Chapter 289: Holy Clergy Members from All Over (Part 3)
William looked up and saw a young, beautiful nun waving her hand.
"So it's her."
"You are... Sister Caroline?" Bettis stood up, quickly remembering the other party.
During the Philadelphia Anniversary incident, she had also met Caroline.
"You know each other?" Hugh aside frowned slightly.
Caroline nodded, immediately recounting how they met.
"Thank goodness you guys were there that time, otherwise if those heretics had their way, Archbishop Jolan would have been punished!"
"Don't speak nonsense!"
Caroline immediately stuck her tongue out.
Subsequently, Hugh raised his chin: "Since you are acquainted with Caroline, then I'll just say it straight."
"This Priest Order selection is very important. I don't want to cooperate with people who will drag us down."
He put his hands behind his back: "In a moment, the two of you will state your theological progress, including the Holy Arts you have currently mastered."
"I will arrange the subsequent tasks based on your strength. Of course, regardless of your strength, once the selection begins, you need to obey my arrangements."
As soon as these words came out, the room instantly fell into a dead silence.
Bettis glanced at the person beside her, bowed slightly, and said: "You are..."
"You can call me Lord Hugh. I am the heir of this generation's Medici family."
"May the Lord bless you, Lord... Hugh." Bettis drew a cross across her chest.
Subsequently, she said uncertainly: "Forgive my presumption, but it seems our team leader this time is... Father William."
Caroline was about to speak, but was glared back by Hugh.
"You're not wrong, originally it was indeed so." He nodded.
Subsequently, his tone shifted.
"But you are foreigners after all, and don't know the rules of the Holy Land. There are many things where it's easy to make mistakes. And my status is unusual, so it's more suitable for me to serve as this team leader."
"But when I came, I heard..." At this time, William also suddenly spoke up.
"Once the team roster is submitted to the Vatican, changing member information requires public announcement again?"
Hugh nodded: "You're right."
"However, you don't need to worry about this. Republishing will only put your name separately in the Holy Land Square. At most, it will just be noted by other Holy Clergy Members; there won't be any substantial punishment."
William lowered his head upon hearing this.
"How about it, what do you think? If you agree, I can also give you some extra..."
"I refuse."
Hugh was forced to stop midway through his sentence.
"What did you say?" He frowned.
William spread his hands: "I think I have already made it very clear."
Hugh's face was gloomy, his fists clenched tight.
Seeing this, Bettis hurriedly stood up: "Lord Hugh, Father William is just..."
"Shut up!" Hugh scolded, "It's not the place of a guy from a lower-level church to speak."
William also narrowed his eyes upon hearing this.
"A lower-level church... it seems it's another young master bursting with a sense of superiority," he thought inwardly.
Bettis also clenched her fists, releasing them again after a moment.
"Brother... we can talk things over nicely. Father William is actually very am..." Caroline grabbed Hugh's arm.
"Have you forgotten what I told you?" Hugh threw her off.
Subsequently, he stared at William again: "You'd better think carefully about the consequences of offending the Medici family."
William looked calmly at the other party.
With Jolan's style of doing things, it was impossible not to anticipate such a situation.
And yet this Archbishop still chose William as the team leader, which meant he could handle the conflict between William and this Medici heir.
Besides, this guy had been flaunting the superiority of his status throughout the conversation.
But in reality, he couldn't even disobey Jolan's order.
Looking at it this way, the water content in this "heir" title was quite high...
Thinking of this, William spoke again: "I think I have already made it very clear. If Your Excellency is unwilling to team up with me, you can withdraw on your own."
Compared to being short a person, he was even less willing to bring along a dead-weight teammate.
Hearing this, Hugh clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
But just as William thought, he couldn't force the former to yield.
For a time, the scene fell into a stalemate.
At this time, a voice came from the stairs: "I was wondering who it was, so it's the respected Lord Hugh."
The crowd turned their heads, only to see two men standing there.
They were both wearing deep black exquisite silk tops, and their breeches on their lower bodies were tucked into long boots.
"Brendan, Porter... why are you guys here." Hugh narrowed his eyes.
The one called Brendan was a young man with curly hair.
He looked Hugh up and down, then placed a finger under his nose.
"Look at you, why are you dressed like this? Just like those lower-class commoners, it simply insults our Medici face."
As the Medici clan that started from business.
Except for specific Church occasions, they paid great attention to their attire at all other times.
"You haven't answered my question. Did you follow me?" Hugh questioned.
Porter sneered upon hearing this: "The Holy Land doesn't belong to you alone. Do we have to report to you wherever we go?"
"That's right. Seeing as the Priest Order selection is about to begin, we are busy preparing holy artifacts," Brendan also chimed in.
"Unlike some people, sneaking out to mingle with some lower-class foreigners. No wonder the family chose Lord Falco this time."
This sentence obviously poked Hugh's sore spot.
"Do you know that you are offending the person with the purest bloodline in the Medici today?"
Pfft... Hahaha.
Hearing this, the two Medici members burst into laughter.
"Hey, I have to admit, your father is indeed the heir with the purest bloodline in our clan," Brendan wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.
"But... you?" He scanned up and down. "Does your lowly washerwoman mother know about this?"
"Shut up! You guys!" Caroline also clenched her fists.
"You are not allowed to talk about my mother."
Porter's tone was cold: "Hmph, the one who should shut up is you."
"A mixed-blood bastard. Marrying a powerful old man in the future to rope in another high official for the clan, that is the only value you can create."
"Do you also want to become an heir of the Medici? Bitch."
Brendan patted Porter: "I actually think Ms. Caroline might have fallen in love with that foreigner."
"The story of a noble young girl and a poor boy, they play it often in the theater."
The two burst into loud laughter again.
Subsequently, Brendan said again: "If Lord Hugh coming to this kind of place today is known by the clan and Lord Falco..."
Hugh's fingernails dug into his flesh, his whole body trembling.
But he couldn't do anything.
The two in front of him were also core members of the Medici, and this time they were appointed by the clan to assist Falco in completing the selection.
If Hugh clashed with them, it was very likely he would be the one to suffer.
And the fact that these two followed him here today was very likely also on Falco's orders.
Aside, William watched this scene with interest.
A dandy young master being targeted by even more dandy young masters; he was quite willing to appreciate such a drama.
But the words of these two were either "foreigners" or "lower-class commoners," clearly insulting him in passing.
So William suddenly spoke up: "Forgive my confusion, but which one of you is actually the Medici clansman with the purest bloodline?"
As soon as his voice fell, everyone's gaze turned to him.
"Is now the time to care about this...!" Bettis covered her forehead, feeling a bit crazy inwardly.
The faces of the two at the top of the stairs also darkened.
"What do you mean by that? Are you questioning us?" Brendan narrowed his eyes slightly.
William spread his hands: "No offense intended, this is merely an academic discussion out of curiosity."
"If you two are the true Medici clansmen, then I'm going to have to humiliate him."
William pointed at Hugh as he spoke.
"After all, this guy was also disrespectful to us just now."
Hugh stared deadly at William, wishing he could go up and bite the other party.
Caroline also had a complex look in her eyes; her brother was indeed the one in the wrong first in this matter.
Opposite them, Brendan and Porter looked at each other. "This person... seems to be on our side?"
"What he says makes some sense..."
After a whispered discussion, the two raised their heads.
"It's a good thing that you can proactively learn about the history of our major families. The Church needs more young people like you,"
The two Medici clansmen straightened their backs, their tone full of the air of superiors.
Subsequently, Brendan actually took the initiative to introduce things to William.
"This guy's (Hugh's) father is the eldest son of the previous generation's leader of the Medici family. In terms of bloodline, he is very pure. It's just a pity that lord defied the family's orders and married a washerwoman..."
"Our fathers also hold the status of eldest sons! Although they descend from the younger brother of the previous generation's leader, in terms of bloodline, they are equally noble!"
William pondered for a moment and summarized: "In other words..."
"The grandfather of you four is biological brothers. Then the grandfather of these two siblings ultimately became the leader, while the grandfather of you two became the runner-up... Is that what it means?"
Brendan and Porter counted on their fingers and thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Not bad, but what do you mean by 'runner-up'?"
"It's nothing." William looked at Caroline again. "If we look at family status, then it's obvious that the bloodline of you two siblings is purer."
"Nonsense!"
"Impossible!"
The two young men were emotionally agitated.
Caroline also shook her head slightly: "The mothers of these two cousins are the daughters of high officials and merchants. They are... they are more... than our mother..."
Ultimately, she still couldn't bring herself to say the word "noble."
"She's right."
Brendan and Porter expressed satisfaction with this statement.
Subsequently, William suddenly pointed at these two: "You two are simply a disgrace to the Medici family!"
"What did you say?"
"Insolent guy!"
The faces of the two young men instantly turned gloomy.
Hugh aside also revealed a look of suspicion. He sized William up, not understanding what the latter was trying to do.
William smoothed his robes.
"You keep saying that the Medici is an ancient Church family with noble bloodlines and revered status. But when actually comparing, you use the status of outsiders to measure yourselves."
He suddenly raised his voice: "Could it be that in your hearts, the nobility of the Medici needs to be proven by the status of high officials and merchants?"
"This..."
"I..."
Brendan and Porter were momentarily speechless.
William walked in front of the two, his gaze burning: "If you hold this kind of thought, can I also assume... that in your hearts, the Medici surname isn't that important at all."
"N-no... it's not like that!"
"Don't spout nonsense!"
Panic flashed in the eyes of the two.
In territories like the Vatican and the Holy Land, a family surname was a person's most reliable credential.
If the family members knew they thought this way, even if it was just a misunderstanding, both of them would suffer severe punishment.
"If that's the case." William shrugged.
"What is the difference between a washerwoman mother and a high official/merchant mother? Does the Medici name need to prove its value by comparing 'who is more lowly'?"
Brendan and Porter gulped.
The two looked at each other, and an idea involuntarily popped up in their minds—why does this person's tone sound so much like their strict fathers.
Aside, Bettis buried her head in her chest, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.
She pinched her thigh hard, forcing herself not to laugh out loud.
Hugh also widened his eyes. Before today, he had never viewed this matter from this angle.
Caroline rolled her eyes, seemingly having some realization.
"So these two siblings are the impure Medici clansmen," William definitively concluded the matter.
"But... this..."
The two young men stammered, unable to say a word for a long time.
It was William who spoke again: "Since that's the case, we should also settle the score from just now."
He grabbed the heads of the two and smashed them together.
Accompanied by a crisp sound, Brendan and Porter both fell to the floor.
"Lower-class commoner, you actually dare...!"
Before Brendan could finish his sentence, a soft sensation came from his lips.
He widened his eyes, his whole body struggling violently.
But Porter's head was stuck to his face like glue.
"As members of the Medici, to actually humiliate clansmen with purer bloodlines and their friends in a public place. I think... you are the insolent ones!" William continued to maintain the "head-pressing kill" posture.
"If this is seen by others, what would they think? That the Medici people only know how to infight? What would those ancient families think, and will this matter damage the family's interests?"
William's string of questions made the intimate duo hard-pressed to refute.
Even Hugh and Caroline beside them had an illusion—This guy seems more suited to be a member of the Medici family than I am.
In short, only after ensuring that the lips of the two on the floor had made full contact did William pull them up.
"Apologize to these two clansmen with pure bloodlines." His tone was calm.
"S-sorry." The two wiped the saliva from the corners of their mouths.
"And?"
The two looked at each other, then turned and bowed slightly to William and Bettis.
"Sorry for... causing you trouble."
William finally let them go.
The two didn't even bother to straighten their clothes and hurriedly ran downstairs.
"Will this... cause trouble?" A trace of worry flashed in Bettis's eyes.
"What reason would they use to pick a fight?" William shrugged. "Getting taught a lesson for insulting clansmen outside?"
Bettis covered her mouth with her slender fingers, barely managing to suppress the rising corners of her mouth.
On the other side, Caroline's eyes were bright.
She clapped her hands lightly: "So you can actually trick people like this. Those two are too stupid! I'm going to play like this from now on too!"
Ahem... William cleared his throat.
"This isn't tricking people. This is maintaining the reputation of the Medici."
Subsequently, he turned his head: "Mr. Hugh, shall we continue discussing our previous matter?"
Hugh clenched his fists and said nothing.
Earlier, this foreigner's lack of tact had made him very embarrassed.
Hugh had even fantasized in his mind about beating the other party up multiple times.
But this person did indeed uphold their siblings' dignity and also ruthlessly vented his anger for him.
These two emotions intertwining at this moment...
"Brother... why don't we just let Father William be the team leader. After all, he..."
Before Caroline could finish her sentence, Hugh turned and went downstairs, quickly leaving the cafe.
"Sorry... ever since Father died, Brother has been under a lot of pressure."
William waved his hand: "Never mind him. Let's discuss this Priest Order selection."
He looked at Caroline: "I heard from Archbishop Matthew that there are some things you have to tell me in person."
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