As the guard slowly recounted the events, the Pope's face rapidly flushed, and the fury in his eyes intensified.
He knew that Housman and the others must have acted on his words to trouble Ye Cangtian, so even if they failed, he could have tolerated it.
But what he could not tolerate now was that not only had they failed, but they also resorted to force to resolve the matter after their defeat. Wasn't this tarnishing the reputation of the Temple of Light?
Was the Temple of Light the kind of organization that couldn't afford to lose?
With this thought, the Pope glanced at the guard and asked, "Does Dracula have any proposed course of action?"
The guard quickly replied, "Your Holiness, Lord Dracula has no specific proposals. However, to quell the matter, Lord Dracula has also provided Ye Cangtian with an additional 10 golden crystals as compensation!"
"What!"
At these words, the Pope's eyes widened instantly. This back and forth amounted to 14 golden crystals, equivalent to 1400 medium-sized purple crystals.
In other words, this was the annual compensation for 14 Cardinals.
Honestly, no matter how wealthy the Temple of Light was, it couldn't withstand such extravagance!
Furthermore, it wasn't worth paying 14 golden crystals for such an idiot!
Thinking of this, the Pope found Housman and the others increasingly displeasing, wishing he could slap them to death with one blow!
The next moment, he looked at the guard and said, "Take Housman away. Whether you kill him or flay him is your business. From now on, he has nothing to do with me!"
"Your Holiness, your subordinates acted for you! You cannot abandon your subordinates!"
Upon hearing this, Housman immediately wailed.
He couldn't possibly repay such a massive debt. If he fell into Dracula's hands and was forced to work off the debt with his life, it might be somewhat acceptable.
At most, he would have to do some dirty and difficult work. But if Dracula only wanted money and didn't need him to sell his life, then his death would be quite tragic!
"Hmph! I didn't ask you to disgrace yourself like this."
The Pope snorted coldly and then waved his hand impatiently.
Seeing that the Pope's mind was made up, the guards said no more and directly took Housman away.
On the other side, seeing that four Cardinals remained in the hall, the Pope spoke with a gloomy expression again, "You have disgraced the Temple of Light entirely. Originally, I would have dealt with you personally.
But out of consideration for your service to me, I shall grant you a glorious death!"
"Your Holiness, spare us!"
"We merely insulted Ye Cangtian a few times. It's hardly a disgrace, and we don't deserve to die!"
Hearing the Pope's words, the four Cardinals immediately broke down, scrambling to beg for mercy and offer explanations.
Heh heh, if you don't die, how can I find an excuse to kill Ye Cangtian?
Listening to their words, the Pope inwardly sneered.
He had incited his subordinates to cause trouble for Ye Cangtian, hoping that Ye Cangtian would impulsively kill a few of them.
This way, he would have a reason to act against the Chinese envoy delegation.
And now that the four of them had a feud with Ye Cangtian, he naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity.
So he said, "If you refuse, you will die by my hand and also implicate your families. But if you agree, you will be heroes afterwards, and I will take care of your families!"
With that, the Pope cast his gaze, his intention simple: letting them make their own choice.
Upon hearing this, the four men's bodies immediately went limp, and they collapsed onto the ground.
They had worked so hard to become Cardinals; how could they be willing to die?
But now, the Pope's words left them no room for survival, and they had no way out.
Thinking this, one of them finally gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, since we must die, let's go down together with Ye Cangtian! We'll trouble Your Holiness to take care of our families afterwards!"
His words instantly enlightened the other three, and they all agreed.
"Good! The Temple of Light has heroes like you who fear neither life nor death, so why should it worry about destroying China!"
A look of gratified smile appeared on the Pope's face, and he said, "Rest assured, after you are gone, your families will be provided for and live without worry for the rest of their lives…"
Hearing this, the four said no more. They bowed respectfully to the Pope and exited the hall.
…
In another corner of Guangming City.
Ye Cangtian and the other two arrived at the largest garden in Guangming City, Guangming Garden, by car.
Last time, Ye Cangtian had come to kill Dames, but he hadn't had a proper look. This time, using his identity as part of the envoy delegation, he swaggered through to admire the scenery.
In any case, the task of gathering information had been handed over to Xiao Hei, and the three of them were bored, so they decided to pass the time like this.
At this moment, the three were strolling through a sea of trees, breathing in the fresh air.
"Phew! As expected of Guangming City's most renowned garden. Although it appears to be the result of people's meticulous craftsmanship, it gives one the feeling of stepping into a primeval forest…"
Gui Wu spread her arms, breathing in the fresh air. She truly had an immense fondness for this environment that was so close to nature.
It was just that this was Guangming City; if it were in China, it would be even better.
"Heh heh, while the scenery is nice, there are a few too many bugs here."
Looking at Gui Wu's entranced state, Ye Cangtian smiled slightly and doused her with a bucket of cold water.
He didn't want to spoil the mood of the two women too quickly, but there was nothing he could do. Those bugs were getting closer and closer, and it seemed they couldn't hold back any longer.
Hearing Ye Cangtian's voice, Gui Wu and Nancy paused slightly, and then their faces turned cold.
They had also sensed the movements around them.
The next moment, Gui Wu glanced at Ye Cangtian and said helplessly, "Boss, you noticed them long ago?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian nodded and said, "They've been following us since we left Tianyun Fort. It seems they were tempted by our wealth!"
"Hmph! Since you noticed them long ago, why didn't you deal with them sooner? Are you waiting for us two beauties to make a move?"
Gui Wu snorted. She was in high spirits, and being interrupted like this truly annoyed her.
Ugh…
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian immediately glared at Gui Wu in annoyance and said, "You're going too far! Who is the boss here, you or me!"
Gui Wu heard this, glanced at Ye Cangtian, and pouted, "As a gentleman, as a man, do you think the question of who is the boss between us matters? Besides, protecting us is your inherent responsibility, isn't it?"
"…"
Her words left Ye Cangtian speechless.
On the other side, seeing Ye Cangtian slightly flustered, Lan Yue also covered her mouth and giggled.
Swish swish swish…
After this small interlude, Ye Cangtian and the others continued to admire the scenery. Before long, figures appeared and blocked their path.
They were all dressed in black and wore black face coverings, obscuring their faces.
"Heh heh, what kind of wind is this!"
"To have ten Earth-level experts appear consecutively, aren't they taking too good care of us?"
Ye Cangtian sensed their aura and smiled faintly, speaking slowly.
"Enough nonsense!"
"Ye Cangtian, if you don't want to die here today, then hand over your Qiankun bags!"
Hearing Ye Cangtian's words, a black-clothed man stepped forward and said fiercely.
After all, this was Guangming Garden, and the time they could seal off this area was limited; they had to finish quickly.
"Don't rush."
"You should know my identity, and I've also remembered your auras. As Cardinals of the Temple of Light, aren't you afraid of the Pope's retribution for robbing the Chinese envoy delegation?"
Ye Cangtian waved his hand, signaling the other party to calm down, and then questioned them.
This was happening in broad daylight, and he hadn't done anything out of line to the Temple of Light, so the Pope had no reason to kill them.
Once this matter was exposed, it would definitely affect the reputation of the Temple of Light.
"Hmph, Ye Cangtian, you are indeed very smart, guessing our identities at once!"
"But do you know that smart people often don't live long!"
"You've exposed our identities, which forces us to silence you!"
Upon hearing Ye Cangtian's words, the Cardinal's eyes began to flash with intense killing intent.
No matter what, the matter today could not be leaked.
Let alone spreading to various forces outside, even if it reached the Pope's ears, they wouldn't fare well.
Seeing that his polite persuasion was fruitless, Ye Cangtian let out a disdainful cold laugh and said, "Heh heh, I'm curious, where do you few bugs get the confidence to kill us?"
"Ye Cangtian, if it were any other time, we truly wouldn't dare!"
"But you seem to have forgotten that you previously consumed the Bliss Pill, and the effects of the Bliss Pill last for six hours. Less than half the time has passed, so you are just an ordinary person!"
"To put it bluntly, you are no different from an ant in front of us right now!"
The black-clothed man retorted with a cold smile. They dared to join forces to deal with Ye Cangtian precisely because they had done their homework and calculated the timing of the Bliss Pill.