Guild Meeting (3)
As he seemed to be deep in thought, Rockefeller continued speaking.
"Your Holiness must become the Pope this time. After all, a position is not determined by heaven but by the person who sits in that position, who is chosen by heaven."
It was a position too high to even dare to climb.
Now, one of his assistants was subtly suggesting something he had never considered before.
At this moment, all that occupied Bishop Verkis' mind was this thought.
Is it really possible?
In fact, he had not made such efforts before.
He knew from the beginning that money was more important than anything else to gain attention in the church.
So, he supported the bank owners, who were the most despised in the church, and paved the way for them to do business comfortably. As a result, the bank owners began to make a lot of money, and a lot of offerings were collected in his diocese.
Bishop Verkis began to recall the past.
"It was really good back then. I pushed the bank owners differently from other believers, so the offerings were collected well, and I could show off to the church with those offerings."
The offerings collected from the Diocese of Lyon naturally flowed into the Papal Court, and with the full support of Pope Felix III, who was the Pope at that time, he rose to the position of Archbishop.
"At that time, my relationship with His Holiness wasn't that bad... It was the meddling forces that were the problem."
However, movements to contain his sudden rise began within the church, and the church forces trying to find faults in him began to question his support for the bank owners.
"They're in cahoots with the bank owners. Why did you save those who are going to hell? They talked a lot. They knew exactly where the offerings came from. They just didn't like me. A priest who suddenly became an archbishop. But His Holiness was on my side."
It was clear that you had to hear rumors directly from the person involved.
"Weren't you in a bad relationship with His Holiness at that time?"
"Yes, it was really good at that time. It was because of the reduced offerings that it went wrong."
He frowned with bitterness and continued speaking.
"Anyway, after the offerings decreased, his attitude toward me changed, but I'm not sure if it's because of the decreased offerings or because of the meddling forces. It could have just been a coincidence."
"Your Grace had such experiences."
"Even if I had tried a little harder to increase the offerings at that time, it would have been better. No matter how much the meddling forces tried, they couldn't say anything if I gave them so much money."
"Couldn't you increase the offerings to the Papal Court at that time?"
Bishop Verkis naturally shook his head.
"It was difficult. Even then, it was a stretch. The offerings were made by squeezing out the bank owners... Anyway, since that day, the offerings have not continued to increase and have remained at this level after decreasing to a certain extent. There is no progress. So the church began to lose interest."
Bishop Verkis spoke to Rockefeller.
"I'm sorry for suddenly talking about useless things. I didn't know you would talk to me like that. You asked me if I had no intention of becoming His Holiness... To be honest, I used to have such ambition. What kind of position is that? It's not a position that anyone can sit in, and in some ways, it's even higher than the emperor."
"That's true."
"It's a position closest to St. John than anyone else. But... "
As he swallowed his words with regret, Rockefeller spoke with a strong tone.
"It is possible."
Bishop Verkis reacted to his words.
"Is it possible?"
"Yes, if you are with me, it will be more than possible."
"So you think it's completely hopeless now?"
Rockefeller smiled faintly at the question.
"Don't you know better than me, Your Grace? What do you think? Do you think it's possible?"
Bishop Verkis' silence lasted for a long time.
Indeed, as Rockefeller said, the reality given to him now was just gloomy.
"If the bank businesses here go well, it might be different. If the bank owners make a lot of money, they will give more offerings because they don't want to go to hell. But I don't know when, but those businesses are not growing at all. In my opinion, in order for those businesses to grow more than they are now, they need more money to lend... But it's not easy. There are no signs of it happening."
He continued speaking.
"There are many reasons why the amount of money lent does not increase significantly, but there is also my position to receive offerings from those businessmen and appease the Papal Court, and the guild master here is trying to make money by ripping off storage fees. So the incoming offerings don't increase and it's like this."
Rockefeller spoke strongly to him as he sighed.
"If you join me, things will definitely change."
"You're saying it could change if I join you?"
"Yes, I guarantee it. At least, it will be significantly different from now."
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