Upon hearing the captain's lip-reading translation, Karun was surprised and asked, "Is the Palmyra Church made up entirely of traitors?"

The high priest is the true leader of the Palmyra Church. Of course, there may be a presence similar to the elders of the Order Temple in the "Messenger Space," but in terms of church affairs, the high priest has absolute legal power.

Last time, when Lasma and the three elders of the Order Temple came to Mingke Street and faced Dis, Lasma stood at the forefront, and the three elders stood at the back.

The executive director of the Palmyra Church, who is equivalent to the chief of staff of the high priest, represents the will of the high priest and should have the most actual influence under the high priest.

Her position is higher than that of the godchild because the godchild is the leader of the next generation, but she is currently in charge. Moreover, before the godchild becomes the high priest, anything can happen.

Therefore, when such a respected figure as the executive director of the Palmyra Church walked out of the blue gate and saluted the Order Knights, Karun wondered if she had also defected.

"The godchild is a traitor, the executive director is a traitor, and the high priest is really pitiful..."

At this point, Karun stopped.

What if the high priest himself was a traitor?

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Although he felt that this speculation was absurd, Karun had always been excluded from the only correct answer when his identity was guessed, which made him uncertain whether this was possible.

At this time, the third knight group assembled outside the cave began to enter the platform on the sea in batches, walking through the blue light circle like a black torrent, giving people an extremely terrifying sense of oppression.

"Let's go..."

Neo greeted Karun and turned around to leave.

Karun followed the captain's footsteps and went down.

When they were about to return to the car, the captain asked, "Do you want to drive or should I?"

"You drive."

Karun had only seen this dead-end road once and didn't dare to try it himself. Most importantly, he was only able to successfully traverse the prohibition by seeing the captain activate the magic inside the VIP car.

Although Karun knew that he could learn magic quickly, if he made a mistake, he might end up destroying the captain's car and killing them both. He preferred to eat noodles and learn magic at the same time.

Neo drove and they returned the same way they came.

"What do you think is going on?" Neo asked.

"Excluding the extreme possibility that all the high-level members of the Palmyra Church are traitors, there is only one explanation left: our church and the Palmyra Church reached a secret cooperation. The accusations against the Palmyra Church listed in the 'Order Weekly' and the criticism of the Palmyra Church that we started ourselves should be smokescreens. Everything is to create the illusion of 'extreme opposition.'""The third knight regiment has already been dispatched. It's very likely that other knight regiments in other places have also been dispatched. Such a large-scale mobilization and the cost-effective smoke bombs used suggest that the true target of our organization is at least a major church."

"Be bolder and make a bigger guess."

"The target is the Orthodox Church?"

"Definitely. Besides the Orthodox Church, no other church can enjoy such a high-level treatment of smoke bombs."

"However, there are some things that are limited by knowledge and experience, and I can't figure it out."

"Speak."

"First of all, what is the position of that godson?"

"His position has no impact on this matter. Do you remember the drugged food and drink? I think it's more like a father who hasn't seen his son for a long time and wants to get closer to him."

"..." Karun.

"I'm not joking. I really think this is a possibility."

"So, that godson is the most pitiful one, like a fish sealed in a glass container, thrown into the sea, but always thinking that he is free and important."

"Pitiful?" Neo glanced at Karun. "I said I wouldn't actively investigate your secrets, but if you voluntarily reveal them in front of me, it doesn't count as me breaking my promise. Just from your previous sentence, I can tell that your identity is definitely not simple."

"Who would pity him for such a thing? Normal people wouldn't."

"His identity, his status, his family background, are all there, enough to make countless people envy. Now, it's just a father and son joke or a small test for him, hoping that he can mature faster. Maybe after tonight, he will once again become a respected godson of the church. Do you pity him? Do you have what he has? Do you have the freedom he doesn't have? Hehe, so, your grandfather is the bishop of the Vein region?"

Karun wanted to return the captain's previous sentence to him: "Be bolder and make a bigger guess." However, he still held back and smiled, saying, "I just believe in the captain."

"You don't have to believe me. I will disappoint your trust in me."

"But, our team's creed is: never abandon, never give up, never betray."

"When I am the captain, of course, I will do that. But what if one day I am no longer the captain?"

"Captain, your words sound a little scary."

"Just a little? It seems that the truly scary thing, you have already seen, right?"

"Yes, the scene just now when the third knight regiment came out of the cave shocked me."

"Okay, okay. It seems that in the future, I not only have to be good to Richard, but also to you. You know, I brought Richard in for a purpose."

"Purpose?"

"Yes, before he goes home, I asked him to help me ask a question, but I don't know if he can get the answer.""Do you already know what will happen before you invite him in?"

"No, I just sensed something, you know, a hunting dog's ears are always sharp, especially since I'm the leader of the hunting dogs. If my ears are not good, I can't lead the team.

So don't trust me, my intentions are never pure."

"If he's useless, Captain, you wouldn't have recruited him into the team. According to what you said, your intentions for every member of the team are not pure."

"That's a proper answer, I like it. It instantly makes me feel clean again."

"Buzz!"

At this moment, the luxury car drove out of the barrier and continued towards York City. Without this car, it would be difficult to enter.

"Captain, I have another question. When I declared war on the Pamirith Church, it wasn't just to catch them off guard with a smoke bomb, right?"

"In theory, that's the purpose, but from a practical standpoint, it's different.

First of all, the Pamirith Church is good at forging spatial tools, just like the old refrigerator you received. What is its biggest use? It's definitely not for storage, but for... teleportation.

So you can compare the Pamirith Church's messenger space to a... huge refrigerator."

"The messenger space serves as a transit station?"

"Not only that, it's also a springboard. The messenger space was opened by the Pamirith God, and because of its uniqueness, the effect of spatial teleportation there is better and faster.

Teleporting one person can be very fast, but teleporting a knight order or several knight orders, the speed will inevitably be slow. In the messenger space, this process can be accelerated.

In addition, because of the destruction of the Seventh Knight Order, my church is furious and has mobilized several knight orders to demonstrate our strength. This is a normal reaction.

Secondly, when the Pamirith Church is attacked, there will be strong spatial array fluctuations in the messenger space. This is also a normal thing.

Do you know that every time a large teleportation array is activated, the noise and impact it produces is no less than a super-specification God's Descent Ceremony that summons a demon god, and even much larger than that.

Because I haven't heard of or seen any demon god being summoned with his army.

It's very difficult to completely conceal this kind of commotion, and it's impossible to conceal it. Other churches will definitely sense it, especially the orthodox church. They don't lack professional monitoring personnel, real strong people, or even warning artifacts.

Under normal circumstances, you can't ambush them, but in this situation, it can have a real effect.

So, this is indeed a smoke bomb, but the effect of the smoke is beyond your imagination."

"This is really a big plan.""Perhaps you have seen some of the decadent aspects of our church, but never underestimate the wisdom of our high-level members. We were able to replace the Radiant Church and become one of the poles of the church in this era. Of course, having a strong fist is important, but having a good brain is even more important."

"This move can only be used once?"

"Yes, it can only be used once. It was a strategic surprise attack using a medium-sized church as a springboard. It can only be used once. Most importantly, you cannot find a second church with the same characteristics as the Palmyris Church, nor a second messenger space that can provide you with such convenience.

I think,

If it weren't for the awakening prophecy of the gods, the violent shock attack on the Order Temple, and the rumors that threatened the foundation of our church, I believe those people above would not want to use this move."

"..." Karun.

So, all of this was caused by the chain reaction of Grandpa's explosion?

No wonder Grandpa is sleeping, but the Order Church is still so afraid. After all, Grandpa can sit up from his bed and explode again. No, if you count the one Grandpa voluntarily gave to the Order Temple, he can explode two more times.

Neo twisted his neck and made a slight cracking sound, saying:

"But after this time, the hegemony of order can continue to be consolidated unless..."

Neo paused,

"The gods really wake up."

"Captain, do you hope the gods will wake up?"

"Whether the gods wake up or not is not something we can predict or intervene in. Many people hope that the gods can wake up because they hope the gods can lead them forward.

But in this era, without the gods, our church uses the name of order to prevent excessive intervention in secular affairs, which has led to a kind of world that has never been seen in other eras recorded in history.

Sometimes I also wonder if this world had no gods, if there had never been any gods, would it be better?"

"Captain, are you not hiding anything from me anymore?"

"Hehe...this is because I trust you, and I know that you will not let me down."

"That's not fair."

"It's fair. Come, let me buy you a drink."

Karun then realized that the VIP car had already entered a hotel.

"Put on your mask and get out of the car."

Karun summoned a silver mask and followed Neo out of the car, but Neo did not walk towards the hotel entrance. Instead, he walked into a corner where a group of gang members were staring at them.

But Neo ignored them and walked past them, directly hitting the wall in front of him and disappearing.

Hmm...

Karun also walked forward and hit the wall, then found himself in a very spacious bar with lots of people and lively atmosphere.

"How come you've never been to the black market?" Neo asked.

"It's my first time."

"Then you must have someone you trust by your side.""Yes."

"This is the bar, there's the dance floor, this floor is all about entertainment and indulgence, the lower level is the real black market area, like a marketplace, but you need to follow the rules here, no violence, no coercion, and you can even make commissioned trades.

In short, the black market has rules like a gang, its goal is to serve every guest well and provide the best trading environment, so it can make a profit.

There's a church bank on the upper level where you can exchange points and do some financial operations."

"Financial operations?"

"Futures, usually for magical materials, and you can even speculate in stocks there."

"Speculate in stocks?"

"Yes, just like the currency of secular countries, you can go after them."

"That's possible..."

"The value of points is much more reliable than that of Rael. As the saying goes, money is not everything when it's not combined with points."

"That's really...unexpected."

"You'll get used to it." Neo brought Karun to the bar counter, "What do you want to drink?"

"Captain, you order for me."

"Don't be shy." Neo said to the waiter, "Two glasses of Denar blood wine, one heavy, one light." Neo took out a hundred order ticket and handed it over.

Karun noticed that the waiter didn't give change.

So, the allowance for a divine servant for a month is only enough for two glasses of wine.

No wonder Dingcom and Pick only drink soda.

Two glasses of blood wine were brought over, one with a dark color, which Neo took, and one with a lighter color, which Karun took.

After taking a sip, there was no expected taste of blood or the spiciness of wine. On the contrary, it was very refreshing and mellow. After one sip, Karun felt a little dizzy in his head, which was just the right amount of tipsiness that made him feel comfortable and even enjoyed it.

"Is it good?" Neo asked.

"Yeah, it's good."

"Then remember its name. When you come to a place like this with your captain next time, order this."

"Oh, okay."

"Shall I take you to the black market downstairs?"

Karun shook his head and said, "I don't need to buy anything for the time being."

At home, the cats and dogs are responsible for making the shopping list, and Alfred is responsible for purchasing in the black market. Except for some tempting ingredients that he buys with points, Karun doesn't have to worry about the traditional materials. He only needs to make points and keep them with Alfred.

"Then let's go upstairs to the bank. I usually like to come up here after ordering my drink. It's quiet up here."

"Okay, Captain."

Karun agreed to this proposal, and at the same time, he felt that the captain seemed to have intended to go upstairs."Oh, almost forgot, there are some other services here, such as the snack shop. The church officials often provide services here, both men and women, but it requires point transactions.

If you're not interested in humans, there are also some strange species here, such as demon beasts."

"I'm not interested."

"Hmm, okay. I heard Fanny and Peina complain before, saying that even if they stripped naked in front of you, you wouldn't be moved."

"They told you that?"

"No, I guessed it. Looks like I was right. Next time I see them, I'll make sure to mock them and see if they still have confidence in their bodies."

"..."- Karun.

Karun followed the captain to the second floor. There were guards at every key position, and many guests wore cloaks to cover their faces. Karun and the captain wore masks.

The bank space upstairs was large and quiet, despite the number of people present. Neo chose a chair in the corner and sat down, while Karun picked up a public banking magazine from the shelf and sat next to the captain.

On the large screen in front of them, the latest financial news kept popping up, creating an atmosphere similar to that of a securities exchange in the mundane world.

If Uncle Mason knew about this place, would he regret not taking over the funeral home?

Karun opened the magazine, and the space gem coupons issued by the Palmyra Church were prominent on the point coupon page, labeled "recent significant fluctuations."

When he touched it, a hidden screen slid out like the "Order Weekly," displaying a fluctuation line.

For a long time, the exchange rate between space gem coupons and order coupons had been stable. Recently, the exchange rate had decreased for the first time, probably due to criticism of the Palmyra Church in the "Order Weekly."

After a long period of steady decline, there was a slight rebound a few days ago, when the Palmyra Church's godson came to negotiate with the Order Church. Although the rebound was not significant and was almost halved compared to the initial rate, it at least stopped the downward trend. This showed that the financial circle of the church did not have much confidence in the development prospects of the Palmyra Church after its merger with the Order Church, compared to when it was independent.

"Are you not curious why all the churches agreed to the existence of this black market and black market bank?" Neo asked Karun, holding a glass of wine.

Karun thought for a moment before answering:

"I think the orthodox churches must be happy about it. The more people who use their point coupons, the wider the circulation area, and the greater their profits.

Apart from the orthodox churches, most of the other churches below are actually being exploited by this model, but they dare not attack the existence of this black market bank.

Firstly, it is because the orthodox churches implicitly allow its existence. After all, the orthodox church has too much power, and they can't compete with it.

Secondly, the damage caused by withdrawal would be even greater. Unless they have the ability to be fully self-sufficient, it would limit their own development."But the problem is, if it develops into a self-sufficient model in all aspects... the power of this church would probably be able to rank among the orthodox churches, and they would actually prefer this model.

And those like the Palmyra Sect who are good at forging spatial instruments could indeed gain more benefits under this model. As for those churches without a specialty, they could only rely on the collection and sale of raw materials to participate in this game.

The existence of such black market banks is essentially the orthodox churches letting the subordinate churches work for them."

Neo looked at Karun curiously, "Have you studied economics?"

Karun shook his head, "I've studied history."

Neo nodded.

At this moment, there was a loud exclamation from the crowd ahead:

"Look, it's falling, it's falling!"

"How can it fall so much? Aren't they negotiating? It shouldn't be."

Karun raised his head to look at the screen, and saw that the Space Gem Coupons were starting to fall, and the speed was very fast.

"The traitor released the news," Karun said, "It looks like it will fall to an exaggerated level."

Tomorrow is the time for the Order Elder Council to issue the divine decree to the entire church circle, but now, it is obvious that the news has been released ahead of time, and the market has already reacted, starting to sell off the Space Gem Coupons in large quantities;

Because no one would doubt the ability of the Order to destroy the Palmyra Sect, especially in the case of a formal declaration of war, and once the Palmyra Sect is destroyed, the Space Gem Coupons would instantly become worthless.

"Yeah." Neo was also looking at the big screen.

"Captain, we can go collect Space Gem Coupons now," Karun suggested, "When the war breaks out and it is discovered that the Palmyra Sect is not the target of the attack, the Space Gem Coupons will definitely rise."

"Go to that counter and get an anonymous card, which can be used for transactions."

"Uh... I don't have any coupons on me."

Neo took out two cards from his pocket and handed one to Karun, "There are 20,000 Order Coupons in it, remember to return the principal to me tomorrow."

Karun took the card, puzzled, "Captain, aren't you buying any yourself?"

Neo shook the remaining card in his hand, "This card contains all my savings over the years, I'm waiting for the news."

It seemed as if Karun understood something, and asked, "Captain, are you waiting for the news of which orthodox church is the real target of our church's attack this time?"

Neo took a sip of the Derna blood wine, licked the corner of his mouth, and said:

"Yes, I want to short sell."