.

"Whether something is worthwhile or not can only be truly known when one looks back on it before death," the Pope said.

Ronan downed his now-cold black tea in one gulp. "I wonder if His Holiness the Pope has ever heard this saying: life is given to man only once. Therefore, a man's life should be lived in such a way that when he looks back on his past, he will not regret wasting his years, nor be ashamed of having accomplished nothing. In this way, when he is about to die, he can say, 'I have dedicated my whole life and all my energy to the most precious cause in life—the struggle for the liberation of mankind.'"

The Pope shook his head and asked, "Who said that?"

“A Ross,” Ronan replied.

"The Rus' people who advocate the concept of holy fools, it's really unexpected," the Pope remarked.

Ronan looked at the empty glass. "It's neither sacred nor foolish, it's just faith."

The Pope poured Ronan a cup of tea. “Liberating humanity is too far off. All we can do is help a few more people to restrain their desires, and that may just be a futile effort.”

“Isn’t the meaning of humanity sometimes just doing things that seem meaningless?” Ronan said.

Meanwhile, Ronan and the Pope had entered a period of casual conversation.

Meanwhile, the battle between Dinia and the Grand Master intensified.

After a long battle, Dinia had figured out what the Grand Master's Heavenly Oath Magic was like.

After the battle begins, the Grand Master will continuously improve himself as the battle progresses, including his physique, speed, and strength. He also undergoes special evolutions. The same move that might severely injure him the first time could be ineffective the second time, while his move that might be useless against you the first time could severely injure you the second time.

It will not be damaged by the same attack a second time, nor will it be blocked by the same defense a second time.

However, maintaining this state of infinite improvement and infinite evolution requires a huge amount of magic power every second.

However, the Grand Master also possesses the power of the Holy Son.

His power is not the original kind; unlike Dinia's body, which can regenerate at supersonic speeds, he has a constant, super-fast replenishment of magical energy.

"Phew, stop. I've lost. My mana is being depleted faster and faster, and my recovery can't keep up with the consumption."

The commander stopped and admitted defeat, but he showed no sign of frustration. Instead, he looked like a lazy person who was forced to move around a few times and started complaining of being tired without even breaking a sweat.

Of course, his actual condition wasn't that good either. His armor had been blasted to smithereens, and he had four or five bloody holes in his body, still oozing blood. More importantly, after activating magic, the consumption of magic power increased, and as he said, his recovery speed couldn't keep up.

"It's hard to say who will win or lose. I can hardly hurt you anymore, while you can kill me with almost every attack. My magic is ultimately limited."

Dinia said.

The Grand Master landed and sheathed his sword. "You really don't want to hear the stories of the previous generations? Aren't you curious that before you there were six other people who possessed the same power but left no obvious traces of history?"

“No,” Dinia replied.

The commander raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly. "But I still have to speak."

"After the Holy Son died, the first woman to inherit this power from you was the illegitimate daughter of a priest. However, she lacked magical talent, and this power instead made her violent, plagued by illness, and she died young. Then it was passed on to the second woman, a newborn girl who was not far from here when she died. It was this incident that allowed the priest to discover the pattern of this power's transmission."

"Soon, the third generation came into being. The third generation was confined to the church, which was just beginning to show signs of improvement, and was worshipped as a saint. She was a natural magician, a summoner. The church wanted her to have great power as a weapon of the church, but it also feared that she would lose control and threaten itself first. In this contradiction, the education she received was very problematic, and the growth of a summoner was inherently unpredictable, so she ultimately failed to become a powerful magician."

"The only thing the church gained from her was the certainty that women who inherited this power cannot have children."

"The fourth generation is quite interesting because when she was young, the church found a man to inherit another part of the power, and that is my first generation."

At this point, the commander paused and took a breath.

Chapter 576 The Church is full of incompetent fools, utterly boring, and suddenly something unexpected happens.

The fourth generation is still a child of the summoning type, because only those of the summoning type are likely to become mages.

The church was lucky; the fourth generation was also a natural-born magician.

Given the failure of the third generation, the fourth generation of "original species" were not confined, but their movements were strictly controlled and they were constantly monitored and protected. Their thoughts were not deliberately distorted, but they were given normal education.

She grew up much better than the third generation.

On the other side is the first generation of "Demon Yuan," a boy who was finally found and inherited another part of the Holy Son's power.

When the two grew up, the church asked them to have a child, even though they knew it was impossible, they still hoped in their hearts to have a holy child.

But the reality is that two special people who cannot conceive with others will still not be able to conceive together.

Compared to the "original species" with strong vitality, men who inherit "demon essence" have much shorter lifespans.