I changed the world.

Page 400

"Bergoperi is a good place. It's a religious and tourist center, with people from all over the world. It's crowded, so it's hard to check."

"We can't use our own phone numbers to avoid being traced. We need to prepare some new SIM cards that we'll discard after use..."

"In the end... all of this is just a delaying tactic to buy time before we get caught. This matter might still be discovered, so we need to sell it for a large sum of money, and after we sell it, we must leave this place!"

"Do...do we need to leave?" Pete was clearly hesitant.

“If people find out we sold the news, we might be in big trouble!” Oliver stared into Pete’s eyes. “At worst, we can take your mother and sister with us to the New World. Many countries there are visa-free, so it’ll be easy to get there. With money, we won’t have to worry about finding a place to stay.”

Seeing that Pete was still hesitant, Oliver leaned closer and said seriously, "Pete, you know, this is big news, the kind that can go viral globally! It can make a lot of money!"

"Then... can it sell for 5000 million crowns? Just like the information you mentioned?" Pete asked hesitantly.

Oliver wasn't entirely sure himself, but seeing Pete's expression, he gritted his teeth and said, "I don't think it'll be lower than that..."

“I know who to contact. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he gets a good price!” Oliver said, adding his assurance.

5000 million kronor, even if split in half, would amount to 2500 million. For a young man from a single-parent family working in a computer store, this was an enormous fortune, so much so that he had never even dreamed of owning it.

Especially in Santa Calabria, a tourist city, although the scenery is beautiful, there are not many good industries, and young people do not have many employment options. Most of them are related to tourism, such as tour guides, shop assistants, street vendors, restaurant waiters and waitresses, chefs and so on. These kinds of jobs are not worth 2500, even 250 million is a lot of money that you may not be able to earn in a lifetime!

That much money is enough for him to convince his family!

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History Books: Chapter 817 The Department of Faith and Righteousness

In fact, Pete himself understood that if he really possessed such a large sum of money, not only would the police come knocking on his door, but even if other locals found out that his family had so much money, it would likely be a disaster. It would mean that the gangs would come knocking soon, and no one would ignore such a large sum of money; the gangs in the Kingdom of Lombard were notorious for their rampant activities…

“I… okay! If we can really get that much money, let’s go to the New World together!” After a slight hesitation, Pete finally gritted his teeth. After all, in his view, this was his only chance to change his current life!

"Brother, that was a wise choice!" Oliver patted Pete on the shoulder. "If this gets out, someone will definitely come after us. If we don't leave, the risks will be much greater..."

“You’re right…” Now that he had made up his mind, Pete understood the crux of the matter. After all, the source of this stuff couldn’t be investigated. He picked up the coffee on the table, drank it all in one gulp, and then exhaled: “I will persuade Eleanor and Joanna.”

"Very good, wait for my news. I will have someone inquire about this matter when I get back."

So the two young people quickly reached an agreement, and then they parted ways and hurriedly left the café in opposite directions...

............................................................

承和三十七年 2016年4月7日23:50 圣城贝尔戈佩里信义部宫

Due to the time difference, at 23:50 in Dassho time, it was 16:40 in the holy city of Bergoperi, which was still some time before many departments would be closing.

At this very moment, in the Xinyi Temple, located in the heart of the city, some religious officials dressed in robes are hurriedly carrying out their respective tasks.

The full name of the Congregation for the Faith is "Congregation for the Divine Faith and Doctrine." For many ordinary people, especially those unfamiliar with Bergopelli, the name of this congregation is relatively unfamiliar and not well-known.

However, in reality, he was the oldest of the many congregations of the Bergopelli Papacy, and his duty was to "spread the teachings of the Holy Revelation and protect those Holy Revelation traditions that were suspected of being in danger due to emerging and unacceptable doctrines."

According to the Apostolic Canon, which was once promulgated by the Church, "The duty of the Congregation for Luther is to promote and protect the doctrine of faith and virtue in the world of the Holy Revelation. Therefore, it has the authority to manage everything that is related to the promotion and protection of the doctrine." "The Congregation for Luther is a holy congregation that undertakes the duty of promoting and defending the integrity of the faith."

Of course, for many people, its predecessor is undoubtedly more well-known, namely the famous "Inquisition".

However, in this era, the shadow of the "Inquisition," which once terrified all the nobles and even ordinary people of the Western Continent, has long since faded away. It is no longer the era when religious courts and pyres were at their most illustrious. More than a hundred years ago, the name of the Inquisition was changed to the Department of the Holy Ones, and later to the Department of Faith.

If it weren't for the recent assignments by His Holiness the Pope regarding the retrieval of numerous internal Vatican documents and the dispatch of a large number of officials to various church branches for inspections, the Congregation for the Evangelical Luther would normally be enjoying a leisurely and comfortable period of time...

Although the influence of religion is at a relatively low point in history due to several industrial revolutions and tremendous technological development, and the once-powerful Papacy's political influence is now limited to the moral and religious spheres, the Vatican remains one of the world's wealthiest corporations. This is not only due to the immense wealth accumulated over millennia, but also because the donations from churches in various dioceses still constitute a vast fortune. Therefore, Vatican officials actually lead extremely comfortable and leisurely lives, unlike secular businesses with their numerous performance evaluation mechanisms.

"Your Excellency Minister, this is a report I have compiled on the church organizations under the Diocese of Burgundy. Attached are lists of monasteries, nunneries, and churches under the diocese, as well as a list of religious groups for which we need to send personnel to investigate." Constantine Durand, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Lutheran Ministry, solemnly placed a thick stack of documents on the Minister of the Lutheran Ministry's desk.

This is a lavishly decorated room, furnished entirely in the style of a 19th-century Grand Palace. The floor is covered with thick handmade wool carpets, the ceiling is adorned with gold-plated chandelier ornaments, and the paintings hanging on the walls are all capable of fetching astronomical prices at auction.

“Constantine, you must learn to enjoy life. The Son of God also taught us to ‘walk in life and enjoy the wisdom and truth bestowed by the Lord.’ When we learn to experience the joy of life, we can discover that everything in the world is beautiful.” Sitting behind his large desk, César Ludwig, dressed in a red robe, smiled as he looked at the serious-faced middle-aged man who was placing documents on his desk. He gently stroked a pigeon-blood ruby ring on his right hand and said, “They say you’ve been sitting in the library every day lately, which is too boring. The department’s funds are more plentiful now, so why don’t you come with me to relax for a while?”

"Proper relaxation is essential for serving the Lord with greater devotion..."

“Sir, I think…it’s not necessary. I still have some documents to review, and I’d like to stay a little longer after get off work,” Constantine Durand replied with a forced smile.

“Whatever you want…” Cesar Ludwig’s smile faded, and he waved his hand: “Leave the things here, I’ll look at them when I have time.”

"Then I'll head out, Your Excellency Minister."

After leaving the minister's office, Constantine Durand closed the door, stood silently outside for a few seconds, took a deep breath, and turned to walk towards the stairwell. Lost in thought, Constantine went downstairs, and halfway down, he suddenly heard what sounded like people talking in the stairwell below.

"...Father Habel is just a scapegoat; everyone knows about our Minister's quirks..."

"Yeah, hehe, our minister is a regular at the St. Vincent's club. I heard he likes young boys and girls the most..."

“I heard that the Secretary-General of the Ministry also goes there often… He’s very close to the Minister…”

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History: Chapter 818 Fall and Redemption

"...It's said that they once played with a 12-year-old boy together...and caused him to bleed profusely..."

"And he even had the nerve to throw a tantrum in the meeting..."

"The matter was exposed, and newspapers had photographed it before, but in the end, they all settled it with money... Who knew that this time, the self-media would dare to expose anything just to become famous..."

"...In the era of internet traffic, eyeballs equal traffic, and traffic equals money..."

Constantine Durand stood on the stairs listening for a while, then coughed and quickened his pace... The conversation ahead quickly stopped, and he went down to the stairwell where he saw two priests in black robes. Upon seeing him, they both greeted him respectfully: "Your Excellency Constantine."

Constantine nodded calmly to the two of them, then turned and walked out of the stairwell toward his office...

He entered his office, a simply decorated room with an image of the Holy Son of Christ hanging on the wall. There weren't many other decorations. Two large bookshelves stood to one side, filled with religious books and documents. Constantine sat down at his desk, picked up a document, opened it, and looked at it for a while, but found he couldn't concentrate. He sighed deeply, rubbed his temples, and looked up at the image of the Holy Son hanging on the opposite wall.

This is a portrait of the Holy Son of the Three Scriptures of Japan. In the portrait, the Holy Son of the Three Scriptures of Japan, Mika, gazes upon all living beings with eternal and compassionate eyes. His indifferent eyes seem to be able to bear all the suffering in the world.

“It shouldn’t be like this…” Constantine recalled the conversation he had overheard in the elevator, and then the minister’s amused gaze inside the minister’s office, and subconsciously clenched his fist…

As the deputy secretary-general of the Faith Department, he was naturally aware of the actions of some senior faculty members. It is no exaggeration to say that such behavior would have been punishable by burning at the stake two hundred years ago!

He understood what the minister was implying: they wanted him to join them in their corrupt practices, because in their eyes, that was what made them true allies.

However, as someone who came from a Christian family since childhood and was determined to dedicate everything to the Holy Lord, how could he possibly do such a thing!

"Degeneration! These degenerates... they have abandoned the path of the Holy Son!"

Constantine clenched his fists, and after a long while, he pressed a doorbell next to his desk. Soon, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

"Master, may I ask what brings you here?" A young priest walked in.

“Philip, I need to do some prayer for a while. If anyone comes looking for me, you will fend them off for me.”

"As you wish, Your Excellency." Seeing that he had no further instructions, the priest nodded respectfully, then went out and closed the door behind him.

Constantine stepped out from behind his desk, went to the door and locked it from the inside. Then he went to a corner of the room and knelt down next to an old-fashioned seven-tiered wooden cabinet.

He opened the bottom drawer of the wooden cabinet, took out some miscellaneous items placed on it, then took out a wooden box from the bottom, put it back in the drawer, and returned to his desk with the wooden box, placing it on top of the drawer.

Then he opened the wooden box, inside which was a strangely shaped whip. The whip consisted of a stick and three leather straps, each strap with knots from end to end, and each knot was cleverly bound with a round, crown-shaped iron plate.

Constantine looked at the whip in the wooden box for a while, then began to take off his purple priest's robes, one after another, until he was shirtless.

If someone were to enter his room at this moment, they would find that Constantine's back was covered with terrifying scars, layer upon layer, clearly formed from repeated injuries after healing.

But then Constantine, holding the leather whip, emerged from behind his desk, knelt respectfully before the statue of the Son of God, and murmured the same words over and over:

Lord,

Your most faithful servant kneels before your holy image.

Your country shines upon me.

I seek salvation from you…

As he spoke, he raised the whip and lashed it back sharply against his own back...

"Snapped!!!"

Immediately afterwards, a whipping sound echoed throughout the room, and a conspicuous red mark quickly appeared on his back. However, due to the thick, locked oak door, the sound did not travel outside.

Then came the second lash...

"Snapped!!!"

Another striking wound overlapped the previous whip mark...

Darkness came to my side before the light.

It followed me like a shadow.

"Surrounded me..."

He muttered to himself, and lashed out with the third whip...

"Snapped!!!"

………………

Your servant walks through the abyss.

Searching for the long-waiting lighthouse in the unknown future...

Lord,