Although Iberia is far away in the southwestern corner of Europe, even in the Vatican, Thomas Tongomada is a famous person.

This small man, who was only a folk priest in his early years, gradually became known for his excellent eloquence and provocative preaching, and then he became Isabella's personal pastor due to various opportunities.

But even then he was still a humble little man in Barriaridud, and the nobles were kind to him, but never really regarded him as an equal in status, and in their eyes, Thomas Tongomada was no different from the clown who always surrounded Ferdinand, perhaps he was wearing a cloak, but in fact he was still just a henchman at Isabella's side to help her out.

Until he suggested to Isabella that the Inquisition be established.

In the beginning, the nobles did not care much about the establishment of such a church inquisition, and it had nothing to do with them in their minds that there was blasphemy, heresy, or pagan beliefs, and such a judgment must have been only for those who had actually violated the canons.

However, it soon became clear that this was not the case, and that the Inquisition of Thomas Tongomada, at Isabella's behest, was not only subjected to brutal religious rule by the commoners, but also to the nobility, especially those who threatened Isabella, with all sorts of terrible measures.

Even some big nobles were inevitably sent to the Inquisition because they were reported as heretics, and what was even more terrifying was that this Inquisition treated everyone who was unfortunate enough to be sent to the Inquisition with the fundamental guilt of "If you were not guilty, you would not be sent here for trial".

So it became a real miracle to emerge alive from the Inquisition, and Thomas Tongomada became one of the most terrible people in Castile.

Alexander had thought of many people who might kidnap Juana, and he had even thought of Don Makrosbein, the treasurer, but he really didn't think that this person would be Tongomada.

It was strange, and Alexander thought it was strange at first, but when he remembered what Tongomada had told him about his acquaintance with Lord Modiglo, it suddenly made sense.

Even now, Alexander believes that Count Modillo did not tell him the full truth, or that the Count always kept a hand on the "cooperation" between them.

It's just that Thomas Tangomada is actually a Judah believer like those dragon knights of Transylvania, which he really didn't expect.

Even Alexander himself had to tell such a big lie in Transylvania in order to get out, and although this lie was somewhat substantiated, he never thought that he would one day actually deal with Judah in Iberia.

"You guys?"

There was a hint of doubt in Alexander's tone, and he could not help but wonder that as the Queen's personal priest and the most powerful priest, there was no need for Tangomada to take a huge risk to mingle with a group of people like Judah, who were destined to wander in the dark corners of history forever.

Those people have been in the dark for too long, they may have secretly run an unusually large empire for so many years, but it is precisely because they have always been hiding in the shadows that they can no longer really go out into the sun, and they are destined to become only part of the wild history that is talked about, just like the Rothschilds, who are considered by many to be the secret rulers of the world, and will always be the topic of conversation for some people after dinner.

It was such a group of people who did such a bold thing that made Alexander really face up to these conspirators who he had underestimated before for the first time.

"Yes, it's us," said Tom Mada in a tone of pride and a slight smugness, and even if he held the power of life and death in his hands, he still habitually bent down slightly, and at the same time there was a fierce look in his eyes that he had not seen before, "We have done this, and Castile should be in the hands of true believers in Jesus, and not be a meal for hypocritical traitors." ”

Alexander involuntarily nodded in agreement with this declaration of Tongomada, and he also believed that Castile could not be left in the hands of others.

"Do you think so too, Duke," said Tomomada, not surprised by Alexander's strange agreement with his views, but rather with a hint of relief, "I am not mistaken my friend Mordillo, although he led me down this path, he himself does not seem to believe in our faith, so it is a pity that many of us think that the Count understands the meaning of the existence of the Apostle Judas better than anyone else, and that he is willing to help us, But he himself declared that he did not believe in our pursuit, but now it seems that he is still the same as us, because I see you. ”

Alexander looked at Tangomada inexplicably, he believed that Mordillo must have used some nonsense to deceive these religious maniacs, but he didn't understand why Tangomada would say that he believed that Mordilo was one of them when he saw him.

Do I look like a man who spends his days in intrigue, Alexander felt it was time to reflect on himself.

As if sensing Alexander's bewilderment, Tangomada lowered his voice while sipping the wine in his hand, "Don Bavi, Duke, it's Don Bavi. ”

Tangomada's words made Alexander understand at once.

He looked at the priest in front of him with some surprise, he never thought that these people were actually colluding with Don Bavi.

Whether for faith or pure power, Don Bavi was clearly a good collaborator.

He had ambition and strength, but he also held a powerful trump card in his hand, and because of his inextricable ties with the old Castilian aristocracy, Don Bavi had a large number of his supporters, both overtly and covertly.

This made Alexander suddenly realize that maybe he had really underestimated the Duke of Buhalanse before, and even his defeat in front of Gonzalo might not be as simple as it seemed.

In retrospect, it seems that it was the armies of other nobles in the Andalusian coalition that had been fighting against the royal army, and that Don Bavi's own troops, although they had also participated in many battles, had never fought head-on with the army under Gonzalo's personal command.

Alexander had to admit that he had been deceived by the illusion created by the old man, and he had always acted like a clumsy careerist who was ambitious but limited in ability, but now it seems that this man is really not simple.

"Duke, we need help, your uncle, Count Mordillo, thinks we can trust you, so may I ask you if we should trust you?"

Tangomada's eyes were sharp, which made Alexander not doubt at all that if he felt that he could not be trusted, these people would use the most terrible way against him.

Tongomada was not worried that he would inform, after all, no one would believe that the Queen's personal priest would be one of the main perpetrators of the princess's abduction, or even if anyone did, they already had a plan in place, and once they found out that they were not reliable, they would fly away.

It was natural that Tangomada was very wary and cautious to be able to stay by Isabella's side for so long, but now that he would rather reveal his identity, it can be seen that they have decided to take a desperate gamble.

So what they were going to do next, Alexander pondered quickly in his mind, and suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.

"Toledo? You're going to send Juana to Toledo! ”

Alexander was still inquiring at first, but later he directly confirmed the idea, and the slightly surprised look on his face confirmed his idea.

"Duke, you are as wise as your uncle said," said Tomgomada, who was somewhat wary of this, for he did not expect the Duke of Rome to be so vigilant about their intentions, "We are indeed prepared to send Juana to Toledo, where we have our friends, and where the noble council of Castile is willing to cooperate with us." ”

The corners of Alexander's mouth moved slightly, after so many changes, he could hardly believe that the believers of Judah could still hold on to their ethereal beliefs so persistently, and it was clear that these people were no different from those in the church, and they had turned their pursuit of faith into a desire for power and wealth, as could be seen from their cooperation with Don Bavi and the noble council of Toledo.

"So what do you want me to do?"

Alexander didn't believe that they were in trouble because they couldn't get Juana and his wife out of Barriaridot, and that the fact that these people were able to get them out of the castle in the Highlands quietly showed that they had a lot of means, so it wasn't that difficult for them to get out as soon as possible.

But they didn't leave Barriadot before they were discovered, which means they have other things to do here.

And apparently, the matter was quite troublesome, otherwise they wouldn't have ventured to find him on the door.

Maybe the two previous visits to Tangomada were really just to test him, but this time he must have come with a request.

Sure enough, Tangomada's next words made Alexander stunned slightly.

"We wish to see the Pope," said Tomomada, seeing Alexander's puzzled expression, "Duke, we all know the sermon that Alexander VI gave in Zaragoza before, and to be honest, if she had not been ill at the time, perhaps Queen Isabella would have ordered the excommunication to the Pope for this sermon. ”

When he said this, although he did a good job of concealing it, Alexander still saw a hint of irony in the slightly strange expression on Tongo Mada's face.

In Iberia, where the divine right was firmly under royal power, the noble Church was not actually the bride of Jesus Christ, but the lovers of the monarchs, which had been the status quo even a long time ago.

Because of this, no one would consider Alexander VI's sermon in Zaragoza to be his own decision, and it made it clear to many that with Isabella's illness, Ferdinand could not wait to try to seize power in Castile by taking control of Juana.

"His Holiness the Pope's sermon has caused a lot of damage, and we need him to find a way to make up for this mistake, otherwise even if we get to Toreto, we will cause a lot of trouble."

Tongomada's face was gloomy, and it was obvious that he was in a bad mood when he said this, although he didn't want to admit it, but the influence of the church was still very great after all, especially with Ferdinand behind his back, so Juana's inheritance qualifications have now become an unresolved topic, even if no one has publicly stood up to question it, but Juana's unsettling state has always been a boulder in the hearts of Castiles.

And it was her father who was going to knock down the boulder and cause an avalanche of disasters, which forced even the people of Judah, who were dismissive of the Vatican pope, to think that they had to find a way to make up for the trouble caused by that sermon first.

"I think your request may be a bit excessive," Alexander refused Tangomada without hesitation, even though his face first showed unhappiness and then became gloomy, but Alexander still said unmoved, "You must know that the Pope's sermon is to be recorded in the papal records, so do you think the Pope will change his previous statement so easily, I think you should also understand that even a lowly person will insist on his words and deeds for the sake of self-esteem, So what do you think would make the pope change what he says in public? ”

Tongomada listened without saying a word, he knew that it was indeed difficult, and that it should be no easier to get a pope to retract what he had said in a public sermon than it would be to make him publicly display miracles, as Alexander said, that even the most humble or temperamental people tend to insist on their own opinions for the sake of dignity.

It's really hard to want a pope to go back on his word.

The priests showed a look of loss on their faces, and they even sacrificed some of their companions who had been hiding to quietly bring Juana and his wife out, in order to be able to take advantage of the identity and status of the current first heir to Castilian, but the previous sermon of Alexander VI posed a great threat to Juana's inheritance, and it can even be said that the sermon stuffed a sharp murder weapon into the hands of those who questioned Juana's succession.

One of the most dangerous people in the hands of this murder weapon was Ferdinand.

"Is there really no other way?"

Tang Gomada asked a little dazedly, as Isabel's personal pastor, he has indeed enjoyed the rights that others can't taste over the years, and even as the judge of the court, he has the power of life and death for many people.

But he was always just a tool, whether it was Isabella or the magnates of the Castilian court, who only needed him to do what they wanted him to do, and never regarded him as an object of consultation, which made Thomas Tongomada at a loss when faced with a real problem.

Alexander shook his head secretly, knowing that Tongomada was the epitome and representative of those of Judah, who had been in the shadows for too long, and who for centuries had tended to be careful to meet in public, even on the grounds that they had gone to the past, or to avoid being coveted by the monarchs and the Holy See the great wealth they had amassed over the years, and had to deal with the spying on ill intentions from all sides.

How could such a group of people pose a threat to the powerful nations of today, perhaps in their own dreams that one day they would finally be able to stand in front of everyone in the open, and even convert monarchs to their faith, but the truth is that the world is never driven by conspiracy.

"Tell me what you can afford?" Alexander finally spoke, and he felt that he had almost grasped what he wanted to know, and that there was even something more than he had thought, and now he even guessed that perhaps the Count of Mordillo was not just trying to achieve the unity of the two Sicilies and to covet the throne of Castile, as he himself said, and that the Count wanted much more than he had said.

Tongomada looked at Alexander in astonishment, he could understand the meaning of the words, but he couldn't answer for a while.

Finally, after a while, Tongomada asked in a muffled voice, "And what do you want, Duke?" ”

After saying that, he continued: "Don't make unreasonable demands, we will not hand over Juana to you." ”

"It just so happens that I don't want her either," Alexander replied with a smile, and when he saw that Tongomada seemed to be about to say something, he simply waved his hand to stop him, "Don't worry, Pastor, Juana is just a trouble for me, and you will definitely be able to do what I ask for." ”

"What is it?"

"Let the Council of the Nobles of Toledo recognize Juana, the daughter of Enrique IV, as his legitimate legitimate son, as his direct descendant."

Alexander looked at Tongomada as he had finished, and then he saw the priest's stunned expression as expected.

Thomas Tongomada left with suspicion and even a little rudeness, and Alexander believed that he would probably be distressed when he returned because he could not figure out what kind of connection the two Juanas had.

After all, even if she admits that Juana is the biological daughter of Enrique IV, it is impossible for her to regain the Castilian throne in the current situation.

So why trade such a but useless condition for a precious opportunity for the Pope to change his tune?

Alexander knew that Tangomada and his accomplices would probably not easily agree to this offer because they could not figure it out.

But he was not in a hurry, he knew that sooner or later the people of Tangomada would agree to his terms.

Alexander opened a sealed box, pulled out one of the codebooks, and after confirming that it was correct, he picked up his pen and began to write according to the cipher index.

"Sister, our father is so aggrieved that he died, we have to avenge our father......"

Putting down the pen, Alexander stretched, looking at the bright sunlight outside the window, he felt swept away the depression he had before.

For the first time since coming to Iberia, I really took the initiative, and then the show was about to happen.