North Wind Castle, Iron Dragon Wing Palace.

Sherwin Montero looked around at the luxurious decorations, pushed his silver-rimmed glasses, bowed forward, and said with a smile:

"Your Majesty, I have to say that you have very good taste. I believe you will like our Woking Church."

“We can bring you all the beautiful and luxurious goods in the world.”

Shelwin was wearing an extremely gaudy silk shirt, leather sleeves and short boots, with various small tools tied to the hem with silk ribbons, and a heavy gold-plated bright red cloak - his whole body was decorated with all kinds of bright and gorgeous designs.

This is the standard configuration of people within the Church of Woking. Their appearance is always so bright and glamorous, and they are ostentatious.

Cassius, who was lying on the Iron Throne, tilted his head slightly and asked with a hint of contempt:
"Oh?"

"everything?"

"As long as you have enough gold coins."

Xue Erwen pushed his glasses on his nose again and added quickly.

Cassius was very clear about the nature of these guys - they believed in the goddess of wealth, Waukeen, and would do anything to gain benefits. When the benefits were great enough, they would even risk their lives.

For such guys, blindly forgiving them will only make them become more and more aggressive. The correct way to use them is to give them a sweet reward after a beating.

The red dragon opened its eyes and stared directly at the businessman with its light golden pupils. An almost tangible dragon might spread out.

"So you are questioning the wealth of the empire? Or are you questioning my wealth?"

"Uh"

Xue Erwen was a little panicked, and cold sweat oozed from his forehead, but he quickly calmed down and showed a flattering smile:
"Of course not, Your Majesty. Who would question the wealth of an emperor? Moreover, this emperor is also a great dragon."

"A bishop once said that you should never speculate on the wealth of a dragon with mortal thoughts. You just need to do your best to serve them."

"Your Majesty, in the eyes of our Woking Church, you are definitely one of the top and most distinguished customers."

As expected of an envoy of the Church of Woking, Shelwin's reactions and eloquence are outstanding, and he has a rich repertoire of words.

If Cassius was an ordinary red dragon, he might actually be "delighted" by their flattery.

Xue Erwen only felt his body lighten, and the invisible pressure instantly dissipated.

Cassius laughed and sneered:
"Are you all so smooth-talking in the Church of Waukeen?"

Xue Erwen forced a smile again: "Of course not, and only when facing a distinguished customer like you."

"I don't like to listen to unnecessary nonsense."

Cassius interrupted impatiently.

"Yes, yes, Your Majesty."

Xue Erwen nodded repeatedly in agreement. He took out a gold handkerchief from his pocket with a little panic and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Cassius supported his huge body with his limbs and slowly stood up. His wide wings spread almost covered the entire Waukeen delegation.

The red dragon stared at the trembling crowd and asked, "Then let me be frank - you and the god behind you want to cooperate?"

Sherwin couldn't help but lower his head and straightened his glasses with trembling hands: "Your Majesty Cassius, the frequent commercial trade activities of the Empire in Anzeta have attracted the attention of the goddess. The great Goddess Woking has seen the great potential of your empire."

"Ms. Waukeen believes that commercial transactions are the best way to get rich. If we can find a way to increase the economic circulation of the entire world, then all civilizations can be further developed and bring happiness to all intelligent creatures in the world."

“So the Empire is a very good partner for us.”

After he said this, he glanced at Red Dragon and saw that his expression had not changed, so he let out a long sigh of relief.

Cassius grinned.

“Free trade, huh?”

"This is of course a universal value. We in the Burning Empire have always adhered to such principles and encouraged all free trade," he said.

"Your Majesty, your ideas are truly enlightened, and they coincide with those of our Waukeen Church."

Sherwin was suddenly pleasantly surprised. He seemed to see the dawn of cooperation - this was an opportunity that could bring huge benefits to the church and himself.

Cassius looked calm and asked again: "So, what kind of cooperation do you want to have?"

Sherwin suddenly became excited and said enthusiastically: "Our followers of Woking travel around the world to help merchants with their trading activities."

"We can build a Waukeen Temple for you in the city of the Empire for free, and it will become the local financing center, currency exchange center, and storage center, helping you earn more money and make your treasure house more abundant so that you can have..."

"impossible."

Cassius interrupted him coldly.

"All financial and trade activities within the Burning Empire must be controlled by the Imperial Bank and the Imperial Ministry of Commerce. No outsiders will be allowed to interfere."

The red dragon sneered and took a few steps forward. The sulfur-smelling smoke was about to spray onto Xue Erwen, causing his whole body to tremble like a sieve.

Xue Erwen knew that he had been a little too proud of himself.

"Oh, do you think I don't know your tricks?"

"If this is your sincerity in cooperating with the Woking Church, then there is no need to discuss anything else."

"This is contempt for the empire!"

In the end, his voice was almost like a dragon's roar, bringing a terrible pressure.

The envoys of the Church of Waukeen were unsteady on their feet, and some even fainted. Only Shelwin, the high priest, could barely stay awake.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"

"Wait, I think there's still room for us to work together!"

Xue Erwen begged for mercy repeatedly.

With his experiences in his previous life, Cassius knows the Church of Woking very well.

Temples of Waukeen are spread all over the continent, although the Church of Waukeen seems to disdain the use of rumors, monopolies, hiring bandits and other means to manipulate trade activities, and is highly critical of the above methods.

But they privately require pastors to use these methods in the most secretive way.

Many players in previous lives were even cheated of all their money by the Church of Waukeen, and even left with heavy debts. Later, tens of thousands of players with similar experiences formed the "Bankrupt Alliance" and launched a war against Waukeen temples in various places.

“The bold find wealth, the cautious keep it, and the cowardly squander it.”

This is their creed.

If the members of the Church of Waukeen were allowed to open temples within the Empire, it would be tantamount to handing the economic lifeline to a group of cunning speculators.

This is something Cassius would not allow - he needed to have absolute control over the empire, whether politically, economically or culturally.

Even in this cooperation, he must occupy absolute dominance and in turn squeeze the value of the Church of Woking.

Xue Erwen wiped the sweat off his face and asked with lingering fear: "Your Majesty, then it is up to you to decide everything."

"I will try my best to get the best conditions for you so as to facilitate a great and glorious cooperation."

Xue Erwen's words were almost trembling.

"Which idiot told me that red dragons are all brainless and only care about immediate benefits?"

He cursed in his heart, wishing he could beat the person who drafted the manuscript to death. (End of this chapter)