Mona took the jewelry box but did not open it right away.
As long as she wasn’t physically restrained, Mona’s intelligence was always sharp. She felt Archibald was hinting at something deeper, but it was too hidden for her to grasp its full meaning immediately.
Protecting her master was her fundamental duty as a contract servant, and she would have given her all even without the Pope’s command.
The Pope had made a point of having the Envoy stress his message repeatedly, and had even sent a personal reward...
"Mona, open it and see, what good thing is inside?" Wayne leaned in curiously.
Mona opened the jewelry box and presented it to Wayne. Inside was a crucifix pendant, nothing particularly special in appearance as many clergy possessed one—Mona herself owned one that allowed her to transform into her Tactical Team Uniform.
The Pope’s gift couldn’t possibly be this simple. Wayne glanced at Mona and suggested she keep it for now and they would study it further back home.
Archibald waited with a smile as the two exchanged glances, then said, "Mister Wayne, now that the Pope’s gift has been delivered, it’s time for my gift."
"You have a gift as well?"
Archibald said warmly: "After all, you are a Reincarnated Angel, of high status. Any Papal Envoy would want to make a good impression on you, and I am no exception."
Look at the art of his speech; even his flattery is so refreshing and sophisticated. It’s no wonder that such a handsome and eloquent man gets to frequent the Pope’s bedroom despite his young age.
Wayne nodded in agreement, clearly flattered, then with a raised eyebrow, he said, "Archibald, I will accept your gift, but I must repeat: I am not an angel. It’s all a misunderstanding. When the truth comes out, don’t blame me for not clarifying this in advance."
"I understand what you’re saying."
No, you don’t understand!
Wayne sighed wistfully; faith made people steadfast, religion made them ignorant. Here was this handsome, smart man, not one bit inferior to Wayne, yet blindly believing in the Golden Rule Bible.
Empiricism is a killer!
Still, Wayne knew that if the clergy didn’t believe in the Golden Rule Bible, there would be little else in the world that they could trust.
So, whether he was a fake angel or a real one was less important; only when the seven Reincarnated Angels appeared, could he vindicate himself and prove he was human.
Well, he would have to wait. At this point, there was nothing to do but let time take its course.
"Mister Wayne, I hear in the secular world you are a businessman?"
"A part-time businessman. My main job is as a detective—it’s a personal hobby, a small business, just to give back to society." Wayne stated truthfully.
Mona nodded silently to herself. Being a detective was the perfect cover, an excuse to combat evil and devils, which is exactly what she used to do.
"I also heard that you attended the bidding meeting of the Albert Steel Company..."
At this point, Archibald took the initiative to explain, "Please, don’t misunderstand. I’m not probing on purpose. I’m just really looking for an opportunity to please you."
He continued, "As far as I know, your business negotiations haven’t been going well, and the Albert Steel Company isn’t inclined to cooperate with you."
"That’s true, I’ve been prepared to give up."
"You are far too kind. With your status, you could have forced the Albert Steel Company to finalize a contract and decide the outcome directly, but you chose to treat everyone equally." Archibald expressed his admiration repeatedly.
Mona nodded along; fair was fair, her master was too good-natured.
That’s not okay, you could easily suffer losses in society.
"Mister Wayne, please allow me to be presumptuous."
Archibald said with a genuine smile: "I will arrange for someone from the Holy See to contact Grand Duke Charlotte and the Prime Minister. With their approval, the Albert Steel Company will surely choose you as their new business partner."
Lucelbourg operates under a constitutional monarchy, with the current Monarch, Grand Duke Charlotte, being the head of state, the commander of the armed forces, and possessing legislative and executive power, as well as the right to dissolve the parliament.
Unlike other monarchies, the Grand Duke of Lucelbourg held considerable power, capable of influencing the country.
Wayne furrowed his brow: "Honestly, I don’t care whether the negotiation succeeds or not. Success is great, but failure is fine too. There’s no need to exert pressure from the Holy See on a small country that is already struggling."
He wasn’t lying about the cooperation. With the four-nation summit in September, what would happen in the following years was clear to conceive.
Once war broke out, Lucelbourg would surrender at lightning speed, and Prussia would perform passionate parades in front of the Ducal Palace.
What good would it do to secure a business deal that Prussia would end up taking over, perhaps not even recouping the costs?
Moreover, he was very averse to involving the supernatural in reality. If possible, he hoped the two worlds would never overlap.
In this regard, Windsor was doing quite well, at least on the surface!
"Mister Wayne, you have misunderstood me. The Holy See won’t pressure any country. The times have changed, and we don’t have the power to do so."
Archibald smiled slightly: "Interestingly, Lucelbourg is a nation with very devout beliefs, with about ninety-nine percent of its citizens professing faith in the Heavenly Father."
Not one hundred percent—so very precise!
You could’ve just said this is the Holy See’s backyard and left it at that!
Also, you’ve got a decent act going, so tastefully subtle. Let’s not pretend in front of each other in the future.
Knowing that Archibald had the power to handle everything, Wayne no longer declined but only had one request: "Don’t let this affair tie me to the Holy See. I’m currently a Naturalism Church Pastor, and suddenly having status within the Holy See would complicate my affairs."