My older sister is a villainous rich girl

Wayne made no sound, but the surrounding shadows grew even deeper.

After a brief, unspeakable silence, several rounds of applause suddenly broke out.

“Young Master Wayne, your vigilance and composure are truly admirable, which pleases me.” A man wearing a tall hat walked out from the heavy shadows of the trees.

He was a stranger I had met briefly in a town I passed through before.

He had a short beard and deep-set eyes.

"you are?"

Wayne casually picked up the little white dog that was biting his sleeve and hanging in mid-air, and patted its head to comfort it.

Although it seemed a bit strange to go out with a dog in the dark, the other party's strangeness was no less.

“Me? Just an ordinary speculator. You can call me Homa.” His tone was light, but his expression was serious. “I thought you would come tonight. Looks like I was lucky; I guessed right.”

It's a pleasure to meet you.

The man removed his tall hat and bowed slightly in greeting, which was impeccable from a etiquette standpoint.

Wayne slowly exhaled. It seemed that his trip had indeed alerted some people with ulterior motives.

The lurking shadows moved stealthily along with the moonlight, and there was no sign of another person nearby.

“Speculator? So, you’ve come to me to make a deal?” Wayne’s voice was slightly lower.

They're really confident, daring to ambush me in such a desolate place. But from another perspective, it might be quite convenient for me to get rid of them without them noticing.

“Of course.” He smiled slightly, the wrinkles on his face becoming more pronounced, as if pleased that Wayne had grasped the key points so quickly. “You truly deserve the title of genius of the capital.”

"It is always pleasant to talk to intelligent people, which saves us a lot of unnecessary small talk."

He softened his tone slightly so that Wayne could hear each word more clearly: "Are you aware that the Church has begun to send people to track down Norman Laird?"

Wayne suppressed the urge to frown instinctively.

He tilted his head slightly, feigning confusion. "Who are you talking about?"

“Well, it’s not wise to play dumb at a time like this.” Seeing his reaction, Homa’s expression turned to disappointment. “You should know that I was able to appear here at the right time to meet you because I was absolutely certain of my abilities.”

"Let me put it more clearly," Wayne said expressionlessly.

Seemingly stumped by his unyielding attitude, Homa paused for a moment.

After a long pause, he finally spoke again: "Perhaps you have forgotten, but when you were still young, I came here to visit you and Lord Norman."

"Back then, I also gave you a paper windmill as a gift for our first meeting." He recalled those distant days. "Since that parting, I have been secretly serving a certain lord in the Holy See, traveling across the continent under various aliases."

Holy See……

Wayne's expression became slightly more serious.

Throughout the Western Continent, the Papacy wields unquestionable influence; even the coronation of a king requires its approval. However, perhaps due to certain consensuses between the Pope and secular kingdoms, the Papacy generally does not directly intervene in local affairs, but rather operates under a completely independent set of rules.

In the various time-travel novels he had read in his previous life, the Vatican was usually portrayed as the main villain, always appearing in unexpected places to make things difficult for the protagonist. Therefore, Wayne originally held a natural aversion to the church and kept his distance from church members.

But Tasia gradually helped Wayne let go of his previous prejudices and see the relatively progressive side of the church.

Given the past discrimination against commoners by major magic academies, the Holy See was arguably the only way for those from the lower classes to legitimately study magic. Even Qingxi Academy, a benchmark for the kingdom and always at the forefront of innovation, only recently began to slowly loosen its restrictions on admitting commoner students.

In the Kingdom of Lornes, although the Church cannot compete with the renowned Qingxi Academy, which is famous throughout the continent, for a pool of talented students, it still provides tuition assistance to promising students every year, just to build more goodwill.

This shows that there were reasons why the church's power was able to grow and expand.

Chapter 642 A Hot Potato Offer

For the Papacy, in the name of God, they have the right to judge the sins of anyone, even a king.

The once peaceful and prosperous Principality of Milstein was destroyed by a single decree from the Papacy.

The public resolution concluded that Grand Duke Laird had been secretly researching extremely evil dark magic, thus providing all righteous parties with a pretext for war to form an alliance and jointly punish him.

Throughout recorded history, the Papacy and dark magic have always been irreconcilable enemies. Although the Papacy, relying on light magic, has held the upper hand for most of the time, dark magic has also brought the Papacy heavy sacrifices and costs.

But now Homa's words were clearly telling him that the Vatican was not really united and of one mind.

"The person you're talking about has been in contact with Norman?"

Wayne asked calmly.

If that's the case, the Duke of Winchester's mansion has probably already come into their sights.

Homa calmly shook his head. "It may be disrespectful to say that, but Lord Norman is not a man of great ability, and the one I serve dares not befriend him too closely. It is only because of a past relationship that I have been able to maintain a limited degree of cooperation with Lord Norman."

Wayne frowned upon hearing this. "So you mean, Norman doesn't know who's backing you?"

“That’s right.” The man made no secret of it. “People always go further and further down the road of pursuing interests. If you have the same prospects, you can walk side by side. Why bother about who is taking advantage of whom?”

Homa paused for a moment before saying, "That's why I'm here."

"As for benefits... tell me, what do you want to get from me?"

Under the moonlight, the deep night was separated by the shadows of the trees, with pale and dark areas clearly defined.

A faint orange-yellow light emerged from Wayne's palm, illuminating a corner of the grove.

Although not as dazzling and holy as light magic, the purest magical elements will still strive to radiate their own light when stimulated.

Bathed in warm light, Homa's facial features appeared somewhat softer than before, despite their previous harshness.

“You’re not trying to send a signal to the camp’s garrison, are you? Forgive my bluntness, but creating unnecessary trouble won’t do you any good.” His attitude only became more cautious.

"I'm not that stupid." Looking around, Wayne conjured up a table and chairs out of thin air using earth elementals, and placed Little White on the table.

The bare soil surface was pressed smooth, so there was no need to worry about getting dirt stuck on your clothes.

“No matter how many times I’ve witnessed others use earth magic at just the right time, I sincerely believe it’s the most convenient magic in the wild,” Homa exclaimed, though his expression was somewhat subtle. “Norman isn’t dead yet, is he?”

"Perhaps," Wayne replied ambiguously.

This was undoubtedly a test, and it seems that the people on the Vatican's side also possessed some secrets related to the inheritance of dark magic.

As long as the seed of shadow is prepared in the successor's body beforehand, the negative energy accumulated in the seed will soon erupt after the previous dark mage dies.

Even without prior systematic training, the destructive power of a dark mage, relying solely on instinct, is enough to compensate for any lack of magical skill. Ordinary magical elements are powerless against the all-consuming nature of dark magic. Regardless of the element used before, once dark magic awakens, the original elemental power within the body will be completely devoured, becoming nourishment for its rampant expansion.

Although Wayne can mimic the flow of dark magic to some extent and create shadows that look similar, the power given by Little White is much more stable in essence than dark magic.

“If I could choose, I would actually prefer to be a fire mage.” Wayne gestured for the other person to sit down, saying half-jokingly, “At least fire looks much cooler than earth magic.”

"That's just how it is."

Seeing that he had taken the initiative to invite him, Homa also straightened his clothes and sat down opposite Wayne, folding his hands in front of his abdomen.

"The only beings that can choose their magic type at will are probably gods."

Gods...

Wayne glanced at Little White thoughtfully.

Xiao Bai was lying listlessly on the table. When he saw that the man was looking at him, he simply closed his eyes, out of sight, out of mind.

“Believe me, it’s your good fortune to see me before the Vatican’s inquisition takes action.” Homa’s dark eyes remained fixed on Wayne.

After a brief silence, Wayne asked, "What methods do they plan to use to track us?"

Homa spoke slowly, but with a strange chill in his voice: "His Holiness the Pope enjoys the trust and favor of the gods. In His Holiness the Pope's devout prayers, divine pronouncements will reveal everything."

The church wielding the big stick in God's name may frighten and unsettle ordinary people, but Wayne doesn't buy into it.

"If you were really that powerful, you and the person behind you wouldn't have needed to come looking for me to commit suicide, would you?" he sneered.

Seeing that Wayne remained unmoved, his smile finally deepened. "Of course—"

He said coolly, "Our opportunity lies in the fact that His Holiness the Pope cannot and dares not easily inquire about divine decrees."

Wayne's heart sank.

No way, is the Pope really a villain?

More than anything else, his primary concern was the villain's ruthless pursuit of their goals, their willingness to bite the hand that feeds them regardless of right or wrong. Once he clashed with such a person, it was likely to be a fight to the death. He himself might not be a problem, but the Winchester family was powerful and wealthy; if the church targeted them, it wouldn't be long before they suffered the same fate as Laird, who was abandoned by his family and friends.

His Majesty appears to trust Duke Elliott, but the power held by several prominent noble families has always been a major concern for the King. Given the opportunity to legitimately dismantle and eliminate the Wincher family's influence, His Majesty, and even some of the family's long-time political enemies, would likely not refuse.

"The Vatican will soon face the deadline for reorganizing the Cardinals. At such a critical moment, people are always prone to taking extreme measures to solve problems." Homa took off his tall hat and played with it lightly between his hands.

"So, you mustn't make a mistake for yourself."

Compared to the Pope, who nominally holds the highest position, the Cardinals are the true core of power within the Church. In decisions made within the Papacy, as long as the support of a majority of the Cardinals is secured, even the Pope's personal opinion cannot prevail.

Therefore, for any pope, securing the most cardinal seats is often the first step to gaining power, which is more important than the vague notion of "divine favor".

Chapter 643 A swift turnaround, or utter annihilation.

After listening to Homa's "advice," Wayne fell into deep thought.

A night wind, rising from an unknown source, swayed the shadows of the trees, creating a desolate sound.

After a moment of silence, he finally asked, "What do you want?"

"friendship."

Homa answered decisively, "We need your friendship; it's the foundation for further cooperation in the future."

Bathed in the gentle light, his eyes seemed to flicker with inexplicable emotions.

“You are a special person, and you are currently in an extremely special position.” Homa’s tone rose slightly.

"Perhaps you don't understand yet, we—"

He paused, then added, "It can bring about change in this world."

It seems like I heard something similar not long ago.

Wayne was momentarily speechless.

Just as a candle flame in the dark naturally attracts mosquitoes, the influence of the Winchester family within the kingdom is not to be underestimated. As a result, there are always waves of people testing them and trying to win them over.

However, compared to the grand visions and financial benefits described by others, nothing was more important to Wayne than what he already possessed.

The right hand, resting flat on the table, slowly tightened, as if grasping everything unseen in its palm.

"Change the world?"

His voice sounded intrigued. "With dark magic?"

“No,” Homa denied.

"With the unparalleled grace of God and unmatched power," he said, word by word.

Wayne's eyes narrowed, and he stared at him coldly.

The Royal Family of Lornes has always had close ties with the Papacy, but given this person's tone of seemingly disregarding the King, could it be that His Majesty the King has aligned himself with a different faction, and the Papacy wants to use him to support another representative?

"The Vatican has always welcomed outstanding individuals like yourself." Homa paid no attention to the fleeting change in his gaze and continued speaking to himself.

"I've heard that you're very close friends with Tasia, the 'rising star' of the Holy See? If you'd like, you could represent Qingxi Academy and go to the Holy See for two months of advanced studies during the upcoming exchange program. My master will meet with you then."

"With the personal endorsement of the Holy See, and even His Holiness the Pope, who would doubt your identity as a dark mage without reason?"

Wayne immediately interrupted, "Mr. Homa's joke has gone too far. I'm not some kind of dark mage."

"It's only a matter of time." He smiled slightly and said meaningfully, "While we still have some leeway, if we don't do something now, it may be too late later."

He relaxed his posture, leaning back slightly and casually crossing his legs. "Is that all you wanted to say?"

“If you are willing to reveal information about Lord Norman, I will not refuse,” the well-dressed man said in a deep voice. “Even some matters that are inconvenient for you to handle… we can do for you.”

He ambiguously suggested to Wayne that the task of dealing with Norman could be handed over to the Papacy.

Wayne declined to comment.

The man stood up, casually patted the hem of his shirt, put the top hat he was holding on his head, and straightened his bow tie.

“You are a smart man, Young Master Wayne. Therefore, I believe you will make the right choice,” he said. “There is no need to give an answer now. Soon the Holy See’s exchange delegation will be heading to Qingxi Academy. With your status and strength, you will naturally be invited by the relevant people. If you are willing to cooperate, my master will be waiting for your arrival at any time.”

Under the cover of night, as darkness silently gathered, Homa's figure disappeared.

After sitting quietly for a long time, Wayne finally looked at his companion, who seemed to be invisible beside the table, and asked, "Little White, what do you think?"

Xiao Bai chose not to look, turning his dark eyes away from Wayne's face and turning his head to the other side.

With a sigh, Wayne yawned helplessly and picked it up again.