Chapter 476 The big one is coming again
It was getting late, the bell tower of the church rang the night bell, and the soup kitchen near the city gate was still crowded with people.
The coolness of autumn is permeating this city that has just survived the war. Fortunately, the hot porridge rolling in the large pots and the rich aroma of wheat emanating from the pots have temporarily dispelled people's coldness and worries about the future.
Most of the citizens' faces had a dull look on their faces, but at least there was a hint of freshness in their eyes.
They gathered in twos and threes carrying stoneware bowls. While devouring the hard-won food, they lowered their voices and exchanged the latest news in the city.
“Hey, have you heard about it?”
A well-informed, thin man spoke first. He lowered his voice proudly, as if he was sharing a shocking secret.
"This morning, Her Highness Irene went to the cathedral to confront the black-robed Grand Magistrate in person! My cousin's neighbor was the one who delivered candles to the church. He slipped in through the side door and saw it with his own eyes!"
"Confrontation?!"
"What's going on!"
Everyone's eyes lit up, and their faces were full of curiosity.
"What can be the matter?" An elderly woman curled her lips and muttered nervously, "Aren't you just going to report the military situation? Arnaud, don't spread it to the ears of the robed gentlemen in the Small Inquisition!"
Reporting military intelligence is the tribunal's version.
Although what happened in the church could be covered up, there was light coming from the windows during the day.
In order to prevent people from fabricating bigger rumors in whispers, the tribunal came up with an official version of the rumor.
I have to say that their experience in dealing with this kind of thing is still weak.
As long as there are no people with ulterior motives, this operation is certainly feasible. But if you encounter someone with ulterior motives, it will undoubtedly be a target for setting fire.
"What kind of military situation! The war has been over for so long, how can there be any military situation?"
A man with an excited voice intervened, making exaggerated gestures with his index finger, saying the version he heard from others.
"This is not the version I heard! I heard that the chief judge doubted Her Highness Irene, saying that she smelled unclean, and that she would be judged on the spot!"
These words were like a stone thrown into a pond, immediately causing ripples around it.
Even a few people squatting in the distance came over, their faces full of disbelief, wanting to hear what happened.
"Judge Your Highness Irene? Are they crazy?"
"Why do they do this! Your Highness is our savior!"
"That's right! Her Highness Irene burned her own life to save us! What did those guys who can only chant sutras do!"
"What's going on? Tell me!"
Facing the crowd's chatter, the man with an excited voice was at a loss when asked. After all, he was just hearing about it, so how could he know the details.
What he is more worried about now is that more and more people are gathering here. What if people from the tribunal are attracted?
Just when he didn't know what to do, a middle-aged man who looked unremarkable suddenly put down the bowl in his hand and spoke silently.
Unlike some hot-blooded guy, his voice is simple and crisp, and hits the point directly.
The words that fell on the heads of the crowd were not as simple as a stone being thrown into the pond, it was simply like throwing a bomb into the pond.
It is simply not right to be in front of it. Not only demons, but even people with evil intentions cannot look directly at the shining light."
The middle-aged man spoke slowly, describing details that no one knew, as if he was present at the scene. Although he said, "I don't know the details," he seemed to know everything.
"When the light was on, a second sun seemed to appear in the sky. They wanted to use the sacred light to burn Her Highness Irene to prove that she was indeed guilty. However, unfortunately, our Saint Sith was very discerning. Instead of proving Her Highness Irene's sin, his verdict proved her purity!"
The impact of the picture made countless people present hold their breath, as if they had walked into the scene with the middle-aged man.
Because his description was so realistic that he even described the expressions on the faces of the judges, so everyone felt that what he said was the truth.
This is indeed the case.
Any lie will avoid describing the details, because once the details are described, it will leave holes that cannot be recovered.
The reverse is also true. If a person speaks as if he is at the scene, no one can expose him.
Then there is a high probability that he is really at the scene.
Or at least know something that others don’t know.
The middle-aged man told the story to the end.
Including the face of the referee who refused to apologize, including the indifferent ridicule of the palace steward, including Irene bearing the humiliation for the sake of the overall situation and leaving the church with clenched fists——
After a brief silence, everyone finally made an uncontrollable commotion.
· Doubts and anger are rolling like the lava of hell. They dare not speak loudly, but they are also complaining in suppressed voices.
"How could they treat our heroes like this?!"
"What right does the Inquisition have to doubt her? I think they are the heretics! Where did they go when Chaos bullied us?"
"Shameless guys! When Chaos came, they hid in their holes like mice, but when Chaos left, they became arrogant and powerful!"
Although it is true that these guys in black robes brought them food, where did the food come from?
And every time before eating, it is annoying enough to have to be dragged by the theologians from the Holy City to listen to the lengthy sermons.
What’s more, it’s okay if they don’t mention it!
The more they say those high-sounding truths, the more people can’t help but think about what you did before?
"If Saint Sith is really so omnipotent, what did he do when Twilight City was besieged? In the end, it was not relying on Her Highness Erin's sword and the artillery of the Salvation Army!"
A ragged poor man couldn't help but complain, and his complaint immediately attracted a suppressed voice of approval.
There are also people who agree with him.
“—I think it’s because they can’t defeat Chaos themselves, so they slander those who have fought with Chaos as clowns!”
But enough about the emotions.
Looking at the increasingly excited crowd, a certain middle-aged man who told the truth had quietly passed through the noisy crowd and turned into an unnoticed alley.
The alley is very dark, and it seems to be a completely different world from the noise on the street.
The executors of the Tribunal have not come yet, not because they cannot see here, but because they are really too busy.
The same thing is happening at every soup kitchen in Twilight City.
At first, people only talked about the holy light shining in the Twilight City Cathedral during the day, but later it became that the Inquisition was the most blasphemous person.
Mr. Jimenez probably wouldn’t have thought of it.
They tried to use the looted radishes to bribe the citizens of Twilight City, but it happened to be the weapon used by the Salvation Army to attack them.
In that unknown dusk, in this invisible war, Saint Karen has already won one round -
In the Twilight City Cathedral, a large prayer room that was temporarily requisitioned as an office was swaying with candlelight, illuminating the mural of "The Salvation of the Saints" on the wall.
· Grand Inquisitor Jimenez is sitting behind the table, with a huge map of the Twilight Province spread out in front of him, with red ink marking the villages that have just been "purified".
His brows were furrowed, as if he was thinking about his next move.
A respectful knock on the door sounded from behind him.
"Come in." Jimenez did not raise his head, his indifferent eyes seemed to still be immersed in thinking about the sacred cause.
The door opened, and a middle-aged man wearing a priest's robe walked in. His face is kind and refined, and his temperament is closer to that of a scholar than a judge.
His name is Martin. He is one of the theologians who came to this sleeping place with the Tribunal. He is mainly responsible for ideological correction and preaching among the people.
However, at this moment, the face of the papal evangelist had a hint of gloom.
intous Martin bowed and saluted, with a hint of exhaustion in his voice as he spoke slowly.
"Our work at the soup kitchen has encountered some resistance, and a blasphemous saying is being circulated among the citizens—.."
Jimenez finally raised his head from the map, a trace of impatience flashed in his cloudy eyes, but he still spoke patiently.
Martin nodded slightly and reported the report truthfully.
"Citizens are saying - you used the artifact "Judgment Cross" in the cathedral with the intention of judging Her Highness Irene, but St. Sith refused to harm this hero. Now, many people privately call her the "Knight of the Holy Light", and her reputation is even higher than before. "
"Bang!"
Jimenez slammed the table, and the thick oak tabletop made a loud noise, causing the flames on the candlestick to jump violently.
Martin looked at him in astonishment, and saw that the astonishing anger was brewing in that thin body, and his voice was as full of solemnity as the hammer being struck in the court.
"Absurd! I clearly ordered the news to be blocked! The people in the church are either ours or the king's. How did the news get out?"
Jimenez suddenly stopped talking mid-sentence, and his cloudy pupils squinted slightly.
That’s it.
It was Irene's plan——
This seemingly innocent little girl seemed to be more scheming than he imagined, and she was plotting against him from the moment she stepped into the church!
This woman—should not be underestimated!
Looking at his furious boss, Martin's face showed deep worry.
He knew that speaking out at this moment was extremely risky, but as a servant of Saint Sith, he decided to take the risk to share the burden for the Holy Light of his faith.
"Your Excellency, rumors are like water and cannot be blocked. And - don't you find it strange?"
His voice was calm, trying to appease Jimenez's anger, and at the same time lead the topic to a more noteworthy place.
"This rumor spread too fast, and accurately captured every detail, and only retained the part that was beneficial to Irene. It shaped her into a hero who was protected by the divine but persecuted by the world, and made us into villains who can't distinguish between right and wrong."
"You want to say that Irene did it?" Jimenez's eyes flickered slightly, and he did think so in his heart.
However, the old scholar was still a little naive and shook his head.
"No, on the contrary, I don't think Irene has this idea. She is the one chosen by the Holy Light. Even if her sword has a touch of tragedy, what good will it do to her personally? The only person who will really benefit is the king who was slandered as a clown with us. "
Before the chief referee could speak, Martin took a deep breath and spoke with The sincere voice continued.
"Your Excellency, with all due respect, Mr. Sklar, the palace steward, has barely concealed his hostility towards Campbell. You and I can see it. We are here to purify Chaos. That is the sacred mission given to us by the Pope. As for the dispute between King Lane and Duke Campbell, it is a secular power struggle. There is no need and should not be involved by the church."
Martin put it very cryptically, saying that Mr Scrier was trying to use the tribunal as a knife against his political opponents.
However, what he didn't know was that the chief referee certainly knew that Scrier was using him, but he just didn't reveal it.
After all, isn’t the Tribunal using the power of the king to facilitate its own actions to eradicate heretics?
The world in the eyes of scholars is always logically clear and distinct. However, the real world is completely opposite. It is often you who have me, and I have you.
Jimenez did not answer Martin's question, but waved his hand impatiently, motioning for him to leave.
Martin bowed and quietly exited the room, leaving the Grand Inquisitor alone in the flickering candlelight and the shadow cast by the mural.
Jimenez turned his attention to the map on the table again, his expression becoming more solemn.
At first, the circles of scarlet marks made him feel happy, but now he couldn't be happy at all.
Sclair is a cunning politician, but he has no ability to fabricate such inflammatory rumors in one day and let them spread throughout the city, forcing the Inquisition to put out fires everywhere.
He always had a feeling that there was an invisible force against him.
The invisible enemy accurately predicted every move he made, and even guessed his next move, making quick and fatal moves.
Is it that Karen?
Or the ambitious Archduke Campbell?
Or, is it a more terrifying existence?
Jimenez stretched out his dry fingers and slowly stroked the name "Quiemu Colling" on the map, with an unprecedented solemnity flashing in his eyes.
He has dealt with many enemies for the Holy See.
However, this was the first time he had seen a guy like this resisting the Holy See under the banner of Saint Sith, and he really didn't know how to deal with it for a while.
He just wanted to curse the sleepy king now.
This fire that killed people in the grass camp may have really burned out a huge monster. Jimenez's worry is not unreasonable. The Inquisition is still playing a game of eradication in the Twilight Province, and the legend of Saint Karen has spread to the northern border of the Kingdom of Rhodes.
Soon, the "fire of salvation" will spread like a prairie fire to every inch of land that cannot be illuminated by the holy light.
The spear of "Angel of Power" can penetrate the clones of chaotic evil spirits and defeat visible armies, but it cannot kill those invisible ghosts!
There is an undercurrent in the city at dusk.
At the same time, in Thunder City, far downstream of the rushing river, a surging undercurrent is also quietly brewing——
Thunder City Queen Street, "Morning Embrace" Hotel.
At this moment, in the lounge of this luxury hotel, the most influential businessmen and factory owners in Thunder City are surrounding a lizard man who is out of tune with the surrounding environment.
The blue-gray scales exuded a cold and hard luster under the crystal lamp, and a thick tail curled up quietly behind him, like a sleeping python.
But the most eye-catching thing is not his tail and wings, but the dazzling set of gold ornaments on his body.
It seems that in the continent of Janna, there is as much gold as shells on the beach.
Sark's loud voice and bold posture were in sharp contrast to the other elegant businessmen in the lounge, but no one thought he was rude. Instead, they regarded him as an "exotic custom."
Although the citizens of Thunder City have no favorable impressions of lizardmen, this gentleman is different from the bugs soaking in the southwest swamps.
This respected Mr. Sac Gale not only comes from the distant continent of Janna, but behind him stands a lizardman kingdom that covers an area of more than seven million square kilometers!
The land of the Principality of Campbell is like a speck of dust in front of them!
Not to mention, this Mr. Sark is said to be the close sibling of the most powerful chief in the Gutav United Kingdom!
Looks like he’s the chief’s cousin?
It is precisely because of the many auras that the lounge of the "Morning Embrace" hotel is overcrowded almost every day, just like when His Highness Colin stayed here.
Like sharks smelling blood, the merchants of Thunder City gathered around Sark, asking this foreign "noble" about his mysterious hometown.
Sac also knew everything about people's spying. No matter who came in front of him, he would chat with them generously.
At this time, a well-dressed textile factory owner came over with a wine glass in his humble tone with a flattering tone.
"Dear Mr. Sack, please forgive me for being presumptuous, I noticed that the fabric of your clothes seems to be a little rough? I wonder if you have ever known about the worsted cotton and velvet produced in our Thunder City? They are as soft as clouds, I bet you will like them!"
Sack heard this and let out a hearty and loud laugh.
"Haha! You are right! Your fabrics are indeed so good! In our place, only the chiefs and tribal high priests can enjoy such high-quality silk. You actually sewed it on the chair, what a waste!"
These words made the textile factory owner's eyes light up instantly, and he wanted to invite Mr. Sack to his factory immediately.
His warehouse is full of stuff like this!
As long as the lizard people of Gutav Kingdom need it, the Campbell people can work overtime to produce for them!
However, before he could open his mouth to sell, an owner of a mechanical power plant working for the Andes Group forced his way in and probed for more core issues with cautious words.
"I heard that your country has strong steam technology. Is it true?"
"Steam engine? Oh, you're talking about those iron lumps that spit out white gas all day long."
Sack's interest on his face obviously faded, and he waved his hand as if he didn't care.
"We use them to dig tunnels, mines, and even cultivate land, and we also use them to pull goods—some run in the water, and some run on the road. Those things are very common, and the children in our tribe will use the parts to make some simple toys."
The boss of the mechanical power plant took a breath after hearing this, and couldn't help showing an expression of envy on his face.
Even a child can make it? !
As for the other businessmen, they exchanged surprised looks.
They have heard of steam engines for mining, but what are those steam engines that run on the ground and cultivate the land?
In those few words of communication, Sack had already sketched an extremely attractive blueprint in the mind of merchant Campbell. It was a huge kingdom with a strong industrial base and unlimited resources.
They have advanced technology, but their spiritual world is barren, and the fields of people's livelihood consumption and luxury goods are like a blank sheet of paper. Therefore, the nobles there are eager to communicate with the outside world. They have gold everywhere, and they are even like moving gold mines!
The atmosphere in the lounge reached its peak.
Just when everyone in the lounge was breathing heavily because of the huge business prospects, the closed double wooden doors were suddenly pushed open respectfully by a waiter.
The loudspeaker in the lounge seemed to have been paused. Everyone looked back subconsciously and saw Prince Colin standing at the door.
Your Highness Colin—is he back? !
When? !
And what shocked them even more was what came next.
Sac Gale, who was as majestic as a lion, immediately jumped up from the sofa the moment he saw His Highness Colin.
If Colin's eyes hadn't stopped him, everyone would have wondered whether his next move would be to kneel down on one knee.
Whispering sounds spread in the lounge, and fiery gazes traveled back and forth between Sac and Colin, constantly changing their expressions.
Luo Yan certainly knew what they were thinking, because he deliberately made them think so.
His calm gaze swept across the whole place. Prince Colin smiled and nodded to the businessmen who stood up to pay tribute, as a greeting. C
Then, he fixed his gaze on Sark and spoke concisely.
"Mr. Sack, please come with me."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Sack responded respectfully without any hesitation, and then immediately stepped forward and hurriedly followed Colin who turned to leave.
The two walked away until their figures completely disappeared at the corner of the stairs, and the noise was restored in the lounge.
It's just that this time, it's not just the loud talk, but also the uncontrollable excitement.
"Saint Siss above - what did I see just now?"
"That Mr. Sark is like an obedient soldier in front of His Highness Colin!"
"It is unbelievable, what a huge power the mysterious and wealthy Colin family has established in the continent of Janna! 》
"Wait, have you noticed His Highness's expression? I don't know if it's my misunderstanding. He seems a little serious?
∣ 9
"You're not the only one who saw it, I also felt it - our principality, I'm afraid something is going to happen99