Feeling Ye Cangtian's piercing gaze, the Pope grew even more enraged. How dare a mere quasi-Heavenly realm nobody be so defiant towards him!
Hmph!
The Pope snorted coldly and casually said, "Ye Cangtian, before we discuss this matter, there is something else. The recent death of Dames of the Holy See, and the killing of fourteen cardinals in Tuluomo, were all your doing, weren't they?"
"Indeed!"
Ye Cangtian nodded, admitting it without reservation.
"Very good, you admit it! You're a man of your word."
The Pope glanced over and continued, "Since you admit it, then Xu Zhenguo's grievance and their grievances will be written off. I will no longer pursue it!"
"Does Your Excellency the Pope mean that Master Xu's head will not be returned either?" Ye Cangtian asked darkly.
"Patience!"
Seeing Ye Cangtian's expression change, the Pope soothed him and continued, "Xu Zhenguo is a heroic figure of your Huaxia, and Dames is also a hero of the Holy See.
If I kill one of you and you kill one of me, aren't we even?"
"Moreover, Dames's head was also taken back to Huaxia by you, wasn't it? Then it is only right for Master Xu's head to remain in the Holy See. We can keep it properly preserved!"
The Pope added with a smile.
Listening to the Pope's words, Ye Cangtian's eyes instantly flashed with anger.
He looked coldly at the Pope and said in a deep voice, "How can Dames be compared to Master Xu? Don't forget, the Holy See was the one in the wrong in the entire incident..."
Ye Cangtian stated that if Dames hadn't trespassed into Huaxia, how could such a disaster have occurred?
As for him killing Dames, it was merely a matter of repaying blood with blood!
Yet now, the Pope was using this ridiculous theory of one for one to resolve the animosity between them. This was utterly laughable and showed no sincerity whatsoever!
"No, no, no!"
Seeing Ye Cangtian becoming increasingly agitated, the Pope waved his hands repeatedly and said, "That is incorrect. From the Holy See's perspective, Dames assassinating Xu Zhenguo was an act of heroism, with no fault whatsoever!"
The Pope's meaning was simple: such matters could not be measured by right and wrong, as it would become too complicated.
Therefore, the simplest method was to measure it by losses. With the loss of one hero each, it was considered even.
Hmph!
Ye Cangtian snorted coldly at the Pope's fallacious argument.
The next moment, he looked at the Pope and said coldly, "Your Excellency the Pope, if one day I were to assassinate you, would that also be an act of heroism? Would the people of the Holy See readily accept it?"
"Whether the people of the Holy See can accept it, I don't know. We will have to wait until it happens to find out!"
The Pope's expression instantly turned incredibly cold, and his eyes burned with killing intent. He continued, "However, do you dare to come?"
Feeling the palpable killing intent, Ye Cangtian smiled slightly and said, "It was just a metaphor, Your Excellency the Pope, please do not get agitated. Let's discuss the main business first, shall we? What are your conditions!"
Ye Cangtian changed the subject, not wanting to alert the Pope and increase the difficulty of his future actions.
Therefore, letting the Pope have his moment of triumph was not a problem.
"Heh heh."
Hearing Ye Cangtian's words, the Pope immediately smiled.
In his opinion, Ye Cangtian, who was described as incredibly arrogant in the intelligence reports, was nothing more than that. In the face of absolute power, Ye Cangtian was like an ant, forced to bow his head.
After a moment of smugness, the Pope looked at Ye Cangtian and said indifferently, "It's not impossible to bring back Xu Zhenguo's head. There are two conditions."
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian made a welcoming gesture and said, "Please tell me clearly, Your Excellency the Pope!"
"The first request!"
The Pope extended a finger and glanced at Ye Cangtian, saying, "Dames was a hero of the Holy See, so the first request is to return Dames's body!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian's anger surged, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
Cardinals like Dames were a dime a dozen in the Holy See. In terms of ability and status, they were far inferior to Master Xu.
Now, for the Pope to repeatedly equate him with Master Xu, Ye Cangtian was extremely displeased.
But at the same time, he felt utterly powerless regarding the Pope's request.
Dames's head had been brought back to Huaxia to honor Master Xu, and afterward, it had been discarded somewhere. How could he possibly find it to return?
Thinking this, Ye Cangtian glanced at the Pope and seemed to understand his request.
The Pope had definitely guessed his purpose in bringing back Dames's head and knew the ultimate fate of that head.
Therefore, the Pope had deliberately made an impossible request.
This way, the negotiation would end, forcing him to infiltrate the Hall of Specimens.
After a moment of thought, Ye Cangtian slowly said, "Your Excellency the Pope, let's hear the second request!"
"Very well."
The Pope nodded and continued, "As you know, the Holy See has always wanted to explore the Huaxia ruins. The second condition is to open the Huaxia ruins to the Holy See."
After a pause, the Pope continued, "As long as the Huaxia forces fulfill these two points, I will not only return Xu Zhenguo's head with both hands but also sign an eternal friendship treaty on behalf of the Holy See with the Huaxia forces.
Furthermore, we can jointly rule the world with the Huaxia forces!"
The Pope was well aware that both sides had paid a heavy price for the Huaxia ruins, which also showed the determination of the Huaxia forces to keep the Holy See out.
However, if the matter could be resolved through negotiation, it would undoubtedly reduce the casualties on both sides.
And Xu Zhenguo's head was nothing compared to the Huaxia ruins.
"Heh heh."
Hearing the Pope's second request, Ye Cangtian's face broke into a smile, which gradually turned cold.
To guard the entrance to the Huaxia ruins, the Hidden Organization had paid a heavy price, and countless powerful individuals had shed blood on the battlefield.
Now, how could he let so many people sacrifice in vain for a mere transaction?
Even if Master Xu were alive, he would never agree to this!
Therefore, Ye Cangtian looked at the Pope and said indifferently, "Your Excellency the Pope, I cannot agree to your first condition. Dames's head has already been dealt with and cannot be returned."
After a pause, Ye Cangtian continued, "As for the second condition, it's not just me, no one can agree to it. The only ones who can agree are those fallen warriors. If they could speak, I would have no objections!"
"Hmm?"
Upon hearing this, the Pope's expression turned grim.
Although this outcome was within his expectations, Ye Cangtian's words made him very displeased.
After all, for the entrance to the Huaxia ruins, had only Huaxia people sacrificed? The Holy See had also lost many brave warriors!
Thinking this, he slowly said, "Regarding the matter of Dames, since it has already happened, I can change the condition. A compensation of some crystals and pills will suffice. As for the second condition, I can also make a concession!"
At these words, Ye Cangtian's eyes showed a hint of confusion, and he asked, "I wonder how Your Excellency the Pope intends to concede?"
"It's very simple. The Huaxia entrance doesn't need to be open to us."
"But it should allow our exploration team to enter. As for the life and death of the team members, you don't need to worry about it. What do you think?"
The Pope did not beat around the bush and directly stated his conditions.
In the Pope's view, if they could enter the Huaxia ruins, they might find items related to the Holy Seal.
Or perhaps they could inquire whether this treasure had fallen into the hands of the Hidden Organization.
After all, the Hidden Organization originally had very few Earth-level experts. Now, so many had suddenly appeared, and they could still withstand the Holy See's repeated attacks. This situation was definitely abnormal.
The Pope suspected that the Hidden Organization had obtained some treasure, and along with it, a large number of elixirs.
This would make everything seem reasonable.
It was for this reason that he wanted to send a powerful team to investigate this matter in the Huaxia ruins.
"This..."
Upon hearing this request, Ye Cangtian's eyes began to dart around.
To be honest, the Pope's concession made Ye Cangtian very tempted.
The Holy See was merely sending a small team, and their lives were irrelevant. They could be dealt with in the Huaxia ruins afterward.
Or perhaps let them explore unknown areas and contribute to the Huaxia forces?
That was also a good option.
But his rationality told Ye Cangtian that if the Pope made such a request, it must be no simple matter.