Chapter 524 The Disappearing Son of God

Obviously, this "waiting for a long time" is just a polite word.

When entering the lord's room, the ruler of Azure Castle was sitting at the table writing something. There were only two chairs and a small coffee table with snacks on the table facing each other. Other than that, there was no other sign of hospitality.

Olina frowned slightly.

A meeting of this caliber is clearly inconsistent with the status of an ambassador. No matter how remote Qi Guo is, it is still a serious dynasty, and the ambassadors of the dynasty should be entertained according to the standards of great nobles.

Seeing the expression of protest from the Dragon Goddess, Xia Fan quietly pulled her and signaled her that there was no need for etiquette surgery for the time being. The Earl of Cleveland he saw was an old man in his fifties. His hair on his temples had turned gray, with only the cluster on the top of his head still retaining some tan. According to Long's age, he is far from approaching the end of his life, and his physical complexion is not bad, but there is a strong look of worry in the corners of his eyebrows, as if he is worried about something.

If you find fault with each other at this time, I'm afraid it will only have the opposite effect.

"Your Excellency, the ambassador has arrived." The butler handed the document to the Earl of Azure Castle.

"I understand, you can go down." The Earl put down his pen, scanned the identity documents, and then looked at Xia Fan and Olina, "I heard from Baron Lassein that you want to go to the royal capital by water?"

There was almost no greeting, and she went straight to the topic. This behavior surprised Olina, and she didn't know what to say.

Xia Fan was not unhappy at all. It would be great if he could go to the capital as early as possible, so he replied succinctly, "Exactly. We only have one ship, and it doesn't carry artillery."

All those broadside guns were removed and used by the land army.

"Are you going to stay in the royal capital? As far as I know, the embassy area there is already occupied by envoys from all over the world."

“Can’t we visit without an embassy?”

"There is no way to establish a relationship on an equal footing." The Earl glanced at Olina. "It seems that this lady did not explain the diplomatic regulations clearly. To put it simply, you must first own an embassy before the upper class will treat you. It’s open, and if it’s full, you just have to wait, or find a way to get one yourself.”

Xia Fan was dumbfounded by such a simple and crude diplomatic concept, "Can it be that the land in the capital cannot be evenly divided?"

"What good will that do to the Holy Wing Islands?" the Earl asked, "raising a group of privileged people who eat and drink freely and cause trouble in the territory when they have nothing to do? Of course... I'm not talking about you, this is the current situation in the royal capital. . So if you have the strength, you can naturally manage an embassy. If you don’t, it will save each other’s energy.”

The other party's straightforwardness was a little beyond Xia Fan's expectations.

It seems that the bureaucracy of the feudal lords era was far less intense than that of later generations, and each person in power had a distinct personal style.

"Then what if it's normal traffic that has nothing to do with diplomacy?"

"I won't approve it." Cleveland said without hesitation. "There has been some trouble recently, and I don't want to see any more accidents. If you want to go to Gila City, just transfer to other ships. But you'd better pay attention. Don't cause any trouble. You are also a foreigner. If you don't have the protection of an emissary, you will still be the subject of strict scrutiny by the church."

When the count mentioned the trouble, his face became a little darker, as if just mentioning it would make him depressed.

"Azure Castle...what happened?" Olina also noticed something strange about the other party.

"You really didn't hear anything?"

"Before yesterday, we were still above the Endless Sea."

"Really? It seems that I should keep you company for a few more days." Cleveland rubbed his forehead, "But it doesn't hurt to tell you that the church's patrol was attacked by unknown enemies when it crossed the border of Azure Castle. The convoy escort No one survived, and the whereabouts of the two Sons of the Holy Spirit are unknown.”

"Pfft--" Xia Fan almost choked on his tea.

What's going on?

The person he was looking for happened to be robbed?

"When did it happen?" Olina asked in surprise.

"Three days ago. So you two understand why I can't agree to your application, right?"

“Is the Son of the Holy Spirit still alive?”

"I'm afraid only Hera knows." The count stared at Xia Fan playfully, "Honestly, you should feel lucky. If you had come three days earlier, he would have been a suspect on the list. Let alone the church, I would have You're locked up."

"Your Excellency, the ambassador has immunity." Olina reminded.

"Indeed, but who says that the place of detention must be a prison? Inviting people as guests is not included in the immunity regulations."

The dragon girl was speechless for a moment.

The Earl of Azure Castle's understanding of diplomacy is undoubtedly higher than that of the eldest daughter of the Okan family.

"In short, the church has responded very strongly to this matter. It has already formed a trial team to investigate the matter. It is estimated that it will arrive tomorrow. I will also be very busy next time, so I won't accompany you." After speaking, Cleveland knocked on the table. The bell rang, signaling the butler to come in and see off the guests.

The first meeting ended hastily.

When the two walked out of the castle, it was not even noon.

"This is troublesome." Xia Fan sighed. If the White Sands can't get to the royal capital, that's it. At worst, you'll have to find another way to get there. But if something goes wrong with the Son of the Holy Spirit, the situation becomes completely different. It can be said that the trip to the West Pole has not yet begun, and the plan is facing a crisis of destruction. "What will happen if the Holy Son is gone?"

"Usually there will be a new selection." Olina also frowned, "First select believers of the right age from various places, and then train the best step by step, and a new Holy Son will be born in almost a year."

One year... This is three times longer than expected!

And it is still unknown whether Ning Wanjun can wait until then.

"Why does this matter give Cleveland a headache? He is the earl and there is no suspicion of action. It stands to reason that he just needs to cooperate with the church to investigate the case, right?" Xia Fan suddenly thought of a question.

"Because it is related to the Tribunal." The dragon girl lowered her voice a little, "In the Saint Wing Islands, anyone who has anything to do with the Tribunal will not be good. It is normal that you don't understand. Here, the Tribunal is equivalent to the command department of the Privy Council, but the authority is greater than the command department, and there are more punishment methods. It often stirs up a bloody storm because of investigating cases. The earl will naturally not be threatened, but the Blue Castle will-this is equivalent to an outsider breaking into your house and rummaging through the cabinets. If you can't stop it, you will definitely feel a headache."

I see, Xia Fan suddenly realized.

I have to say that Olina's metaphor is very appropriate.

The fiefdom here is far more thorough than that of Qi State. Ning Wanjun's fiefdom of Jinxia was actually a demotion, and she was sent to live out her life in another place. The actual control of Jinxia was still in the hands of the six ministries in the court. But the fiefdom here is a country within a country. The lord is the actual controller of the territory, and all officials are appointed and dismissed by him. In this case, the territory is no different from his own real estate. If the trial team moves too much and affects local trade and production, the loss will eventually fall on the lord.

"What should I do next?" Olina showed some confusion. She still missed her brother in the academy, but it was not easy to go to Xila City alone.

"You can go to the capital first." Xia Fan saw her thoughts, "Anyway, the identity of an envoy doesn't mean much in Azure Castle, you don't need to be with me all the time."

"What about you?" she asked.

"I can't just sit and wait. That doesn't suit my character." Xia Fan smiled. "Why don't I just be an explorer again? Bounty hunting should be considered a kind of adventure, right?"

"What do you want to do?"

"Track down on criminals and find the Son of the Holy Spirit before the church does." He replied.