The city of Huxiao was divided into two layers: the inner and the outer.
The inner city was Huxiao Castle, the residence of Count Lanshan. Built entirely from thick granite, it towered even above the city walls and was equipped with arrow towers and fortresses. In times of war, it could be fully armed and ready for battle in an instant.
During the previous civil war of the Lan bloodline, Huxiao Castle set a record: a hundred defenders successfully resisted an army of ten thousand for a full year!
Outside the castle walls lay the dwellings of the commoners and freemen. The outer city of Huxiao was divided into four major districts. The eastern district housed freemen such as scholars, mercenary captains, small merchants, and craftsmen. These were mostly elegant small villas, often accompanied by one or two gardens.
The western and southern districts were the poor quarters, the most chaotic areas in terms of public order. Some black markets and slave traders were located here.
As for the northern district, it was the domain of the Church.
Wu Ming wore a white shirt, starched black trousers, and a cross sword at his waist. His deerskin boots clicked crisply against the cobblestone streets as he slowly approached the northern district.
The Church’s buildings were grand and magnificent, with pointed spires, bearing a distinct Gothic style.
Dong! Dong!
At this moment, the sound of the bronze bell rang out across the square. A crowd of ragged people wearing worn-out linen clothes, mostly barefoot, gathered together with expressions of longing in their eyes, waiting eagerly.
Kuangdang!
The massive doors of the Church swung open, and a group of clergy poured out to maintain order.
“The Lord came from chaos and brought light to the world!”
An elderly bishop in red robes, his hair already white, began his daily preaching and charity work, his face showing a compassionate expression.
Several strong men carried pots from which thin oatmeal porridge was ladled out. Nearby, nuns carried baskets, and as they lifted the white cloths covering them, dark loaves of bread quietly lay inside.
Many of the poor instinctively swallowed hard and pushed forward slightly.
If not for the sight of a row of strong clergy and several armored knights of honor standing there, they likely would have rushed forward to scramble for the food.
“There’s no need to rush! One at a time!”
The bishop in red maintained order: “Women, the elderly, and children first!”
He held a ladle, scooping out a portion of porridge into each grimy wooden bowl, chipped basin, or even directly into waiting hands. Nearby, the nuns handed out a piece of black bread, neither more nor less, just enough to barely sustain a person for a day.
“The Lord says we must love all people, just as people love us…”
As Wu Ming politely observed from the side, watching the red-robed bishop tirelessly preach and lead the crowd in prayer, his eyes showed a hint of confusion: “This Church…”
In his eyes, the entire church appeared gray and dull, with not even a glimmer of spiritual light.
Even on the red-robed bishop himself, he could sense no trace of supernatural power, as if the man were merely an ordinary old man.
The only ones who caught his attention were those knights of honor.
These knights of honor, also known as Church knights, were true knights selected through the Church’s system and anointed with holy oil and sacred rites!
Of course, although they possessed the strength of knights, due to restrictions imposed by the Church, no noble was willing to bestow upon them titles or lands. Thus, despite their knightly abilities, they lacked the actual status of knights. The Church claimed they had dedicated everything to the supreme Lord, hence granting them the title of “Knights of Honor.”
But in Wu Ming’s eyes, they were merely a group of highly skilled enforcers.
“One thing is certain, though—this daily relief effort means the Church must have considerable financial resources…”
Wu Ming rubbed his chin thoughtfully, immediately thinking of more possibilities.
Only three major powers on Fengying Plains knew the secret to knightly advancement. If minor nobles wanted to remain neutral and avoid their knights being deeply infiltrated by Counts and Viscounts, they had no choice but to turn to the Church for help.
For this, they had to pay a hefty sum of money.
Not to mention, with the Church’s propaganda, there were always many freemen and even minor nobles who sought spiritual solace from the scriptures and chose to convert, resulting in a constant stream of donations. Naturally, the Church became very wealthy.
The armor of those knights of honor gleamed brightly, their cross swords decorated with gems and gold, dazzling and far superior to that of Taku’s.
After the crowd dispersed, Wu Ming approached the main gate of the cathedral.
“Brother stranger, where do you come from?”
The red-robed bishop, who had just been praying with a somewhat weary expression, noticed Wu Ming first.
“My name is William, from Nia Town!”
Wu Ming fixed his gaze on the statue of the deity inside the cathedral. It was a tall figure with perfectly sculpted muscular lines, yet it had no face.
From it, Wu Ming vaguely sensed a hint of supernatural power, yet it remained hazy and ambiguous, giving him a strange sense of familiarity.
“What god do you believe in?”
The red-robed bishop’s face grew solemn as he slowly asked.
“I worship the Spirit of Nature!”
Wu Ming answered without batting an eye.
The belief system of this world was still quite primitive. Many deities did not have specific names, and primitive faiths similar to ancestor worship and nature worship still existed.
Moreover, since the Church’s power was restrained by the nobility, it had not yet reached the stage of religious persecution. Otherwise, Wu Ming would not have been so openly declaring himself a pagan.
He then asked, “Why does the deity have no face?”
“Because our Lord was born from chaos. He is the god of all, the sovereign god, manifesting in countless forms. The Spirit of Nature is merely one vessel of His mighty power!”
A voice came from the side, answering Wu Ming’s question.
“Archbishop!”
The previous red-robed bishop immediately bowed his head respectfully.
Wu Ming looked at the approaching figure. He wore the simplest of attire, just a plain linen robe, barefoot, with no decorations at all, appearing no different from a poor old man on the street.
Yet on him, Wu Ming clearly sensed traces of supernatural power: “A true priest, then?”
But immediately after hearing the archbishop’s explanation, he was left speechless.
With such a doctrine of a single, supreme god, it was no wonder the Church was so unpopular, even facing joint resistance from the nobility.
The nobility’s system of feudalism was essentially a division of power, with each lord being the sovereign of his own territory, free to do as he pleased within his domain.
But the Church’s theory of a single, supreme god was, in this world, essentially a blatant call for unification! Unless a lord aspired to unify the entire continent, no noble would openly support such an idea.
“Praise be to our Lord. I see another brother returning!”
The archbishop smiled: “Dear brother, have you come to seek spiritual solace or something else?”
“Actually, I am an adventurer. I believe my skills have already reached their peak, yet I find myself unable to progress further!”
Wu Ming replied candidly.
“Do you want to become a knight?”
The red-robed bishop shook his head: “I’m very sorry, but unless you obtain a noble’s endorsement and recommendation and pay 500 golden Delongs, or swear to renounce everything and join the Church as a Knight of Honor, we cannot offer you any assistance according to our agreement!”
He spoke these words fluently, as if he had repeated them countless times before.
“I see. I apologize for the disturbance!”
Wu Ming slightly bowed: “I would like to donate one golden Delong to the Church!”
He took out a gold coin and handed it to the red-robed bishop, then appeared somewhat disappointed and prepared to leave.
“Wait a moment!”
Suddenly, the archbishop spoke: “Dear child, the doors of the Church are always open to you!”
“Thank you!”
Wu Ming was momentarily surprised, then quickly bowed again and exited through the cathedral’s main gate.
“Archbishop?!”
The red-robed bishop looked at the old man in astonishment.
The old man’s expression seemed somewhat bewildered: “I saw a veil of fate around him, as if carrying a revelation from our Lord…”
“Our Lord?”
The red-robed bishop was immediately excited, yet also felt a little ashamed: “Have you received any divine message?”
“God loves all people, yet does not easily interfere in the world. He only offers subtle hints through small things… Feel it, listen to the entire world…”
The archbishop’s eyes rolled slightly, revealing the whites, as he slowly spoke.
…
“To obtain the holy oil for research, one must join either the Church or the nobility?”
Wu Ming stepped out of the cathedral, a faint sneer appearing on his lips: “If that were truly the case, how did those wandering free knights come into existence?”
Although there were contracts to consider, he did not believe that the nobility and the Church were as flawless on the inside as they appeared on the surface.
No matter how meticulous and complete the rules might be, they still required people to follow and maintain them.
Wherever there were people, there would always be flaws and loopholes.
“There must be clues, even sales, of the holy oil in the black market…”
Almost without hesitation, a thought surfaced in Wu Ming’s mind.
“Of course… before that, I should pay visits to several scholars first. I need more knowledge!”
…
Three days later, in a villa within the eastern district.
“Respected Scholar Lulun, as per the route you provided, I found the poor Mr. Ivans in a wolf den. I’m very sorry!”
Wu Ming placed a bloodstained leather armor and a ring with a peculiar pattern on the table, speaking to an elderly man with a pale complexion.
“This is indeed Ivans’ ring… Oh! My poor little fellow!”
Scholar Lulun examined the ring carefully, rubbing it against his chest, and his eyes immediately glistened with tears.
“Whatever the case, I must thank you! Brave adventurer!”
After an unknown amount of time, Scholar Lulun’s voice came through.
“You shall receive what you deserve!”
He stood up and placed a key and a small bag of golden Delongs in front of Wu Ming: “Seven golden Delongs and the right to read all the books in my study for seven days are yours!”
“Let Gavin tell you the rest!”
Scholar Lulun leaned back in his recliner, clearly exhausted.
Wu Ming bowed and exited, found Old Butler Gavin, and was led to Lulun’s study.
The brass key inserted into the lock with a crisp sound. Then, the door creaked open, revealing several rows of ancient bookshelves before Wu Ming’s eyes.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage