Great Power Technology

Vatican, the episcopal residence of St. Peter's Church.

Several white men in suits and ties were sitting next to the current Pope Francis, who were having a serious conversation.

However, the content of this conversation had little to do with religion.

What they discussed was an issue that should not be concerned by a transcendent theocratic organization.

"...As I said, Vatican has been alienated from China before. Although the cooperation agreement a few years ago has achieved certain results, in fact, until now, the bishop of China has still not been appointed. "

"On the contrary, your power has expanded rapidly in the South Island, and you have also reaped considerable rewards. Continuing to support their independence will actually be of natural benefit to you."

"You also know that if the current situation develops further, then the originally free land will most likely be bound by the rule of 'not allowed to preach in public places' again. I think you guys can't accept this, right?"

After listening to the man's words, Francis nodded slightly and answered somewhat ambiguously:

“The light of the Lord must shine upon every land.”

The man smiled and continued:

"His Holiness the Pope - or, in this case, I should call you, Mr. Francis."

"The issues we are discussing now are related to the practical interests of Vatican. The reason why you can enjoy your current transcendent status is actually because of religious orthodoxy."

“If you want to maintain this orthodox status, it is extremely important to continue to ensure influence.”

"In fact, this time the crisis in the South Island is not only an economic crisis, a social crisis, but also a religious crisis."

"You also know that due to the deterioration of the environment on the island, there have been a lot of voices among believers such as 'The Lord cannot save people, socialism can save people.'"

“In addition, churches across the country have generally reported that the number of people attending baptisms has dropped off a cliff, the number of worshipers has fluctuated dramatically, and the frequency of believers attending services has decreased. If it is not controlled, we have reason to believe that the South Island will become the first in this era. A truly 'de-religious' region."

"I don't need to tell you the impact this has on the prestige of the Holy See. You must be aware of it, right?"

After listening to the man's words, Francis nodded slowly, and his expression changed subtly at this moment.

It was as if he was no longer the holy pope, but the king who truly strategized and ran the empire.

Yes, the Holy See in various places is the land he entrusted, and as the king of these lands, he must plan for his people.

As the man said, the crisis in the South Island is far from being as simple as it seems to the Holy See. If it cannot be properly handled, under the butterfly effect, not only the South Island, but even the country that has been working hard for many years will be affected. China's situation will collapse accordingly.

The Holy See doesn't know how much effort and resources it has put in to allow its power to sprout in that land. Although it currently only has some influence in some remote areas and among certain elderly groups, That's at least a good start.

But the current situation is that this little bud is about to face a major crisis because of a problem that seems to be completely unwilling to deal with.

Therefore, the Holy See must respond, and it must respond.

Thinking of this, he said:

"Personally, I sincerely appreciate your reminder; as a servant of the Lord, I applaud your devotion to the Lord."

"Now, what I want to ask is, based on your suggestion, what method should we use to find the lost lamb for the Lord?"

The man opposite looked at his face, but there was no trace of piety in his eyes. He just said in a slightly frivolous tone:

"A lost lamb does not necessarily mean that it is deceived by the devil, it may also mean that there is no grass... Do you agree with this?"

"agree."

Francis nodded in reply.

"So the first thing we need to do to get this lamb back on track is pretty simple: We give them grass."

"We must provide them with necessary and sufficient assistance through the Holy See, especially for the people in lower classes who are in difficulty."

"It should be noted that our aid targets not only believers, nor just those who are friendly to the Lord, but everyone."

"Assistance to all people in need without distinction and conditions."

After hearing this, Francis' expression changed slightly and he said with emotion:

"It will be a great gift, and the Lord's favor will come to that land like never before."

"Yes, this is a huge exposure opportunity for the Holy See, and everyone will witness the glory of the Lord."

“The glory of the Lord will also shine upon you—on the people who help each other.”

"No, we are just making suggestions..."

Francis was stunned for a moment. He looked into the man's eyes and asked with some doubts:

“Didn’t you pay for it??”

"...For now, no."

The man paused for a moment and continued to explain:

"For some reasons, we are now unable to conduct financial transactions with any sensitive matters or sensitive objects. Therefore, the funds this time must be raised by you yourself."

"-Of course, we will not let the Holy See suffer a loss. After three years, we will pay the entire fee in one lump sum, plus interest."

"Mr. Francis, we have cooperated countless times. I think the trust between us should be unbreakable. Now that we have made such a request, you will not refuse, right?"

Francis looked into the man's eyes, hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded.

Seeing his reaction, the man continued happily:

"You can fully trust our promise. If you don't, we can sign a non-public document, or I can swear an oath to the Lord in front of you."

"...It's better to sign a document."

"So much the better."

After saying that, the man took out the document he had prepared and handed it into Francis's hand, and then continued:

"Assistance is only our first plan, there is one more thing I need you to do."

"whats the matter?"

"We need you to speak out internationally, accuse China of economic and cultural attacks on the South Island, and call on all Catholic countries to support or directly support the South Island."

"This support can be financial, religious, or even...military."

"In addition, I need you to conduct a global visit. The list of countries to visit is already listed here. You just need to travel according to the itinerary."

Francis looked at the long list of countries on the thin piece of paper and fell into deep thought for a moment.

In fact, such visits are not unfamiliar to him. When he was just a bishop, he once traveled among various countries that believe in the Lord on behalf of the Holy See. This can be said to be an extremely normal "job."

However, the countries on the list this time made him feel a little uneasy.

Because those are all countries that have close relations with the South Island.

Now that we know that China has launched its final assault on the South Island, is it really a wise choice to appear on the territory of those countries?

These countries include not only members of the Five Eyes Alliance and 100 countries, but also some countries that are so poor and small that they are almost ignored by the world.

And they have only one thing in common: their stance is biased towards the South Island, whether openly or privately.

Seeing Francis' hesitant look, the man comforted him:

"You can rest assured that every country you go to will do their best to ensure your safety. What's more, they will never dare to do anything to you."

"Once you have a problem, you declare war on the entire Western world."

After hearing the man's words, Francis took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind.

After a pause, he asked:

"What can we get?"

The man smiled slightly and replied:

"It's all written in the agreement. Believe me, you absolutely cannot refuse such conditions."

Francis opened the agreement and read it carefully for a moment. After 10 minutes, he extended his hand.

"Then, wish us a happy cooperation?"

Francis spoke.

"May the Lord bless us!"

The man replied piously.

….

Half an hour later, the man left the Papal Palace. After getting in the car, the assistant beside him asked with some confusion:

"Mr. John, I remember that you are a devout Catholic, but it seems that you behave in front of him..."

"Not that religious, is it?"

"Yes."

The assistant nodded.

"I can explain this problem to you, but I have a question to ask you first."

"Do you know why the Holy See is always the villain in the games and animations of the islanders?"

The assistant was stunned. He did not expect that his boss would ask such a nonsensical and irrelevant question.

After thinking for a moment, he tentatively replied:

"Is it because... they have their own beliefs, so they don't believe in the Lord?"

John smiled and replied:

"Wrong. It's because the Holy See likes little boys, but the islanders don't."

"Although I am not from the island country, but..."

"Anyway, you should be able to understand it by now, right?"

Seeing the assistant nod, he sighed and continued:

"I believe in the Lord, but I don't believe in these so-called...servants of the Lord."

….

Within a week of John's meeting with Pope Francis, a massive aid operation was launched from Vatican. The Pope traveled everywhere to speak out, calling on the international community to provide assistance to the South Island in trouble.

As an example, the Holy See's church in the South Island was the first to respond. They allocated a large amount of funds to subsidize all ordinary people who had difficulties in living. Although the money distributed to each person was not much, it did make a difference in society. caused a sensation.

Subsequently, according to the originally planned itinerary, Francis began to visit the countries on the list, and his first stop was in Ireland.

….

On the other side, in an office in Hailan, He Tong also finished reading the report in his hand. He threw the report back on the table with some disdain, raised his head and said to the staff in front of him:

"The other party's actions this time are actually to sell out Vatican. They want to use religious influence to incite international support and introduce complex forces to slow down our process. This plan is really naive."

"The aid on the island is indeed a good move, but when our 'credit men' take full action, their small amount of funds will be almost like playing house."

"As for the Pope's itinerary..."

After thinking for a moment, he said:

"It just so happens that at this time, we should have a friendly exchange with other countries around the world."

…

Three days later, dozens of countries received invitations from China to visit and exchange. The purpose was to discuss the future of maritime trade and jointly explore a series of issues related to the safety of maritime routes, combating piracy, and mutual assistance in maritime equipment and technology among various countries.

They don't want to accept it, but they don't dare to refuse.

Because it was the No. 003 aircraft carrier combat group that issued the access request.

The first stop of the visit was Ireland.