779 Special Pardon (1/2)
The atmosphere in the embassy of Burgundy in Sacred City was heavy. Very few people could come and go as the entire building was heavily guarded.
After several days of transactions and conflicts behind the scenes, a meeting that was held in the name of 'peace' was finally coming to an end. The most important aspect of this meeting would be settled soon, albeit not at the meeting but between the proxies in the embassy.
Despite spending such a long time in the embassy, probably very few people would take a closer look at this ordinary and plain building. The old era was finally coming to an end. The rise of Caucasian and Anglo, along with the defeat of Asgard, were expected, but the rapid rise of Burgundy was shocking and unexpected.
No one would have imagined that, other than Caucasian and Anglo, one of the biggest beneficiaries would be Emperor Don Juan, who was not even 10-years-old and had only just succeeded the throne.
Within eight to nine days, the Church and Burgundy were already on very good terms. The Cardinal Bishops were unwilling to lose their power, so they were more than willing to go along with what Burgundy had proposed to them in secret. Both sides needed something from the other, so they got along very well very quickly. But aside from the collaboration, it was hard to tell just how much true and genuine feelings both sides had for each other.
Although there was always the risk that they might be leaving themselves open to an attack, ultimately, Burgundy still committed to this move under the leadership of Richelieu. With full support from the Cardinal Bishops and plenty of urging by the scattered soldiers from various countries, Burgundy consolidated all the old powers and joined Caucasian and Anglo in this banquet.
Anyone with a keen sense of politics would understand that after the bell tolled at midnight tonight, the days of Sacred City's dominance would be over and would be replaced by these three powers…
At this point, the final discussion was already underway in the Burgundy embassy. There were three Bishops, who were taking the blame on behalf of the Church, to serve as witnesses as Wolf Flute, Hua Sheng, and Richelieu had finally reached the most important juncture. After successfully taking away more than half of the assets of the heavy industry, the young man, whom many had been secretly calling him ”damned cripple” behind his back for the past few days, still refused to back down.
”Anglo's stand is still the same,” Hua Sheng said very calmly. ”The Sacred City is the treasure of the entire world. Its ancient records and assets should be guarded by all humans together.”
Wolf Flute continued to smoke while nodding his head in agreement. ”Yes, Caucasian thinks the same.”
After successfully taking over the library, Richelieu remained smiling. ”No problem. Most of the technology can be transferred, but the exact details will still need to be further discussed.”
Actually, Burgundy never expected to take over all of Sacred City's technologies and ancient records. In terms of power and the amount of say in such matters, Burgundy knew that it would never be able to stand against Caucasian and Anglo, who were already allies with each other. But this was all part of a negotiation, where the seller would wish to sell at the highest possible price while the buyer would hope to buy at the lowest possible price. Besides, technology was something that was easily transferable, so they would probably just share it.
Right now, it was as if Richelieu had found himself in a business selling books in the library. He could not stop the buyer from buying what they wanted, but at least he would be able to make some profit out of it. No capital was required for this business anyway. He would sell away Sacred City so that he could make some profits for himself. Just like what Hua Sheng said, there would be profits as long as they were willing to talk and discuss.
After the fundamentals had been decided, the three of them would quickly pass a note to people on the outside, who would haggle over the small details in another place.
Onto the next issue. Although the three Bishops were already looking very glum, it did not matter to Hua Sheng, as he went for the kill once again.
”What once belonged to mortals should be returned to them.” The young man, who was seated in the wheelchair, spoke in a tone that seemed to accept no rebuttals, ”The legitimacy of Protestantism, and the necessity and justification of the Religious Court of Inquiry should be acknowledged in the new legislative amendment.”
This was a direct assault at the core of the Sacred City. Not only Protestantism, but Caucasian's Orthodox Church would definitely be keen to make the same request. Although the Church would never recognize Charles' status as ”Son of God,” they would have to give in in other areas. If they wished to complete the handing over of power and authority in a peaceful and harmonious manner, some things would be inevitable, and this included the condition of the Church becoming a subsidiary.
Hua Sheng looked at the three Cardinal Bishops and brought up a personal request from the Hand of God, ”Sacred City must release Mr. Abraham immediately and unconditionally. His name and reputation must be restored and his losses compensated. His immense contributions to the study of the history of music must be recognized.”
Compared to the previous request, this one was almost insignificant. But the three Bishops looked even more glum now. They looked at each other as if there was something that they wanted to say, but ultimately said nothing.
In the silence, Hua Sheng finished smoking a cigarette quietly. He maintained a calm demeanor from the very beginning but now, there was a hint of unhappiness, ”What? Are you saying this is not negotiable? I suggest the Cardinal Bishops think through this carefully. Although I am the proxy of Anglo, I am, first and foremost, the Secretary General of His Highness. If Sacred City is not even sincere enough to agree to such a small request, I'm afraid we don't have to waste our time on the following matters…”