He changed Tiwat

Faced with Han Fulai's "extreme pressure," he had no choice but to give in.

"Please wait a moment, Vice Minister Han."

Han Fulai had his back to Calvin, and a fleeting smile crossed his lips.

When he turned around, his face already had an expression that said he was owed millions of Mora.

Acting Archbishop Calvin was silent for a moment, then bowed slightly and said in a very stiff tone, "If I said anything earlier that caused Vice Minister Han to misunderstand... I can swear to Lord Barbatos that it was absolutely unintentional, and I am very willing to apologize. I just hope that Vice Minister Han will clarify things."

Since joining the College of Cardinals, he hadn't lowered himself to anyone for many years, especially not to a young upstart like Han Fulai. But the reason he was able to reach his current position was because of his patience.

He could not only tolerate a young upstart who climbed over him to become archbishop through marriage with the Gunnhildr family, but he could also tolerate being separated from his own son... He could even suppress his resentment towards the murderer of his son—because he knew that the world would soon change, and if he lived long enough, he would eventually get everything he wanted.

This was the promise that the "doctor" made to him.

That "doctor" was even able to separate "slices" of himself at different ages and had not been troubled by aging and death for hundreds of years—this was simply a "miracle"!

Calvin believed that Winter had mastered the technology to grant immortality, allowing him to wield power and prestige for eternity, and that even the resurrection of the dead might not be impossible... Perhaps one day, Iroq could even come back to life...

Seeing Calvin show weakness, Han Fulai's expression became even more mocking: "Judging from your words, it seems you still don't understand where you went wrong... But since you still have some sincerity..."

He pointed to Sister Grace's swollen forehead.

"You have no right to punish her."

“…” Archbishop Calvin was so angry that his hands trembled. When did it become the right of the people of Liyue to punish the nuns under his command who violated the rules?

Not to mention Calvin, even Barbara and Grace thought Han Fulai's words had a Zhi Dong accent.

Han Fulai continued to explain Calvin's "crimes" at a leisurely pace.

“Listen, I personally came to the church to borrow the ‘Sky Harp,’ and I personally signed the ‘Artifact Loan Registration’ in the church. Moreover, the reason I borrowed the ‘Sky Harp’ was to practice for the ‘Badminton Festival’ as a gift to Lord Barbatos of the Wind God, as a sign of respect for Lord Barbatos of the Wind God.”

"Our Liyue, the land of contracts and a nation of etiquette, has always been known for its integrity and trustworthiness, always repaying what it borrows. My signature is the guarantee of this contract. Both your leader Jean and Sister Grace trust the contracts I, as the 'successor of the Emperor,' have made. Yet you use this to attack Sister Grace; do you doubt my credibility?"

"...Or is it that if I follow the proper procedures and apply to the bishop to borrow the 'Sky Harp,' the bishop will refuse to lend it to me? Is it because you're afraid I'm a thief and will steal your precious sacred object? If this isn't an insult, what is?!"

By the end, Han Fulai's voice was stern and imposing. His superior demeanor made Cardinal Calvin appear much smaller, and even his aged figure seemed to hunch over.

"This... I absolutely did not mean that... It's all a misunderstanding..."

Calvin's lips trembled, whether from fear or anger, he really hadn't thought this could be explained like this—it sounded like not lending him the relic was an insult to Liyue... Is this how the people of Liyue "lend"? It felt like the church owed him something instead.

Chapter 358 I'm specially here to tease you

According to church rules, the "Sky Harp" can only be lent out on the day of the celebration, and it must remain under the supervision of the administrators at all times. Even in special circumstances where the "Sky Harp" needs to leave the church's sight, it must be escorted by a reliable Knight of Favonius—and Captain Yura of the Lawrence family is not a "reliable knight" recognized by the church; at least, this matter has not been certified by Calvin.

In terms of procedure, Sister Grace should first report this matter to Calvin for his decision, and only after obtaining his consent should Han Fulai take away the "Sky Harp".

However, Calvin was not at the church at the time, and Sister Grace could not keep such a distinguished guest as Han Fulai waiting there for who knows how long. Moreover, she trusted Han Fulai's reputation and his love for writing songs for children, so she slightly changed the procedure.

In other words, Han Fulai had already taken the "Sky Harp" before Calvin saw the report. In terms of timing, this was about two hours before Calvin agreed to lend the artifact.

In fact, if Calvin had received the "Artifact Loan Registration" according to procedure that day, he wouldn't have been able to disagree. As for the choice of guards, let alone Yura from the Lawrence family, even if Han Fulai specifically named 8-year-old Keli as a guard, he could have signed the document with his eyes closed, since the responsibility would fall on the Knights.

He actually had no objection to Han Fulai borrowing the "Sky Harp"; in fact, he was more than happy that someone would break the rules and borrow the sacred object at this time.

—As the saying goes, "When you find one cockroach in a house, there are already a thousand cockroaches having a party." By seizing on this one oversight, he can extend it to all sorts of problems.

Once the church takes stock of its inventory in a couple of days and discovers that a few relics are missing, he can use this as an excuse to shift the blame onto Sister Grace and Barbara.

Of course, these priests who served as scapegoats were chosen by him long ago; even without the incident of lending out the sacred object, Calvin would have found another reason.

Anyway, a boss can always find fault with his subordinates... especially since there's Simon's daughter among the priests, whom he's always disliked. It would be great to use this opportunity to damage Simon's reputation.

So today, he seized on this procedural violation and flew into a rage at Sister Grace, questioning how she dared to lend the relic without his approval, and how she dared to agree to let a "sinner" from the Lawrence family act as the relic's guardian. If anything went wrong with the relic, how could she bear the responsibility?

The punishment of Sister Grace was something he had planned long ago. Making her kneel in the sanctuary to repent was meant to be seen by everyone in the church, to show that he always strictly demanded that the staff of the sacred objects be held accountable, and that any problems would naturally be the fault of his subordinates for not strictly following the rules.

All of this was clearly within his authority, and in principle, no one else had any right to interfere.

However, this perfectly reasonable internal church matter inexplicably encountered the astonishment of unreasonable "friendly nations"...

Previously, Mondstadt was bullied by the Winterborn, and Calvin saw through it and sided with "The Doctor," and the Winterborn protected him. How did he end up being bullied by the Liyue people again?

Calvin was suffering.

To be fair, while his motives for punishing Sister Grace weren't entirely innocent, he was indeed wronged by Han Fulai's attack on him.

But no matter how wronged he was, the other party's status was undeniable, and since they were demanding an explanation, he had to provide it.

"Please allow me to clarify, this is all a misunderstanding. There are indeed regulations in the lending process of sacred objects by our Church of the West Wind, which you may not be aware of..."

He prepared to defend himself, arguing that his punishment of his subordinates was based on violations of procedures and had nothing to do with who lent the sacred object to. He believed that the matter could be clarified if he reasoned with them properly.

—But Han Fulai was never one to reason.

He came here today specifically to make fun of Calvin.

You said you didn't put scallions in the beef noodles as I asked? Then I won't eat the beef!

As Calvin continued to insist that it was all a misunderstanding, Han Fulai gave a cold smile. With a blink of an eye, the invisible pressure emanating from the Emperor's immortal power spread throughout the sanctuary.

“I understand now. Bishop Calvin had no sincerity in apologizing at all. If you had just apologized properly, I could have treated it as a ‘misunderstanding’ and let it go, out of consideration for the friendly relations between Mondstadt and Liyue… But instead, you made excuses in front of me and even called me ignorant?”

Calvin was completely baffled... Did "you don't know" mean this? Was it a matter of accent?

But under the oppressive aura emanating from Han Fulai, it was difficult for him to argue.

Han Fulai, however, remained relentless: "Not only did you insult my reputation behind my back, but you also insulted my wisdom in public? You promised to lend me the sacred object, but then went back on your word and ruined my reputation behind my back—that's despicable. When I asked you for an explanation, you made up excuses and shirked responsibility to my face—that's shameless! I never imagined that the bishop of the West Wind Church would be such a despicable and shameless person!"

Once those words are spoken, there's absolutely no room for ambiguity.

Calvin knew this matter couldn't be resolved peacefully, and his old face turned completely cold.

He had already endured it for a long time, and now that things had come to this, he no longer needed to endure it.

He clasped his hands together, softly chanting the holy name "Anemo," activating the amulet hanging on his chest. A cyan light of wind element instantly enveloped his body, making him unafraid of the overwhelming pressure from the person before him.

"Mr. Han, this is the Church of Favonius in Mondstadt, not your Moonsea Pavilion in Liyue, much less a place where you can act with impunity. I have already tolerated your rudeness time and time again, yet you insist on pushing your luck..."

"Since you want an explanation from the Knights, I will accompany you to the Knights to seek that explanation. Under Lord Barbatos's watchful eye, I believe that right and wrong will be judged by public opinion."

Han Fulai said sarcastically, "What? Now you have the nerve to come with me to see Commander Qin? Do you think Commander Qin will protect you?"

Calvin, on the other hand, wore a solemn and dignified expression as he began reciting his sacred texts:

God said, 'Human anger does not produce God's righteousness.'

"God also said: 'Each person will die because of their own sins; and everyone who eats sour grapes will have their teeth ache.'"

"Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. And the perfect, liberating law will surely bless a free people."

Han Fulai almost burst out laughing while listening to the charlatan chanting sutras—he really wanted to say on Barbatos's behalf, "I never said that."

Chapter 359 I'm Insulting You

Two special guests visited the troupe leader's office today.

These two guests came to her to seek justice.

The residents of Mondstadt have a well-deserved reputation for the fairness of the leader, and "go to the leader if you have any problems" has become a daily routine for them. They also love to seek the leader's help to resolve any disputes they may have.

Qin was quite experienced in handling this kind of "neighborhood committee" work, so it wasn't anything special for her.

But the two people who came to her for judgment today are not ordinary.

One is Han, the Vice Minister of the Moonlit Pavilion, who is currently the highest authority in Liyue and is visiting Mondstadt incognito.

The other is Cardinal Calvin, the current acting archbishop of the Church of the West Wind and a highly respected former secretary of the cardinals.

Qin was surprised and even more troubled when she heard that the two of them had actually quarreled.

In Qin's memory, this Deputy Minister Han was resourceful, shrewd, and courteous in his dealings with others, never the kind of reckless man who would start a fight at the slightest provocation. Qin could hardly imagine Han Fulai getting into a conflict with anyone, let alone with Cardinal Calvin of the Church.

Cardinal Calvin was known for his strict adherence to rules and regulations, and his advocacy of asceticism was quite famous within the church. Aside from preaching, reciting scriptures, and managing church affairs, his life consisted almost entirely of nothing. While Archbishop Simon occasionally rambled on while drunk, Calvin never did, because he didn't even touch alcohol.

Among the cardinals of the Church, Bishop Calvin belonged to the most low-key category. This Bishop Calvin did not smoke, drink, gamble, enjoy women, attend gatherings, or even have any interest in artistic performances other than hymns. He was practically immune to all "entertainment," completely unlike a Mondstadt resident of the "city of pastoral songs and wine."

His sole purpose in life seemed to be to devote himself to the study of theological texts. He wrote commentaries on almost every volume of the Bible, as well as numerous collections of sermons and letters, and formulated catechisms for the church. The phrase "spending his life studying the classics" perfectly describes someone like Calvin.

His work, "Essentials of the Four Winds," is considered the culmination of the belief in the wind gods and is hailed as one of the most outstanding exegetical works in the past two thousand years. It provides an important reference for people to understand the original text of the Four Winds, which has been lost after thousands of years of transmission.

"True wisdom consists of two main parts: knowledge of the divine and knowledge of oneself."

"Unless we pretend not to know who supports the vast world with the 'Grand Symphony of a Thousand Years'; who can turn the entire sky into a sea of ​​fire, who can make the winds howl, and who can instantly bring it all to a standstill; who can restrain the ocean that constantly threatens the safety of the continent, who can stir up storms one moment and make it calm the next..."

"All of this is the work of the wind god, making us notice His power and admire His majesty and greatness."

"Children of the wind god, always remember: all living beings come from the wind, and will also go with the wind."

—The above are all well-known and brilliant arguments from this work.

In Mondstadt monasteries, this book, "The Four Winds," is even used as a theological textbook and a guide to the pious life of believers.

Cardinal Calvin was able to become acting archbishop during Lord Simon's expedition precisely because he was a reliable and stable candidate.

Born into a collateral branch of the Imroca family, and a member of the Old Mondl Upper Three Banners, he was able to gain the support of conservative forces; he was old enough, experienced enough, and skilled enough to manage church affairs; he was extremely devout to the wind god, devoted himself to theological studies, was uncontested, honest and self-disciplined, which fit people's stereotype of clergy; most importantly, he had never been ambitious and was least likely to cause controversy.

As for his only son who could be considered a "stain," he cut ties with him decisively. The enlightened Knights of Favonius would not impose any "collective punishment" on family members for committing crimes—otherwise, Yura would not have been able to join the Knights.

It was precisely because of Bishop Calvin's behavior that many felt he bore a great deal of responsibility as a father when Irok's misdeeds came to light—because he certainly wasn't the type to take care of a family. With a father who dedicated his life to God, choosing a life of asceticism over a comfortable existence, Irok's eccentric personality seemed somewhat explainable…

Moreover, when Iloc was "purged" by the Knights a year ago, his father cut ties so decisively that he didn't even go to see him one last time, which made him seem rather heartless.

Of course, conversely, this also proves that Lord Calvin's piety towards the gods even surpassed that of his family.

To be honest, Qin had never seen Cardinal Calvin argue with anyone before—how could Cardinal Calvin, a man like him, argue with that Deputy Minister Han, to the point that she, the acting colonel, had to act as the referee?

...Could they be arguing about religious beliefs?

Qin really has a headache.

Upon seeing the two enter, Qin's first reaction was to dismiss the knights guarding the door and declare that she would not receive any guests for the time being to ensure that the argument would not be leaked to the outside world. Only then did she invite the two to sit down and discuss the matter in detail.

Han Fulai, however, was quite gentlemanly at this moment, generously letting the elderly person speak first.

Cardinal Calvin, of course, did not refuse and recounted in detail the dispute between the two in the church to Qin. He did not embellish it, but simply explained to Qin the explanations that Han Fulai had been forced to say in the church.

Once the reasoning is clear, it can only be considered a "misunderstanding".

Of course, he also knew that even if he was in the right, Qin couldn't really do anything to Han Fulai, who was a high-ranking official in Liyue. In order not to affect the diplomatic relations between the two countries, such matters were always handled with the aim of minimizing the impact. So his request was simple: Han Fulai had to apologize to him. Since it was just a verbal dispute caused by a "misunderstanding," let it end with a verbal apology.

It should be said that Calvin's attitude and demands were very restrained, even demonstrating the tolerance expected of a clergyman. If Han Fulai had said a few conciliatory words to back down, Calvin might not have even insisted on an apology...

But after listening to Calvin's account, Qin felt her head ache even more.

Perhaps due to the fatigue from working overtime for several days, Qin felt her temples throbbing.

It wasn't because their argument was serious... quite the opposite. Precisely because the reason for the argument was a "misunderstanding," which wasn't serious at all and could be resolved in a few words, Qin immediately sensed something fishy was going on.

Calvin wasn't very familiar with Han Fulai, and this was the first time they had even spoken today. Naturally, he didn't think there was anything wrong with a high-ranking Liyue official being arrogant and domineering. But Jean knew what kind of person Han Fulai was—how could someone like that possibly make such a fuss over a "misunderstanding" and escalate things to such an ugly degree?

She could almost picture what she was about to hear.

Sure enough, as soon as Calvin finished speaking, Han Fulai, who was sitting on the sofa, casually crossed his legs.

“There is no misunderstanding, and I will not apologize to you. Because I am cursing you, you despicable traitor, apostate who has turned his back on the God of Wind, an old dog who wags his tail and begs the Winter People, John Calvin.”

Chapter 360 A Country Within a Country

A loud "bang" rang out.

Calvin suddenly stood up, his knee accidentally hitting the coffee table in front of him.

Hmm, that sounds painful.

The teacup on the table tipped over with a thud, splashing tea all over the table. Because Han Fulai had been holding his foot up and hadn't had time to dodge, unfortunately, his trouser leg was now stained with a deep tea stain.

Han Fulai was also in pain, heartbroken—the Mondstadt-style suit he was wearing was a high-end item that Ningguang had prepared for him, very expensive! More importantly, the dry cleaning service at the Goethe Hotel also cost money…

Qin had actually seen Cardinal Calvin blush once in all these years—this old man, who was usually engrossed in his scriptures and indifferent to worldly affairs, was red from neck to ears, and the veins on his forehead were bulging as if they were about to burst.

She was now somewhat glad that she had been prescient enough to have the knights guarding the gate retreat in advance; otherwise, upon hearing the noise, the knights outside might have suspected that a fight had broken out inside.

Of course, the reason why a fight hasn't broken out yet is entirely because Cardinal Calvin's combat skills are really not that great.

"You, you're framing me! You're slandering me! Your tongue must be cursed to utter such vicious and vulgar words..."

Cardinal Calvin, unusually, pointed a trembling finger at someone's nose, speaking in a breathless voice, as if searching for a word that could express his thoughts and feelings at that moment, something like one that starts with "son" and ends with "bitch."

But he eventually managed to maintain the proper conduct of a clergyman and began to pray incessantly with his hands clasped in front of his chest.

“God, please forgive my transgression… In God’s sight, pure and undefiled piety is the ability to keep oneself from worldly defilement. If anyone considers himself pious but does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, that person’s piety is futile. If anyone does not err in his speech, he is perfect and can bridle his whole body…”

Qin turned to Han Fulai with a serious expression and asked in a businesslike tone, "Deputy Minister Han, you should be aware that the accusations you just made are very serious."

Han Fulai nodded.