1624 Her Intelligence Is Several Times Yours (1/2)
Edited by Aelryinth
Mo Fan initially planned to visit Xinxia, but was disappointed to learn that she was not at the Parthenon Temple. She was currently in England.
Mo Fan was utterly speechless. He did not even bother to check Xinxia's schedule before coming all the way here. She was still a candidate, after all, so she had to be extremely busy with a lot of things. After asking around, Mo Fan learned that Xinxia had paid a visit to Ayleen's clan.
”Does Ayleen have some influence in England?” Mo Fan asked, looking confused as he stood at the foot of the mountain.
The Parthenon Temple was as crowded as usual. The mountain paths were full of believers slowly making their way to the Hall of Faith, even on a rainy day.
The truth was, many believers did not come for their own sake. They were here on behalf of their family members. If they could receive the blessings of the Mountain of the Goddess, their families would be freed from sickness and disease.
It was normal for people to get sick, be it serious or trivial. Those sicknesses would not necessarily cost them their lives, but would still torture them from the moment they woke up to when they could finally sleep. The pain would accompany them always, be it on sunny or rainy days.
The blessings and the power of faith of the Parthenon Temple were not purely psychological. Its ability to drive away plague and pain was matchless. Only the people that had been through torture and pain from disease knew how precious being healthy was. Therefore, the Parthenon Temple was never short on disciples!
”Ayleen might only be around our age, but her status in England is quite extraordinary. She's from the reputable Victoria clan, who once had an impressive queen. Their queen earned a lot of respect from many important parties during the political crisis. You know how strong an influence the Casas have in Europe, right? As a matter of fact, the Casas were once vassals to the Victoria clan. The nobility might not have as much power as the royalty, but they still have a huge say at the international level! Xinxia is smart to cooperate with the Victoria clan. They are rather conservative, and they believe in resolving conflicts peacefully and putting people first,” Zhao Manyan said.
Zhao Manyan knew Mo Fan was clueless about things like this.
”Does Ayleen have a say, too?” Mo Fan asked.
”Of course she does, she's the primary successor! It's why she is called the Great Duchess of England! Xinxia is around the same age as Ayleen. I bet they will become friends very easily. From what I know, the Victoria clan is not fond of the way Izisha was ruling the Parthenon Temple. It's unlikely they will support her now that she has resurrected,” Zhao Manyan stated firmly.
Xinxia would be worried if she knew he was in Athens. He had been missing for quite some time, after all!
”Xinxia is pretty good at grasping the big picture. If she manages to get the Victoria clan's support, the situation might not be as one-sided as after Izisha secured the Casas' support,” Zhao Manyan judged.
”Is she really that brilliant? Why didn't I notice it before?” Mo Fan raised his brows.
”The two of you grew up together. In your eyes, Xinxia will always be the little sister under your protection. You assumed she was weak and unable to protect herself because she couldn't walk, but you've really underestimated her. Her intelligence is several times yours. How did she survive the deceptions at the Parthenon Temple, where everyone is trying to outwit one another? Look at how she's competing with Izisha. Don't you know who Izisha is? If she wants to kill someone, the person might even kneel and thank her for her kindness!
”What about the incident at the Alps? She was killing three birds with a single arrow… Xinxia is going up against someone like her; the very fact that she hasn't lost yet indicates how wise and insightful she is. I initially thought she was going to lose for sure once the Casas were involved, and she would soon be sent back to our homeland, but she immediately set her eyes on England to obtain support from the conservative Victorian clan. She managed to recover some lost ground!” Zhao Manyan pointed out.
”Is she really that smart?” Mo Fan exclaimed in shock.
”Brother, the Victoria Clan is just like the Mu Clan in our country. They might hold a grudge against Izisha, but that doesn't mean they will support another Candidate. The Candidate must have the bearing of a leader and know how to assess and control the situation in order to win their support. It is important to understand the complicated relationships between factions of different countries, too. Sharing the same beliefs isn't a good enough reason for them to work together. Most importantly, it is how she negotiated and convinced the Victoria clan to reach a mutual agreement and support her. She couldn't just win over their support by remaining silent…
”You must understand, if the Victoria clan does not intervene in the election for the Goddess, it's unlikely that Izisha would do anything to them if Xinxia lost. However, if they choose to support Xinxia, what do you think Izisha is going to do to them if Xinxia loses? The Victoria clan are not idiots. Them being conservative means they won't easily take a side, but Xinxia managed to convince them to side with her…