A man among dragons, building a mysterious ancient church.

Chapter 265 The Snake Clan Slightly Admits Defeat

Genjiro's visit to the old temple was quite grand; he had originally only planned to bring three retainers.

Before leaving, he remembered Tachibana Masamune's teachings. He was now the head of the Hebi-Hachi family, and his every word and action represented the entire Hebi-Hachi family.

Even if one doesn't need it and isn't flamboyant in personality, considering the authority of the patriarch, one still needs to have a corresponding pomp and circumstance.

Only then did he bring twelve elite mixed-race individuals, who rode in four cars, following behind his carriage to form the smallest possible convoy, escorting him all the way.

Taro Inuyama, along with several companions, was also waiting in the square outside the temple. Not all members of the original Oni Clan from the disco had become temple keepers like Taro Inuyama.

After making contributions and gaining Makoto Aso's approval, Masami Sakurai, Matsu Fuma, and others who accepted the potion took on other roles.

Before they could chat for long, they saw Yuan Zhisheng's convoy. They didn't need to cross the square; the new patriarch, who instinctively loathed formalities, had already opened the car door and strode over.

Taro Inuyama and the others had also heard of Genjiro, who was said to be the new patriarch after the previous patriarch, Masamune Tachibana, made a grave mistake.

However, the new patriarch did not make any changes to the Snake-Headed Eight Families, and continued to operate the family according to the methods left by Tachibana Masamune.

I didn't add anything of my own, including political philosophies and administrative management.

Although Taro Inuyama and his companions disliked the main family and looked down on Genjiro, who lacked his own political opinions, Taro Inuyama still politely stepped forward to greet them, considering that they now represented the Old Church: "Welcome to the Old Church, Mr. Genjiro."

"I am the head priest of the temple, Taro Inuyama. Bishop Aso is waiting in the tea room. Mr. Gen, please come in."

Inuyama? Genji glanced at Inuyama Taro again. That surname… What is the relationship between this high priest and the Inuyama family? A coincidence of sharing the same surname? Or is he a descendant of one of the five lower families?
He wanted to ask, but worried that doing so rashly would not be in keeping with the style of the head of the Snake Clan. Genji sighed inwardly.

The head of the family is such a hassle, always worrying about this and that. He's not as carefree as he was when he was the head of the executive bureau, but he still has to consider the impact. It's so frustrating.

From beginning to end, Genjiro actually resisted this position.

As their thoughts wandered, the group had already reached the temple gate. Genji waved his hand behind him, and Yasha, one of his retainers, understood and led the twelve half-bloods to stop outside the gate without going inside.

That's enough of the pomp and circumstance. Genjiro didn't want to bring so many people when he visited and talked with them, as that would be impolite and could easily be misunderstood as him being timid.

The other two retainers, Crow, and Yabuki Sakura followed Genjiro. The three of them were led by Inuyama Taro into the side tea room of the temple, where they finally met Aso Makoto, who was brewing tea.

Aso Shin was dressed simply in a plain white floral dress, without any makeup, gold or jade, and her long hair was simply tied in a ponytail, yet she exuded an amazing and extraordinary charm.

Sakura Yabuki, who had followed Genjiro in, subconsciously looked away, but quickly stole another glance at Genjiro.

When Genjiro looked at Aso Makoto, he was momentarily stunned. Yabuki Sakura lowered her head slightly, feeling quite bitter inside. In terms of appearance, she had actually lost to this Archbishop Aso.

In Crow's mind, Aso Makoto's information flashed through his mind. The other party's information was very easy to find, and his life trajectory from childhood to adulthood was clear at a glance.

Ironically, right after the Battle of the Capital, he directly rebuilt many old temples, and his strength was formidable, with his subordinates showing him respect. This is completely inconsistent with the records, which is quite strange.

This makes one wonder if Aso Makoto deliberately falsified his personal information.

Regardless of the feelings of the trio opposite him, Makoto Aso followed the routine he learned at the Sumitomo Group, brewed the tea, and placed the patterned side of the teacup towards the person drinking the tea.

Makoto Aso didn't really understand the significance of this before, but considering social etiquette, he still learned it. See, he's using it now.

The three, including Genjiro, also observed the etiquette of tea ceremony, using an old silk cloth as a mat, turning the cup clockwise, and facing the person brewing the tea with the pattern on it, as a sign of respect.

After going through all the formalities, Aso Makoto patiently waited for the tea to cool down. When Genji took a sip, he praised it as "good tea."

Aso Shin deliberately paused for another half minute before slowly speaking: "It is truly unwelcoming that the head of the Snake-Headed Eight Families has come all this way."

Genjiro was equally familiar with this set of boring social niceties, and he readily replied, "Bishop Aso, you are too kind. We are sorry for our unannounced visit and for causing trouble for your church."

After exchanging pleasantries three times, Aso Makoto took the initiative to get to the point: "I was unaware of Mr. Gen's visit?"

Seeing that Aso Makoto had stopped being so polite, Genji breathed a sigh of relief; he disliked this kind of inefficient conversation.

Genjiro usually communicates very well with Sakura Yabuki. They can explain most things in a single sentence, which is very efficient. Genjiro also maintains this style when he leads the Executive Bureau.

But there was no other way. Tachibana Masamune had been teaching him all along how a patriarch should behave, especially in social situations, where some polite formalities were necessary.

Unfortunately, Genji couldn't see where the necessity lay.

Seeing that Aso hadn't held back and had asked first, Genji even felt a little smug about finding a kindred spirit, and suddenly found the handsome bishop more pleasing to the eye: "To be honest..."

"The Snake Clan has also heard about your sect's performance in the battle of the capital."

"Your sect's combat strength is so astonishing, exceeding the expectations of many mixed-blood forces, and you also have a good cooperative relationship with the King of Earth and Mountains." Asou Makoto listened silently, not overwhelmed by the flattery. His earlier inquiry about the purpose of the visit was not out of impatience, but because he held a list of whistleblowers and was confident that he could control this young patriarch.

Before coming, Genjiro had made ample preparations. These words were written by Sakura Yabuki, and he was only responsible for memorizing them.

It was clearly the old church that violated the blood pact of the mixed-race society and openly colluded with the Dragon King, yet it was glorified as a 'good cooperative relationship'.

This shows that the Snake Clan is wary of the Old Church. This is not surprising. At this moment, every hybrid power, without exception, is wary of the Old Church.
Next, Genjiro talked about what he wanted to know most right now: "Now that I have learned that your religion is building temples all over Tokyo and widely accepting believers."

"As the head of the Sheqi family, which has been passed down for thousands of years on this land, our family has a presence in all walks of life on this land."

"Fortunately, our family does not operate in the religious industry. If there are any areas where we can cooperate, we hope that Bishop Aso will provide guidance."

The words weren't fully said, but the meaning was expressed clearly enough.

In the religious and faith-related industries, since the Snake Clan does not intervene, the entire business can be handed over to the old church.

If the old church is still not satisfied and attempts to go further and seize the interests of the other industries of the Snake Clan, then weapons will be the only option to replace dialogue.

Although these words were spoken in a very humble yet assertive manner, and were well-reasoned and supported by evidence, they could not conceal the fact that the Snake-Headed Eight Families were somewhat submissive.

There's no way around it; without deploying Uesugi Erii, Genjiro and the Snake-Headed Eight Families really have no confidence in defeating the Old Church.

The Old Church's performance in the Battle of the Imperial Capital was truly formidable; it single-handedly defeated major forces, including the Secret Party.

So what if it's royal blood? The old church still has the King of the Earth and the Mountain.

The Snake Clan is not so arrogant as to believe that they can take on all the mixed-race people in the world single-handedly.

Not to mention the disgusting Oni Clan, which might betray the Snake-Headed Eight Families and the Old Church if they go to war.

Therefore, after studying the situation in Tokyo, Genji believed that the best course of action was for the Herikichi family and the old church to keep to themselves, without using Erii.

Little did they know that if Erii were to actually appear, the Snake-Headed Eight Families would likely lose even faster.

Aso Shin understood Genji's meaning and was happy to agree. The church was currently busy fabricating the Black King's Hatchery, and Xu Lie also needed to assist Mr. Fool in finding the true location of the Black King's Hatchery.

If the Tokyo Diocese were to go to war with the Snake-Headed Eight Families for a tiny bit of profit from other industries, it might cause trouble for the church. If it were to affect the mission of forging the incubator, it would be too detrimental to the church's interests.

It was Xu Lie's arrangement to put Aso Makoto in charge of the Tokyo Diocese, but Aso Makoto was absolutely unwilling to cause trouble for the church and Xu Lie.

Furthermore, the old church was originally just doing ordinary missionary work and recruiting believers; it had no intention of taking over the property of the Snake Clan.

The church, the church, is all about the faith of ordinary people.

Of course, to fully accept would make her, the bishop, appear too weak and easily bullied, which would not be acceptable: "We are happy to cooperate with the Snake Clan."

"Although there may not be much room for cooperation in church affairs, there should be quite a few areas where we can cooperate with the Sumitomo Foundation."

The implication is that the old church not only needs to occupy the religious faith sector, but also needs to maintain the industries that the Sumitomo Foundation was already engaged in.

This is exactly the result that Genjiro wanted to see, as long as the old church was willing to operate only in the religious industry.

As for the Sumitomo Group? Their businesses are already established, so it doesn't count as encroaching on the interests of the Eight Families of the Snake Clan.

Finally, a consensus was reached, and Genjiro's usually straight back began to slacken.

"but."

Yuan Zhisheng's back straightened instantly. As an adult, he knew that everything is a fear.

Does Aso really have other demands? Don't push your luck!

Seeing this, Makoto Aso smiled, possessing an extraordinary charm that emanated from his smile and reassured people: "However, it seems that the Snake Clan is currently facing considerable internal problems."

"Wouldn't a hasty collaboration easily lead to losses for both of us in certain business areas?"

Genjiro was puzzled: "Bishop Aso may speak frankly. I admit that my tenure as head of the family is short, but with the assistance of the heads of the families, the Snake-Headed Eight Families are united and there are no problems whatsoever."

"Heh." Aso Shin was too lazy to say more. He picked up a letter from beside his seat and handed it over on the table: "Take a good look, Mr. Gen. This is a letter of complaint that our church received two days ago."

(End of this chapter)